Gossamer (7 page)

I continued walking away and sensed someone following me. Assuming it was Lexie, I circled around, possibly a bit too quickly. The room kept spinning even after I stopped. I put my hand on my forehead, then realized I stood face to face with Grant.

“Are you okay?” His hand steadied me.

I shuddered. I’d felt something between us before, but never this intense. The sensation reminded me of touching metal in winter. I gasped and stared at him, my eyes wide in surprise. He looked at his hand on my arm.

It might have been the shock talking, although more likely the wine, but I couldn’t help it. The words just tumbled out of my mouth. “You felt that, didn’t you?”

He stiffened, and I eyed him curiously, searching his face for answers. He had to feel it, how could he not?

He quickly released my arm. “Well, since you’re okay, I will let you get back to your friends.”

His eyes briefly met mine, then he pivoted on his heels. My jaw went slack in disbelief as I watched him walk away. Lexie stood a few feet away from me. She raised one eyebrow, curious as to what just happened. I shook my head from side-to-side, still figuring that out for myself.

“Everything okay?”

I jumped at Bryce’s sudden appearance. He looked in Grant’s direction, then back at me. I smiled widely, feeling pretty darn good, refusing to let Grant suck me into another pity party.

Bryce eyed me and smiled. “Well, clearly it is. Want a refill?”

I inspected my empty glass and shrugged. “Why not.”

Bryce walked past me, and Grant watched us from the other side of the room. I tried to hide the slight shiver that ran through me when his eyes met mine. Shaking his head ever so slightly, he glanced at Bryce then back to me.

Is he thinking I’ve had enough to drink?
Like he has any say in the matter.

With a haughty expression on my face, I spun away, my hair fanning out behind me as I followed Bryce to the bar. I looked around for Lexie and saw her dancing with Dylan. Bummed, I eyed the bar and the empty pitcher which once housed the sangria.

“There’s still punch.” Bryce pointed at the bowl. I eyed it warily. “Want to just taste it?”

“I’ll try it.” He put a little in my glass, and I took a tiny sip. It definitely had a kick, but wasn’t nearly as bad as Lexie described. I extended my hand, holding the cup out to Bryce. “Fill’er up.”

He obliged, seeming very amused. Somewhere in the back of my mind, something told me this wasn’t a good idea. I knew Bryce was my friend, but a small voice reminded me several of my drink refills were courtesy of him. I shrugged off the nagging thought, enjoying myself too much to care. I clutched Bryce’s hand and dragged him over to Lexie and Dylan.

“Dance with me,” I shouted over the music. If there was one thing I could do, that was dance. Thanks to years of my mom forcing me into dance classes, it was one of the few things even I would admit I was good at. I set my glass down on a nearby table and pulled Bryce to me.

“I don’t really dance, Kylie.” He seemed uncomfortable.

“There are so many people out here, no one will even notice you.” He still didn’t seem convinced. I smiled coyly. “Fine. You stand, I’ll dance.”

I circled Bryce very slowly, my body grazing his. I swayed in front of him and put my back against his chest. Flipping my hair to one side, I smiled back at him.

He groaned. “You’re killing me, Kylie.”

I smiled wickedly. “Well, either you join or I’ll keep dancing alone.” A song came on with an upbeat tempo. “I love this song,” I squealed. I flashed Bryce my puppy dog eyes. “Please? Dance with me?”

“Fine, just don’t do that,” he scanned my body. “Thing anymore.”

I laughed, happy to have gotten my way. When the song ended, I reached for Lexie’s hand and jerked my head toward the bathroom. She nodded back and we made our way through the crowded makeshift dance floor to a small hall off of the kitchen, which housed the bathroom. Cerise stood in the kitchen glaring at me as I rounded the corner.

Chapter 5

“Lucky us,” I groaned.

Cerise narrowed her eyes. “You know he doesn’t like you.”

I stopped and clenched my jaw.

“It’s sad, watching you drool over him.” She shrugged. “He even told me himself. He really can’t stand the way you stare at him, all stalker-like. He thinks you’re pathetic and you are. You’re
pathetic
, Kyla.” Her last few words were full of such venom, they stung.

I sucked in a sharp breath. I wanted so badly to say something back. I wanted to tell her what an awful person she was. I wanted to tell her I didn’t care about her or Grant, but the burning in my throat told me otherwise. I knew if I even tried speaking, I would cry, and I’d be damned if I would let Cerise see me like that. Of course, I didn’t have to say anything though, because Lexie jumped in for me. She took several menacing steps toward Cerise.

“If that’s true, then why are you so obviously threatened by her? Why would you waste so much time and energy making Kylie miserable, if you weren’t worried Grant may actually like her instead of you?”

“I– He–” Cerise stumbled over her words trying to form a rebuttal, but Lexie cut her off, now only inches away. She pointed a finger at her. “And really that makes
you
the pathetic one.” She pushed Cerise with her finger, then spun sharply on her heels, grabbed my hand and led me into the bathroom shutting the door behind us.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes were full of sympathy. I nodded incapable of speech. “Don’t let her get to you, Kylie. You know she is only doing this because she knows Grant has a thing for you.”

I turned to the mirror and looked into my own glassy eyes. I took several deep breaths willing myself not to cry. Then turned back to a concerned Lexie. “It’s fine. She’s an awful person, and Grant will eventually see that.” I smiled. “I’m having fun, and I refuse to let her ruin my night.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Lexie gave me a big hug.

We left the bathroom, and when I discovered Cerise no longer stood in the kitchen, my shoulders relaxed a bit. We headed back to the dance floor and found Bryce and Dylan waiting for us. I seized Bryce by the shirt and pulled him to dance with me. He smiled and very willingly obliged.

