Never Got Over You

Thanks to the heat from inside, my curls were frizzled to the point of no return, and I was more than ready to peel off my pink (and very slutty) Playboy bunny costume.

Slightly tipsy, I snatched a few more Jell-O shots from the makeshift bar and made it through a ten-time repeat of Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop,” before checking my watch.

It was only eleven thirty, and although I knew that there was no way Sarah Kay was leaving this party early, I needed to know exactly when I could count on heading back home.

I pushed my way through the princesses and the superheroes, cut past the cartoon characters and the unicorns, and found her getting groped and kissed in the corner.

“Hey.” I tugged the tail on her kitten costume. “Sarah Kay?”

“Ugh.” She spun around. “What, Kate?”

“I think I’m going to hang out by the bonfire for a while.”

“Um, okay?” She looked confused. “Do I need to show you where it is, or will you be able to find the giant orange flames all by yourself?”

I rolled my eyes. “What time are we leaving tonight?”

“Three o’clock, probably.”

“Mom said be back by four. It takes two hours to drive back home.”

“So? We’ll have Ronnie speed down all the back roads, and it’ll only take one.”

“Something wrong, babe?” Her boyfriend, Ronnie, pulled off his mask. “What is Kate saying?”

“She’s saying that she’s going to leave us alone and try to find a way to enjoy herself tonight.” Sarah Kay narrowed her eyes at me. “And she’s not going to make us leave this party early, like she did the last time.”

“Really?” He held up his hand for a high-five. “Glad to hear you’ve finally learned how to have fun, Kate.”

I left him hanging and walked away. Pushing my way through the crowd, I headed outside and walked around the bonfire until I found an empty bench.

Needing a way to kill the next couple of hours, I pulled out my phone. My battery was only at seven percent, but I logged into Facebook anyway.

Plastered all over my newsfeed was the last thing I wanted to see: updated relationship statuses from my ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend. They weren’t even giving it a month before rubbing more salt into the wound.

Sadly obsessed with their bold betrayal, I zoomed in on their brand new, “Forever mine” tattoos.

When the hell did they get those? Before or after I caught them?

As I was clicking through their newest album of “I love you” pictures, a loud laugh cut through the night air and made me look up.

Right across from me, under a brightly lit lamppost, a girl in an angel costume was pressed up against the sexiest guy I’d ever seen in my life. He wasn’t paying any attention to the angel as she laughed into his chest, though.

He was staring at me.

I tried to look away from him?to act like I didn’t notice his gaze, but I couldn’t help it. He looked like every fantasy I’d ever had come to life, walking perfection with a hint of cockiness to match.

His green eyes gleamed under the light as he kept his gaze on mine—as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. His lips looked as if they were deliberately designed for kisses. The soft, slow, open-mouthed kisses that left memories on a heart forever.

Swallowing, I looked him over one last time—taking in the white t-shirt that hugged the muscles in his chest, the black and grey tattoos that snaked their way from his sleeves to his wrists, and the dark blue jeans that hung low on his waist.

How can any real guy look that damn good?

He looked as if he was tempted to walk over to me, but I stood up and headed toward the warehouse.

The second I made it to the steps, I heard the startling sound of sirens from behind. Turning around, I noticed a fleet of police cars speeding down the hill. Their blue and white lights flashed against the dark night.

Ten squad cars came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the gate, but none of the cops stepped out. They simply turned on their high beams, bringing the bonfire dancing to a complete halt.

“What the hell is going on?” “What are they doing?” “Did someone order cop strippers?” Shouts came from the crowd, but I didn’t want to wait to find out.

I moved behind the porta-potties as even more squad cars sped down the hill, and started drafting a new text message to Sarah Kay. Before I could hit send, a loud voice came through one of the car’s speakers.

“If you can hear my voice, you’re in deep shit,” an officer growled. “You all have ten minutes to get the hell off this property or you’re spending the rest of the night in jail. If you attempt to drive drunk, or if you’ve been drinking and you’re under twenty-one, you’re spending the rest of the night in jail. Breathalyzers will be given to every single driver tonight and we’re checking every ID, so don’t try to be smart!”