Page 77 of The Teacher of Nothing
I allow Spencer to guide me to the third floor. As soon as we push through the door, he lets go of my wrist. He saunters ahead to room thirty-seven and we follow. I can hear the soft thumping of music from beyond the door. It’s not so loud as to get reported, but it’s there if you’re listening for it.
“I booked the rooms on either side and the one below,” Spencer says, flashing me a wolfish grin. “The last thing I need is someone telling my fucking dad.”
The music grows louder once the door is opened. It’s already packed with familiar faces from school. A heady scent of weed hangs in the air. Red plastic cups litter the room and several bottles of hard liquor line the dresser beside the TV. Dempsey makes a beeline over to the liquor.
Gemma leans in and points a discreet finger at one of the beds where two people are making out. The guy has his hand beneath the girl’s dress, clearly fingering her in front of thirty or forty people.
“To think I almost said yes to going out with him,” Gemma hisses. “What a pig.”
I quickly put together that the guy on the bed is the one who asked her out. Gross.
“You can do better,” I assure her. “Guys our age are all immature assholes.”
She flashes me a grateful smile. “Right? We should totally date someone older. You think any college guys are here?”
There are a few unfamiliar faces, so it’s likely. I notice a cute guy wearing a PMU T-shirt that molds to his muscular shoulders and chest.
“Like him?” I ask, nodding his way.
Gemma quickly glances over at him and then her eyes widen when she looks at me. “That’s Justin Fairbanks. God, he’s so hot. He’s a senior at PMU. I doubt he’d even look twice at me.”
“So we’ll make him,” I say with a grin. “Come on.”
I drag her close to where he’s drinking with a couple of guys. She bites on her bottom lip as though she’s nervous. It’s crazy to me that someone like Gemma Park could ever be nervous. She’s perfect and popular and mega rich. But if her dad is as strict as she claims, she probably doesn’t get out all that much. It’s oddly satisfying to know that I’m not the only one who’s new to this sort of thing.
We begin dancing together. Dempsey shows up with two red cups and a devious grin tugging at his lips. I take my glass and mouth my thanks to him. At the first sip of whatever he brought me, I nearly spit it out. It tastes like fire and gasoline. So gross.
“Holy shit,” Gemma croaks. “This is so strong. I knew I should have made our drinks. Dempsey is a fucking idiot.”
The next sip isn’t as bad and by my second glass, not too much later, I decide it’s actually pretty tasty, whatever it is. The alcohol loosens both me and Gemma up, both of us giggling as we get more and more risqué with our dance moves.
Justin, now well aware of Gemma, approaches and dips to say something into her ear. She nods at him and then turns to look at me with wide eyes before mouthing, “Oh my God.”
I laugh and give her a thumbs-up before they both walk away. I’m left with a few others dancing. Even though Gemma is gone, I don’t feel alone. I came here with my friends.
I have friends.
Warmth blooms in my stomach. I wish I didn’t leave my phone back at the house because I’d be incredibly tempted to find a dark corner and call Callum. Since Gemma left her phone so no one would track her to the party, I figured it was a good idea in case Darren got any crazy ideas.
“Everyone’s eyes are on your ass,” a deep voice says in my ear. “I guess I should protect you from those horny fucks.”
I shudder at the touch of Spencer’s hands on my waist. His body is so close to mine I can feel the heat of his chest on my back.
Dempsey shows up, flashing me an evil grin. “No fair, cuz. You don’t get all the fun.”
Spencer’s fingers dig slightly into my hips as Dempsey starts dancing in front of me. They’ve sandwiched me.
“I have a boyfriend,” I blurt out loud enough for both of them to hear.
Spencer chuckles. “Liar.”
“I do,” I argue, turning my head to look at him. “I’m not lying. So don’t try anything.”
“Yeah, she does,” Dempsey says, the heat of his breath close to my neck. “Me.”
“Relax,” Spencer teases. “We’re just dancing. You can tell yourboyfriendall about it later.”
Since neither of them is touching me beyond the basics of dancing, I decide I can trust them. I’ve let them know I’m off-limits. If they go further, I’ll kick them in the nuts.
