Page 33 of Demo
KNOX
NeitherLizzienorIremember the first time we had sex.
I thought she wrote me off because she didn’t answer my texts for days, but then out of nowhere she called asking me to go to a party with her. As we approached, we saw the big house just bloated with college kids, spilling out onto the wraparound porch. The ones inside were gyrating while the ones on the porch were smoking and playing flip cup. One person was puking. A Kanye West song blasted from inside, and there was a couple near the door having an argument.
“Thank God we opted to drive instead of taking a ride with someone else, so we can make an early exit,” Lizzie said to me as I waited for a car to pull away from the curb so I could take its spot. “Sorry if this ends up being a shitshow.”
I gave her knee a squeeze as I turned off the engine. We both liked to drink and have a good time, but this scene was a bit of a turnoff for both of us. “Let’s just go say ‘hi,’ at least. Have a drink and see what happens.”
I got a smile from Lizzie, who replied, “Just give me a sign when you want to leave.”
The music got louder as we approached the house and when we slid our way inside, pushing between sweaty bodies, she yelled something over her shoulder at me, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I grabbed onto her hips as I followed her through the crowd so we wouldn’t get separated, and she reached back and wrapped her hands around my wrists.
When we landed in the kitchen, a dude knocked right into Lizzie, splashing some sort of pink drink onto her. “Oh, damn, sorry ’bout that, sweetheart,” he said to her as he grabbed a disgusting dish towel off the counter and tried to dab her chest with it.
“I got it,” I shouted as I ripped the rag from his hands and prevented myself from ramming it down his throat.
“Sorry, bro,” he said, hands up, a grin on his face.Yeah, walk away fuckwit. We watched the guy disappear into the crowd, then Lizzie—hands on her hips—looked down at herself and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I shouted above the music.
“My mom—hell, everyone—always says not to drink the punch at parties like this. And now I’m wearing it.”
I found it endearing she was laughing at herself, with her white Green Day T-shirt and jean skirt covered in splatters of pink, instead of storming out and saying her night was ruined because some asshole spilled his drink on her.
She walked over to a big plastic tub and peered at the concoction inside. “Yeah, that’s a hard pass,” she said as she turned her gaze toward the keg. “This way.”
“Hang on,” I said, reaching for her elbow before she could turn away. “Why the cold shoulder before tonight?” When she only looked at her hands, I pressed further. “I called you. Texted. Why didn’t you answer?”
Looking back up at me, she said, “I did … finally. I mean, I called and asked you to come tonight, didn’t I?”
“Sure, sure,” I nodded. “But what took so long?”
Locking eyes with me, Lizzie took a deep breath, then said, “I thought it would go away, but it didn’t.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What didn’t?”
We both knew what she meant, and I was forcing her to say it. Hands on her hips, she did that thing where she turned her face down, then looked up at me through her lashes, making my dick twitch. “Wanting to be around you, OK? I liked it. Ilikeit. I don’t want to, but I do. Happy now?”
She started to turn and make her way toward the keg, but I stopped her once more.
“Ugh, are we ever going to get a drink?” she asked as I swung her around and, with my free hand, cupped her face and silenced her with a kiss. Then another. “One other question,” I finally said. And then another kiss. “Why don’t you want to like being around me?”
Eyes pinched shut, Lizzie pulled back from me ever so slightly. “I saw what she offered you,” she said, then looked me in the eyes. “What’s-her-face. The Barbie chick. I saw her wave a baggie in your face. I’m not into that, Knox. I drink. I’ve smoked. But I’m not into anything else. I’ve been with guys who are into that, and it wasn’t worth it.”
My hand still on her face, I tipped it up to make her look at me. “If you saw her offer, then you saw me decline.”
“Yeah,” she smiled. “I did see that.”
Fifteen minutes later …
The cheap beer hit my stomach in a rush. We both downed a cup right there at the tap before filling up again and making our way further inside, because we didn’t want to have to go back and wait in line for another drink.
Just as we entered another room, a blonde in a mini dress and fishnet stockings grabbed my shoulder. “Can yous guys step in for us?” she slurred, pointing to a guy whose eyes were just tiny slits. “Wes gotta go to the bedroom.” She hiccupped and giggled as I wondered how in the hell someone can go into a bedroom in God-knows-whose house and fuck on God-knows-whose bed.
“Hell, yeah!” Lizzie responded as I looked over her shoulder and spotted the table filled with cups. “I love beer pong!”
And with that, we stepped up to the table.
