Sang
Jade's end of summer bash had been the talk of the school. The big party of all parties, everyone said. It was certainly all Marie and Danielle seemed to talk about the week before summer let out. They'd been planning for this party for ages and, now that I was here, I didn't see what all the hype was about.
I hated high school parties. They always smelled like alcohol, drugs, and sex. And there was always that one person who stood at the edge of the party that never got asked to dance by the hot guy.
That was me. Ordinary, plain ol' Sang. I felt invisible ninety percent of the time and the other ten percent I was usually only noticed when someone needed an essay or term paper done at the last minute. But even then, I don't think anyone even really knew my name. Just, "that girl, the one with the dorky glasses and cartoon-themed sweaters".
One more year, Sang, I thought to myself as I scanned the room once again. I stuck out like a sore thumb with my Marvel sweater in a sea of short skirts and baggy pants. One more year and then you'll move far away from everyone and everything.
I really hoped Marie was almost done at this party because I just wanted to go at this point. It was obvious nothing of interest was going to happen other than who was going to win that beer pong game the football team was playing in the kitchen. And the party just kept getting bigger and bigger.
I sighed, ducking my head when I spotted an intimidating guy and his friend enter the parlor, bending their heads under the beam since they were both big in height and mass. Their tall frames and handsome features made them stand out from the crowd, easily catching the gaze of every girl in the room. At least, that's what I assumed what would happen if anyone had even been paying attention. Most were too busy grinding against the guy they were currently dancing with, but a few stopped and began approaching the two mysterious guys who were as different as night and day.
My eyes followed their movements and I stared at their beautiful forms as they crossed the dance floor and began approaching my direction. Me? I felt my heart speed up and my eyes widen as I ducked my head, adjusting my glasses as I waited for the inevitable.
But the impossible never happened and instead they moved off to the side of me, leaning against the wall next to some expensive vase with a plant I forgot the name of. I felt my shoulders deflate in disappointment and a well of sadness seeped into my mind. But I also felt relieved. They were certainly handsome but I knew from the way Jade was eyeing the one with the gold hoop in one ear, that they were already off-limits and way out of my league.
Why did I ever think they'd approach me? Or even glance my way?
Silly, Sang. So silly.
I'd never be able to compete with Jade. Or any girl in this room, actually. And just like that, my fantasies came crashing down around me.
I shook my head. Back to people watching, it's safer.
There was a pop song that suddenly began playing and it was catchy enough that I felt myself tapping along to the beat, swinging my hips from side to side. The urge to dance began to surge and I suddenly wished I was in the comforts of my room instead of on the outskirts of a party I had absolutely no interest in.
My shoulders slumped and I held back a sigh as I saw movement from the corner of my eyes. I gulped, my spine rigid as I realized that Superman and Batman (as I so dubbed them in my head) were making their way over to where I was.
I suddenly felt nauseous, an overwhelming sense of anxiety welling up at the pit of my stomach. I mean, it wasn't everyday someone came up and talked to me – nobody noticed the girl behind her popular, older sister. And they're probably looking for Marie right now, it's the only explanation for it.
And I was back on earth again, not with my head up in the clouds. Disappointment filled me as I awaited the obvious question to hit me when they finally approached. I kept my head down, focused entirely on something in the crowd of moving bodies on the dancefloor when their looming figures enclosed on either side of me.
I blinked, startled. I could feel their eyes on me and that nervous feeling came back to me again tenfold. But this time, it started from the tips of my toes and nestled itself near my core. I nearly fainted on the spot when I peered up behind my curtain of hair, bringing a shaky hand to adjust my glasses.
Mother of lord – there weren't words to express how handsome Superman and Batman were. I could list all the possible adjectives but I doubt they'd be enough to do these two justice.
I swallowed the hard lump lodged in my throat, my eyes shifting between the two as I really took in their features this time.
Superman was like yin; his smile was bright, full of promise with kind eyes and dark skin. His lips were thick and he had a set of wide shoulders that made him seem even bigger than he already was. He looked European, with his dark and foreign looks. I could've been wrong, though, but I was sure I was right. I was adept at observing people and figuring out bits of their life by analyzing them closely.
When you people watched a lot, it was the simple things you had to look out for.
Batman, however, was every bit the yang to Superman's yin. He oozed that 'bad boy' persona with his equally dark eyes and matching dark hair. Even his outfit was dark, jet black I believe. The only thing out of place was the single, gold hoop earring in one ear and the Japanese kanji necklace that hung around his neck. Somehow, the look suited him right down to the present scowl on his face. I didn't think he was scowling at me, per say.
