Remember Last Knight
you better watch out
&elle
It was a relatively cool night. The air wasn’t suffocating or chilly, but the wind held a slight breeze, which came in handy. The grill was burning and choking, but the pool combined with the breeze allowed a comfortable bubble that circled the whole of the yard.
Usually, I wouldn’t be seen at a party like this. I wouldn’t be here, at a party, or anywhere near one, unless I was tagging along for Ayden. He wasn’t here, though. This was me. This was for me.
I was letting go, for a moment; forgetting about not only my shitty weekend, but also about the last five years or so. I was actually going to be civil, have a social life, act normally.
Who knows what can come of the things you don’t encounter?
&knight
When I saw her, I couldn’t believe it. She just had to be here, didn’t she? I watched her for a minute. She looked slightly lost, actually. Out of place.
I mean, she doesn’t look that different from the girls around her. That’s not it. It’s the way her eyes scan the area, how she grabs a cup cautiously, how she stares at it for a few minutes before actually taking a drink. I noticed her brother isn’t in the vicinity. Nor is anyone else who she seems to have a slight interest in. She’s just… there.
&elle
I’m out of place. I can tell. I can feel it in every bone and fiber of my body.
This isn’t me, though. Tonight is about letting go, relaxing. Channeling the good aspects of the old me, compared to the overly compulsive and orderly me now.
knight
Drinks are pouring in. I’m trying to not go overboard, honestly, but as every girl passes and every guy engages me in small talk, I let more and more of the dangerous liquids pass through me. This is where I lose it. This is where things get sketchy.
I’d lost where she had gone… but it wasn’t hard to spot her, which was surprising. She was surrounded, by water and people and laughter. She was joining in, too. I could hear the rise and fall of the group’s laughter, the gurgle of it all.
I grabbed my friend’s arm, pulling him away from the fence with me. This was going to be fun, my intoxicated mind thought. It would be, wouldn’t it?
&elle
Drinks. Drinks. I’ve actually finished a drink. Something I told myself to never do, to never get into. I’d dabbled in alcohol and other things before, when times were rougher, and vowed to not do it again anytime soon. Yet, here I was.
I focused on the conversation… more so, the fact that I was not understanding most of it. They were remembering another night, out back of Charlie Liner’s yard, with more alcohol and more jokes and more things I didn’t understand and wasn’t a part of. I wasn’t being shunned, though, which was nice. I actually felt welcome. There was a fuzzy feeling in my stomach every time someone smiled at me, asked me something, didn’t stare at me oddly when I laughed with them. That could be the alcohol, too, though.
Hands. Hands on my bare waist. I dropped my cup, not thinking, leaving it to float. I turned fast, arm reaching.
“Woah!” A boy I didn’t know said, as he dipped to the side fast. I wouldn’t have hit him, though, as Knight was there, catching my outstretched fist.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he murmured in my ear. I yanked my arm away from him, turning back to the kids behind me. It was quiet, and they were watching. They seemed slightly discomforted now, looking at me. Fucking great.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya,” Knight said now, louder. He stood close behind me, talking over my shoulder. “What can you expect from an ex-boxer?”
They laughed. It was a stalled sound, like when you pull a glass from a sink full of water and the surface pops. Some of these kids knew me, knew my past, and were put off by it, I could tell, now that it had been brought back to the surface.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I knew the hands on my bare waist were Knight’s now, seeing his friend emerging from the pool across from me, hearing his voice in my ear.
I wanted to say no. I wanted to stay. My cup was empty, though, and needed refilling. I never imagined myself ever letting that thought slip my mind.
Knight seemed to pull me from the group, slightly, and I found myself following him to the concrete and to the patio.
“You seem to have gathered some friends up, haven’t you?” I didn’t like the way his hand pressed to the small of my back as we came up to the keg. “I thought you didn’t drink.”
“I thought that, too.”
I filled my cup, taking a long sip. I looked up to him, the rim still pressed to my lips. He stared down at me, brow raised, confused and intrigued.
“Is this going to pose as a problem?” he whispered.
“Not unless I let it be,” I responded.
He reached across, taking the cup from my hand, and taking a sip of his own. He continued to watch me, gauging my reaction, I guess. There wasn’t much to go on, I knew. My reaction was dead.
“Well then,” Knight said, grabbing my hand and wrapping it around the cup, “I guess you better watch out.”
