The Golden Boy

Short-circuit

"f*****g nailed it, bitches!" Mia screeched at the top of her lungs from her end of the table as the ball sailing through the air ended up in the last remaining cup, splashing alcohol around it.

Onlookers went wild and we yelled and hooted in celebration for the victory. "That's my f*****g twin, you ass suckers!" Matt jeered. "How does your ass feel, huh? Let's do it again, I wanna kick it some more." His cockiness was flaring like a peacock's feathers from all the alcohol or maybe it was just the argument that happened before the beer pong match.

Some guys from another school who were attending the party were boasting their skills saying they were the best and Matt took it to heart. The dining table was soon turned into a battleground with cups filled to the brim with beer. Everyone came to watch the game and show their comradery to the duo.

Those dumbasses lacked two brain cells if they thought they wouldn't get some good ass kicking.

"They're crazy." Chase's warm and light chuckle traveled into my ears. I turned, admiring his sharp jaw line closely from our proximity.

"They're good at it, though." I smiled.

"Still crazy." He laughed again, leaning closer than we usually afforded in the public. He was enjoying himself too much tonight—with alcohol—because he wasn't on driver's duty tonight.

No one was.

The party was at some senior's house who was a good friend of Matt and he said we could crash in the rooms on the floor above if we wanted.

It was when the DJ played 'I don't care' by Ed Sheeran that Matt perked up like a sniffer dog and started to shove everyone in the general direction of the dance floor.

"Come on, bro. It's basically illegal not to twerk on this one." As Matt dragged Chase, he linked our fingers together and pulled me along.

It was never my scene to dance in a party and crowd like this.

But as Chase twisted and twirled me around, making me burst out laughing, laughing like a dork himself, I felt like I belonged here.

Here on this makeshift dance floor, surrounded by our semi to mild drunk friends—being drunk myself, too—and dancing in the arms of the guy I liked, like a true typical highschool chick.

"Chase," I called, my hands on his jaw, eyes trained on his face. He looked at me in question but the more he looked at the expression on my face the more he went into a daze that I was probably in, too.

The words were at the tip of my tongue, I just needed him to somehow show me that he also wanted what I wanted.

No, I wasn't taking about s*x. It went much deeper than that. It was about me building up enough confidence to prance around arms in arms with him.

The thing that I never thought I would ever be willing to do. But he changed that. He changed my mind on this and I had an inkling that, slowly, he would be changing my opinion on a lot of things.

Someone slammed into me from behind, making me topple over a guy. I gasped as I felt cool liquid being poured over the front of my dress.

"You okay?" Chase was instantly at my side, supporting my stumbling weight.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assured, pulling at the wet fabric of my dress. "I'm sorry." I apologized to the guy whose drink I spilled. A few months before, I would have rather licked sand than doing the act, but…

As I said, Chase was changing me. It sucked honestly, but it was worth it.

"I gotta head to the washroom for this." I mumbled looking up at Chase.

"I can come with you?"

"No, no. I can go alone." I squeezed his arm and went to find the bathroom. I saw a bunch of loudly talking and giggling girls enter the bathroom so I decided to rather go upstairs.

Would provide me some peace and privacy as well to go over my thoughts one more time.

I took the stairs and reached the bathroom at the end of the hallway. The music below was thumping steadily and slowly as I found a small towel and put it under the sink tap then got to carefully rub it on the wet spot on my pale purple dress.

Hope it doesn't leave a stain.

After doing a mediocre job of cleaning, I heaved a sigh and looked into the mirror in front of me.

Other than my frizzy hair, nothing was out of place. And after tonight, nothing would physically change but on the inside, I was going to change. For good.

I was going to let myself go and embrace something I had never been before.

And I could only hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass.

I patted to settle my hair down and exited the bathroom with a swagger only to internally grieve for my soon to be dead reputation that took pride in gloating how I hated the male species.

I sprinted down the crowdless stairs, thanking the house owner to ban the party from going upstairs.

My eyes surveyed the horde of jumping and stumbling people, looking for one aquamarine jacket wearing person.

When I couldn't spot him anywhere I made my way to where the rest of my friends were lounging on the couch. "You guys saw Chase anywhere?" I asked them collectively, my head still swiveling in hopes of finding him.

"Nope." Ashton answered, not even glancing at me, apparently busy playing with her girlfriend's hair.

It sucked to admit but I kind of feel jealous of him. Nowadays, Bree spends a lot of her time with him than me.

I honestly don't blame her for giving her scarcely free time to him but sometimes it gets so lonely not having my age old best friend around as much as I did before.

Even though Mia was a good friend, she was not on that leve, yet. And let just not even mention the guys.

Chase is an exception but even he doesn't get that much free time solely for me with basketball, studies and friends.

"He was here just a minute ago." Mia lifted her finger from where she was snuggled against my cousin's side. The latter looked overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time.

"I think he went for a drink." Matt added. "Hey, I'll come with you to look for him, I just remembered, I left my orange cap with him." He stood up, pulling at his pants.

I'm not even going to wonder what would make him assume I'd be going to look for him.

Together we sailed through the wild party and towards the kitchen. It was just before a drunk redhead could topple me over with her sloppy steps that Matt pulled me by the forearm and I fell onto his chest.

"Woah, babe." He saved the other girl with his other hand. "Go lie down somewhere and maybe sleep. Wouldn't want that gorgeous face to fall and bruise." He flashed her an equally bright and charming smile.

"Oh my hero." She gushed drunkenly, pinching his cheek profusely.

Matt pouted at me, rubbing his reddened cheek as she stumbled away. I looked up at him. "Thanks for saving me from another trip to the washroom."

"Eh, no need to thank me. That's what I usually do. You know, knight in shining armor and stuff?" He puffed his chest out, rolling his shoulders back.

"Uh-huh." I nodded and continued on resumed my hunt, leaving him to follow.

"Hey, I found him!" He shrieked, instead. I rushed back and only went to see his side-swept, gelled hair and the jacket.

But what deemed my excitement of finally finding him down a notch was the hand that was in his own hand, pulling him up the stairs. And from the slenderness of it, that was most probably a girl's.

After a thousand possible scenarios flashed through my mind at a truck's speed, I decided not to come to any conclusions and to follow the guy.

Conveniently, Matt was already pulling me to where Chase had disappeared. I think we both were on the same train of idea because we gingerly climbed up clear steps, careful not to make any sound.

There were just two steps left to climb when we heard someone. A girl to be specific. "Why did you stop here? Let's go inside." We both froze. Then we heard Chase.

"No. My friends are waiting downstairs. Let's make it quick, okay?" His tone was equally impatient as his words.

"I'd wish it would be longer but whatever." She replied and then a loud thump sounded like something hitting the wall and then absolute silence.

Matt and I simultaneously turned to face each other and he mouthed 'what happened'.

I shrugged and together we hiked a little on our toes and peeked from behind the corner.

Matt gasped into my ear and I won't even call him names for it because I would have done the same if my brain hadn't stopped functioning after suffering a short circuit.

There he was, Chase, leaning on the wall, his hand on some blonde chick's shoulder as she pressed into him with her hands bunching his jacket.

Her mouth, in clear view, on his.

Oh, how I wished I would have borrowed that f*****g pan from Mom. 'Cause I definitely need it right now.