At least, I hoped not. I could feel myself gulp again, darting my tongue out to lick the seam of my lips in my nervousness.
I didn't think much of the action but apparently it drew Superman's attention as well as Batman's because there was a second where they exchanged looks before the former turned his attention back to me. Batman crowded closer, making me stiffen uncomfortably as I tried to make myself as small as possible. His head was turned away while Superman gave me the most brilliant smile I'd ever seen.
Now I truly knew what the term 'Gentle Giant' meant.
"You seemed a bit lonely so my friend and I decided to join you. I'm Silas," Superman supplied, giving me his hand. When I took it, he curled his big fingers around mine, squeezing gently before addressing his friend, Batman. "And this is my best friend, North."
"S-sang." I squeaked out, my face heating up as I looked between the two.
Batman or 'North', turned his gaze down to me and I had the thought that he was going to shake my hand too but 'Silas' still held mine within his callous palms. North surprised me though, when he brought a hand up to tuck my hair behind an ear, moving it away to reveal my face.
"Better," he said, my cheeks flaming as he gave me what seemed like a cross between a smile and a smirk. I couldn't tell but it held something dark and promising. And it wasn't the bad kind.
These two were good. Or just a figment of my imagination, maybe.
"Now we can see your beautiful eyes," Silas said with a wink, staring down at me with those large, soulful eyes of his. I ducked my head, my face growing hotter.
There was a slight lilt to Silas words as he spoke, like he was trying to curb an accent but couldn't help it with certain words. Even Batman's gruff baritone had me reeling. Their voices definitely matched their good looks. Intimidating, but handsome. It sent tingles all the way down to my feet and back up where it settled once again below my belly.
In only a few seconds, they both managed to make me putty in their hands.
What did I say? I felt frozen, unable to do anything other than look between Silas and North because they were making me feel things I'd never felt before.
I felt like jumping behind the nearest object in the room and staying there until it was safe. Even then, I didn't think it'd help much.
Gosh, if I had to explain them both in one sentence, it'd probably be something along the lines of: 'Superman and Batman go to a high school party to get turnt.'
Oh god, I thought with a snort, slapping a hand over my mouth at the obnoxious noise that procured that god awful sound. I couldn't help myself for the visual that immediately appeared in my mind.
"Something funny?" North asked me, breaking me out of my reverie. He didn't smile, not like his friend, Silas. But he wasn't quite frowning either, just had his lips in a thin line as he apprised me. I felt like a naked lamb under the intensity of their combined gazes; instincts had me crowding into myself as I shook my head nervously.
"Don't mind him, he doesn't like parties," Silas whispered-shouted to me, the grin on his face infectious as my lips slowly upturned to match his. "This isn't usually our scene, but I guess with a beautiful little Aggele like you to keep us company, it isn't so bad." He told me as his fingers brushed against my heated cheek.
From beside me, North snorted. Embarrassment colored my cheeks so I didn't dare look up to see what North's reaction was to Silas words but I assumed it must've been funny to him because I could vaguely hear him chuckling.
I had no idea what 'Aggele' meant, no clue what language it was but it sounded heavenly rolling off Silas' tongue. My mind couldn't make sense of what was happening, were these two flirting with me? North was a bit subtle but Silas was throwing punches left and right, making my head spin and my body shake from nervousness and excitement.
That aside, it was nice to know that not every guy at this party thought it was the greatest thing ever. Were they telling the truth? I had no clue. With my mind in a turmoil, I stood there, with a dumbfounded look on my face and my face heating up like hot tomato soup.
I was so used to being invisible, being ignored, that when I glanced up again and caught their gaze, I didn't look away. I stared, curious. When they caught me looking, I blushed and quickly turned away, hoping they'd just ignore me again and I could go back to sneaking glances at them. Maybe pretend that this moment had all been a dream, a very good dream. It'd make my reality suck less.
"Would you like to dance?" Silas asked after a while, a gentle smile on his face. If I moved close enough, I swear I could smell the salt of the ocean on him. "I promise we don't bite."
"Much," North supplied with a wink. The scowl was apparent on his face now but there was a hint of a smile that had me grinning, albeit shyly, in return. He seemed angry at first (well, most of the time, really) but when he smiled he was handsome—beautiful, even.
I instantly liked it. But it wasn't like I was going to tell them that, though. Not unless I wanted to die of mortification.
My cheeks burned even more under their heavy gaze and I rubbed my palms against my jeans as I swallowed the bout of nervousness crawling up the length of my spine. I didn't know what to say, how to react, what to do. What did someone do in my position? Say yes? No?
