"I'm probably not going to be that much fun," I warn Dominic over the phone as I do my makeup.
"Yeah you will. Are you almost ready?" He's been ready for a half hour now and is just itching to get off campus.
"Yes. I'm just finishing up my makeup."
"Okay." I go quiet and focus on dragging the eyeliner across my eyelid to create a sharp wing. I cross my fingers and make an attempt to match it on the other side. I manage to do so and sigh in relief. I coat my lashes with mascara and fan my eyes. Once they're dry, I spray my face with setting spray.
"I'm finished." I admire my makeup in the mirror and nod proudly.
"I know. I heard the spray stuff," he comments. "I'm on the way." The phone beeps, signifying that he hung up.
I carefully pull on my pink cropped hoodie and yank on my black jeans. Once again, I shove my feet into my white converse. I'm grateful for having braided my hair earlier because at that exact moment, Dominic calls my phone and I know he's outside. I spritz myself with perfume before grabbing my phone and heading out. As I push open the door to my building, the cool air hits my bare stomach and I shiver a little bit. I approach Dominic's car, get in, and listen to him whistle as I sit down.
"You look absolutely beautiful," he tells me while I buckle my seatbelt.
"Shut up." My hands begin to sweat and I suddenly regret not wearing foundation to cover up my blush. I shouldn't have tried to do a light makeup look.
"So what's on the agenda for tonight? Are boys off limits for you or what?" He gives me a side glance and I shrug weakly.
"No, I think I can talk to one or two." I texted Eli earlier that I may not reply as consistently as usual because I'm going out with friends.
"Okay, I'll make sure you do that." Before I can reply to that, he informs me: "Jack and West are going to be there so if you want some alone time with a boy, I have other people to talk to. Either way, I won't be too far."
"Thanks, dad," I mumble jokingly and he laughs.
We arrive to the party and Dominic leads the way in. A bunch of guys who I'm assuming are on the sports teams give him high fives and "man-hugs." A few of his high school friends greet me but for the most part, I trail after him, waiting for him to stop greeting people. Why does he need West and Jack when he knows the entire party? Once he finishes, we're standing in the living room where everyone's grinding and talking.
"Let's go downstairs," Dominic insists after nearly being shoved by three different people. I follow after him eagerly in hopes that it's not as packed. As I'd hoped, the basement is quieter and less crowded. A group of people are smoking in the corner while everyone else is just standing around, conversing. "Hey, isn't that the boy you said was cute in our political science lecture?"
I look over and see the guy I called cute at the beginning of the semester. "How do you remember that?" I barely remember. He shrugs weakly and motions to him.
"Go talk to him." I quickly shake my head.
"No..." He's out of my league.
"Why not?" He looks from me to the boy and back again.
"What if he rejects me?" I rub my arm nervously and imagine all the scenarios in which this kid yells at me to go away.
"Why would he?" I shrug again, not wanting to explain how he is in the top league while I barely make the middle. "You've got to be more confident in yourself. You're smart. You're funny. You're hot. What more could a guy want, honestly?"
"Shut up." I like his compliments but they make my stomach react weird, as does the rest of my body.
"Want me to go over there and say something?" He starts walking in the boys direction but I reach out and snatch him back. "Either you go over there and talk or I do."
"Dominic." He refuses to hear it and only shakes his head.
"I thought I taught you better. Excuse me while I get you a boy." He turns on his heel and I let out a frustrated groan.
I grab his arm again and sigh. "I'm going. Just...give me a second." I primp myself and look at Dominic who gives me a thumbs up before spinning me around and lightly pushing me in the direction of the boy.
I approach the couch he's sitting alone on and take a seat. He glances at me and smiles before going back to his phone. I look up at Dominic, who is watching intensely. I make a face at him and he points to the boy and makes a talking motion with his hand. "Hey," I force out and the boy next to me looks up. He locks his phone and nods.
"Hey." I see Dominic move closer in my peripheral and he settles down against the wall once he's in listening range.
"What's up?" He shakes his head casually as if we've been friends for a while.
"Nothing, actually. I came here with my friend and he ran off with some chick." Ouch.
"That's no fun," I mumble awkwardly. What else would I say to that?
"You're right about that. What's your name?" Finally, a topic I can get behind.
"November," I inform him. "But everyone calls me Nova."
