Free Falling

9|Seven Minutes in Heaven

The kiss lasted all of two seconds before I pulled away, taking a step back. Regret flashed across his face, and he opened his mouth to apologize, but I shook my head, a small smile plastered on my lips.

"It's fine," I said, brushing it off as if he hadn't just kissed me a minute ago. "I know the feeling of wanting to forget all too well."

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I didn't mean to force myself-"

I dismissed him with a swatted wave. "You're good, we're good, everything's good, okay? You didn't force anything. I could've been told you to stop."

"Why didn't you?"

"Spur of the moment," I gave a one-shoulder shrug and smiled, "but I think you should find an alternative to help with your situation. Kissing me would only stack the pile, trust me."

He nodded, digesting my words carefully, and turned back to stare out the window.

Walking back into the living room, I wiped the smile off my face and cleared my throat before facing my friends. Confusion dwindled upon me as I saw everyone slipping into their shoes and grabbing their things like the house was on fire. After I checked to make sure that there was no fire, I asked Kenny what the hell was going on.

"Carrie McDaniel is throwing a party right now," he breathed, rushing around me to grab his other shoe.

"Okay," I drawled. "We obviously weren't invited."

"Who needs an invitation?" Brandon asked, slapping high fives with André. Those two were definitely two peas in a highly chaotic pod.

"I'm not feeling it." I plopped down into the couch and picked up the remote. The tv blared with an old sitcom, and I sat back, resting my head behind my arms.

"You're going." Skylar clicked the tv off and dragged me off the couch. "You don't have to change clothes because that's a hassle in itself, but you're coming."

"I'm not drinking," I stated firmly.

"I know."

Grabbing her shoulder, I turned her towards me. "I'm not drinking."

With a sigh, she nodded her head, understanding the underlying message. "I won't let you drink."

We set off into the night after turning the lights off and locking up the house. My parents weren't home as it was only nine o'clock, but I doubted they would arrive before the sun came up. Late shifts at their professional jobs that serviced in saving life's through therapy and a scalpel tended to cause them to be a little late to the family dinners. I didn't mind; I hadn't minded for a while now as I understood the relevancy of their jobs.

Sometimes, though, it would've been nice to see my moms blue Benz in the driveway or hear the honk of my dad's Mercedes.

My mind reeled back to the present as I trailed behind my group of friends. We were headed to Carrie McDaniel's house even though the invitation obviously didn't extend to us. Had it been someone else's house, I would've been fine with it.

Carrie McDaniel was the queen of gossip. Gossip ran in and out of her mouth like a burger joint. She made Wendy Williams look like a mediocre snitch, and that was on a good day. Carrie and I had some unresolved issues from last year, but all of it was pushed aside when I decided to recreate my image and rebuttal my hectic reputation. I hadn't seen her since the beginning of senior year, and now I was about to step foot into her territory.

Carrie's house was perched at the corner of Brickens street, a ten-minute walk from my house. It was a regular two-story house with the same structure as mine. The only difference was the built-in pool in the backyard.

Another thing about Carrie was that she loved to pretend she was this millionaire who had it all when in reality, she was just like the rest of us. Not poor, but average. Mundane. It was why we butted heads so much, also.

People were already hammered, stumbling out of the house with beer bottles clutched in their sweaty palms. A barebacked guy lifted his head to the sky and howled like he was a wolf. Shaking my head, I shoved past him, and he simply tumbled over onto the ground before passing out.

"You ready?" Kenny shouted at us, the rambunctious music making us go deaf.

We nodded and slipped through the front door.

~

Carrie had spotted us not even ten minutes after we arrived as we tried and failed to blend in with the crowd. She led us to a different part of the house where there was an empty space fitted for an office, but most importantly it was quiet, giving my ears a break from the pounding music.

Surprisingly, Carrie hadn't tossed us out into the night like I thought she would. Instead, she included us in the game she and her friends were playing.

"Join us," Carrie beckoned with her manicured nails that oddly looked like claws. "We're playing Seven Minutes in Heaven."

They were spread out in a circle with a beer bottle laying in the middle. I thought about all the different types of games that involved spinning a beer bottle and a never-ending list popped up. Sighing, I stopped trying to read her intentions and quietly plopped down in between Caden and Eli, tucking my legs underneath me. The rest found an open spot and settled in, closing the gap.

