Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

I Can’t Seem to Stay Away from Finn Heaton

Charlotte

“We need to be really quiet,” Ruby whispers, peeking out of the door to our bedroom. The guys have decided to throw a party tonight but Ruby and I are not used to partying with a bunch of jocks, even if they are nice guys, so we’ve planned our grand escape.

I nod.

“Some of them went to the backyard. I think Cade and Aaron are in the kitchen. Now is our chance,” she plots.

She closes the door and we grab our purses and backpacks. We slowly open the door, ensuring the coast is clear, and head toward the front door. I’m thankful our room is at the front of the house. We make it to the front door as it swings open.

Macklin is holding a pile of pizza boxes.

His eyebrows raise as he checks us out, and by the look on his face, I can tell he knows we are taking off. “Where do you two think you’re going?” he asks like he’s our parent and he just caught us sneaking out of the house. I mean, we were sneaking out.

“We’re going to the library, Macklin, please keep your voice down,” Ruby pleads, speaking quietly.

He pinches his lips together and checks Ruby out. She’s wearing a mini jean skirt and a light-pink T-shirt that exposes one shoulder.

“You’re supposed to party with us,” Macklin reminds.

“Um, where are you two running off to?” The voice comes from behind us and we both turn around slowly to see Aaron standing there, looking like his gorgeous self in a tank top and basketball shorts. His brow is cocked.

“These two were trying to sneak out,” Macklin states, throwing us under the bus.

“We were not sneaking,” I counter. “We are just heading to the library.”

“Girls, girls, girls,” Aaron scoffs, shaking his head. “You need to let loose and party. You have all semester to spend in the library. You need to hang with us and have fun tonight. This party is for you guys. Consider it a housewarming.”

Ruby and I look at each other with alarm in our gazes. I’m not sure what to answer.

“We’re boring,” Ruby blurts.

“No, you’re not.” Macklin snickers.

Ruby blushes and shrugs. We look at each other again and we both relent at the same moment.

“Should we stay?” I ask her.

She nods chewing on her upper lip.

“I don’t drink,” I inform Aaron.

“I mean, that’s just not true. I saw how sloshed you were last night, remember?” he teases.

Damn it.

“That was a one-time thing. I’m not drinking two nights in a row,” I state.

“I mean, you can stay sober,” Aaron says. “But a party is so much more fun with some alcohol. Trust me.”

Oh boy.

“Now get back in the house,” Macklin instructs. “And, Ruby, you don’t need to listen to Aaron. Alcohol isn’t that much fun.”

Ruby rolls her eyes. “Stop acting like my brother.”

“I’m not acting like your brother. I’m watching out for you,” he insists. These two have the weirdest banter and Macklin does tend to act like her brother.

We head back inside and drop our bags off in the room we are sharing. Then we head out to the backyard to see if the guys need any help, but it seems they are professional party throwers and have everything under control. It doesn’t take long for the house to start filling up. I see some guys from the basketball team. I hug each of them because we kind of have become friends.

“Charlie, what’s up? Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” a basketball player named Nate Wade leans in to hug me.

“Oh, hi. I know.” I hug him back awkwardly because he must be like six foot six. “I don’t usually party,” I say awkwardly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” His grin is flirtatious. “Smith said you didn’t get placed with our team as the social media coordinator. I know you were gunning for it.”

“Yeah, not sure what happened there. I thought it was a sure thing,” I tell him.

He leans down and whispers close to my ear, “You didn’t hear this from me, but it’s because Sheila is staying on another year. She was supposed to graduate but then she had some credits to make up. Think she kind of did that on purpose, if you ask me.” He shrugs.

“Thanks for telling me. I was wondering why I wasn’t chosen,” I say.

“You got talent.” He smiles. He has dark brown eyes and buzzed brown hair. He’s cute.. Most importantly, he isn’t on the hockey team and I am allowed to speak with him. “Just bad timing.”

“Yeah, I thought it sucked at first, but I’m determined to leave my print on the hockey team,” I declare.

He smiles and checks me out. “I’m sure you will. How about we grab those drinks?” he suggests and his hand slides to my waist. I’m not sure how to feel about him touching me. My head is still spinning over my night with Finn. I realize I should be mourning my seven-month relationship with Raph, but being with Finn did something to me, and I can’t figure out why.

“Sure. Follow me,” I direct to him.

“So are you here on official business?” Nate asks as I guide him toward a table covered in alcohol.

“I’m actually living here temporarily,” I tell him. “Campbell Hall is closed and my friend Ruby and I had nowhere else to go. Her brother is Hayden Foxx, do you know him?” I ask.

“Yeah, Hayden’s a cool guy,” Nate replies, bobbing his head. “Shit, the guys must be going crazy having two hot girls living with them.”

