"Okay," I replied, caught somewhere between irritation and appreciation.
Nathan didn't make eye contact with me.
"I'm going to leave this to you guys," Tanner spoke up. "I don't wanna be involved this lovers quarrel."
"I never asked you to!" Nathan growled. Tanner stormed out of the kitchen and I could tell that Nathan regretted yelling at him. "Damn it. Tanner, I'm sorry," he called after him, but Tanner didn't respond. "Elizabeth...I need a few minutes to calm down. I'm sorry for all of this, but I can't talk about him or you right now without getting really, really pissed off.” Nathan grabbed his beer off of the kitchen counter and walked out of the room.
I stared at him as he shoved his way through the crowd and opened the door leading out to the back porch. As horribly misguided as he was, Nathan's intentions were good. He had been making a serious effort to mend things between us, and tonight had been about protecting me. Something he never would have done in high school.
After Nathan walked out onto the porch, I decided not to follow him. He obviously needed some time to think and be alone.
"Well, that sucked," I said to nobody in particular, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and cracking it open. I hated using alcohol as stress relief, but this was an unusual situation. I pulled the bottle to my lips and took a sip.
I was alone with my thoughts for a few moments before I heard another familiar voice from outside the room.
"Oh, my gosh, what? Where is she? Where is Nathan? Are they okay?" It was McKenzie, searching desperately for me.
"I'm in here, McKenzie," I yelled over the sound of the party that had quickly resumed. The stereo was blaring so loud, I knew I was going to get a headache. “I’m in the kitchen."
"Elizabeth? Are you in here?" McKenzie appeared around the corner. "Oh, my God. I lost track of you, then Nathan got dragged off… That was crazy,” she sighed and pulled me in for a comforting hug. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Like, emotionally or physically or anything?" she asked frantically, running a hand through my hair. "Oh, God, you've been crying. I'm sorry I always talk you into these stupid parties.”
I brushed her off and offered a polite smile. "I'm fine. Nathan is outside. Just leave him alone for now. I think he needs some time to cool off."
“I'm not worried about some guy. I’m worried about my best friend," she assured me. "I guess Kyler was flirting with you, and once Nathan saw him put his arm around you, he blew up." She grabbed a beer out of the fridge for herself and leaned up against the kitchen counter next to me. "I know he kind of screwed up, but his intentions are good, Elizabeth. He's kind of crazy about you."
Once again, heat rushed to my cheeks. But, for a different reason this time. "You think so?" I asked, looking up from my beer.
"Oh, yeah. You should have seen his face when he saw what was happening between you guys," she said. "He was pissed. But, hey, that probably means he's really into you, you know?"
"Yeah, but now people are going to be talking about this for months," I whined. "You know how I hate drawing attention to myself."
She ignored my whining. " I don't think Nathan really considered how you would react. And, yeah, that wasn’t great,” she conceded. "I think he just saw Kyler coming onto you, and he could tell you were really uncomfortable and… he reacted on instinct."
I nodded. "It was really weird," I said, shuddering a little. “Honestly, I don't know if I would have been able to tell Kyler off by myself. He's just so persuasive and charming that I kind of forgot how to speak up, despite how uncomfortable I was, The guy tookinvasion of personal spaceto a whole new level."
"Well, I guess… it was a good thing that Nathan stepped in, huh?" she asked with a sly smirk. “And, you know, defended your honor?”
"Maybe," I replied, tossing my empty beer bottle into the trash.
11
Nathan
My lip throbbed.
I held an orange cup against it and could smell the fruity tang of the orange and pineapple slushie. It was sickeningly sweet. A wave of nausea rushed through me as the sun began to set.
I covered my bruised and bloodied face with a pair of dark sunglasses as it subsided for a moment. The drink in the cup was mostly melted, but the blue plastic had a layer of icy condensation on it that was doing the trick for the moment. Each time I twisted the cup to cover a different welt, I winced.
"Ah," I said as the ice sloshed into my open cut. I ran my tongue over the sensitive, bloodied edge on my lip.
“Hey.”
The deep voice sounded familiar, so I opened my eyes. Much to my relief, Tanner stood in front of me with his hands in his pockets. I couldn’t quite place his expression, but I felt guilty when’s eyes met mine. I shut my eyes again. I didn't want to deal with his disappointment. Tanner was like a brother to me and this gutted me.
"Hey." My voice was just above a whisper. I almost didn't recognize it. A strange pressure spread throughout my chest as I inhaled the cold air.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