"Okay, so I spin the bottle twice and the first two that it lands on have to go in the closet for seven minutes." She wiggled her eyebrows, and I fake gagged over my shoulder, catching Eli's attention. He shook his head and chuckled.

Carrie spun the bottle and everyone anxiously leaned in while I pretended to be fascinated by an ant scurrying into a crack in the wall. My ears perked up when I heard Caden and another girl's name being called. Chuckling with my head bowed, I heard the closet door shut.

Seven long agonizing minutes later, the door creaked open and they stepped out.

"Was it fun?" I asked when he sat back down. There wasn't a hint that they'd done anything, even as I inspected his face for any lipstick stains or swollen lips.

"I'd rather it have been you," Caden said, his chin scratching me he rubbed his face against my cheek.

I lowered my voice as I leaned into his ear. "We would've needed more than just seven minutes."

He smirked at me and bit the side of his lip. I leaned away and wiped the playful expression off my face.

Carrie reached over to spin the bottle again.

Couples after couples went into the closet. Some came out sporting winning smiles while others simply looked as if they'd just stared at each other the entire time. The bottle spun once more, coming to a final stop at a girl named Alex. The second time, it pointed to André.

Before André could even get a word out, Skylar looped her arm around his, gluing him to his spot. She hadn't even realized that he was about to opt out, confirming that she was head over heels about this boy. It was cute.

"We won't be participating," she told Carrie who merely quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" Skylar narrowed her eyes, and Carrie raised her hands. "Got it. Moving on."

The bottle landed on Miles this time. Hesitation flashed across his face, and for a split second, we locked eyes. I jutted my head to the door, silently telling him to go. I didn't know why he needed my permission, but apparently, I was clueless to a lot of things these days. Slowly, he rose to his feet. I whooped cheerfully as they disappeared into the closet.

"Gotta support your friends. Maybe he'll get laid, huh." I nudged Eli's side with my elbow and wiggled my eyebrows, but he gave me a minimal response with a shake of his head.

They came out seven minutes later and quietly took their seats.

"New game," Carrie announced. "This time, the two people will kiss instead of going into the closet. They have to hold it for at least thirty seconds."

Where she pulled these ideas from, I had no clue. The bottle spun and landed on me. A girl with short black hair sitting across from me was chosen the second time around, and I held back a laugh.

Isn't this ironic.

We stood up and met each other inside the circle. "I'm Cathy, just so you know."

She began to reply when I cut her off, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her towards me, capturing her lips with mine. She tasted like mint, and I deepened the kiss.

To my utter surprise, she responded instantly by wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me closer to her small frame. My tongue darted into her mouth as soon as I found an opening, and she responded by returning the favor. Hands tangled themselves in my hair, pulling it out of its messy bun. Our hair curtained around our faces, and I felt as if we were in our own little world.

Shocking me even more, the girl sucked my bottom lip in between her teeth and gently nibbled on it, and as we began to pull away, she released my lip at the last second with a wet flop. Smirking, I licked my lips and shot her a wink before heading back to my spot.

It was then I became aware of the dropped jaws, wide eyes, and shocked expressions served on everyone's faces. Even my brother was staring at me as if I had sprouted two heads.

"That was..." Brandon trailed off.

"I need to go home," a strained voice said beside me, and I looked at Caden who's face twisted with pain as he fidgeted with the front of his pants.

Miles raised a finger. "I second that."

Carrie heaved a loud sigh, bringing the attention back on her. "You were supposed to kiss for thirty seconds, not two minutes. Now you've wasted my time."

"Would you like a kiss?" I batted my eyelids and puckered my lips.

Rolling her eyes, she spun the bottle, and it landed on Eli. I was happy that he was going to get some tongue action until fate slapped me in the face as the bottle landed on Carrie the second time.

Not a drop of hesitation poured out of me as I took a page out of Skylar's book and wrapped my hand around Eli's wrist.

"Seems like someone doesn't want me kissing a certain somebody," Carrie sung, her eyes taunting me as if she knew something I didn't.

"I'd let him kiss a toad first," I laughed humorlessly. Then, I crawled to the middle and spun the bottle myself, sighing in relief when it landed on the girl beside Eli. I pushed him towards her. "Kiss."

"What?" he choked, looking at me as if I was crazy. Maybe I was, but I couldn't sit idly by and watch him make out with Carrie McDaniel. I didn't even want that image rattling around in my head.

So, I jutted my chin to the pretty blonde girl who looked a little too eager and looked at Eli.

"Kiss her."