But I want to say yes.
My heart was telling me one thing while my head told me another.
In times like these, which did I listen to?
But, at this point, who in the world cared?
This was my once in a lifetime chance to do something wild, something everyone else was doing, too. Be normal, my mind supplied. Even if there was a little worry bug on my shoulder telling me it was a bad idea. North and Silas were both so handsome, so breathtaking. Even if this was a one-time thing and I never saw them beyond tonight, I didn't care. I felt happy that they recognized me enough to talk to me, let alone ask me to dance.
I fisted my sweater, suddenly determined. "O-Okay," I replied. "I'd love to."
I bit my lip, gazing up into their serious faces that soon had matching, almost wicked, identical grins. Suddenly it felt like they were the predators on the prowl and I was the tiny, helpless prey. When Silas extended his hand to me, I stared down at it for a few moments, feeling my nerves creeping up on me and my resolve slipping. I was scared, terrified. Why did I agree again?
North must have seen the worry in my eyes because suddenly I felt his calloused palm against my cheek, surprising me at the tender look he gave me. "Don't think, Sang. Just do it. Take a leap of faith."
It was so easy to believe North's words, even if my head told me otherwise. Against my better judgment, I steeled my resolve and stepped closer to the two of them, letting them lead me toward the dance floor.
By the time we reached the edge of the dance floor, I was a nervous wreck inside. I was pretty sure my palms were clammy and I was sweating in places nobody should be sweating. Oh god, I can't do this, I told myself.
Silas kept a tight grip on my hand as he led the way with North behind me but all I wanted to do was flee and curl up at home with my mountain of books. Unfortunately, the two big mammoths kept making that decision hard. I could feel their combined heat surround me, causing the baby hairs at the back of my neck to cling to my skin. My sweater felt like a second skin and I was sure there were wet spots under my armpits. As long as neither of them lifted my arms up, I was fine. Otherwise, hello sweaty Sang.
We came to a stop near some sliding glass doors that were partially opened, a slight draft cooling the heat from my skin. I nearly sighed in relief, my shoulders slumping as I pushed my glasses up my nose. Feeling a pressing gaze on me, I looked up finding Silas' gentle eyes focused on me. His stare never wavered and I once again found myself mesmerized by the kind smile he graced me with. No one ever looked at me that way, not ever.
A strange feeling erupted inside me and it scared me. I pushed it to the back of my mind; there was no need to dwell on it at the moment.
I jumped when a strong hand landed on my shoulder and nearly flinched right out of my own skin when I felt another hand on my waist. I realized with a start that it was North. Where they both going to dance with me? Was that even possible? My knees began shaking and I could feel my shoulders start to cave in as Silas still held my hand. North's large palms were heavy and it literally felt like something was weighing me down. It was both a heady and strange sensation, one I wasn't sure how to feel about. But it wasn't unpleasant, just the opposite.
Still, I was uncomfortable. And freaked out of my mind. There was a guy in front of me and another behind me, sandwiching me between them but not enough to crowd me. They weren't pressed up against me like other couples (or trios) on the dancefloor and for that, I was thankful. I'd feel like incredibly uncomfortable if they did that.
Not that I wasn't already uncomfortable. I felt too self-conscious of everyone around me and my anxiety was already shooting through the roof.
"Stop thinking so much, just move with us." North whispered, squeezing my hip. I gulped, feeling his breath tickle my ear and fan across my neck. I shivered, embarrassed and nervous all at once before ducking my head and stepping closer to Silas. His hand felt heavy on my hip and I wasn't sure how to feel about it.
It was such a natural inclination but we were too close that I bumped my nose against Silas' chest, stumbling backwards into North before the back of my right foot stepped on his feet. I heard him grunt and curse but Silas caught my waist with his other hand while North righted himself. I was shaking the entire time, my eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as I moved out of their embrace and nearly plastered myself against the sliding doors.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm not so good dancing....with others." I admitted nervously, cursing internally at how my voice squeaked. It sounded weak and pathetic even to my ears. "I think maybe this was a bad idea."
"Why the hell would you say that for?" North boomed, startling me and a few dancers around us. Silas punched his shoulder and they shared a look, one I found odd but it lasted a second before North set his dark gaze onto me. "Sorry 'bout that, Sang. Didn't mean to scare you, I just got a big mouth."
I didn't look up, just nodding my head as I fiddled with the hem of my sweater and stood there still plastered against the sliding door looking like an idiot next to two hotties. My name rolled off his tongue easily and it felt weird to have it directed at me. Nobody ever really said my name. It was. . .nice.
