Don't Go (For You 3)

We got to the house about an hour ago, and we’ve just been hanging out on the porch talking since then. It’s nice to be alone, not having to shout over the music.

“I told you I was a terrible dancer,” I tease as Kory slips off her heels and rubs her feet. “Here, put them in my lap.”

She laughs but props her feet up on my thighs, and I begin rubbing them.

“It’s not you, it’s me,” she says, and I tickle her foot in retaliation. “Seriously. I’m such a klutz. I never walk in heels, and tonight wasn’t the time to start. I didn’t realize you were going to have me on the dance floor all night.”

“What can I say? I found a beat and I shook my tail feathers.” God, how are my lame jokes actually making her laugh?

“I like your tail feathers,” she says, and a moment of silence passes between us.

Just when I’m about to say something, Marcus, one of my soccer teammates, comes out on the porch with a few of the guys behind him.

“Oh, captain, my captain, it’s your turn for a shot,” he says, holding out the shot glass.

“No can do. I’m driving tonight.” I feel Kory try to pull her feet from my lap, and I hold on to them so she can’t.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got a bus to take the ships back home once they’re finished cleaning up,” Marcus says, and the guys behind him start laughing.

“What did you say?” I ask, my tone low and filled with anger.

“My bad, Henry,” Marcus says, holding his hands up and taking a step back. “I thought this was a charity thing. No harm no foul.”

The other guys fall around laughing and I’m pissed as hell. I stand up so fast the soda that was on the arm of my chair falls in my lap and spills all over my tux and Kory’s feet.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Kory,” I say, trying to wipe it off.

Her feet are out of my grip and we’re both standing up before I notice everyone that was on the porch disappeared.

“Assholes,” I grumble. “I—”

“Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you get cleaned up? I think I’m ready to leave,” she says, and I can see some of the light in her eyes has dimmed.

“Okay,” I concede, not wanting to ruin any more of our night. Coming here was a mistake and I shouldn’t have done it. These people suck, and Kory deserves better. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a second.”

I open the sliding glass door and hear loud music coming from inside. I go into the house and find a few people in the kitchen, and I walk by without saying a word. I make my way through the living room, and there are some people in there doing shit I don’t want to see, so I hurry to the back of the house, where there’s a bedroom. I find a bathroom attached, so I close the door behind me and unzip my pants to take a piss before we get on the road. It’s about an hour drive back and I don’t want to have to waste any time stopping when I could spend it talking to Kory.

I grab some tissue from off the roll and try to blot off as much of the soda as I can, but it’s no use. It’s all wet. When I’m finished, I walk over to the sink, leaving my pants undone so I can try to wash some of the sticky syrup off my belt buckle.

I hear a slight knock and turn to the door. “Occupied!” I shout over the music thumping all the way in the back of the house.

When I hear the door open, I turn around to tell whoever it is to get out, but it’s not who I expect. Cassie Springer, captain of the volleyball team, walks in and closes the door behind her.

“Cassie, what are you doing? I’m in here. Go find somewhere else.”

She made it clear to me at the beginning of the year she’d do anything I wanted if I’d take her to prom. And then she proceeded to detail what that included via text. I finally had to block her number after she didn’t like me turning her down. I’d heard she was pissed as hell when she found out I was taking Kory to prom, but I didn’t give it much thought.

“Hey, handsome,” she says, taking a few steps toward me but swaying a bit. It’s obvious she’s had a lot to drink. “I just thought you might like to see what you’re missing out on tonight.”

I’m fumbling with my belt to close my pants up as she gets closer to me.

“Cassie, get the fuck out of here. If someone sees you—”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind if you don’t. I told you I’d do anything, and I’m true to my word.”