I immediately averted my gaze.
No, June. You just have an active imagination.
“So are you telling me that it was all a bet?” I felt William’s chest vibrate against my cheek when he talked.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Sammy’s rib cage fill with air. She looked out of breath for a few moments, then she closed her eyes and bit her lip.
“Yeah, Will. Everyone knows that. It was a bet. Didn’t you read the book?” I replied, with a hint of sharpness.
“What a jerk that Hardin was, huh.” James stared at me right in the eye, and I noticed that his hand was moving relentlessly under the blanket. Sammy’s breath near me became slightly labored, and I couldn’t pretend I didn’t notice it.
He wasn’t really doing that. Not an inch away from me.
He pulled her face toward his with a malicious gaze, bringing the lollipop to her lips, then she sucked on it greedily.
Note to self: Buy a bottle of holy water and take a shower in it.
“James, come on, not here,” groaned Sammy suddenly.
“Why is it a yes for you and a no for me?” he chortled.
At that point, she stood up, tied her long hair into a ponytail, and they both disappeared. I could accept the fact that they might not like the movie, but not being able to watch it without keeping their hands to themselves, well, that was a little much. I wondered if Will thought the same thing, even though when I turned around to look at him, I noticed that he was the only one really into the story.
“No, come on. She’s gotta forgive him.” He pointed at the TV, disappointed. After it came to an end and while William rushed to Wikipedia to read the plot of the sequel, I stood up.
I’d been holding it for an hour.
“I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” I announced without arousing even a single reaction. I walked down the hall in silence, but when I pushed the bathroom door open, I realized that it was occupied.
James’s red hoodie was crumpled into a ball on the sink. Nearby, his bruise-covered bronze chest stood out. The sight caught my attention, startling me.
I immediately averted my gaze, but out of the corner of my eye I couldn’t help but see a figure kneeling on the ground and a veiny hand holding a clump of blond hair.
I painstakingly avoided looking up at James’s face, because I knew the sight of him would torture me for weeks on end.
I went upstairs and after using the bathroom, I washed my burning face.
I took a deep breath.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around how a nice, attractive girl like Sammy could want someone like him. She had to know that she was one of many and that he’d use her for a night. Why would she put up with it?
As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, a question came over me.
Where was I with Will? Did he expect something from me? Maybe I’d better head downstairs.
I opened the door to leave the bathroom, but James was just walking in.
“Sorry,” I blurted, jumping backward. We both moved to the right, then to the left. I was awkward, while he was laughing like a moron.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, White?” he said, amused.
“Nothing, let me leave.”
With my cheeks on fire and eyes lowered, I tried to maneuver around him, but he wouldn’t let me through.
“Did you like the movie?”
James flashed me a mischievous grin, and I was suddenly overcome with the desire to slap him.