I blush. I am not good with compliments. “Um. . .”

Nate laughs. “Just saying it like it is.”

“What are you drinking?” I ask him because I need to tamp down his flirting. It’s not like I’ve never flirted with a guy before, but Nate is laying it on thick. It kind of reminds me why my father made me promise to never date a jock.

“Are you up for a shot?” he asks.

I hadn’t planned on drinking but now that we are staying at the party, I feel kind of tense. A couple shots to loosen my nerves sounds reasonable.

“Yeah, I could do a shot,” I agree. Who am I? I spent my entire college career not attending parties and not drinking. “Should we go for the tequila?”

“Yes,” he says, clearly pleased with my choice. I pour two shots in the plastic shot cups on the table. I pass Nate his.

“Cheers,” I toast, and we clink shot cups.

“To a fun night,” he says.

We both down the shots and since the cups are only an ounce, we go for a second. My insides are definitely feeling warm by the time I down the second shot.

“Do you want to go hang in the backyard?” I ask him.

“Lead the way.” He motions for me to go first.

As we walk through the house, tons of guys fist bump Nate. Girls are checking him out like crazy. He is good-looking but my body doesn’t seem to be buzzing around him like it did when Finn was close. I seriously felt like my blood pressure rose when Finn was near me. My heart rate also picked up and my body buzzed with an excitement I can’t describe.

When we get outside, some of the guys are there. So is Ruby. Hayden has some blonde sitting in his lap. Ruby is sitting on a chair, and she whispers. “Hayden is being a vagina blocker.”

I laugh.

“Then go inside and get away from him,” I whisper back.

“Good idea,” she replies, and I can tell she is tipsy.

Ruby stands and Macklin stands after her.

“Bro, where are you going?” Hayden asks him.

“To piss, geez,” he hisses and shakes his head.

“Make sure no one hits on my sister,” he says to Macklin.

“Got you covered, bro.” Macklin winks.

“Come sit, bro,” Aaron invites to Nate, dapping him up. When there is no seat for me, Nate tells me to sit on his lap.

I don’t know what possesses me to agree, other than Finn is sitting here speaking to a redhead and I’m jealous, which is messed up.

I shift on Nate’s knee and he pulls me into him.

We start speaking with Aaron and Cade and some other guys from the hockey team I remember from practice.

“So you and Nate?” Tyler implies. “Lucky man.”

He smiles at Nate.

“Oh no, we’re just friends,” I deny.

Tyler gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me.

“Trust me, I don’t date jocks,” I assure him, feeling a little loose-tongued.

“Ouch.” Nate laughs and winces.

Tyler is laughing in hysterics. “You do realize you’re at a party where most guys are on some sort of sports team?”

“You’re all just my friends though,” I say to Tyler. “Well, in your case, you are my subject since I need to make you look good on social media.”

The guys continue to laugh hysterically. I didn’t realize I was that funny, but I am buzzed and maybe I’m talking too much.

“Burn,” Seth hoots.

A group of people enter the backyard through the kitchen door. Cade stands immediately and walks over to the girl standing in front of the group. He laces his hand around her hip and leans in to kiss her.

I hear him say, “Hi, Scar.”

I remember the girlfriend. She wasn’t so nice.

“I see you brought some friends,” he says to her.

She nods. “This is Dave and Chris, they are in my program. That’s Leigh and Becca.”

Cade is so kind and nice. He shakes everyone’s hand and welcomes them. More chairs in the corner are unstacked. I wish I’d seen them before or I wouldn’t have sat on Nate’s lap. Or maybe I would’ve because now Finn just scowled at me, and having his attention on me—even if it is negative—does something exciting to my insides. Everyone takes a seat around the table. Aaron brings the whole tequila bottle outside with shot cups and begins to pour for everyone. The redhead Finn was talking to gravitates to his lap. She has her hands all over him.

An hour later, I am drunk and have removed myself from Nate’s lap. The guys begin to play music outside and some people start to dance. Cade asks Scarlett to dance with him but she refuses. Instead, she is dancing with Leigh, the friend she brought to the party, who is now rubbing her butt on her while Dave is dancing in front of Leigh. Cade seems upset. When Nate asks me to dance, I decline and head inside to check on Cade.

I find him with his palms on the counter and his head bowed.

“You good?” I ask.

He lifts his head. “Fine.” He gives me a fake smile.

“Does that happen a lot?” I ask him, pointing outside to where Scarlett is bumping and grinding against all the friends she brought.

“She’s just very social,” he explains like he’s defending her.

I frown, hating that he’s making excuses for her.

“What’s with you and Nate?” he asks.

