The Tumultuous Dana Clarke

chapter 14 • in the dark.

Dana stood in front of the Kanes' residence, filling her lungs with the gust of nightly air that blew by, as she lifted her hand to the intercom. Why are you always so nervous? 

"Hello, may I help you?" A masculine voice asked. 

"Yeah, I'm uh, I'm looking for Avi." 

"What's the name?" Over his voice, Dana heard a different person snort. 

Her eyebrows pulled together. "Dana." 

The gates opened for her to walk in. She rolled her humble bicycle through the gravel driveway, her eyes darting all over her surroundings as she tried to figure out where to leave it. 

Finally, she left it by the shrubs in front of the house. In the distance, she could hear rap music playing at a low volume. She followed the sound, walking towards the side of the house—the same way Leila had led her the last time. 

The music was clearly audible as she got to the white metal gate. What if they were having a party? Sweat began to form on her forehead. Avi said they were hanging out, didn't that mean alone? 

His friends would be there, being cool and laid back while she'd be tense and boring. Maybe she'd just leave. She groaned. Someone had already buzzed her in. Avi would know she'd been here. 

Just as another frustrated groan left her mouth, the white gate swung out, opening wide to reveal a polo and shorts clad Avi — and his friends in the background. Some of them had already turned to look at her. 

A nervous laugh fell from her lips as a smile spread across Avi's face. "Hey." 

Avi swung his arm over her shoulder, leading her into the pool area. It was lit up by the patio lights, the atmosphere alight with the chatting and buzzed teenagers. The girls were in their in-style bikinis and Dana couldn't stop herself from looking a second time at most of them. 

She suddenly wished she'd at least worn one of her sundresses and not the simple jeans and t-shirt combo. 

Where was Leila anyway? 

"Won't you introduce us to your friend?" A ginger haired boy called out from the pool. 

If everyone hadn't been looking at her before, there wasn't a chance in all existence that they weren't now. 

How nice would it be if she could just disappear? 

Avi flipped the boy off before leading Dana to the patio doors. In Dana's peripheral vision, she caught Leila on the pool chair next to the cooler filled with drinks and ice. 

She had shorts on with a burnt orange wool bralette, a wine cooler in hand as she laughed at what a modelesque blond boy was telling her. 

As Avi led Dana up the stairs, throwing smiles at her over his shoulder, her mind was elsewhere. 

What Leila looked like was just what she longed for. 

She wanted to be confident enough to wear whatever she felt like even if others were dressed differently; to be the kind of person who others wanted to talk to and be with. 

At the thought, Dana's heart sunk. She was such a far cry from it and even worse, Leila paid her no mind. Maybe she hung around long enough, the girl would start warming up to her. 

The sound of Avi opening a white door brought her full attention back to him. 

In his room, not a single thing was out of order. The moonlight streaming in through his flimsy curtains was Dana's only source of light. A wooden shelf stood in the corner, housing about a thousand books. He really did only read self-help books. 

School textbooks and notebooks were piled on his desk around his computer. His mammoth bed was made and the doors of his closet were open for her to see the clothes arranged properly. 

He sat in the navy couch opposite his bed, pulling her into his lap. He let his hands rest on her thighs, his warmth raising her body temperature. 

"So what do you think of my room?" He asked, green eyes looking up at her. 

"It's really neat. Much better than Carter's." She joked. 

Avi chuckled then the corner of his lips turned up in a smirk. "We're going to have fun tonight." 

Dana grinned at him. Then her smile dimmed. "I have to get back home early in the morning," she said quietly. 

Her mother had come home on Saturday doting on Dana and Cora. On Wednesday, she'd gotten on another flight to New York but promised to be home on Saturday and Dana didn't doubt it. Apparently, distance did make the heart grow fonder. 

Avi frowned, making her stomach squirm. "Why?" 

"My mom's coming home." 

"Oh. Well that's not a problem." He tapped her thighs. "I want to get you something." 

Dana got up, allowing him to leave. He went to his closet and crouched down, bringing out a shoe box. 

He pulled out a baggie from his loafers, taking out his black lighter from his shorts' pocket. 

Dana didn't need anyone to tell her what it was. What she wanted was her mind to conjure up a way for her to tell him she hadn't ever smoked weed — without making herself look lame. 

She rubbed her hands together, letting out a shaky breath as he sat on his central rug and pulled her down with him. 

"I haven't tried this before." She covered her nerves with a chuckle. 

Avi looked up at her in the middle of bringing the two rolled up joints out of the bag. "Seriously?" Then he shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "Why am I surprised?" 

Dana frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"You're so innocent, I should have known. It's just that pretty much everyone has done it, I assumed you'd have too." 

Dana's heart began thumping against her chest as he leaned forward. "Open up for me." 

Slowly, she opened her mouth, allowing him put the joint between her lips. What would happen after this? How would she feel? 

"Do you do this a lot with your friends? With Leila?" 

Avi laughed. "I've done it enough times. Never with a girl I like though." 

Dana's stomach fluttered but she wasn't sure it was just her nerves. He flicked his lighter, the sound and the sight of the yellow flame meeting the end of the blunt sealing her fate. This was happening. 

She just prayed it wouldn't be a regular occurrence. 

"Just take it in, like you're breathing in through your mouth." 

Dana sucked on it and as she tried to let the air out like she'd seen others do, her airways constricted, coughs racking her entire body. 

Avi chortled and took the blunt from her mouth. "Not so much, like this," he said, taking a short drag from it and letting puffs of smoke emanate from his mouth. 

He gave it back to her. "Now, you try." 

Dana did as he'd done, albeit not as perfectly. 

"Like that." He smiled faintly. He leaned back to lie on the rug, lighting his own joint. 

Dana watched him release the smoke into the air. He looked up at her suddenly, and she felt like she'd just been caught taking money from her mom's purse. 

"Don't stop, Dana." 

He sat up, his vivid eyes resting on her. Dana took another hit, despite everything in her telling her not to. 

And she continued until her mind numbed and everything around her was warped. 

The room felt stuffy so she got up, going to open his windows. The cool air came in, making her shiver. 

"Dana, come here." 

She moved towards him, and in her mind she was floating on a carpet like Aladdin. 

"I'm here, Jasmine." She said as she lay on the rug beside him. 

Avi snorted and the sound made her erupt into a fit of laughter. 

He joined in, their hysteria filling the room. 

Soon, Dana's laughter died down, a frown on her forehead. "Avi, why do you like me?" 

He propped his body up with his elbow, a toothy grin on his face. "You're so innocent. Plus have you seen you?"

Dana giggled, her laughter increasing as he put his hand under her blouse. "That tickles." 

He only smiled, his hand moving up to rest on her chest through her bra. "Are you comfortable?" 

"Not really." 

He got up, leading her to his bed. When she got in, the feeling of lying on clouds encompassed her. 

"Are you comfortable now?" 

"Yes," Dana said, closing her eyes. 

From that point, she only had the faint consciousness of her blouse and then bra coming off. Tethering on the borders of her mind was the knowledge that she didn't have control of her body any longer.   

She tried to hold onto the memory of hands touching her in ways and places she'd never been touched — and for much longer than she would have wanted — but she just felt so tired, so she stayed on the clouds till everything went pitch black.