“Do you wanna fuck him?”
“I don’t wanna fuck—”
“Keep going. I want to hear you say it,” he whispered, his half-open mouth a quarter inch from mine.
I smelled the vape smoke on his breath. It wasn’t pungent, maybe because it was mixed with some sort of sweet flavoring.
His lips were cherry red, and his eyes were a dazzling blue. The colors that decorated his face played with my already intoxicated senses.
“I don’t want to fuck anyone.”
I swallowed. His full lips came so close to mine that the same thought crossed my mind again.
What was happening to me? Up until two days ago, nobody would look twice at me, and tonight, in the span of two minutes, two of the most popular guys in school seemed to want to kiss me?
I must be losing my mind. There was no other explanation.
Seeing him catch his lower lip on his front teeth made my stomach turn.
“What the hell are you doing?” I turned around suddenly. William.
His voice sounded muffled. Right at that moment, I realized that James’s eyes were wide open. His already dilated pupils expanded even more.
In that moment, I saw fear in James Hunter’s eyes. Was he scared of William? That was impossible; I must’ve been mistaken.
“Um, nothing. Snow White wanted to vape, and I obliged,” James remarked, shrugging.
I trembled as I felt the impact of his palm hit the wall behind me. I saw him rest his ring-clad hand to the right of my face, then, without even asking me, he shoved the vape between my lips.
“Breathe in,” he murmured mellifluously.
What the hell was going on? Why did James, who seemed to not be afraid of anything or anybody, feel this kind of overwhelming fear around William?
“Exhale now or you’ll suffocate.”
I expelled all the smoke, not caring if I blew it in his face. He didn’t seem bothered by it; instead, he languidly licked his lower lip and put the vape pen back in his mouth.
“Um.”
“Sorry, June.” William’s voice brought me back to reality.
I saw a look of fear flash in James’s eyes again as William came closer to us.
Something didn’t add up.
“Is he bothering you?” asked William, pushing his friend away.
“Yes, I mean, no.”
I was so shaken that I didn’t know how to respond.
“Here are those cartridges I owe you.”
William threw the cartridges at James’s leather jacket and motioned for him to leave. But James didn’t budge. Other guys came to keep him company.
William grinned at me innocently, showing his perfect teeth.
“You could say I have questionable taste in friends,” he said with a chuckle. He was probably joking, but I took it seriously.
