I threw the front door to Andrea's house open, and the smell of alcohol was the first thing that hit me. I gagged on the smell of puke and pure vodka. My hands went straight to my nose. 'Damn my ultra-sensitive sense of smell,' I cursed. My next sense to go was my hearing as a million different conversations, screams and shouts deafened me.
If you're sexy and you know it, put yo hands up in the air.
Put yo hands up in the air, girl put yo hands up, hands up, hands up, hands up.
If you're sexy and you know it, put yo hands up in the air.
Put yo hands up in the air, girl put yo hands up.
And turn up the music.
The walls shook from the pounding music, and there were strobing lights to blind me.
I couldn't see my feet as I forced my way through the crowd that filled the hallway. I couldn't see her!
Everyone was going crazy, jumping up and down with their drinks in hand.
Turn up the music (just turn it up louder)
Turn up the music (I need it in my life, yeah)
Turn up the music (just turn it up louder)
Turn up the music (I need it in my life, yeah)
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh (turn up the music)
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh (turn up the music)
Turning to the left, I looked into the kitchen only to see that some guy was passed out on the table. Half his hair was shaved off, and he had black marker pen all over his face. A few steps away from him there were a group of weirdos huddled around the cooker lighting up some home-made cigarettes. Getting high much? Rolling my eyes, I started searching like crazy, scanning through the faces that passed me. The living room was straight ahead, so I fought my way forward. However, I could only reach the doorway. All I could see was a sea of people, and at the back of the room there was a stage, and a DJ stood behind a large deck and turntables. On either side of him, there were two giant speakers stacked on top of each other.
Zara won't be in there.
I had barely got a foot on the stairs when a bohemian guy with a Ron wood haircut slid down the bannister. I had to press myself up against the wall to dodge his drunk ass as it fell to the floor. Teeth clenched now I pushed my way through the rest of them and made my way to the second floor. The air up here was a lot hotter.
My time in Andrea's house wasn't getting any better as I reached the second floor because I was faced with an open bathroom door. A girl was sitting on the tiled floor with her hair wrapped around one hand as she puked into the toilet. Flinching, I continued to bob and weave and open every door I passed. The first, turned out at to be another bathroom but unfortunately, two people were hooking up in there. The redhead stopped making out with the guy long enough to look pissed and slam the door on my face.
"Get your hands off of me!" I heard a voice shout over the noise.
My heart actually froze for a second. The voice sounded like Zara!
I was practically shoving people out of the way now.
Suddenly she came into view.
Zara was trying to pull herself out of a nearby room, but Franco had a hold of her wrist. "Don't be like that you know you want to," he shouted over the music.
Zara was out of breath as she used everything she had to pull herself through the doorway. Franco was just grinning. He was totally wasted.
I felt my blood boil.
Zara suddenly rushed forward and without warning kicked him in the shins.
Franco released her and started swearing his head off in response.
Zara made a run for it then. She shoved people aside as she tried to get out of the house. Meanwhile I quickly pushed all the drunk people aside, in my attempt to get to her.
Franco had managed to regain his composure and began chasing after Zara.
I'd never felt anger like this…it was overtaking me. It was powerful. I felt like I could phase on the spot. Blood was pumping in my eardrums, and I was hot all over.
Zara unknowingly knocked into me as she rushed past.
I looked down at her for a millisecond before I focused my attention on Franco. He didn't see me either and the next thing he knew my fist met his face. People screamed and jumped out of the way as they watched Franco fall to the floor.
I turned back, only to see Zara staring at me. All the noise must have attracted her attention. Her eyes moved from my clenched hand to Franco, who was holding his nose and lying on the floor. Just then I heard sirens blasting. Everyone else had no idea what was about to go down. I quickly grabbed Zara's hand and led her down the stairs.
"What are you doing here?" she shouted over the pounding music.
It was only when we reached the backdoor did the music suddenly cut, and everyone was in a blind panic. Car tires squealed as those who had transport were getting the hell out of there. We slipped onto the back road then but there were cops already there.
I felt Zara tense up completely. "I can't get caught. I'll be in so much trouble."