We danced for the next three songs, leaving me hot and sweaty. I clutched my glass and chugged it down.

“Kylie.” Lexie’s voice sounded chastising. “Please tell me you are not drinking the paint thinner?” She examined me warily and I eyed the empty glass in my hand. I hadn’t even thought about it. I just needed to quench my thirst.

“It’s not that bad.” I shrugged. Lexie eyed me with concern. “It’s fine.” I smiled and continued dancing.

We danced several more songs, until finally Bryce asked for a break. I agreed. We walked to a place less crowded. As I stood there, I wobbled. While dancing, I hadn’t noticed, but now that I wasn’t moving, the ground felt lopsided, making me unsteady on my feet.

“I think I need to sit down.”

Bryce studied me and chuckled. “Yeah, probably a good idea. Come on, we can go sit in my room.” He pointed to a closed door at the end of the hall.

At that moment, I didn’t care where I sat down as long as the room quit spinning. He reached for my hand, leading me down the hall. As we approached the door, I stumbled and almost lost my balance. Out of nowhere a strong hand steadied me. When my body began tingling, I immediately knew who it belonged to.

“I think it’s time we get you home,” Grant said tenderly.

“I think it’s time for you to mind your own business.” Bryce’s voice filled with anger.

“She’s drunk.” Grant’s voice hardened.

“Exactly, that’s why I’m taking her to sit down,” Bryce spoke through clenched teeth.

“In your room?” Grant narrowed his eyes at Bryce. My head moved back and forth like I watched a tennis match.

“And how, again, is this your business?” Bryce took a step closer to Grant.

“The minute I saw you dragging Kyla to your room, I made it my business.”

“Who the hell are you to decide what Kylie does or doesn’t do?”

Grant stood up straighter and clenched his fist. “I think I could ask you that same question.” He wore a fierce expression.

“Kylie, there you are.” When I heard Lexie’s voice relief washed over me. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I had just suggested I give you girls a ride home.” Grant glared at Bryce then shifted his gaze to Lexie.

She took one look at me and spoke to Grant, “That actually sounds like a great idea.”

I looked at Grant’s hand on my arm then back at Bryce still holding my other hand. I really hoped this didn’t turn into a game of tug of war. I kind of liked my limbs just where they were. Deciding this showdown might not end well, I spoke up.

“I probably should go home, Bryce.”

Disappointment flashed in his eyes. He glared at Grant. “With him? You’re leaving with him?”

I shrugged. “We’re just getting a ride. I came here with Lexie. It’s not my decision how we get home.” I let go of his hand. “It’s been fun, Bryce. I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. See you Monday,” he spoke, then clenched his jaw as if to stop from saying anything further.

Grant’s hand slid down my arm and found mine. I gazed up into his eyes.

“Let’s get you home.” His anger had faded, and he spoke in a gentle voice. He led me out of the hallway and through the front door. When we stepped outside, a cool breeze greeted me. It made me sway, and my stomach twisted. He stopped and regarded me with concern.

“You okay?”

I nodded, took a deep breath and kept walking. His friend Conor, was already outside. I heard Lexie and Grant talking then we continued down the sidewalk. Apparently, it had been decided Conor would drive her car home. She insisted she ride in her car, which left me in the other car alone with Grant. I had a feeling she did this on purpose, but in my haze, I didn’t feel like deciphering the situation.

He opened the passenger door, and I slid in. Lexie waved and told me she would see me at her house. I buckled up and sat quietly in my seat. He got in, buckled up and coasted onto the main street following behind her black convertible. He glanced over at me a few times, but I kept my eyes straight ahead.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked with a tentative note in his voice.

I shot him a confused look. “No, why would I be mad at you?”

“Because I interrupted you and Bryce.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything. I just needed to sit down.”

“That’s not what he planned,” he mumbled under his breath.

I glared at him. “You don’t even know him.” I had no idea why I argued with him or defended Bryce, for that matter.

“Please Kyla, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out, and after the way you were dancing all over him who could blame the guy for trying.”

My mouth fell open. “So it’s
my
fault.” Anger flared within me.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just worried about you, especially when I noticed how much you were drinking.”

“What, were you watching me all night?” I scoffed.

Grant shrugged. “Not all night.”

My heart fluttered in my chest. Why was he watching me? I chewed on my bottom lip. He glanced over at me then back at the road. We were both quiet for a moment.

“Is that why your girlfriend tried spilling my drink all over my dress?” I mentally chastised myself. What was wrong with me? Why did Cerise bring out such a bad side of me, and why was I being so argumentative?

“She’s not my girlfriend, far from it,” he snorted and shook his head.

“I don’t know. You two sure seem pretty close to me.”

“Just because you spend time with someone doesn’t make you close. I only went to the party with her because I figured you’d be there.”

I couldn’t believe I just heard those words come out of his mouth. “But she said you couldn’t stand me and you thought I was pathetic, you told her yourself.” The words hurt repeating them.

“She said
what
?” He sounded angry. “When, where– Just forget it. I never said that, Kyla. Cerise is crazy. That girl will say or do anything to get her way. You have to see how manipulative she is.”

“Of course I see that, but do
you
see that?”

“I was the one who just said it.”

“Well, you didn’t seem to mind her
manipulation
this week at school.” I made the word manipulation sound dirty. Grant looked at me, taken aback. I bit my lip. “I’m sorry. I’m being mean. I’m not normally like this, really. I think I drank too much.” I looked at him. “Thanks for taking me home and watching out for me.”

“Are you still dizzy?”

“Um no, but I really wish the damn road would quit spinning.”

Grant chuckled. “The road, huh?”

“Yep.” I nodded. “Definitely not me.”

We drove in happy silence the rest of the way to Lexie’s house. Grant parked along the front as Conor pulled her car into the driveway.