“Honestly, nothing.” I laugh, even though it isn’t funny. “I don’t know why I sat on his lap. I’m drunk and nothing in my life is making sense.”

“Sometimes I feel that way too,” he agrees.

I give him a hug. “You’re a good guy, Cade. You deserve a girl who will treat you right,” I say to him as Finn walks by.

I don’t know if Cade realizes I stiffen. “Do you like him?” Cade asks me of Finn.

“Who?” I ask, playing dumb.

But he gives me a look that says, “come on.”

“Please don’t ask me that right now. I have too much alcohol in me, and I really need to pee,” I state to him.

“You better use the upstairs bathroom. The one down here always has a big lineup and gets gross during parties,” he explains.

“Thanks,” I say, grateful for the tip. I turn away because I need to pee like a racehorse.

As I am walking through the house, I see Ruby attached to some guy from the basketball team. They are dancing in the middle of the room with a bunch of other people.

“Hi, friend.” She breaks away from the guy and wraps me in a hug.

“You’re drunk,” I tell her.

She starts to laugh. “Parties are so much fun. Why haven’t we done this before?”

“I really need to pee,” I tell her and she releases me.

“Go pee.”

I nod and run up the stairs, taking two at a time, but my coordination isn’t so good and I miss a step and almost face-plant. When I get to the upstairs hall, I realize I don’t know which door is the bathroom.

A girl walks past me. “Hey, do you know which one is the bathroom?” I ask her. I realize it was the redhead sitting on Finn’s lap.

“That one on the right.” She points.

“Thanks.” I feel like my bladder is going to explode.

I quickly get into the bathroom and lock the door. After I’ve taken care of business, I wash my hands and look in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed and I am smiling like a fool.

When I leave the bathroom, I bump into a wall. Rather, I bump into a wall of a guy. A familiar guy with a familiar scent.

“You really need to stop knocking into me,” the voice says. I take a step back and look up at Finn’s face. At his gorgeous light- green eyes and that slight tan to his skin. His cheekbones are sculpted and he has the best lips.

“Oh sorry.” I laugh.

But Finn’s features are serious.

“Did you take the redhead to your room?” I blurt and then squeeze my eyes shut because somewhere in the back of my head I know I should have a filter.

“Is that your business?” he snaps. I feel like an idiot.

“Guess not.” I duck my head and move to get away from him.

“Wait.” His tone softens as he takes hold of my arm. His eyes lock with mine and my mouth waters as my heart picks up pace.

“What do you want, Finn?” I ask, feeling irritated as I search his gaze for understanding.

“Are you here with Nate?” he asks, surprising me.

“What? No.” I flinch my head rearing back.

Finn licks his lips and then he presses me into the wall. My breath hitches.

“I felt jealous watching you,” he confesses, his lips close to mine, his voice a deep low whisper. His lips are almost touching mine, and all I want is to taste his lips.

My breath catches.

His breaths quicken and my own breaths match his pace as my heart beats fast.

“I felt jealous watching you with the redhead. Did you take her to your room?” I don’t know why I ask again, other than I am a glutton for punishment.

“She followed me up here when I came to use the bathroom,” he explains, surprising me. “She wanted to go into my room, but I didn’t want her there.” He licks his lips and tilts his head to the side. From this angle it would be so easy for our lips to connect.

“Why didn’t you want her there?” I swallow hard and lick my lips.

“Because I can’t seem to stop thinking about you and watching you strut around in these little skirts you wear,” he explains, and he grabs the back of my thigh.

A soft moan escapes me from the small touch.

His dark brows draw together. “Am I making you wet?”

“Hey, guys, what’s going on?” Aaron asks as I pull away from Finn and he takes a step back.

Holy shit. This isn’t good.

“Nothing. Just came up here to use the bathroom,” I say, my voice high-pitched.

Aaron nods. “Cool. Gotta piss.”

He walks by us and closes the door. Finn runs a hand through his hair and turns away, opening a door which I am guessing is his room.

I head downstairs. Ruby pulls me on to the dance floor and we dance together.

When we are both hot and too sweaty, we go to find some pizza and drink some beer, all the while we keep on repeating the fact we haven’t partied for our whole college careers. By 3:00 a.m., we go to sit outside on the patio with some of the guys. I don’t remember passing out but a glass breaking wakes me up at half past four. I wake with a jolt to Cade apologizing for breaking a beer bottle. My neck is stiff and sore from me passing out on a chair.

Some of the guys are cleaning up. I shake Ruby awake and take her with me to bed because I am not capable of cleaning right now, but I offer to help in the morning.

When Ruby and I fall into bed in our clothes, I lament, “I am so fucked.”

“Why?” she asks with a yawn as she pulls the covers up to her chin.

“Because I can’t seem to stay away from Finn Heaton.”