"Like when a star gets really bright and then dims out?" he defines. That's an accurate description of me peaking in middle school, too.
"Yeah." I bounce my head up and down and laugh at him. "You're the first person to get that. Most people just assume it's like the month."
"Well that one's obvious," he replies with a weak shrug.
"You're right about that. What's your name?" Maybe I'm getting good at this who conversing with boys thing.
"Teodoro, but everyone calls me Theo," he informs me. When I tilt my head out of curiosity, he answers before I can contemplate asking. "I'm Ecuadorian."
"That's cool." There aren't many people of color at this school. Should I tell him what I am? "I'm Black and Puerto Rican."
"¿Tu hablas español?" His mouth turns into a smirk and I nod.
"Si." Well, anyone can say that.
"Eres bonita." He finishes his sentence with a wink and I laugh rather girlishly.
"Gracias." I avert my gaze to the floor shyly.
"Do you want to go upstairs and get something to drink?" I notice Dominic snap his head in the boys' direction.
"Yeah." Maybe they have iced tea! I'm parched. We both stand up and as we pass Dominic, he gives me a hesitant thumbs up to which I confidently match his motions.
"So am I correct in assuming you're from around here?" I nod in response to Theo's question.
"I've not met anyone at this school who isn't." He laughs at this and gives me a weak nod.
"Tell me about it. So what are you drinking? Pick your poison." I stare at the array of bottles in confusion. I don't know anything about alcohol and had no intentions of drinking until now. "You look confused. Have you ever drank before?" I note the way his lips pull back into an amused smile. His hazel eyes flit between both of mine and I hesitantly answer him.
"Not really, no." Hopefully, he gives me something light.
"I'm automatically going to assume you don't like beer because who does, other than fathers?" He looks around and snaps when he comes upon a tall glass bottle.
"Try this." He removes it from the center of the display. It's already opened and halfway empty. I've learned from multiple sources not to drink anything I can't recognize or that I didn't open. He notes my hesitation and smiles. "I'll drink some, too." As if for some reason, that's supposed to be comforting. The only thing that comforts me is the fact that Dominic is close-by with a keen eye on me. I watch Teodoro gather everything and think about how stupid I am for partaking in this illegal and stupid activity. Does this mean I'm really a college student now?
He grabs two solo cups from a nearby package but instead of them being regular sized, they're shot sized. I raise my eyebrows as he places them in front of us and pours us each a shot. He lifts his to his lips and waits for me to do the same. I reluctantly raise mine, too. What's the worst that can happen? I'm sure Dominic is lurking in the shadows somewhere watching me like a hawk. Besides, one shot won't hurt, right? I should've researched this or something.
I almost gag as the clear liquid passes down my throat. My face scrunches up and my eyes water. That was disgusting. I put my cup down and fan my face. That was so bad. I watch as he pours another one and sigh in defeat. Maybe this one will go down smoother. Update: it didn't. And neither did the next one.
"Okay, I'm done with shots," I tell him. Another thing I learned: you shouldn't take several shots in succession but since I'm already breaking so many rules (and laws), what will it hurt? Just my liver.
"Alright, I'll make us a mixed drink for the road." He reaches for two regular sized cups and I feel my internal organs crying out for me to stop.
"Can it be a different drink?" He nods as he puts it back in its place. He picks up another bottle of the clear poison and begins pouring it. It reaches a little below the halfway point and I cut in. "That's enough for me."
"Now for the sweet stuff." He lifts the jug of Hawaiian punch and pours it into our drinks. I lift it and hope it masks the taste of the alcohol but alas, it does not. Instead, the drink just tastes like it's vaguely sweetened.
"Let's go back downstairs." I follow him in hopes that Dominic is somewhere nearby in case things go bad. What if I puke all over this kid? "I hate the loud music."
"Me, too." I reach the basement and see Dominic right where I left him. His eyes dart to my cup and I give him a tight lipped smile. I've yet to feel the alcohol but I know it's coming. I don't know exactly what it's going to feel like but I know it's going to hit me all at once.
We return to our seats at the couch and I sip my drink slowly. I look at his cup and it's already a quarter finished. I take a bigger sip of mine and cringe at the taste. "So tell me about yourself," he insists and I blink a few times.
"Well...I'm an English major. I like writing and reading. I hope to own my own publishing company or at least help manage one. What about you?" At least he's making an effort to get to know me.