Looking around I saw two partygoers, getting picked up. There's only one option.
"Come on," I commanded as I moved towards the forest.
Zara took one look at the trees and the darkness. "Are you crazy? That's a stupid plan!"
I rolled my eyes. "Seriously! Do you really think that this is the best time to be shooting down my ideas?"
Suddenly Zara was illuminated by a flashlight.
"You there!"
Zara actually screamed as she froze in place. She was stuck between listening to authority and saving her own skin. I didn't wait though. I just grabbed Zara and shot straight through the trees.
"You kids get back here!" he shouted.
We continued to run to create as much distance as possible.
"Why are the police here?" Zara asked breathlessly as she ran.
"You went to a rave party," I said, not the least bit out of breath.
Soon enough we could no longer hear the cops, and instead, it was the sounds of nocturnal animals and the twigs crunching beneath our feet. Eventually, when the adrenaline rush faded I found myself slowing down to lean against a nearby tree. Zara tried to catch her breath beside me.
All worked up now, she turned her face up to the sky to see the bright moon which was the only source of light. "What now genius?" Zara vented.
I scowled at her. "Look I know my way around here."
She took one quick scan of the trees before she looked back at me. "How could you possibly know? It's dark and thanks to you we're stuck in the middle of nowhere!" Zara snapped as she moved her feet to stop her high heels from sinking further into the soft mud.
"If you don't believe that I know, then why are you holding onto me to so tight?" I asked with smug satisfaction.
Zara's eyes grew wide as she realized that she was still holding my hand. She quickly let go and turned away. I could see her press her fingers to her cheeks. While she felt warm, I felt oddly cold. I flexed my hand slightly as my brain registered the emptiness of it. Don't be stupid.
I pushed myself off the tree then. "Just remember I'm the one saving your ass," I snapped.
"Oh okay," Zara scoffed before following me, and suddenly I wondered why I was even helping her. I tuned her out though so that I could assess how far out we were. It won't take that long. It was like I was on patrol as I navigated my way through the familiar tall trees and the occasional mossy boulders.
I turned around to see that Zara was trailing behind me. "You okay?" I shouted.
"Just peachy," she said sarcastically, but there was also a slight tremble to her voice. I realised then that she was shivering in her thin silk dress.
Zara was leaving gouging holes in the ground as her heels ploughed through the mud. Every movement was labored as she pulled up her feet just to see them sink back down. There was a mixture of anger and resentment in Zara's eyes as she glared at me.
She had barely passed me when she wobbled.
I stretched out my hands to steady her, but Zara knocked them away. " I don't need any more help from you."
I just shook my head. "Urgh whatever be like that," I told her, "All I'm going to do is get you out of here then you can find your own way home. "
"Fine," she snapped.
I left Zara behind then. She's such a lost cause.
We walked in silence for what felt like forever, and all I heard was Zara cursing. I only looked back when I heard her say "that's it".
Zara was about to take off her heels. I don't know why I was compelled to tell her that that wasn't a good idea.
I pressed my lips tightly together as I was determined not to speak to her. After all, she is a pain in my ass.
However, it was like I had no control and when her bare feet met the ground words just burst out of my mouth. "I wouldn't-" but I stopped when she looked up at me.
I turned and just walked on. "I would put your shoes back on. You could step on something that could hurt you," I said over my shoulder. "Like pine needles and stuff."
Zara said nothing, but after slyly looking back I saw that she'd taken my advice.
Twenty minutes passed, and we were still walking in silence. By this point, Zara had managed to catch up with me. However, the closeness wasn't good for me. It only brought back the memory of that disgusting jerk grabbing her. It was all I could see.
Anger festered in my chest. "Why were you even at that party?" I suddenly asked out of the blue.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zara turn sharply.
"I…," she started, "Well. Kim text me to say that she was going to Franco's and knowing what a frat party it would be, I went to get her."
Zara's naivety annoyed me even more.
"Did you really think that Kim would be at Andrea's place?!" I seethed.
This caused Zara's eyes to bulge, and she pointed back the way we had just come. "What? that was Andrea's house?!"
