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There are people in the kitchen fixing drinks. Unless I want them to tease me, I am not pouring it out in front of anyone. I will not risk whatever social outcast jabs come with not finishing a beverage like this at a party. Nope. I just want to blend in.
The last three lingering people leave, and I am taking my chance.
Okay. Go time. Straight to the sink.
“Never. Again.” The acid swirls down the drain seamlessly.
“That’s just wasteful, you know. There are starving children in the world.” I turn around and see the guy that carried that girl upstairs from earlier is standing there, leaning against the wall. How did I not notice him before?
Gathering my courage to speak to a complete stranger, I clear my throat. “I’m sure starving children in the world don’t need to drink acid.”
The corner of his mouth lifts and I catch a glimpse of a perfect smile. Wow, he’s gorgeous. He’s at least 6’3 with short, but messy, dark hair. His chest and shoulders are broad and biceps stretch out the sleeves of his t-shirt, so I’m presuming he’s an athlete. That would explain the tan lines, too. Also, the air of confidence surrounding him. I would guess the pitcher for his baseball team or quarterback.
His best features are those eyes. He has one blue eye and one gray. They are unique and the power behind them pins me to my spot. They go perfectly with his handsome face, and promise loads of trouble.
I’ll bet my allowance he is going to be the king of his prom.
“True,” he says, slowly taking steps closer to me to lean against the counter beside the sink. “I’m not into that stuff either.”
Nervously, I offer a smile and nod before turning to leave, swallowing the high-pitched giggle making its way up my throat from some random cute guy talking to me. My cheeks are burning already. If I stay any longer, I’m certain a girlfriend will show up and think this is something it’s not. This guy wouldn’t flirt with me, especially if he knew who my father was.
“You know, if you go out there, they’re just going to force another drink in your hands. You’d have to find another way to dump that one. Your night will be one trip after another, wasting perfectly fine alcohol that some other underage high schooler could enjoy right now.”
I stop and turn back to face him, trying to determine if he is being sincere. I can’t tell if he is a jerk or not. He seems to think my squinting eyes are amusing by the way he smirks back at me.
“I’m just saying this based on personal experience. It’s up to you to believe me or not.” He holds up his hands and shrugs his shoulders.
“Maybe I’ll hang out in the bathroom.” That doesn’t sound appealing to me at all.
“Then people might think you’re doing something other than hiding in there.”
“Like what?”
“There’s a girl in one bathroom giving blow jobs to half of my teammates. There is another girl that was caught cheating on her boyfriend last week. The possibilities of things people might accuse you of doing are endless.”
Great. I can see the rumors flying already about me. Whatever these people come up with, I’m screwed, no matter what. “My options seem to be limited. Tell me...” I put a finger to my lips and try to remember if we introduced ourselves or not. “What’s your name?”
“Lucas.”
I like that name. It suits him. “Tell me, Lucas. What would you suggest?” If there was a time to know how to appear confident, I fail miserably because he smiles again and pushes off the counter toward me. My heart beats wildly against my chest and my breath hitches.
“Follow me.” He grabs my hand and leads me through another door that goes outside. The evening chill offsets the sweltering heat from this afternoon. Lucas walks us toward the lake behind the house and up to the dock.
I stop in my tracks. This is called a boundary, and I am setting it now. “Umm, I’m sorry. If you’re planning to throw me into the water, please know you’d have to get me. I can’t swim and would drown. My father would have your head. Literally.” Not literally. I just need him to get the picture.
Lucas laughs, and I didn’t even know someone’s laugh could be attractive. It’s deep, likemanlydeep. “Good to know, but I wasn’t planning on throwing you in. Just wanted to sit and enjoy the view.”
I sigh in relief. “Fine, but if you try anything stupid, I have a black belt.” I am not lying about this. It’s just not a martial arts belt. It ties around my bath robe.
Lucas and I sit at the end of the dock with our feet dangling above the water. We talk for a while, mostly about him. The conversation is superficial, neither of us wanting to talk about anything deep or personal. Good thing since I wouldn’t tell a stranger my life story. He talks about playing football and how he had to sit out the last game of the season because of an injury.
“Wait, Lucas... Lucas Kennedy? As in, quarterback for Bear Valley, Lucas? Is that you?”
He chuckles. “Yeah.” His eyes narrow, like he’s trying to figure out if I’m a stalker. “Are you a fan or something?”
“No, I just know too much about local football teams.” I pause for a moment. “So, you had that busted shoulder. Are you completely done, or will you be able to play in college?”
“I got the scholarship and am going to play. I’ll see how the shoulder does. I doubt I’ll go pro or anything before my shoulder goes out altogether. Coaching is more of my dream, anyway.”
