In Between the Lines

Chapter 7: Rules and Revelations

"I don't mean to be forward, but do you have a boyfriend?"

My shoulders tensed. I wanted to tell him he couldn't really get any more forward than that. But I held my tongue and answered honestly, "No, I don't."

"Cool." Adam beamed, his wide eyes sweeping over me. I tried not to recoil from his nervous gaze as he stepped forward slowly and asked, "Is it alright if I kiss you?"

If I had a drink, I might have choked on it.

"Adam . . . we just met." I searched for the right words—and found none. "Ten seconds ago."

"Is that a no?"

I narrowed my eyes. Was this a joke?

But there was no humor behind those puppy-like eyes.

"Yes, Adam—that's a no."

He sighed, drawing back and rubbing his neck. "Yeah, I knew my chances with someone like you weren't that great anyway. Figured I'd at least give it a shot." His shoulders slumped and he walked away without so much as glancing back.

I stared after him. Blinking once. Twice. Feeling like I'd somehow stepped into an alternate reality—it wasn't normal for guys to do things like that, was it?

A low laugh behind me sounded. "Adam's a bit of a character."

I nodded, still half-stunned at what just happened, and then turned around to meet another unfamiliar face.

"You can't really blame the guy for trying." The guy shrugged, his curly black hair falling across his dark eyes. He held his hand out. "I'm Jonathan. My boys call me Jonny."

I placed my hand in his only briefly, and then I said, "Let me guess, you're on the team too?"

He chuckled and lifted a shoulder as if to say, yeah, but it's no big deal.

"Who'd you come here with?" he asked.

"My friend, Hannah." Who had successfully ditched me in my first two minutes here. I wondered if she'd found Lewis yet, and then I wondered if Dez was still planning to come back. Maybe he'd decided he was better off without my presence and had found someone else to torment for the night.

"I love this song." Jonny swayed towards me, a little off balance. That's when I noted the slight red glaze in his eyes, the near-empty drink in his hand. "You wanna dance?" His hand slipped around my waist before I could answer and he leaned in close—way too close for my liking. I moved back out of his reach.

"No, thanks. I'm going to go find my friend now."

"Sure, sure." He smiled, unbothered. "Maybe I'll see you later?"

I just pressed my lips together, giving him a non-committal answer as I walked off.

It happened two more times after that. Once more in the yard and again when I went inside the house. Two other boys, both from the team, approached me—both spending little time bothering to make conversation before they stepped close and got just a bit too handsy. I didn't know if it was the alcohol making them brave or if the boys from this town were just piss-poor with restraint.

By the time the next boy I approached, I didn't bother to glance at him before I walked away. I needed to find Hannah so I could tell her that I was going to leave. I hadn't seen any of them—Hannah, Lewis, or Dez—since we'd first spoken outside. So I went upstairs and searched every room, only to walk into a couple making out in the bathroom and to another group smoking weed in the master bedroom. Downstairs, I swept the halls again until I walked past a door I didn't realize I'd missed earlier.