I just pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to stop the anger that was racing through my veins. "What the hell would Kim be doing at Franco or Andrea's?" I asked, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.
"Wh...I…Kim wouldn't pick up her mobile," Zara said defensively.
I continued to march on. "That's because Andrea had it and she was the one that text you. You thought it was a good idea to do something as stupid as go?"
"I'm sorry If I didn't think twice about saving someone," Zara said sharply. "How was I supposed to know?"
I scoffed. "What? You don't remember that you showed up Andrea in front of our entire year and that she would hate you for it? You don't know that Franco has a bet on with his friends to see if he can get in your pants?"
I couldn't stop myself. It was like my anger was going to burst out of my chest. "Why else do you think Franco has been talking to you? To be nice? Yeah right. He's been bragging to all his friends that he could easily get with a British girl. I'm pretty sure that Andrea was helping Franco out. "
There was only silence for a millisecond.
"Why are you such an arse?!" Zara yelled out.
However, it wasn't her shout that caused me to turn around but because her voice was shaking.
Zara had stopped walking, and her face displayed so much pain.
Suddenly I found my chest seize up.
Zara was on the verge of tears. "Why don't you just tell me why you hate me too while you're at it?" she yelled as she moved forward. "Go on! You might as well" she demanded. "Let's hear all of your reasons."
I was at a loss as I realised that she was about to cry. My stomach sank like a stone. I felt awful.
Zara's hands had balled into fists, but her eyes were shining with tears. "I bet you wanted Franco to win his bet! Right?" she continued to yell, "That would have made you really happy, wouldn't it? I can't even-"
I stepped towards Zara then, pointing straight at her. "Stop," I cut in, "Just stop."
Surprisingly Zara actually did. It must have been because of how serious I looked.
"I would never want that to happen to you," the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them maybe because I was so overwhelmed by Zara's emotions.
"Look I'm sorry I've been taking my anger out on you but seeing him trying to….I just…I was worried," I tried to explain.
Zara was sniffing now as she turned away from me to quickly wipe away the tears that were threatening to fall.
She assumed I hadn't noticed that she was about to cry as if I could miss it.
There was so much I wanted to say, but I had no idea where to start.
"And for the record, I don't hate you," I stated while surprisingly feeling so relieved that she finally knew.
"But I'm just annoyed that you could be so stupid," I added.
This caused Zara's face to crumble, and I cursed myself out in my head. I was hopeless at this.
"You don't think I feel stupid!" she blurted out. Zara just threw her arms into the air then as she started walking. "I guess you're right again."
Oddly enough I wasn't happy about being right. I didn't want to gloat or say. "I told you so." Maybe because there was something I wanted to ask Zara. It had been on my mind since we'd left the party. I had no idea how the hell I would broach the subject.
"Nothing… nothing happened to you. Right?" I managed to ask as I followed her.
Zara took a sideways glance at me. She knew what I was referring too.
I held my breath as every muscle in my body tensed.
Then...
Zara shook her head. "No. Nothing happened."
I had never felt such instant relief in my life.
By now, Zara's sadness had given way to anger. "I just can't believe that idiot!" She said.
"You shouldn't have punched him though," Zara added.
I just noted how empty Zara words were, and I felt no remorse about smashing in Franco's pretty face.
It was only when I met Zara's eyes did we find ourselves smiling at each other. She was trying not to laugh. I could tell that she wasn't sorry that I'd punched Franco and that only fuelled my pride for what I'd done.
"We should keep going," I told Zara then, "We're almost there."
Zara just nodded so we walked together in silence again but this time it was comfortable. There was no tension in the air.
A good thirty minutes passed, Zara struggled the whole time in her heels.
"Oh my god!" she yelled out then and the next thing I knew, she was running.
I looked up. Zara had already reached the outskirts of the forest which ran along Emily's backyard.
When I eventually arrived, Zara turned to face me. Her eyes were full of relief. "Oh my god. You actually are a genius!" she told me and In her eyes what I had done was quite a feat, but only I knew that I'd done this so many times. I wasn't going to burst her bubble though.
