Chapter Sixteen
EMMA
I glanced down at my phone and sighed as I realized I’d already been at Justin’s party for nearly two hours. Two hours of my life I was never getting back.
As requested by Logan, Matt had escorted me to Justin’s bathroom, where I was able to quickly dry my clothes, blow-dry my hair and wash off the mascara that had smudged around my eyes, making me look like a distraught raccoon. And despite the fact I think Logan had wanted to give me and Matt some time alone together, as soon as he showed me where the bathroom was, he took off to find his friends.
So much for that.
After I got myself looking presentable again, I took off in search of Logan, but he was nowhere to be found. Neither was Matt or Riley, and for one panicky moment I wondered if they might have left without me. And to make sure they hadn’t, I went and verified that Matt’s Jeep was still parked where it was earlier. Sure enough, it was still there.
I searched aimlessly for no more than five minutes before I decided to head down to the dock, away from the crowd that had grown exponentially since we’d first arrived. Since I didn’t know anyone there except for the three people I came with (the same three people who were MIA), I had no interest in standing around by myself in the middle of the crowd, looking like a total loser.
So that’s how I ended up sitting alone at the end of the dock, my feet dangling in the water, checking the time every thirty seconds to see if the night was over yet.
It wasn’t.
I was lucky my phone was even working, after taking that tumble into the lake. My dad had gotten me a waterproof case for Christmas, due to the fact I’d had a history of dropping my phones into puddles. If I had to be hanging out alone at this party without my phone, I probably would have hitched a ride home by now.
I tried texting both Chloe and Sophia to see what they were up to, but neither had responded. I tried playing some Bookworm, but I couldn’t concentrate enough to find anything other than simple three-letter words. That wasn’t like me, I usually excelled at that game. I could tell something was nagging at my subconscious. Like, for instance, where the heck was Logan? He dragged me to this stupid party and then abandoned me. He got me pushed into a lake, but not before we had a weird moment that I couldn’t stop replaying in my head, no matter how hard I tried.
When he saved me from falling off the edge of the dock by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him, my mind had gone completely numb. It was the second time in one week he’d held me close, and it was the second time I hadn’t hated it. And I hated myself for not hating it. Because I hated him, and his touch should have repulsed me.
But it didn’t.
I told myself it was normal. I may have hated Logan, but he was tall, good-looking and smelled good. I would have had the same reaction had it been any guy fitting that description who had enveloped me in his warm, solid embrace. Logan wasn’t special.
At least, to me he wasn’t. To Riley, that was apparently a different story. The girl could not have been any more transparent, stripping down in front of him and inviting him—and only him—to go for a swim. And he was no better himself, quickly getting rid of me and Matt so he could have his own alone time with Riley.
I was about to text Chloe again when somebody spoke behind me.
“Emma Dawson.” I recognized the voice right away as belonging to the party host himself.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Justin unsteadily making his way toward me, a red plastic cup in his hand.
“Hey, Justin,” I said unenthusiastically.
He took a seat next to me, so close that his shoulder was touching mine. “What’s a girl like you doing, sitting all alone out here in the dark? Haven’t you ever seen any of the Friday the 13th movies? Pretty, innocent girls and lakes don’t mix. It’s not safe.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Well, it’s neither Friday nor the 13th, it’s not completely dark out yet, and I’d hardly say I’m alone. There are people everywhere.” I motioned to the groups of kids standing only a few yards away.
“Fair enough,” he said, taking a drink of whatever was in the cup. “So, you keep showing up at my parties. I’d start to think maybe you had a thing for me if you didn’t keep showing up with Reynolds.” He grinned and added, “What’s up with that, anyway? Is it true you’re the one that broke up him and Grace?”
I gaped at him. “Is that what people are saying?”
He nodded with a low chuckle. “Oh, yeah. At least, that’s what Grace is telling everyone.”
Great. That’s just what I needed—to have the most popular girl at our school telling all her friends that I was the reason she and her boyfriend broke up. And even worse, it would lead people to believe that Logan and I were together. I shuddered at the thought.
“So? Are you?”
I glanced sideways at him. “Am I what?”
“The reason Logan and Grace broke up? Are you and Logan a thing? Or, am I free to hit on you right now?”
My jaw dropped. What was happening? This was the second time Justin had flirted with me at a party. Granted, he was wasted both times. Like right now, he reeked of beer like he’d showered in it, washed his clothes with it, and gargled with it.
“Um…” I said as he shifted his position so he was facing me.