"I am a bio major." He nods confidently at me. What's up with all these bio majors? "I hope to become a doctor one day."
"Ah, that's interesting." Is every future doctor out at a wild party tonight getting random girls drunk? That's not scary at all.
We continue to talk and I finish my drink. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom and as soon as I stand up, I sit back down. "It can wait."
"Did it hit you?" He seems satisfied that the alcohol is doing its job. I nod quickly and he chuckles quietly. My legs nearly gave out beneath me and my fingertips and toes are numb. I touch my hands together and am a little amazed at how absent they are. I blink a few times and my vision wobbles just a little.
"Wow..." My thoughts, and everything else, seem to slow down and nothing is going as fast as I want it to.
"You okay?" I look at him and nod. This just feels...off.
"I'm fine," I reply. Except my mind seems to be failing to tell my mouth what to do and how to do it.
"We should go upstairs and dance," he encourages and I slowly nod and repress the urge to complain about how we keep moving.
"Okay, cool," I reply instead and he stands first, not swaying in the slightest. I follow and grip his arm for guidance. Again, we pass Dominic, who gives me a worried look and I can only blink at him and laugh. I feel his presence behind me as Teodoro and I head upstairs. Soon enough, we're on the dance floor and I'm grinding against him, laughing loudly and having a good time.
"Do you want to get some more drinks?" I nod in response. It's too loud for me to talk.
"Sure!" I call out over the music. He grabs my hands and leads me to the drink station. I go to the bathroom as he prepares them and when I arrive, he has cups prepared. He opens a bottle and pours the liquid into the containers. I grab my little cup and do one more shot, while he does two.
I see Dominic watching me nervously with West and Jack. He, again, gives me a hesitant thumbs up. I smile hard enough so that my eyes close and give two thumbs up. When I open my eyes, I see his hand is on his forehead and the guys are laughing beside him. Teodoro whispers in my ear that he has to go to the bathroom and I tell him I'll be here when he gets back. As he disappears into the hallway, I approach the three boys against the wall.
"Hi guyssss." I smile widely as I hop over to them, literally.
"Hi, Nova," Jack and West say simultaneously. I give them each smiles before turning to Dominic, who looks amused but also worried.
"How many drinks have you had?" Dominic speaks slowly, as if he's aware of how slow my mind is processing things.
"Only a few." I poke his chest. "How many have you had?"
"None, I'm driving, remember?" He holds up his keys.
"Ah yes," I recall with a grin. "Such a smart boy. That's why I'm happy to call you my best friend."
I grab his chin and lightly shake it side to side as I beam at him. He speaks to Jack as he smiles back at me. "She definitely has to spend the night tonight, okay?"
"Why? I am perfectly fine in my room." I put my hands on my hips.
"What if you choke on your own vomit and no one is there to help you?" His grin is unwavering and I smirk back.
"Who says I'm going to be alone?" I wiggle my eyebrows at him, which causes his jaw to drop and his eyes to widen. "I've made a new friend tonight."
"That is one decision I won't let you make drunk." He grabs my chin and shakes his head.
"I am an 18 year old woman who can make my own decisions." I swat his hand away.
"That is a dumb decision that you will regret come tomorrow morning," Dominic insists.
"Let's take a poll," I propose as I look around at the three guys. "Whoever thinks it's a good decision, raise your hands." My hand shoots up in the air. I glare at West and Jack, who keep their arms tied across their chest.
"Whoever thinks it's a bad idea, raise your hand," Dominic opposes and all three guys hands' pop up into the air.
"Well good thing this is a monarchy, bitches!" I glance behind me and find Teodoro pushing his way through the crowd. I turn back to the guys and flip them off, mouthing the word 'bitches' before heading back to the spot I said I'd wait. Teodoro and I hang out for another half hour before he tries to get a little handsy.
"Do you want to sit down?" he asks me and I nod. Finally, we've been on the move all night. We walk over to the couch and he rests his hand on my thigh as soon as we take our seats. "You're really hot."
"I know. I wish they'd turn on the AC." I fan my face. He shakes his head quickly.
"You look hot," he corrects, as if that makes any difference.
"I can't help that I'm sweating," I reply feeling a little defensive.
"You look good," he compliments.
"Oh thanks, so is it not noticeable?" I lightly touch my face.