Suddenly Zara's arms were around my shoulders. What the-. My heart jumped when her chest met mines. I felt her hair against my cheek.
"Thank you!" Zara said as she hugged me.
I just stood there. This was so out of the blue. My chest was heating up. I felt strange.
Subconsciously I brought my arms around Zara's waist.
Stop. Stop. Stop.
I found myself holding her and smelling her hair.
What am I doing?
I think Zara realized that she had hugged me for far too long because her entire body tensed up.
I've never understood the saying "one thing led to another"…but it really did. Zara started to pull away but stopped when our eyes met. Everything went quiet. Zara still had her arms around my neck, and I had mine around her waist. She was just staring up at me. Her pupils were full and dark. Without thinking, I started to lean in close… as did she. We were being drawn in by an unseen force. It was bringing us closer together. My hand met her cheek, and Zara closed her eyes against the feeling. I pulled her closer until we were breathing against each other's lips. The next thing I knew my lips came crashing down on hers. I expressed everything I felt: The frustration, deep attraction and the confusion which the girl in my arms caused me. I could feel her pounding heart, and her perfume filled my nose. Zara's body on its own began to respond to me, and her arms tightened around my neck, pulling me closer to her. One of my hands ventured into her soft hair while the other stayed around her waist. I held her hard against my chest, and every sort of logical thought went straight out of my head as her soft lips moved clumsily with mine. Fast and frenzied and very clumsy. I could taste mint on her breath. Zara was sighing against my mouth as her lips pressed harder and harder against my own. I felt like I was sucking her face off. The sensations were far too intense. I was finding it hard to stand. My body felt like it was on fire.
Suddenly a pair of hands slammed into my chest as I no longer felt Zara's lips. My eyes flew open then.
Zara was stumbling backwards, breathless. "Oh," she remarked as her fingers touched her mouth. "That….that shouldn't have happened…I- "
Even in the darkness, I could see her red face and her dilated eyes that were shining with surprise.
I was staring back at her with equal shock. What the hell just happened?!
"ZARA! ZARA!" I suddenly heard the shouts.
We both turned to see Kim running towards us. She immediately threw her arms around Zara. "Thank god you're alright!"
Embry and Jared arrived in quick succession.
"I will second that," Jared said, earnestly.
Kim fussed over Zara as she led her towards the house. They were met halfway by Emily who joined in.
I watched on but couldn't move. My mind felt like it had been blown into a million pieces. My thoughts were all over the place. The longer I stayed rooted to the spot the more Jared and Embry were staring at me. Their eyes were slowly growing wide.
"Noooo!" Embry said with a smile.
"What the-" Jared started.
I felt dizzy. It wasn't helping that the guys were crowding around me.
"It just happened…one thing led to another," I replied with that cliché before quickly walking towards the house. They were quick to follow me though.
"I've never understood that saying," I heard Embry say behind me.
Jacob suddenly arrived then, seemingly out of thin air. He wasn't pleased. "How did this happen?"
I ignored all of them and quickly left to find Zara.
However, Kim must have already given Zara a ride home because I couldn't find her anywhere. I still felt punch drunk, but now I was also a little frustrated as I left Emily's. I just walked and walked until I joined the main road that led to my house.
My mind was just a whirlpool. I couldn't clear it. I couldn't think. I could only reminisce about the feel of Zara's lips. To remember what it was like to hold her in my arms and the smell of her perfume and to feel her body heat. I had no idea that it could feel this great to give into imprinting.
My hands grabbed my head as I tried to silence my thoughts.
I heard my mum in the kitchen when I shut the front door.
"How are you Paul?" she said over the running tap water and clatter of dishes.
I said something back, from the top of the stairs before disappearing into my room. Straight away I stripped down to my underwear before collapsing onto my bed. It was the lingering heat that was getting to me. I was stilling tingling all over, and sleep was impossible. I felt wired like I had just downed 6 espresso shots. My heart was palpitating, and I could barely lie still.
It turns out this was the first night I dreamt of Zara.
Bet you didn't see that coming