It was a relatively cool night. The air wasn’t suffocating or chilly, but the wind held a slight breeze, which came in handy. The grill was burning and choking, but the pool combined with the breeze allowed a comfortable bubble that circled the whole of the yard.
Usually, I wouldn’t be seen at a party like this. I wouldn’t be here, at a party, or anywhere near one, unless I was tagging along for Ayden. He wasn’t here, though. This was me. This was for me.
I was letting go, for a moment; forgetting about not only my shitty weekend, but also about the last five years or so. I was actually going to be civil, have a social life, act normally.
Who knows what can come of the things you don’t encounter?
&knight
When I saw her, I couldn’t believe it. She just had to be here, didn’t she? I watched her for a minute. She looked slightly lost, actually. Out of place.
I mean, she doesn’t look that different from the girls around her. That’s not it. It’s the way her eyes scan the area, how she grabs a cup cautiously, how she stares at it for a few minutes before actually taking a drink. I noticed her brother isn’t in the vicinity. Nor is anyone else who she seems to have a slight interest in. She’s just… there.
&elle
I’m out of place. I can tell. I can feel it in every bone and fiber of my body.
This isn’t me, though. Tonight is about letting go, relaxing. Channeling the good aspects of the old me, compared to the overly compulsive and orderly me now.
knight
Drinks are pouring in. I’m trying to not go overboard, honestly, but as every girl passes and every guy engages me in small talk, I let more and more of the dangerous liquids pass through me. This is where I lose it. This is where things get sketchy.
I’d lost where she had gone… but it wasn’t hard to spot her, which was surprising. She was surrounded, by water and people and laughter. She was joining in, too. I could hear the rise and fall of the group’s laughter, the gurgle of it all.
I grabbed my friend’s arm, pulling him away from the fence with me. This was going to be fun, my intoxicated mind thought. It would be, wouldn’t it?
&elle
Drinks. Drinks. I’ve actually finished a drink. Something I told myself to never do, to never get into. I’d dabbled in alcohol and other things before, when times were rougher, and vowed to not do it again anytime soon. Yet, here I was.
I focused on the conversation… more so, the fact that I was not understanding most of it. They were remembering another night, out back of Charlie Liner’s yard, with more alcohol and more jokes and more things I didn’t understand and wasn’t a part of. I wasn’t being shunned, though, which was nice. I actually felt welcome. There was a fuzzy feeling in my stomach every time someone smiled at me, asked me something, didn’t stare at me oddly when I laughed with them. That could be the alcohol, too, though.
Hands. Hands on my bare waist. I dropped my cup, not thinking, leaving it to float. I turned fast, arm reaching.
“Woah!” A boy I didn’t know said, as he dipped to the side fast. I wouldn’t have hit him, though, as Knight was there, catching my outstretched fist.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he murmured in my ear. I yanked my arm away from him, turning back to the kids behind me. It was quiet, and they were watching. They seemed slightly discomforted now, looking at me. Fucking great.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya,” Knight said now, louder. He stood close behind me, talking over my shoulder. “What can you expect from an ex-boxer?”
They laughed. It was a stalled sound, like when you pull a glass from a sink full of water and the surface pops. Some of these kids knew me, knew my past, and were put off by it, I could tell, now that it had been brought back to the surface.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I knew the hands on my bare waist were Knight’s now, seeing his friend emerging from the pool across from me, hearing his voice in my ear.
I wanted to say no. I wanted to stay. My cup was empty, though, and needed refilling. I never imagined myself ever letting that thought slip my mind.
Knight seemed to pull me from the group, slightly, and I found myself following him to the concrete and to the patio.
“You seem to have gathered some friends up, haven’t you?” I didn’t like the way his hand pressed to the small of my back as we came up to the keg. “I thought you didn’t drink.”
“I thought that, too.”
I filled my cup, taking a long sip. I looked up to him, the rim still pressed to my lips. He stared down at me, brow raised, confused and intrigued.
“Is this going to pose as a problem?” he whispered.
“Not unless I let it be,” I responded.
He reached across, taking the cup from my hand, and taking a sip of his own. He continued to watch me, gauging my reaction, I guess. There wasn’t much to go on, I knew. My reaction was dead.
“Well then,” Knight said, grabbing my hand and wrapping it around the cup, “I guess you better watch out.”