The air was bushy with sound. The glass window looked out on the shimmering river and the skyline, the city lights like plastic goblets of red, orange and yellow. People danced, grinding against each other. I had a glass of blue punch in my hand. I was feeling a little dizzy and warm. My stomach hurt. A tall, gorgeous blonde walked in. He wore dark jeans and a purple v-neck. Austin. How? What? Why? White light illuminated his features again, and I realized it was the flash of paparazzi cameras. His eyes immeaditily connected with mine just as I was thinking about hiding. A surge of rage stiffened my limbs and I glared at him. I watched his face fill with hurt but then he glared back. I turned away from him and set my shoulders back. I put down my cup, a little too forcefully, the drink sloshing over the sides and making my fingers sticky. I looked back at him again quickly. He was already surronded by girls. Of course. Jealousy filled me. I mean, almost jealousy filled me. I didn't like my former best friend. Still, I was going to show him that I could flirt too. I spotted Dallas and made my way through the sea of people towards him. You know how they say in books that the character can feel whoevers eyes burning into their back? Well, it felt like that when I with Austin. I sat down next to Dallas on the foam couch. I should have been nervous, but I was too angry too care. I placed my hand on his knee and said,
"Do you want to dance?"
"Sure." His voice seemed a little slurred. He stood up, taking hold of my hand. His skin just felt sweaty against mine. No shivers. No blush. I hesitated. Then I saw Austin surronded by girls. My eyes focused on his leather jacket on a girls shoulders and his hand on another girls tan leg. I began dancing with Dallas. I really didn't have to do anything, just sway slightly while Dallas pressed against me. I forced my eyes not to make contact with Austin's and I began grinding harder with Dallas. I turned my body around and pressed myself into him. Austin led three girls onto the dancefloor, trying to catch my eyes while he grinded into them.
I turned around and saw his hands in one of the girls strawberry blonde hair. Everything seemed to smudge around me and the room seemed empty and silent. I should have heard the loud music but all I could see was his lips on her lips sticky with lipgloss. The kiss was soft and lustful. His fingers hooked into the loops in her silvery shorts, pulling her closer, pressing her to his tan chest. Then he put his arms around her waist and lifted her up slightly and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They backed up and he pressed her against the wall, roughly kissing her pinning her wrists above her head. He looked up at me, grinning, knowing he had won as the girl panted slightly behind him, hungry for more. I turned around and walked out of the room and away from Dallas, swallowing. My body felt tight and stale. I felt to empty to cry. I scanned the room for a door. I felt a damp, hot hand clamp around my wrist and a sweaty chest back me against the wall. I managed to squeak out a faint, Dallas, what are you doing? before his lips came crashing into mine. I tried to squirm and twist my wrists from his grasp but his body formed a thick cage against the wall. I thrashed furiosly as one of his hands traveled up my shirt. Noone could hear me, no one was watching. It was like the kind of nightmare where you open your mouth to scream and no sound comes out. The kind that made me get out of bed and turn on my chunky yellow glass light. I heard someone say with in a low, savage voice,
"Get the fuck off of her."
Dallas let go of my wrists and turned his head slightly to try to see the speaker as I choked in the tasteless air.
"Are you going to make me?"
A fist came crashing into Dallas's exposed cheek. I looked up to see Austin. I had never seen him like this. His eyes were dark like the twisting glass of the river behind him. He looked murderous as he tackled Dallas, punching him repeatedly. All I could do was scream.