"Can we just make out now?" he prompts as if he's been waiting a while. Before he even gives me a chance to answer, he leans in. I dodge his kiss and stand up. I don't even bother saying anything and instead, walk away. As cute as he is, I don't want to kiss him. With arms crossed, I approach Dominic, West, and Jack.
"Where's your boy toy, Teodoro?" West asks as he peers behind me.
"He tried to kiss me so I left," I scoff with a roll of my eyes.
"Old habits die hard?" Dominic teases with a smirk.
"I'm bored. Can we please go home?" I bounce from one foot to the other.
"Yeah," Dominic confirms. We say goodbye to the guys and he guides me outside with a hand on my lower back.
I see Teodoro on the lawn talking to a new girl. As Dominic and I pass by, he looks at me. "You'll go home with him but you won't kiss me?" Theo retorts in disbelief and I narrow my eyes at him.
"Shut up, you rejected Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle," I snap and Dominic bursts into laughter as he leads me to the car.
"No fighting." He opens the passenger side door. "And I swear if you puke in my car, I'll drop you off on the side of the road."
I wait until he's in the car to reply. "No you won't, you love me too much."
"You're right." He starts driving and I stare at him, admiring his beauty. Like me, he's also biracial, but a different combination. He's Black and White and was blessed with dark green eyes and curly brown hair that I want to run my hands through all the time. He glances at me and smirks. "Yes?"
"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about how underappreciated you are," I respond as I turn my attention back to our surroundings. Dark trees and woods- not much to look at.
"Huh?" He seems confused so I sigh.
"You're always so vocal about how much you care about me and how much you love me and I'm always so mean and cold to you," I start quietly. "And I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I don't nearly say this enough but I really care about you, too. You're my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without you. And not to mention, you're one of the few people whose hugs I actually like. I never hug you back but I enjoy all of your hugs, even the ones that I fight my way out of."
"Oh man, you're going to regret this in the morning," he mumbles as he looks at me with a large grin.
"Even when I'm in the bathroom and girls talk about how much of an asshole you are, I still love you." He laughs raucously as he looks at me.
"That's happened?" His brows rise slightly when I don't join in on the giggling.
"On multiple occasions," I answer and he cringes a little.
"Even though we're polar opposites, I still love you. You can get with, like, all the girls, and I'm almost 19 and I've never even kissed a guy," I remind him. "You know, I'm honestly considering taking you up on your offer."
Completely amused, he glances at me with a grin almost as wide as the bridge we're going over. "Which one?"
"The kiss one," I recall. "I have genuinely considered it. I'd do it if it wouldn't be awkward after."
"One of the clauses was that I wouldn't make it awkward." He seems entertained by the idea of me taking him up on his proposition.
"I would make it awkward," I clarify as I shake my head.
"Yeah, how?"
"I overthink everything. In fact, I already have. If I were to take you up on your offer, I would get upset because I would feel like just another girl you kissed. It'd be a first for me so I'd automatically remember it but you probably would forget it. You'd probably tease me about how it wasn't good without realizing how much it would hurt me."
"That's not true," he immediately rebuts. I look at the way one of his hands rests in his lap as the other steers the car. His sleeves, which are rolled up, reveal his toned forearms and I gaze at them.
"Huh?" I say once I realize that I got distracted by his physique.
"I said, 'that's not true." He doesn't seem to notice what caused my lack in attention.
"Which part?" I try to keep my gaze on his face, even though that's just as attractive, if not more, as the rest of him.
"All of it. You wouldn't be just another girl. You'd be the first girl I'd kiss that I genuinely care about...and you're my best friend...and it's your first kiss. For those exact reasons, I would definitely never forget it. And I wouldn't tease you about it ever." He licks his lips at the end and I have to look away.
I sigh loudly at how jumbled my stomach feels at hearing his words. "Why did you even make that suggestion in the first place? None of the guy friends I had in the past even mentioned that around me."
"First of all, all the guys you hung out with in the past were nerds. Second, they definitely wanted to kiss you. Third, I'm sure if they could've brought it up as flawlessly as I did, they would've," he schools me.
"You're so weird." I groan in frustration because all my mind can think about is kissing him.
"But you still love me," he coos with a grin as we pull into a parking space. "Wait for me to come around."
Just to irritate him, I unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the car. I stumble a little and he sighs and shakes his head. "Remind me never to take you to a party again."