He reached out his free hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re really pretty, Emma,” he said softly.
My breath caught in my throat. I’d waited my whole life to have a guy look me straight in the eye and tell me he thought I was pretty, and even though Justin was sloshed and probably not even aware of what he was doing, it still made my heart skip a beat. Drunk or not, Justin was hot and popular, and was definitely hitting on me. And as his gaze slowly lowered to my mouth, I started to panic.
Was he thinking of kissing me?
Suddenly, I was bombarded with all sorts of conflicting emotions. Yes, I wanted to be kissed—finally—but did I want to be kissed by a guy I had no romantic feelings for? First kisses were supposed to be special, and there was nothing special about this scenario. I barely knew Justin, I didn’t particularly like him, and he wasn’t going to remember he’d even kissed me in the first place.
As soon as that last thought entered my head, I remembered something Logan had said to me when I’d confessed to him that I’d never been kissed. He’d told me that I would want to get the first one out of the way before I got together with Matt, so he wouldn’t know how inexperienced I was.
And this was the perfect opportunity. If Justin was as drunk as he smelled, he wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning. I’d be able to use him as practice. Sure, I’d be forfeiting that special first-kiss high you get with someone you’re in love with, but it would be worth it if I at least learned something from it. Matt would—hopefully—be my first real kiss. This would just be a practice run.
I was excited by the prospect as Justin leaned in close. My instinct was to pull back, but I forced myself to lean in as well. The quicker I got this started, the quicker it would end.
Justin’s lips were almost touching mine, and my eyes were in the process of closing when a voice behind us spoke out, causing us to both to back away from each other.
“Yo, Justin. Your beer pong boys are getting out of control. You might want to go put them in check.”
I turned around to see Matt standing only a few feet away from us, eyeing us suspiciously.
Justin groaned and hoisted himself up. “This always happens,” he grunted as he stumbled off, not even saying another word to me.
I guess I’d dodged a bullet.
Embarrassed by the fact my crush had just caught me almost kissing another guy, I rested my elbows on my knees and planted my face in my hands.
“Sorry about that,” Matt said, taking a seat beside me.
I blinked over at him in surprise. “Sorry about what?”
“I lied about the beer pong thing,” he said sheepishly. “They’re actually playing a friendly, peaceful game right now. I just thought maybe you could use some interception. That is, unless you wanted him to kiss you, in which case, I apologize for interrupting.”
“No,” I said, a little too quickly. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m glad you interrupted. I guess I just…got caught up in the moment.”
Matt smiled, and my heart melted. “Justin’s a good guy. He is. But sometimes at parties, especially when he’s had a few drinks, he can get kind of…handsy. Some girls are into it. I figured you probably weren’t.”
“You figured correctly,” I said, returning his smile. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He stared out at the lake. “So, what are you doing hanging out down here all alone?”
I shrugged. “I tried to find Logan, but he seems to have gone missing. Along with Riley.”
“Ah, yes,” Matt said with a smirk. “Knowing those two, they probably ducked into one of the bedrooms for some catching up, if you know what I mean.”
I swallowed hard as I felt a sudden wave of bile enter my esophagus.
“Are you alright?” Matt asked. “You look a little sick.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just feel a little queasy. I haven’t eaten in a few hours, and I’m not sure I trust Justin’s grilling skills enough to partake in any of the food here.”
“Smart girl,” Matt said with a laugh. “Well, I’m feeling kind of hungry myself, and I’m kind of over this party. What do you say we find Logan and Riley and go grab something to eat somewhere?”
I knew there was no significance to his offer to go get food, especially since he wanted to include Logan and Riley, but a small, silly part of me wanted to pretend like he was asking me out on a date.
Pushing aside that thought, I snorted and said, “I would hate to interrupt whatever those two are doing right now.” Mostly because I had no interest in witnessing whatever they were doing, whether it be making out or something far worse.
Just the idea of it made me even queasier.
“Let me deal with that,” Matt said, standing up. He held out his hand for me to take. “I’m good at interrupting things.”
I stared at his hand for a moment before slipping mine into his grasp. I’d never had any sort of contact with Matt before, so this was kind of a big thing for me. I’d lost count of how many times in the last few years I’d dreamed of holding his hand in mine, and now it was about to become a reality. Granted, it was only for the purpose of him helping me up, but I would take it.
“There you guys are,” a female voice said as soon as I stood.
Apparently, Logan and Riley had finished “catching up” and were now standing next to the dock watching us.
