Secrets of a Teenage Dirtbag

When Alex and I arrived at Jack's house, I barely recognized the place. People were everywhere, mingling and sipping from red plastic cups. I stuck to Alex like a magnet as we made our way through the front hall. It seemed as if the deeper we went in, the less room there was to breathe and the more air began to smell like a bad mix of colognes and perfumes. As we continued to squeeze through, I wondered why I'd even agreed to come. I didn't know these people. I didn't belong here.

"I'm gonna a grab a beer. You want anything?" Alex motioned toward the kitchen. I could barely hear him over the booming music.

"Aren't you driving us home?"

He shook his head, pulling me close so I could hear him. "It's cool. We can just crash here."

A sleepover at Jack's house? A drink sounds nice right about now, I thought. "I'll have a rum and coke then," I said. He disappeared into the crowd and suddenly it hit me. I was alone. Hoping to somehow become invisible, I leaned against the wall and tried to blend in.

A group of boys were playing pong in the next room while a throng of other kids danced to 90s Pop. I watched as one of the boys lobbed the ball across table. It bounced off the rim of one cup and landed in another. Everyone cheered in amazement as the loser drank. Among all the chaos, I noticed Jack was watching the game too. He caught me staring from across the room. I whipped my head in the other direction.

Unfortunately it hadn't been quick enough. When I glanced back, he was walking toward me.

"Hey…Alex's friend."

"Jasey," I said coolly. He sounded drunk and reeked of booze. For a split second, I felt like I'd been transported back to Texas with my mom.

"Right." He didn't seem to catch the iciness in my voice. "How 'bout a drink?"

He stepped closer, placing one hand on the wall beside me. I leaned as far back as the space between my butt and the wall would allow, trapped.

"Alex is getting me one," I said. "He should be back any second."

Jack started laughing, which only made me want to go home more. "Whoa, you need to relax." He moved his hand down to my shoulder. On the outside I was stone, but inside my heart was racing. Where the hell was Alex?

"Where's Tiffany?" I asked, brushing his hand off me.

He shrugged as though he couldn't care less. "Don't know. Hey, you wanna dance?"

I peeked down the hall, desperately hoping that Alex would appear, but he didn't. "I don't think—"

"Come on," he insisted. "One dance."

Alex trusts him, he can't be that much of a skeez, I told myself. "Okay."

He took me by the hand and led me to the makeshift dance floor. A classic started playing, making everyone go nuts. I felt Jack's hand on my waist and shivered, a warm feeling slowly burning in my stomach. We didn't talk or make too much eye contact, which I was perfectly fine with. All I could think about as we moved together was how much longer it would be until the song ended.

"You know you're really pretty," he broke the silence, his lips grazing my ear as he spoke. I blushed even though I knew he was hammered. No boy had ever said that to me before.

"You think I'm pretty?" I played along.

He slid his hands down to my hips, pulling me into him. "The prettiest."

Without warning, he attached his lips to mine. The kiss was sloppy and he tasted like beer, which made me want to gag. I pushed him away and darted into the hall, rounding the corner so fast I rammed straight into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" I gasped. My horror changed to relief—and a teensy bit of anger—when I realized it was Alex. "Where have you been?" I demanded.

"There was a line, sorry." He handed me a cup and took me down the hall, where it was quieter. Still feeling rattled, I took a nice long sip of my drink, suddenly wishing that I'd asked for something stronger.

Alex watched me. "Are you okay?"

I considered telling him about the kiss with Jack, but I wasn't sure how he'd react. Jack was his friend. The last thing I wanted to do was make things weird between us.

"Fine. Why?" I answered, taking a much smaller sip this time.

He kept staring at me. "Sorry I left you by yourself. I know you don't really know anyone yet," he said.

"It's okay."

"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"

"No, nothing happened. I just…I guess I'm just nervous…"

"Don't tell me you never partied in Texas," he said, pretending to be disappointed in me.

Didn't have any friends to party with, I wanted to say. I took another sip instead. "Let's just say, Texas is different from here," I replied and finished off my drink. My nerves were calmer now and I was beginning to feel relaxed. "Refill please?"

Alex studied me for a moment. A small grin turned up the corners of his mouth and he took my empty cup. "How about I show you how it's supposed to be then?"

"How do you plan to do that?" I folded my arms over my chest.

He took my hand and brought me into the kitchen. Bottles of liquor lined the counter, along with a bowl of potato chips and a few abandoned beer cans.

Alex grabbed a bottle. "Ready for your first lesson, Texas?"

"I'll have whatever you're having."