Page 3 of Wild Child
I tilted my head to crack my neck. The room felt like a warm swamp filled with cheap perfume. Mr. Bell abandoned the punch bowl to escort a kid out of the room by his shoulders. Two other kids slipped up, emptying a new bottle of what appeared to be rum inside the punch with a snicker. Idiots.
“I’m good.”
He nodded knowingly as if I’d said something wise, but I caught the hint of sarcasm in his face. “Sure. You’re good. You just got here?”
“Yep. I’m on my way out now.”
Wrinkles appeared in his brow. “Why? Don’t you want to dance with D–”
“Nope.”
“Ellie—”
“You look handsome tonight, Jax.” I patted his lapel, where a red rose graced the pocket. “I need to go.”
His gaze darted behind me, then his lips twitched. I sensed someone approaching as Jax stepped to the side a little.
“Good luck with that,” he sang. A second later, a hand grabbed mine. I whirled around, coming face-to-face with a grinning Devin.
“Hey E. Iknewyou’d come, even though you threatened not to.”
My heart stalled like a dying star at the excitement in his tone. I sucked in a breath to get it going again, arrested by the overwhelming presence of Devin, my best friend. The guy who was usually sweaty, smelly, and fell asleep with his body half on top of mine most Friday nights while we watched zombie movies. The guy that made a mean grilled cheese sandwich and never had a sip of alcohol just for my sake.
The little box in the corner of my brain, built from metal and reinforced with sheer grit, exploded.
Somehow, I managed a smile. “Hey.”
As easily as breathing, he tugged me closer, put his hand on my waist, and whisked me onto the dance floor. I caught a quick glimpse of Jax over Devin’s shoulder as I whirled away. Concern waited in his furrowed brows. Before I could figure it out, Devin spoke.
“So . . . you came.”
An undercurrent of joy infused his words, not to mention surprise. Annoyance washed through me. OfcourseI came. But I let it go. Parties were notmy thing and he knew that. His words were a comment on my loyalty to him, in a roundabout way. Still, the sparkle of the gaudy, fake crown, tipped a little sideways on his head, made everything more real.
“Of course,” I said quietly.
I couldn’t look him in the eye. For the first time in my life, I didn’t see the muddy little boy that caught fish with me. I saw Devin the almost-man. The graduating senior. The guy that planned to work a filthy construction job for the next nine months until I graduated high school early, and we moved to the state university together.
If he looked in my eyes, he’d see it all.
The utter vulnerability of my feelings took my breath away. Still, with his smell banishing the trace amount of alcohol in the air, I couldn’t help but relax. This was Devin. Devin was home. Even in a crowd of people that thought me reclusive and strange, Devin was safety.
“You looked great up there,” I managed to say. “Cassidy is beautiful. So . . . congratulations?”
He made a noise in his throat. I risked a quick glance up and couldn’t help a laugh when I saw his crown. Up close, it appeared cheap. A pliable metal with laurels and berries on it, sprinkled with green glass gems that mimicked the school colors of gold and emerald.
Devin smirked. “Laugh it up,” he muttered. “I can’t wait to take this thing off. Will you have food for me when this finishes? I’m taking Cassidy home as soon as it’s over, and then I’ll head your way. I’m freakingstarving.”
“You ate like three cheeseburgers three hours ago.”
“I know! And I’ve been dancing and talking all night. That makes a man hungry.”
Suddenly, I relaxed. The irony in his voice. The ease of his escape to me. Even if I wasn’t Cassidy, I still had Devin.
“Of course, Your Highness. All the bananas, fudge, and ice cream a high school quarterback could dream of.”
He pinned me with a glare. I laughed.
“Calm down. Bethany just went shopping and also bought your favorite pizza rolls, bread, milk, and fruit.”
