Page 36 of The Sun
“I just haven’t found the right person.”
Okay. I got why girls were a little hung up on him.
He was nice. He was cute. An absolute good guy.
He closed the space between us, and I was surrounded by the too-clean smell of his cologne. It wasn’t masculine or sexy, just fresh.
He looked down like he wanted to kiss me. Part of me wanted to let him, just to remember what it felt like to have a boy’s lips on mine. To feel wanted when the one guy I cared for wouldn’t so much as speak to me. But most of all, I think I wanted him to kiss me in the hopes that Elias would see.
I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed up on my toes.
Just when I was about to close my eyes, someone shouted behind me. “Lockhart High fucking rules!”
I turned my attention to the house in time to see a naked guy jump from the balcony into the pool. A wall of chlorinated water rained down on the people standing at the side.
A girl screamed, cussing Naked Boy out as he swam to the wall. Laughing, he reached up and grabbed her ankle, yanking her into the pool with a splash.
“That guy’s such an asshole,” Brandon mumbled.
“Funny though.”
I watched the girl trudge to the shallow end while yelling about her Calvin Kleins as she scooted past Elias.
“You sure you’re okay?” Brandon asked, dragging my attention away from the boy who used to be my world.
“Yeah.”
I decided it was better that I didn’t kiss Brandon. It would have been for all the wrong reasons.
“Hey, McClure! Get your ass over here.”
Brandon shook his head. “I guess we should go see what Mussafer wants, huh?”
“Sure.”
By eleven thirty,all the kegs were floated, and an unexpected thunderstorm had forced the party inside.
And I officially understood what the term “lit” meant.
The tingly warmth that ran through my veins from those little bottles of wine was a new experience for me. Beer made me sleepy. Liquor made me loud. Wine? Wine made me giddy. My jaw ached from smiling, and God was I chatty.
I stole another mini-wine from a cooler. The seal to the gold twist-off top cracked.
“Whoa there!” Brandon closed his hand around mine and pulled me toward him, forcing my blurry vision to his face. “You’re gonna make yourself sick.”
I snort-laughed. “I’m good.”
Actually, I felt so amazing, I needed to hug him. I threw myself at his hard chest, looping both arms around his neck and practically hanging from his body like he was a tree and I was a sloth. “I like you, Brandon McClure.”
Laughing, he turned his head to the side. “Whew. That’s some stout wine. But I like you, too.”
Several girls lurking in the background gave me death glares.
My vision doubled, and I tried to decide which Brandon to focus on. “You’re just. . .” I hiccupped. “Happy.”
“Yep. And you’re more than wasted.” He wrangled the bottle from me, then winked. “Trust me on this.”
The glass clinked against an empty fifth of whiskey when he tossed it into the overflowing trashcan.
