Keep your friends close and your enemies, closer

I was just lounging around the house, watching a Desperate Housewives marathon on the television, when the phone rang. I answered it without looking away from the TV. “Hello?”

“Hey. Ash?” Summer’s familiar voice got me to come back to reality.

“Hey there, Summer. What’s up?” I asked, picking up the packet of chips on the table and began munching on it.

“How was your date yesterday?” She inquired eagerly. I gave a small frown. She didn’t answer my question. I shrugged and told her about it, every single detail. I even told her about my weird feelings.

After reliving my story to Summer, she didn’t say anything. She just kept quiet.

“Summer?”

“I knew it. I knew you like him, and that he likes you back. I knew it!” Her smug voice suddenly called out.

“What do you mean?” I asked uncertainly. Was it that obvious?

“You can’t hide how you feel about him from me, Ash. And, honestly speaking, neither can he. It’s actually pretty obvious. Well, to me anyway.”

I groaned. “I don’t think he likes me, Summer.” I backtracked when I remembered his peculiar behavior last night. “Well, maybe he does. But it’s so confusing, Sum! How is it possible that I can even like him? I’ve, well had anyway, hated him since he first stepped in this school.”

“Your relationship with him is more than confusing, Ash. So what’re you going to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Sum. This is getting way too confusing for me. I’ll sort it out when this stupid dare finally ends.”

She laughs. “Don’t worry, love. Just a few more days away.”

“Yay.” I cheered sarcastically. “That’s not the only weird thing going on, though.”

“It’s not?”

“No. Recently, I’ve been feeling this kind of… weird connection every time I see, or even speak to-” I broke off my sentence as Ranger bounded down the stairs.

“Gotta use the phone. Are you almost done?” He asked, panting slightly.

I nodded to him, but spoke to Summer. “Hey, Summer. I have to go. Ranger needs the phone.”

“No wait. Hold on.” She started hurriedly. “There’s going to be a party at Dustin’s tonight at eight. Most of the juniors are invited. You and your brother coming?”

“Should be. I’ll see you there then. Bye.” I hung up and tossed the phone to my brother.

I was about to go back up to my room, but I turned around and told Ranger about Dustin’s party.

“Cool.” He answered indifferently, before plopping on the couch and placing the telephone between his ear and shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and went back up to my room. I still had a few hours left before the party started so I fell on my bed and started to doze off.

~~~~``````~~~~

I woke up in a startle. I sat up on my bad and glared at the person jumping up and down on it.

“What the hell are you doing, Ranger?” I fumed, crossing my arms over my chest. I was having the best dream ever. I dreamt that the Max Thieriot was asking me to marry him and our babies looked exactly like the Jonas Brothers. Damn Ranger for disrupting it.

“We have an hour ‘til Dustin’s party. Do you wanna be late?” Ranger dropped on a sitting position on my bed and looked at me.

I pulled the cover off me and practically dashed into the bathroom to change.

~~~~``````~~~~

“DeeDee!” I squealed, running up to Dustin and hugging him. He laughed and spun me in a small circle. The party was already pumping once Ranger and I arrived. The living room was crowded with sweaty bodies moving to their own beat. The different coloured lights were hypnotizing to watch. It was no surprise that even though it was only a half hour after the party was officially on, that there were tons of people already present.

“So, why’s my princess hugging me?” He released his hold on me and smiled.

“Because my fairy decided to be cool and throw an awesome party.” I replied with a huge grin. His smile got wider, when he heard my pet name for him.

“Ashlynn!” Summer walked over to me and gave me a hug. I hugged her back and gave a small once-over around the room. Darn. No Kent around.

Summer must have noticed what I was doing because she smirked at me. “He messaged Harvey. He said he’ll come in a bit. You look very pretty, by the way.”

Her compliment made me snap back to reality. “Really? You don’t think it’s too much?” I was wearing a sleeveless pink dress paired up with a mini skirt. My hair was co-operative and decided to stay bouncy today.

Summer shook her head and asked where Ranger was. I shrugged. I didn’t know where he was, but he was probably dancing with Olesia. Summer suddenly focused on something over my shoulder and a smile broke out on her face. I raised my eyebrows at her, before I fully understood what her facial expression meant.

I slowly turned my body around 180° and came face to face with the devil himself (not literally, of course). His whole face lit up as he saw me and smiled. My heart doubled up in speed and I waved weakly at him. The adrenaline pumping through my veins was making me almost breathless.

Kent gracefully made his way over to me. I couldn’t tear my eyes off him. He was wearing a button down white T-shirt and faded jeans. How is it possible that someone could look that handsome?

“Hey.” He greeted, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and giving me a hug. I smiled and hugged him back.

