Dangerous

It is hot in here. Sweltering. I don’t even know whose house this is, if I’m honest. I wonder if it’ll be easy to find my way home? I have a bike. A bike and mace, which hopefully is enough.

I guess this is high school. I was promised lots of drama and parties (by TV shows and movies) and here it is: a hot, sickly-sweet-smelling room of teenagers. How glorious.

I’ve lost Diamond somewhere; so much for best friends. She’s probably hooking up with Todd somewhere, and she’ll regale me with details tomorrow while I cover my ears. This is how high school is. I guess.

“You’re not drinking!” Someone calls over the music. I’ve drowned it all out, but the sound comes rushing back to me.

I eye the girl that’s approached me. I saw her across the room earlier. Tanya Montgomery, senior and punk and way out of my league.

“Yeah,” I reply.

She’s got a braid so long I could wrap it around my arm twice, with room to spare. She pulls it back so tight that from the front, it looks like she’s got no hair at all.

Tanya pulls a beer bottle from behind her back, a smile forming. Her eyes glint just the same as her leather jacket. “Share?”

I’m tempted, just because she’s gorgeous, but I’m not stupid. I’m not here to get hammered. “No thanks.”

She leans in closer, and I can smell something earthy on her. “Don’t spoil this night, come on! Have some fun.”

“She said she didn’t want to, Tanya,” comes another voice, and a body sits heavily on the couch next to me, nearly crushing my feet. I swing my legs away, putting distance between me and Miguel.

Tanya looks offended, but rolls her neck and pulls away, shaking the bear bottle at me. “I’ll be on the back patio if you change your mind,” she tells me with a curved smile.

Against my better judgment, I smile back.

“What did she want?” Miguel asks when I don’t acknowledge his existence.

I stare into the crowd and kick an empty pizza box at my feet. “What’s it matter?” I mutter. I know for a fact that Miguel’s been making laps around the room, watching me, all night. Like a fucking hawk.

Nice intro line, I want to say. Knight in shining armor, how charming. But I refrain. How kind of me.

“You’re chewing on your lip,” I point out instead. It’s something he does all the time at school. I think it’s weird.

He lets out a stuttering laugh, and his hand flutters up and then down in the air. He’s nervous, which is actually hilarious. “Oh, ha. Yeah, nervous habit.” I stare blankly at him. “You enjoying the party, then?” he asks.

It’s my turn to laugh. “Oh yeah. I am loving this shit. Wednesday night parties are my absolute scene. Didn’t you see me tearing up the dance floor?”

He’s confused, his misplaced confidence fizzled out by now. Oh, poor boy. “I didn’t see you, actually, no,” he says with a slight frown.

But then his mouth turns up, and he cocks his head. “I guess you could show me your moves?”

Ah. Spoke too soon about the misplaced confidence.

Lucky for him, I am a sucker for easy attention. Should’ve been Tanya, but she scares me. Boys, though, with their soft brains, are so easy to deal with. Never anything complicated.

Girls though? Girls I don’t know what to do with sometimes.

I hop to my feet. “Get me a beer and show me your best moonwalk, then we’ll dance,” I tell Miguel with a slanted smile.

He gets up, standing all straight and proud because he thinks he’s interested me. He's still shorter than me though, by an inch or two. “Right, you’re on!” He’s grinning. “I thought you weren’t drinking?”

I shrug and cross my arms.

He laughs and does the worst moonwalk I’ve ever seen, then turns to go to the kitchen.

Diamond’s gonna fucking lose it when I tell her what I’ve done. I chuckle and head in the opposite direction as Miguel, through the house and right out the front door.

“Don’t tell me you’re leaving, Tailor.” Curse Tanya and her cool slightly-drunk drawl.

“You can call me Amber, this isn’t a cop show,” I say. Last names remind me of my family, and it would really be better for everyone if I could just not be a Tailor.

“Montgomery and Tailor. Shit, we’d be an awesome cop duo, though, wouldn’t we?” I can see the mostly-empty beer bottle in her hands. I wonder if she’s going to offer it to me again.

We would make an awesome cop duo.

“Party’s too boring for me,” I tell her, stuffing my hands in my pockets. It’s cold out here compared to in there. Her leather jacket looks warm.

Tanya cracks her neck. “Ah. What are you looking for? Smokes?”

I tried exactly one cigarette, with Diamond, and it was so disgusting. Maybe she means weed.

I shrug, like this is a common question for me. “No. Just something exciting.”

Tanya finishes the beer and rolls the empty bottle onto the front lawn. “Like?”

I can feel my mouth bend upward. I don’t know what she wants, but also, I don’t think I care. Cause it’s this or go back home, right? It’s a school night, but who gives a shit?

“You ever done any graffiti?” I ask with a grin.

And I know it’s dangerous, but she laughs and I wish I could keep the sound and preserve this moment. Then Tanya Montgomery says, “Let’s do it.”