The Popular Crowd

Chapter 8

Hey guys, I hope I'm not taking too long with my uploads! Let me know if you want the uploads more often & I'll try to make it happen! Spring is here, finally and the weather's getting nicer! Hope you all enjoy the spring while reading this story...things are heating up ! =]

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I don’t know what to do. It’s colder outside and I’m still in my mini dress. Simon is my ride home, but he disappeared. What was I supposed to do? Go back inside so Jasmine could laugh at me and Dylan could send me evil glares with those electric green eyes for going outside with her boyfriend-like guy? There was James…but I doubted her wanted to leave the party early, and I certainly wasn’t going to go inside to see what he was doing. So I did the only thing there was left to do.

I walked.

It seemed like a logical idea until I got halfway down the block and I could feel my wedges squeezing the life out of my innocent toes; the goosebumps on my arms and legs were swelling, and, even though we lived in a safe neighborhood, I still felt scared. It was pitch black out and the trees were moving and the wind was howling. And plus I wasn’t sure where Craig had disappeared to. What if he was roaming around in his car searching for new bait?

I suddenly stopped in my tracks feeling unbelievably foolish and frightened. I wasn’t sure if I should run away as fast as I could or if I should stay where I was, or return to the party. I could call my Dad but I felt ridiculous. What was I going to tell him? His good girl daughter was in the middle of a street half naked because some guy had put the moves on her because she was too naïve. No thank you.

I heard the car before I saw its blinding, yellow headlights. It was moving fast and noisily, like maybe the engine was a bit rusty. The headlights came closer and closer and when I saw it pulling to a stop, my insides froze. I couldn’t move. I was going to be abducted. Or maybe worse. Maybe it was Craig and he was going to finish off what he started in the closet…

I felt tears come to my eyes and I felt my stomach drop.

The car rolled to a stop and the window slid down in front of me. I felt my mouth go dry.

“Get in,” a voice called.

I peered inside slowly, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Jesus Christ, James,” I said blowing out a large breath. “You scared me half to death.”

“Please, get in,” he said and there wasn’t a trace of sarcasm or laughter in his voice.

I took another breath, released it, and got in the car. The heat was on and it felt warm against my chilled body; I leaned back and felt relaxed for the first time all night.

“God, I can’t tell you how sorry I am, De.”

I don’t look at him, just keep my eyes closed so maybe I can disappear. “It’s not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault but my own-“

“Don’t blame yourself,” James said sternly and I peeked an eye open. In the glow that came from the small, fluorescent light of his car I could see his squared jaw clenched and his eyes dark.

“It was,” I said quietly. “Think about it, every other girl went in there and just made out and had fun and even if they didn’t like it, like that first girl, they lived through it. But me, I got in there and it was dark and he was cute and then he was moving fast and I just freaked out-God,” I huff. “It’s pathetic.”

James shakes his head. “If I had known that these out-of-towners were going to be here, I wouldn’t have let you go.” James said, seeming disappointed in himself.