Read Online Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Abigail Haas
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sparkle in my veins, some sense of possibility, and when we walk into the party upstairs, it all makes sense, because there he is.
Tate.
My eyes meet his right away across the crowded room, and I know it’s the start of something. I can just feel it.
“Hellooo,” Elise murmurs. Tate is with a guy from the lacrosse team, Lamar, but right away he heads over toward us. “I guess you’ve been wishing on a star.”
“Shh!” I hiss to Elise. “Please, don’t say anything.” But shejust widens her eyes in innocence as Tate arrives, casual in a faded gray T-shirt and jeans.
“Hey.” He looks at the two of us with a surprised expression, as if he can’t quite place us. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Oh, we know a guy,” Elise replies, her eyes already roving over the scene. It’s hot and crammed with people, music so loud I can feel the bass, and everywhere, there’s laughter and noisy chatter, full of the relief of finishing finals. “Well, really, Anna knows him,” she adds, her gaze sliding back to us with a meaningful smile. “I swear, the poor guy follows her around like a puppy dog. She’s not interested, but we figure, why waste a good party?”
Elise sends me a look that says, Don’t screw this up , then squeezes me in a sudden hug. “I’m going to go look around. See you two later!”
She disappears into the crowd, leaving me by the side of the room with Tate. I stare awkwardly at the ground, not sure whether to thank or throttle her, but when I force myself to glance up, he’s looking at me with something new in his expression, some kind of curiosity.
“You want a drink?” he offers quickly. “There’s a bar back in the kitchen, they have all kinds.”
“Sure,” I agree, just as a new group of guys hurtles through the door. One of the frat guys knocks into me, and I stumble,but Tate takes my arm, steadying me. His hand is hot against my skin, and our eyes meet, just a flash, but I feel it all the way to my stomach.
“Come on,” he says, smiling, and I follow him across the room.
I would follow him anywhere.
BEFORE
“Do you love me?”
“You know I do.”
• • •
“How much?”
“Miles and miles.”
“Deeper than the oceans?”
“Yup. More than the wind.”
“Higher than Everest?”
“I don’t know, that’s pretty high. . . . Ow!” (laughter)
“Admit it. You love me more than anyone.”
“Maybe.”
• • •
“What about you—how much do you love me?”
“Enough.”
“Hey!”
“You didn’t ask, ‘Enough for what?’ ”
“Fine, then. Enough for what?”
“For anything.”
“That’s better.”
• • •
“You think we’ll ever wind up like our parents?”
“God, I hope not. Just kill me if I do.”
“No, I mean . . . alone like they are. . . . My mom shows me her old yearbooks, and there are tons of people in there she doesn’t talk to anymore. Old boyfriends, best friends . . . What do you think happened to them?”
“Maybe they drifted apart.”
“That’s stupid. You don’t drift, not if someone matters to you.”
“So maybe they didn’t matter, not really.”
• • •
“Anna?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d never do that. Leave you.”
“I know. Me either.”
THE PARTY
Tate leads me to the crowded kitchen, every surface covered with bottles and abandoned red plastic cups. He finds us two unopened beers, and cracks the tops off against the edge of the table. “This okay?” he asks, passing me one. “Because I can find some soda—”
“No,” I answer quickly. “This is great.”
There’s another pause as we both take a sip of our drinks, but I don’t feel nervous or awkward. Instead, I’m unnervingly calm. I’ve never been one to get all romantic about fate and destiny, but there’s something so neat about this, I don’t have a chance to panic. After all these weeks stealing glances in the hallway, I suddenly have him to myself.
“Cool party, huh?”
Tate.
My eyes meet his right away across the crowded room, and I know it’s the start of something. I can just feel it.
“Hellooo,” Elise murmurs. Tate is with a guy from the lacrosse team, Lamar, but right away he heads over toward us. “I guess you’ve been wishing on a star.”
“Shh!” I hiss to Elise. “Please, don’t say anything.” But shejust widens her eyes in innocence as Tate arrives, casual in a faded gray T-shirt and jeans.
“Hey.” He looks at the two of us with a surprised expression, as if he can’t quite place us. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Oh, we know a guy,” Elise replies, her eyes already roving over the scene. It’s hot and crammed with people, music so loud I can feel the bass, and everywhere, there’s laughter and noisy chatter, full of the relief of finishing finals. “Well, really, Anna knows him,” she adds, her gaze sliding back to us with a meaningful smile. “I swear, the poor guy follows her around like a puppy dog. She’s not interested, but we figure, why waste a good party?”
Elise sends me a look that says, Don’t screw this up , then squeezes me in a sudden hug. “I’m going to go look around. See you two later!”
She disappears into the crowd, leaving me by the side of the room with Tate. I stare awkwardly at the ground, not sure whether to thank or throttle her, but when I force myself to glance up, he’s looking at me with something new in his expression, some kind of curiosity.
“You want a drink?” he offers quickly. “There’s a bar back in the kitchen, they have all kinds.”
“Sure,” I agree, just as a new group of guys hurtles through the door. One of the frat guys knocks into me, and I stumble,but Tate takes my arm, steadying me. His hand is hot against my skin, and our eyes meet, just a flash, but I feel it all the way to my stomach.
“Come on,” he says, smiling, and I follow him across the room.
I would follow him anywhere.
BEFORE
“Do you love me?”
“You know I do.”
• • •
“How much?”
“Miles and miles.”
“Deeper than the oceans?”
“Yup. More than the wind.”
“Higher than Everest?”
“I don’t know, that’s pretty high. . . . Ow!” (laughter)
“Admit it. You love me more than anyone.”
“Maybe.”
• • •
“What about you—how much do you love me?”
“Enough.”
“Hey!”
“You didn’t ask, ‘Enough for what?’ ”
“Fine, then. Enough for what?”
“For anything.”
“That’s better.”
• • •
“You think we’ll ever wind up like our parents?”
“God, I hope not. Just kill me if I do.”
“No, I mean . . . alone like they are. . . . My mom shows me her old yearbooks, and there are tons of people in there she doesn’t talk to anymore. Old boyfriends, best friends . . . What do you think happened to them?”
“Maybe they drifted apart.”
“That’s stupid. You don’t drift, not if someone matters to you.”
“So maybe they didn’t matter, not really.”
• • •
“Anna?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d never do that. Leave you.”
“I know. Me either.”
THE PARTY
Tate leads me to the crowded kitchen, every surface covered with bottles and abandoned red plastic cups. He finds us two unopened beers, and cracks the tops off against the edge of the table. “This okay?” he asks, passing me one. “Because I can find some soda—”
“No,” I answer quickly. “This is great.”
There’s another pause as we both take a sip of our drinks, but I don’t feel nervous or awkward. Instead, I’m unnervingly calm. I’ve never been one to get all romantic about fate and destiny, but there’s something so neat about this, I don’t have a chance to panic. After all these weeks stealing glances in the hallway, I suddenly have him to myself.
“Cool party, huh?”
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