“Have you eaten yet?” He asked, letting go off me. I tried not to pout, and shook my head no. “Want me to get you anything?” He offered. I nodded my head and held his hand. His lips twitched, as if he was going to smile, and he pulled me along with him to the food table.

We got some nachos to snack on and just stood there, not really talking to each other. I felt the silence as kind of awkward, because I already discovered how I felt about Kent. I wanted to know what he was thinking. He was hardly ever this quiet.

Once we’re done, a familiar tune started to play through the loudspeakers. Kent turned to me and gave a half smile. “You want to dance?” I beamed up at him and nodded. He took my hand and led me to the middle of the dance floor.

“ Oh hot damn , this is my jam
Keep me partying till the A.M
Yall don’t understand , make me throw my hands
In the ayer , ay , ayer , ayer , ay, ayer”

We danced together, but not really touching. Somebody must have pushed him (the dance floor was packed) because he stumbled over a little closer to me. Somebody else was dancing a bit too close to me so I moved nearer to Kent too.

“Hey this is my jam
Yall don't understand
I’ll make you understand
What’s pumpin in my CD player (player)
Party all night like yayer (yayer)
Shawty got a hand in the ayer (ayer)
Make me want to take it dayer”

I self-consciously wrapped my hands around his neck and he lightly placed his hands on my waist. We obviously couldn’t slow dance to this song so he took one of my hands from his neck and twisted me in a half circle, so that my back was facing him.

“Then I go , here I go , here is my song
DJ bring it back come in my zone
I get paid for them couple bones
the next wop until the early morn
i need that crunk when im up in tha club
even my chevy that pull up on em dubs
give me that drop yellow waist like a drug”

With his hands still on my waist, he brought me closer to him. I reached my hands up to wrap them around his neck. We were moving against each other slowly now. I turned my face a little to the side, leaning against his chest.

“lil mama hot and she might show me love
o hot damn celebrate to tha A.M
i love it so much it got me sayin

Oh hot damn , this is my jam
Keep me partying till the A.M
Yall don’t understand , make me throw my hands
In the ayer , ay , ayer , ayer , ay , ayer”

I started to move my hips against his thigh, which he pressed harder against me. I swung my head around to the beat of the music and caught Kent intensely staring at me, his head very near to mine.

“Hey i just might start the wave
like im at a ball game do my thang
hands up high i got money in tha bank
im so fly 747 pain
rock it no stop it how i got my name
baby keep poppin you might get tha fame
walk tha red carpet wont see you the same”

We began to grind against each other. I went down slowly and used my hips to pull me back up to him. His hands traced my curves and stopped on my hips, pulling me closer to him. I interlaced our fingers together, so that we were holding hands. Somehow, although we were ‘sexy dancing’, it was the holding hands that made my heart speed up.

“Oh hot damn , this is my jam
Keep me partying till the A.M
Yall don’t understand , make me throw my hands
In the ayer , ay , ayer , ayer , ay , ayer
Oh hot damn , this is my jam
Keep me partying till the A.M
Yall don’t understand , make me throw my hands
In the ayer , ay , ayer , ayer , ay , ayer”

The song finally ended, and a part of me felt relieved. I’ve wanted to know what was so good about grinding, but now that I knew, I actually felt a little grossed out. But I mostly felt pumped. I didn’t regret doing what I did. I got the chance to move really close with Kent. What was so bad about that?

Kent smiled at me. “You were awesome out there.”

I blushed. “You too.”

We spent the rest of the party in one of Dustin’s guest rooms. We didn’t do anything. We just sat on his bed and talked. It actually made me feel closer to him. We talked about our future, our families, our lives. Some of what we talked about were pretty intense, like how Kent had lost his older sister because someone had raped her then killed her.

His facial expression was torn with grief when he told me the whole story, but he stayed strong. He didn’t cry.

It was about midnight when I decided to go home. Kent took my hand and brought me back to the party. I searched for Ranger but I couldn’t find him. I figured he probably sent Olesia home, and accompanied her for a little while.

Kent offered to take me home, and I hesitantly agreed. I didn’t want to bother him, but he assured me that it was no big deal.

We were pretty quiet in the car. I was analysing every thing that we were doing in the party. I didn’t know Kent’s excuse for keeping quiet.

“I had fun.” He started, as he stopped the car in front of my house. “Thanks for the dance and the talk. I had a really great time.”

I beamed at him. “So did I. And don’t thank me. The feeling’s mutual.”

He hesitated before leaning in and giving me a small peck on the cheek. I tried my hardest not to blush but I felt my face going hot.

I waved to my goodbye as I walked to my front porch. He made sure that I was safely inside my house before he drove away.