Too Close To Be Innocent

BlurredLines

Chapter Four

Anna’s POV

Blurred Lines

I stared at the bottle stretched out and the disinterested look in his eyes. It was the same brand from last night. I had to be running insane. I knew I should get back to the party. It was the right thing to do, knowing that Cole could be searching for me.

Still, for some reason I couldn’t fathom, I moved closer to Andre, taking the beer from him. He grabbed an opener from his pocket, c*****g the cap off while I still held it in my hand.

And then, he grabbed a stick of cigarette from his pocket, bringing it to his lips and fishing for the light.

“You shouldn’t smoke, you know?” I found myself saying. “It is bad for your health.”

“I know.”

“And you do it anyway?”

“You are not here to talk about me, Anna,” he cut in with his obnoxious ease. Smoke followed from his lips, and he closed his eyes, as if taking it all in. He stayed that way for a while, his head pressed back against the stem of the tree.

I would have thought he’d fallen asleep if he hadn’t scoffed when I brought the bottle to my lips. “You know, for someone who chides others about taking alcohol, you sure aren’t following your own instructions.”

“I never said I don’t drink,” I countered. “I just don’t think anyone under twenty-one should turn it into a habit.”

He opened his eyes then. “I bet you can’t even finish that bottle.”

Since I was in grade school, Andre had always gotten on my nerves. It became much worse when I started dating Cole and had to sit at the same table with him during lunch. He said nothing most of the time, but on the days he did the opposite, he always made me so angry.

He made me do things that felt like I was proving a point to him.

And that was what I did right then, tipping my head back and downing the whole contents of the bottle. It didn’t matter that it stung my throat as it slipped down.

He tilted his head as he watched me struggle to breathe. Something that looked too close to amusement was etched in his eyes.

Andre passed me another bottle, and maybe because the first one was beginning to feel good in my system, I accepted it, taking it much slower this time.

We didn’t say a word to each other, just leaning against the tree. Andre stopped smoking at some point in the night, and the sound of the party had dulled in my head.

The quiet felt good.

“s**t!” I muttered, trying to lean away from the tree. “I was…. Cindy…”

“I sent her home,” he answered, turning to face me fully. “She was drunk.”

“Oh!” That was a surprise. “Andre Clark…. sent my friend home? Is this Christmas?”

He laughed then, the side of his lips quivering as it raised up. His eyes suddenly looked sharper.

I leaned in his direction slowly, my eyes narrowing at the sight. “You can smile.”

But I almost tripped then, my legs giving way under me. Andre’s hands shot out at once, grabbing me by my elbows. I giggled when he let go slowly, as if scared that I would fall again.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Pope,” he murmured, leaning once again on the stem of the tree.

“Why do you never smile at me?”

He shrugged. “I hate you. Remember?”

“But you are here,” I whispered. “You invited me…. to drink.”

He seemed to think about it for a while before shaking his head. “My date didn’t show, and I guess I just wanted to make you suffer for it.”

“Suffer for it?”

“Keep you away from Cole.”

“Andre…”

“I think this is enough for one night,” he pointed at the bottle in my hand. “Drop it and let’s go.”

“No!” I said a little too harshly, a little too drunkenly. “I am not done. You don’t get to tell me what to do, Andre. You don’t get to tell me anything at all.”

“You are drunk, Pope. Let it go.”

“Make me.”

I shouldn’t have said that, because suddenly, he was in front of me. His breath teased my face as his gaze regarded every inch. “Pope….”

“What?” I breathed, every one of my senses heightened. His lips moved again, but nothing came out. Instead, he pulled the bottle away from me. I knew when he made the decision to leave, as the darkness in his eyes eased up. So, I made him stop, holding on to his shirt.

“Pope…” he drawled, his eyes fluttering close and those long lashes framing his face.

“Why do you always call me that?”

He opened his eyes again. “It’s easier that way.”

“What is easier?”

Andre looked away for a second, and when his eyes returned to mine, I forgot how to breathe. “You are not even going to remember this conversation tomorrow.”

“Why?”

His fingers reached up in the dark, grazing the side of my face. I didn’t know how or why. Just that I felt a compulsive urge to lean into them.

“Why Cole?” he whispered, and my eyes fluttered open again.

“What?” And then, I remembered. “You were going to…you said you knew where he was.”

I must have blinked, because suddenly, he was no longer in front of me. Instead, I heard Cole calling for me in the woods.

“Anna?!”

***

The golden hues of the sun slipped into my room and headed straight for my eyes. I winced when they hit, groaning into my pillow.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

With one hand splayed over my head, I stopped at once, my eyes jerking wide open. “Cole?”

He chuckled as I turned around so fast that I heard a sharp crack in my neck. Cole was standing by the window, buttoning up his shirt. His hair was all over the place, just the way it had been last night when he arrived at the bonfire.

“My head hurts,” I groaned, bringing a finger to press down on my temple. “What time is it? When did we get home last night?”

The bed dipped when he snuck in beside me, planting a kiss on my lips. “I’m glad you are awake. I thought I would have to leave without saying goodbye.”

“Leave?” I opened my eyes again. “Where are you…”

“I told you I had to return to school today, Anna,” he explained, pushing a stray curl behind my ear. “I have a test later in the day.”

My voice came out throaty. I was thirsty. “I hope I didn’t keep you out all night.”

“You don’t remember?” He narrowed his eyes before pulling away.

“Remember what?”

He moved away from the bed, grabbed his shoes by the door, and returned to shrug them on. “I was looking all over for you, Anna And when I found you, you were behind the house, drunk. I thought you didn’t drink.”

“I don’t drink,” I said, pressing my palm against my forehead. “Andre…”

“He has gone back to Yale, but that is not the point right now.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I mean, I was with him in the woods. I went to look for Cindy and … he asked me to drink with him.”

“Andre asked you to drink with him.” That wasn’t a question. It sounded like disbelief.

I stared at him.

“Okay, Anna,” he said, leaning in to kiss me again. “Maybe you were just too drunk to remember what really happened, and that’s fine. I’ve got to go now.”

I nodded, lifting the blanket around my shoulders.

“I’ll see you soon, Cole,” I called after him as he got to the window. “I’m sure I can convince my mom to let me come to Boston.”

“I hope you can.”

I knew Andre was with me last night. I remembered the smell of the smoke. He’d touched me, right? And it wasn’t a dream.

But I couldn’t keep my promise to Cole. My Mom insisted I accepted Yale’s admission. She wasn’t going to let me throw the chance away.

She dropped me off at the front of the dorm and said something about having a busy day before zooming off. Alone, I turned around and headed in, mentally preparing for the worst years of my life.

But I had no idea it was about to get much worse.