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I can’t help snorting. “Me, a vixen?”
His eyes take me in from up and down, in a look too quick to work up to a leer. “Oh, yeah.”
I flush self-consciously, but no alarm bells ring. I guess I’ve known him for long enough to realize he isn’t interested in me; he’s just trying to flatter me.Hype me up. He’s kind like that.
“Go play with your friends, Rom. You’re sweet for keeping me company, but I don’t need a babysitter. I’m honestly fine on my own.”
“You’re my friend,” he argues with a shrug. “I don’t like seeing you isolated.”
Isolated. That’s one way to describe my entire life.
But isolation is safe. And if it’s a little lonely at time, I don’t let myself care.
"Go," I repeat, bumping his shoulder with mine. "I'm having fun, I promise."
I'm not, but I'll be gone within the hour. No point preventing him from enjoying the party.
"Ha!" he calls victoriously just as a stunning blonde with curly hair strolls in next to a tall, broad guy I've seen around. "Rebecca. Come, come. Have you met Sarah?"
He's so obvious. I don't need pity friends, dammit.
"Sarah, this is Bex Carmichael; do you guys know each other?”
The beauty offers a small smile. "I don't think so."
"You're in different grades, but you're both pre-med, right?”he checks.
I nod, offering her a small smile.
"How's organic chemistry? You have Mr. Allen?"Bex asks with a wince I perfectly understand.
"Unfortunately,"I grunt. "But hey, I got one semester out of the way online and the second one's almost over, so I'll be done with him next year."
Bex, as it turns out, is easy to speak to, and unlike with Rom, I don't feel like I'm keeping her away from an audience.
The guy she came with quickly leaves with Rom to join their friends, and she doesn't seem in a hurry to go anywhere, content to chat with me. Probably because I chose a spot close to the buffet and the table where they set all the drinks.
"So," she says, serving herself a pint of beer out of the tapped keg, "how do you know everyone?"
"I met Violet at the shelter where they got their cats and Blue," I say, with a general wave toward the closed french windows leading into the house.
As our hosts have indoor cats, they don't let people in and out unsupervised at parties.
"Oh, lovely! You still volunteer?"
I shake my head, willing the beat of my heart to return to its normal rhythm. But thinking about the shelter made me think of Barlett, which never fails to send my pulse into a race against time.
"No. It's over an hour away and I don’t have a car. I also don't have much free time, anyway, between class and my job at the pet store,” I ramble, over-explaining.
I could have just said no.
In truth, I miss it; I also miss the animals. But the moment I escaped my old town, I knew I wouldn't ever go back.
"I get you,” she replies, not noticing my weirdness. “I used to give freehorse-ridingsessions to kids, but college sucks up so much of my time."
Lucky bitch. I pout. “I’ve always been fascinated by horses.”
Her eyes widen in excitement. "You ride?"