Logan’s gaze flickered down to where I was still holding Matt’s hand. With a cocked eyebrow, he gave me a quizzical look.
“Are we interrupting something?” he asked.
I quickly let go of Matt’s hand as Matt said, “Nah. Emma and I were just about to look for you guys to ask if you’d like to leave and maybe go get something to eat?”
“I’m in.” Riley grinned and hooked her arm around Logan’s. “It’ll be like a double date.”
Apparently for the two of them it would be a date, judging from how close they were standing, and the fact Riley had practically draped herself over Logan.
Matt gave an awkward chuckle. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”
Logan, who’d had yet to remove his gaze from mine, said, “So, what were you two doing down here all alone?”
I opened my mouth to tell him we were doing nothing, but Matt spoke before I had the chance.
“I was just saving her from Justin,” he said with a lopsided grin and slapped me on the back. “He was in the process of putting the moves on Emma here and they were about to go into make-out mode before I intervened. I’m kind of a hero.”
Mouth agape, Logan’s gaze flickered over to Matt briefly before returning to mine. “You were going to kiss Justin?”
“Ooh, nice,” Riley said approvingly. “Justin’s a hottie.”
Logan scowled at her. “Justin’s a giant douche.”
Riley shrugged. “Who cares? He’s still hot. And I’ll bet he’s a great kisser.” She winked over at me.
I wanted to die. I was hoping the near-kiss with Justin would stay a secret between me and Matt.
“Are we all ready to leave?” Matt asked, and I was thankful for the change in subject.
Riley smiled and nodded. Logan just kind of grumbled something. Matt made his way up the dock and he and Riley began to walk back toward the camp.
“We’ll meet you at the car,” Logan called to them over his shoulder before glancing back at me. He made no attempt to begin following them.
“What?” I said, suddenly feeling like I was under scrutiny.
“Really, Emma? Justin? What were you thinking?”
Something in the sound of his voice put me on edge—like he was judging me for almost kissing Justin or something.
“Hey, you were the one who told me I should get my first kiss out of the way,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, well I didn’t mean you should do it with Justin,” he mumbled.
With an arched brow, I folded my arms over my chest. “No? Who would you expect me to get it out of the way with, then?”
“I don’t know. Anyone but Justin. The guy’s a dirt bag.”
“Well, if you don’t have any better suggestions, I’m just going to have to take what I can get,” I said, walking past him.
He began to follow me. “I would kiss you myself before I’d let Justin get anywhere near you again.”
Wait, what? I glanced sideways at him just as my foot caught on a twig and I stumbled forward.
“Are you okay?” he asked, placing a hand on my arm to help steady me.
I quickly brushed him off me. “I’m fine.”
He looked at me, clearly amused. “Emma, don’t worry, I’m not going to kiss you.”
“I’m not worried,” I muttered as I regained my balance.
“Oh, so you want me to kiss you?” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Ew, gross, no,” I said, giving him a playful shove.
“Then I guess you’re just going to have to save your first one for Matt. Hopefully you don’t end up embarrassing yourself.”
I shot him a glare. “Stop trying to scare me, it’s not going to work.”
“Believe it or not, I’m not trying to scare you,” he said. “You might be really bad at it, and you’ll never know until it’s too late.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head as we neared Matt’s Jeep. Matt and Riley had already gotten in.
My hand was just reaching out to grab the passenger door handle when Logan leaned over and murmured into my ear, “I’m serious, Emma. If you ever want to practice, I can show you a thing or two.”
His words, along with the feel of his breath tickling my skin, sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. With a soft chuckle, he stepped back and let himself inside the vehicle, winking at me as he did so.
The jerk was trying to unnerve me, and it was working. He had no intention of helping me; he just wanted to see my reaction. Not that I would ever take him up on the offer, anyway. Even though I had no doubt that he could teach me a few things…
And he probably was a really good kisser…
I violently pushed the thoughts out of my head as I yanked open the passenger door and climbed in beside Matt.
“Is everything okay?” Matt asked, presumably because I’d slammed the door shut.
I glanced in the visor mirror to see Logan smirking at me from the backseat. Furiously, I flipped the visor up and turned to Matt with a smile. “Everything’s fine.”
Except everything wasn’t. Visions of kissing Logan were now dancing through my head and they weren’t making me feel as nauseated as they should have been. It was infuriating.
I was quickly starting to realize this whole plan of Logan’s was a really bad idea.