perfume. Everything was in black and
white. An entire club filled with shadows, halves of people herding him
backward.
Aaron
never took his eyes off Amber. She was the only thing real. Her orange and
yellow tiger stripes. She returned his stare, speechless, just as shocked as he
was.
Clive
stood behind her, smirking, and with his long, pale fingers, he caressed
Amber’s neck, her collarbone, then reached lower—
Aaron
averted his eyes, disgusted, as every last inch of his skin caught fire and
burned with jealousy.
***
Aaron
stumbled onto the balcony and gulped fresh air, still seething—and pissed at
himself for overreacting. No shit Amber got touchy feely with Clive on the
dance floor, she was his damn girlfriend ; Aaron just hadn’t really
believed it until tonight. A moment later, she came out behind him.
“So
that’s why you called me?” she said. “You’re an asshole.”
Aaron
rolled his jaw, and the pain from Clive’s blow gnawed inside his skull. His
teeth still didn’t align. “Go back inside and finish what you started,” he
said. “Clive brought you here for a reason.”
“No
duh,” she said, brushing her damp hair from her eyes. “They don’t check IDs.”
“You
think that’s why he brought you here? Come on, Amber, you’re smarter
than that.”
“Apparently
not the whiz you are,” she said.
“Fine,
I’ll spell it out for,” he said. “It’s called date rape. You’re nothing but a
trophy to him, he’s not going to wait until you’re eighteen.”
Amber
stepped in front of him, and her eyes were stunningly bright. “He’s not like
that, Aaron. You’re just jealous .”
“ Oh, please ,” he said, “I’m stopping you from throwing your life away . . . because
you don’t seem to give a damn. Jealousy’s got nothing to do with this.”
“And
what exactly is this? ” she said, motioning between them.
Aaron
leaned against the railing, as the techno beat numbed his thoughts. “What makes
you think he’s your half?” he said.
“Does
it matter? It’s not like I get a choice.”
“Yes
you do,” he said. “You still have a choice for one more week, and this is when
people screw it up. It might not be him next Saturday, so don’t do something
you’ll regret.”
“Who
are you, my parents? ” she said. “I have enough people fussing over my
safety without you preaching to me.”
“Fine,
but believe me you’re with the wrong guy,” he said.
“Why
don’t you just say it already and stop wasting my time, Aaron— you think
I’m your half.”
“Well,
since you brought it up,” he said, “maybe you shouldn’t be dating Clive eight
days before our birthday.”
Amber
stepped closer to him, and the ocean breeze lifted her hair across her
forehead. “I’ll date whomever I please.”
Aaron
could smell her lip-gloss—cherry flavored—and feel the heat emanating from her
skin. “At least until Clive kills them, right?” he said.
“He
only does that when I get bored and tell him to,” she said, her eyes
challenging him.
“Really?”
said Aaron. “Then why has he known about every time you’ve seen me? Bored
already?”
“Slightly.”
“Then
let’s make things interesting. Dance with me.”
“No,”
she said, staring him straight in the eye, “didn’t you just lecture me about
not doing things I would regret?”
Before
he could answer, yells from inside the club interrupted their conversation.
Aaron and Amber spun as Buff staggered out onto the balcony, two bouncers right
behind him, their torsos bulging inside black T-shirts.
Buff
planted his palms on their chests, one on each, and halted them. “No more
bullshit—I swear!”
They
rolled up their sleeves and hustled him backward, shoved him against the
railing. Buff’s eyes froze on the dark, sloshing ocean behind him. They were
going to pitch him over.
“I
said no more bullshit!”
Aaron
and Amber jumped to the rescue.
“There
you are bud—”Aaron threw his arm around
white. An entire club filled with shadows, halves of people herding him
backward.
Aaron
never took his eyes off Amber. She was the only thing real. Her orange and
yellow tiger stripes. She returned his stare, speechless, just as shocked as he
was.
Clive
stood behind her, smirking, and with his long, pale fingers, he caressed
Amber’s neck, her collarbone, then reached lower—
Aaron
averted his eyes, disgusted, as every last inch of his skin caught fire and
burned with jealousy.
***
Aaron
stumbled onto the balcony and gulped fresh air, still seething—and pissed at
himself for overreacting. No shit Amber got touchy feely with Clive on the
dance floor, she was his damn girlfriend ; Aaron just hadn’t really
believed it until tonight. A moment later, she came out behind him.
“So
that’s why you called me?” she said. “You’re an asshole.”
Aaron
rolled his jaw, and the pain from Clive’s blow gnawed inside his skull. His
teeth still didn’t align. “Go back inside and finish what you started,” he
said. “Clive brought you here for a reason.”
“No
duh,” she said, brushing her damp hair from her eyes. “They don’t check IDs.”
“You
think that’s why he brought you here? Come on, Amber, you’re smarter
than that.”
“Apparently
not the whiz you are,” she said.
“Fine,
I’ll spell it out for,” he said. “It’s called date rape. You’re nothing but a
trophy to him, he’s not going to wait until you’re eighteen.”
Amber
stepped in front of him, and her eyes were stunningly bright. “He’s not like
that, Aaron. You’re just jealous .”
“ Oh, please ,” he said, “I’m stopping you from throwing your life away . . . because
you don’t seem to give a damn. Jealousy’s got nothing to do with this.”
“And
what exactly is this? ” she said, motioning between them.
Aaron
leaned against the railing, as the techno beat numbed his thoughts. “What makes
you think he’s your half?” he said.
“Does
it matter? It’s not like I get a choice.”
“Yes
you do,” he said. “You still have a choice for one more week, and this is when
people screw it up. It might not be him next Saturday, so don’t do something
you’ll regret.”
“Who
are you, my parents? ” she said. “I have enough people fussing over my
safety without you preaching to me.”
“Fine,
but believe me you’re with the wrong guy,” he said.
“Why
don’t you just say it already and stop wasting my time, Aaron— you think
I’m your half.”
“Well,
since you brought it up,” he said, “maybe you shouldn’t be dating Clive eight
days before our birthday.”
Amber
stepped closer to him, and the ocean breeze lifted her hair across her
forehead. “I’ll date whomever I please.”
Aaron
could smell her lip-gloss—cherry flavored—and feel the heat emanating from her
skin. “At least until Clive kills them, right?” he said.
“He
only does that when I get bored and tell him to,” she said, her eyes
challenging him.
“Really?”
said Aaron. “Then why has he known about every time you’ve seen me? Bored
already?”
“Slightly.”
“Then
let’s make things interesting. Dance with me.”
“No,”
she said, staring him straight in the eye, “didn’t you just lecture me about
not doing things I would regret?”
Before
he could answer, yells from inside the club interrupted their conversation.
Aaron and Amber spun as Buff staggered out onto the balcony, two bouncers right
behind him, their torsos bulging inside black T-shirts.
Buff
planted his palms on their chests, one on each, and halted them. “No more
bullshit—I swear!”
They
rolled up their sleeves and hustled him backward, shoved him against the
railing. Buff’s eyes froze on the dark, sloshing ocean behind him. They were
going to pitch him over.
“I
said no more bullshit!”
Aaron
and Amber jumped to the rescue.
“There
you are bud—”Aaron threw his arm around
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