My cheeks felt like they were on fire and I was sure you could probably fry eggs on them. Maybe if I kept quiet and didn't say anything, they'd get annoyed and move on, allowing me to wallow in my little pity party I was throwing in my head.
An awkward silence greeted us. The music continued to fill my ears and just when I was about to flee like a bat out of hell, warm fingers tilted my chin up and I was looking back into Silas' gentle gaze once again.
"Stop hiding, Sang."
I felt pinned by their gazes, with Silas' calloused hands cupping my chin and North's heavy stare on me. It was like they saw me, the me I tried so hard to keep inside because I was sure nobody even wanted to see that person. I didn't, so why would they? Plus, they didn't even know me, the real me. And it was with that thought that brought my reality crashing down around me.
The scowl on North's face appeared once again and Silas smile faded into a frown as they looked down at me. Thankfully, before either of them could say anything, the lights in the whole house turned on and the music was cut.
"Hey! What the fuck, man? Turn the music back on!" shouted one of the guys from the crowded dance floor. A chorus of agreements rang through and soon they were shouting it as one, repeating it like a mantra as the makeshift DJ struggled to talk over their joint shouting.
"Shit, too soon." North said, more to himself than to me. Or maybe it was to Silas because they shared a wordless glance once again, like they were communicating telepathically or something. It was weird, but I was more worried about Marie and the angry group of teenagers yelling for the music to be turned back on.
I swallowed hard, looking between Silas and North but they crowded around me until I really was sandwiched between them. Nervous shivers racked up and down my arms but Silas nor North either didn't care or weren't too worried about any of that. My small height made it hard for me to see above the massive bodies blocking my way, especially with North's wide shoulders blocking my view. But I spied Jade storming onto the stage where the DJ was, whom was already putting his stuff away in hurried motions.
"Look, we just got a text that the cops are on their way! Everyone get the fuck out of my house and take your shit with you! Out! Now!" Jade screeched, dropping the mic before she was rushing off the stage with Tiffany, Mike and Rocky following behind her.
I could only describe it as pure and utter chaos. It only took a second for her words to take effect before people were scrambling to get outside before the cops arrived, probably to start arresting people.
My heart sped up and I searched wildly for Marie's taller frame and dark hair. It was only a second but I had no time to search for my missing sister as Silas pushed me forward while North shoved his way through the chaotic mess. I glanced at my watch; it was ten past eleven. Marie had the keys to the car but I was the designated driver since I knew without a doubt she'd been drinking tonight. I knew by memory that she was wearing a short black and yellow dress so it wouldn't be hard to spot her but I couldn't see above the mass of bodies currently trying to shove themselves out of the front door. I tried craning my neck but it worked to no avail, not with North's tight grip on my hand and Silas strong arms on my waist.
I searched in vain for a bed of brown hair with streaks of pink in it. It was difficult to spot her since there were so many people. Just great. Where are you, Marie?
The night air greeted me as we were shoved through the door and it was then that I got my first glimpse of the mounting chaos occurring outside.
People were shouting and yelling, jumping into nearby cars or running off down the lane whooping about the awesome party but desperate to evade the cops before they got caught. I swallowed, an uneasy feeling settling at the pit of my stomach as the three of us raced across the lawn and towards where the cars had been parked.
North and Silas began pulling me till we reached the edge of lawn where a black Jeep rested at the edge of the street but I stopped at the last second, trying to pry my hand out of North's tight grip. He let up when I stopped and as one, they turned their dark gazes to me. Confusion and worry crested over their intense features but I was slightly scared and mildly worried about where Marie was.
I felt dread crawl up my spine followed by that inkling feeling that maybe, just maybe, I'd made a really big mistake dancing with these two. Plus, Marie wasn't anywhere to be found and now I was scared out of my mind. Despite how kind and amazing these two boys were, I didn't know them.
"It's the cops! Run!" someone shouted from across the street.
My head whipped around and I spotted the first set of flashing red and blue lights blaring down the street. The siren went off and soon I could hear the screech of cars as a ton of cops poured out onto the street, arresting people left and right. I fisted my side, using the surrounding chaos as my chance to get away.
"Sang, wait!" North shouted down the street, my heart pounding in my chest as adrenaline began pumping through my veins, fueling my need to get away and get home safe. I didn't stop to think, I just ran. They were complete strangers and despite the trusting look in their eyes, it was probably all too good to be true anyway.
As my feet carried me away, a tiny part of me wanted to turn around and go back to their warm presence.