Page 64 of Cut up
“You alright Angel?” he asks, his hand wrapping around mine to help me up.
The skin-on-skin contact makes my pulse skip.
I amnotalright.
He pulls me up gently, his other hand steadying me at the waist. My cheeks flush.
Definitely the alcohol. Or the butterflies. Or both.
“King!” Theo shouts, holding up the cursed card. “That’s the lastone, yeah?”
Tyler whoops. “Yep! Drink the whole damn cup, mate!”
“Fuck!” Theo groans, picking it up.
He lifts it to his lips as we chant, “Skull! Skull! Skull!”
He downs it like a champ—then immediately runs to the bushes to puke.
We all crack up laughing.
33
The party
The party has wound down now.
Theo’s mum came and picked him up. He’s twenty-one, still lives at home and is very much a mumma’s boy.
Camille, Danielle and Renae are dancing, singing a terrible version of “Toxic”by Britney Spears.
Tyler sits on the lounge watching them. His fists clench tighter each time Renae brushes Danielle’s waist. His jaw twitches like he’s chewing on something bitter.
Is he jealous? I don’t think he has anything to worry about, but again. How would I know? I have no idea what Danielle’s sexual orientation is.
Camille walks over to me laughing, putting her hand on my arm and lays her head on my chest. “I need to go to bed.”
“Want me to walk you to your room?”
It is only ten feet away, but I want to spend more time with her.
She nods, then turns back to the group. “I’m going to bed. Night!”
They wave goodbye to her while they keep dirty dancing together. Tyler still watching them.
We reach her doorway, and I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed.
Her smile is soft. Her eyes tired.
She’s fiddling with the necklace I gave her. I reach out and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.
She stops fiddling and rises onto her tippy toes to plant a kiss to my cheek. It lands so close to the side of my lips.
I feel it like a zing, my breath catching.
Her lips linger before she pulls away, looking down.
Does she feel this too? Or am I imagining this chemistry?