"My legs hurt," I confess with a small frown. "Can you give me a piggyback ride?"
"You'll willingly touch me?" I circle around him and wait for him to kneel down. He sighs again and squats. I wrap my arms around his neck and hoist myself onto his back. I hold my legs tightly around his waist as he locks the car door and turns towards the building.
"You smell good." I inhale the scent of his neck. I bring my hand up and run it through his curls. "I've always wanted to do that." He laughs loudly and I sigh longingly. "I wonder what Elias is doing right now."
"Probably talking to his sister about how much they both hate me." It's my turn to laugh now.
We arrive at his room and he opens the door. I duck my head so that it's next to his and we enter his humble abode. He lowers me down so I slide off of his back and land with a quiet thud. "I'll find something for you to wear," he comments. "Get a water out of the fridge and drink it."
"I'm going to pee first." I wander off to the bathroom. I frown when I see that it's all boys which means that I have to go upstairs to use the girls. Well that's not happening. I shrug and duck inside the boy's room and pee in the eerily silent space. I wash my hands and scrub off the little bit of makeup I put on. As I'm exiting, a boy is entering. He gives me a confused look when I smile at him. I walk back down the hallway and whistle as I go.
"Your clothes are on the desk," he says from his bed. I pull off my sweater and he quickly covers his eyes. "A little warning next time?"
"Don't act like these are new parts. I'm sure you've seen a lot of boobs." I roll my eyes and tug on his shirt. I remove my pants and messily fold them.
"It's not even that many!" I doubt that.
"You can open your eyes." I grab my phone from its place on the desk beside my pile of clothes.
"Are you going to put on the pants or...?" I shrug.
"This is long enough, it's like a dress." I twirl around to show him. "I'm like a ballerina." I stumble over and fall, hitting my elbow on his desk.
"Are you okay?" he asks through stifled laughter.
"I'm fine." I get up and kick his desk. "Stupid socks."
"Yeah, it was totally the socks." I offer him a short glare as I walk across his room to his bed.
"Move over." I climb onto his bed and he grabs my arms and tugs me up. I sit down and sigh, kicking my feet over the edge. He hands me the water and I take a sip. Like a jerk, he pushes the bottle up a bit and it drips down my chin but I keep drinking. Once I'm halfway done, I hold it up and he nods.
"Are you going to be okay if I go brush my teeth?" he asks as he climbs off his bed. He turns on the lamp beside his bed and shuts off the main light. "Do you want to brush yours, too?"
"I'm not using your toothbrush." I wrinkle my nose as I think about all the girls he's kissed.
"Fine, have gross morning breath." I flip him off before laying down and taking one of his pillows from him. I pull his blankets over me and inhale his scent. When he returns, I'm lying there silently, staring at the ceiling. "Are you okay?"
"How many girls have been in this bed?" I sit up and look at him.
"None," he answers as he puts his toothbrush in its designated spot. He doesn't bother locking the door. "I respect Jack a little more than that."
"Okay, good, because the last thing I want to be laying in is-," I start but he cuts me off.
"You know, two weeks ago you didn't even want to talk about girls with me but now you're catching me off guard with questions about my sexual relationships left and right." He climbs onto the bed beside me.
"I've wondered since the beginning but I've never wanted to know the answer." I move over for him to lay beside me.
"And what changed?"
"Shut up." I roll onto my side and snuggle my head into the pillow.
"Goodnight, Nova, I love you." A second later, he leans over and shuts off the lamp. I want to punch myself as the butterflies erupt in my stomach. Despite the constant reminders that he only means it as a friend, those stupid butterflies still get excited whenever he says those words.
"Shut up." A second time in five minutes- you're on a roll, November.
"And she's back," he chuckles quietly.
"Not fully...I still will admit that I like it when you hold me."
"Are you insinuating that you want me to hold you?" he questions.
"Yes," I confess. "But if I wake up and you're touching me at all, I'll rip your hair off of your head."
"Just another excuse to touch my hair, right?" I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. He flips over and drapes an arm over me. Rather than leaving it like that, he pulls me closer to him so that I'm pressed against his chest, which results in an another eruption of butterflies in my stomach. They bat their wings harder when I feel his chest rising and falling against my back. I feel his breath on my ear and it sends goosebumps down my spine. I close my eyes and sigh. I could definitely get used to this.