Page 12 of The Breakaway

We piled into Logan's pickup truck, the leather seats freezing against all of our bare thighs. As he roared away from the curb, Logan hollered out the details for Crystal and Maddie.

"Kay, so here's the deal. My boy Brayden has this sick house off-campus he shares with like five other dudes. Hockey, lax, rugby—they're all my bros." He glanced over at me with a goofy smile. "Closest thing we've got to frats up here in Canuckistan."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. Leave it to Logan to get me out of my mopey mood. With no rehearsals over the weekend, maybe I could let loose and have some fun for once.

Crystal gaped as we pulled up to the sprawling house already throbbing with music. The old brick mansion wasn’t a surprise to me, but the cobwebs and strobe lights were.

Maddie clicked her tongue. “Hopefully nobody on this block has epilepsy.”

Logan parked and turned in his seat. “Is that a thing?”

Crystal, Maddie, and I burst out laughing. “Yes it’s a thing!” I shoved his shoulder and we piled out of the truck. Time to shake off my good girl persona and raise a little hell. I had the horns for moral support.

We tottered on our heels up the leaf-strewn walk. I tugged down the hem of my dress, suddenly self-conscious. I felt fine with Logan and my friends, but maybe I’d gone a little too skimpy for being seen in public.

“Staaahp.” Maddie slapped my hand. “You look hot.”

“I think my underwear is showing,” I muttered.

She winked. “Good. I hope you wore red.”

I laughed, and as we stepped inside the packed house, my nerves evaporated. It was warm, and the air felt almost sticky. Bodies moved and gyrated in the purple and orange lighting, their plastic cups held up while they danced. Rubber masks and feather boas flashed under the strobing lights. The whole place buzzed with an electric energy that sparked something reckless in me.

I wanted Logan toseeme tonight. To know what he’d be missing in Winnipeg and Europe. I wanted him to want me so bad, he thought about staying.

"Yo, Kemp!" A burly guy in a gorilla suit tackled Logan into a bear hug.

"Sick turnout, bud!" Logan high-fived his way through the crowd, calling out to his endless roster of teammates and friends. I loved watching him in his element. He positively glowed.

"Sharla, hey!" A girl dressed as Cleopatra pulled me into a drunken embrace. "Damn, girl!" She pulled back to look me up and down, then licked her finger and tapped it to my shoulder, pretending it sizzled.

I laughed, buoyed by the compliment. Drinks appeared in my hand as if by magic—shots of glittering green "witch's brew", cups of violently purple jungle juice. The sickly-sweet burn wiped away the last traces of my responsibility meter.

We laughed and chatted. Then I followed Maddie and Crystal as they shimmied their way into the main living room, where all the furniture was pushed against the wall. All three of us were handed glow sticks.

An arm snaked around my waist and I turned to see Logan's face, flushed and smiling. "Having fun, babe?"

Alcohol made Logan a little melancoly, but it made me giddy. Love swelled in my chest, and I nearly pinched his cheeks before pulling him in for a kiss. I tangled my fingers in his hair, arching against him.

I wanted him to look at me differently tonight. Like a girl he’d find in the stands and want to wait for after his shower. Like someone he couldn’t wait to pull into a side room.

Logan responded eagerly, his big hands roaming my satin curves, landing on bare thigh. We made out sloppily against the wall, hot and hungry. The room spun, and nothing existed but his lips, his touch, pounding bass and flashing lights.

Until a splash of dark hair made my gaze snag.

I surfaced for air to see Rob skulking into the party, hands shoved in the pockets of his half-assed vampire costume. Our eyes met and I felt a sickening swoop in my stomach.

His jaw clenched, his nostrils flared, and then he was gone. He vanished into the hall. Suddenly everything felt too bright, too loud, too close. I sagged against the wall, the heat oozing out of me like a popped balloon.

“Hey, you okay?” Logan wet his lips, his cheek still against mine.

I nodded. “Yeah, I think I just need some air.”

“Do you want me to?—”

“No. No, you stay here. I’ll be right back.” I kissed his cheek, then slipped out of his arms and headed for the back door.

The chill night air was a slap to my flushed cheeks as I stumbled onto the back porch. I gripped the railing, knuckles white, and sucked in lungfuls of crisp oxygen. Tears filled my eyes from the cold, blurring the inky sky and shadowy trees.

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