Page 6
Story: Paint Me Dangerous
I’m happy to have a friend like her. I feel like I’ve known her for a long time, even though it’s only been a day.
As soon as we get out of her car, I start looking for him. Austin. The house is really big, and the music is so loud that I don’t want to go inside anymore. Skye grabs my hand and pulls me into the house. Her excitement is contagious.
“Zeke!” Skye screams and wraps her arms around his waist. Do I have to say hello the same way? I’d rather not.
When Zeke pulls away from Skye and looks at me with that strange look, my mind goes blank. Then he surprises me by hugging me and saying my name, which doesn’t feel good at all. I pull away when he squeezes me a little.
I don’t look him in the eyes and walk away with Skye, who has no idea what’s going on. I don’t feel well.
We go right to the dance floor and dance for a while until I feel like people are watching me. Eyes I know. I turn around and see Austin, who is alone in a corner with a red cup in his hand. He is wearing black trousers and a white button-up shirt with some buttons at the top left open. I look at him carefully so he doesn’t see me looking at him.
Not once does he look at me.
Why do I want him to?
I feel hands grab my waist all of a sudden, and I freak out. I look back and see Zeke. What is wrong with him?
I politely tell him I need a drink, but he just smirks and says he needs one too. I ask Skye if she wants a drink, but she says no again, not knowing how badly I want her to say yes.
As I walk to the kitchen, I try to stay as far away from Zeke as I can, but he doesn’t get it because he keeps his hands on the small of my back.
I get a Coke, and he gets some alcohol. What’s next? He keeps looking at me, and I can’t think of a way to get away.
After a while, I say, “I have to go to the toilet,” and his eyes shine with something I can’t understand. He runs a hand through his blonde hair and says, “I’ll watch your drink.” He looks good, but his personality makes him look bad. I know he hasn’t done anything wrong, but he makes me feel sick.
I rush to the toilet and take my time. When I get back, I look for Skye but find the blue-eyed devil instead. He gives me my drink, and I sip it while giving him a fake smile.
He begins to ask me about where I used to live. I give him short answers in the hopes that he will get the hint, but he doesn’t. I feel dizzy. I hold on to his hands for support. I can’t hear anything, and everything goes blurry all of a sudden. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud.
It all gets blurry after that. I can’t remember anything.
********
When I wake up the next day, I have the worst headache. I try to open my eyes, but they just close again. It feels like my head is going to explode. I can’t remember anything from last night. I dare to sit down and open my eyes. I know I’m in my room. I feel better, but it doesn’t last long.
I gasp and say, “What are you doing here?”
What the hell is Austin doing here?
I feel panic in my chest as I try to remember what happened last night. I can’t remember anything at all. How is that possible? I didn’t even drink. Austin leans against the window and looks at me, then back outside. He has a small smile on his lips, and my heart is about to burst.
This is the most I’ve seen him say.
He says, “Good morning to you too,” in that deep voice of his. My heart skips a beat.
What happened last night?
When I see that Austin isn’t wearing a shirt, my eyes almost pop out of their sockets. I have never seen a body like that before. I look at his face, hoping he didn’t see me looking at his body, but the smirk that slowly turns into a small smile says otherwise.
Did he just… smile? I stare at him, confused.
“So… what happened yesterday?” I say in a soft, defeated voice. If something did happen, I can’t go back in time.
“Come on, say something,” I say. More like plead.
“Did we…?” I ask, suddenly feeling shy. I look at my hands, which are crossed over my lap and under the covers.
“Did we…?” he says, his voice as husky as ever and his smile getting bigger. There are dimples on his left cheek. I get out of the daze.
“You know…” I grit my teeth when he laughs. He waves his hand to say to keep going.
“Did we… sleep together?” I get it out, and I’m pretty sure I look like a tomato. His laughs fill the air, and I can’t believe how much I like it. I didn’t think I’d ever see him smile. It sounds like heaven. He is laughing at me, though.
He laughs and says, “You know, bunny, you’re cute.” My heart skips a beat. Cute? Me?
“K-bunny?”
“You’re like one,” he says and brushes it off.
But what makes it so funny? Maybe he doesn’t feel that way about me. So he might think the idea is funny. That makes my heart beat faster. A little bit.
When I stand up, my headache gets a little better. My dress… I’m not putting them on. I’m in my pyjamas instead. How? Why is Austin at my house? How did he get here? Why can’t I remember anything?
What the hell is going on?
“Tell me what happened,” I say, still sleepy. He stops laughing as he gets closer. I put my hand out to stop him. I don’t want him to get too close and distract me.
“Please?”
He nods his head, and his face gets serious. I wonder if I’ll ever see that side of him again.
“You drank too much.” Too much?
“I’m confused. I didn’t drink at all.”
His serious face turns into a frown. “I found you passed out on a couch at midnight—”
“Midnight? But we got there at 8,” I say. He frowns even more.
He says, “I looked for Skye, and that’s how I got into your flat.”
“Skye told you where I lived? Just like that?” I ask in shock. Why would she do that?
He says, “No, she was here all night. She just left an hour ago.”
“And why are you not wearing a shirt?” I ask, trying not to look down. But a quick look wouldn’t hurt, would it? Don’t look, don’t look—
Oh God. He looks better than the models in these magazines. Can a boy his age really have that kind of body? Wow.
He says, “I don’t see you complaining.” I turn red for the umpteenth time.
Time… Yes.
“What time is it? Are we late for school?”
“No, but we’ll have to skip the library,” he says.
“Why?”
“The assignment,” he says, looking straight at me. Stop going crazy, heart. He is just looking.
“But you—”
“I changed my mind.”
“Can we do it in the evening?” I ask him, hoping he will say yes.
“Of course,” he says. I think he sounds almost excited.
“Your place?” I ask with hope.
As soon as we get out of her car, I start looking for him. Austin. The house is really big, and the music is so loud that I don’t want to go inside anymore. Skye grabs my hand and pulls me into the house. Her excitement is contagious.
“Zeke!” Skye screams and wraps her arms around his waist. Do I have to say hello the same way? I’d rather not.
When Zeke pulls away from Skye and looks at me with that strange look, my mind goes blank. Then he surprises me by hugging me and saying my name, which doesn’t feel good at all. I pull away when he squeezes me a little.
I don’t look him in the eyes and walk away with Skye, who has no idea what’s going on. I don’t feel well.
We go right to the dance floor and dance for a while until I feel like people are watching me. Eyes I know. I turn around and see Austin, who is alone in a corner with a red cup in his hand. He is wearing black trousers and a white button-up shirt with some buttons at the top left open. I look at him carefully so he doesn’t see me looking at him.
Not once does he look at me.
Why do I want him to?
I feel hands grab my waist all of a sudden, and I freak out. I look back and see Zeke. What is wrong with him?
I politely tell him I need a drink, but he just smirks and says he needs one too. I ask Skye if she wants a drink, but she says no again, not knowing how badly I want her to say yes.
As I walk to the kitchen, I try to stay as far away from Zeke as I can, but he doesn’t get it because he keeps his hands on the small of my back.
I get a Coke, and he gets some alcohol. What’s next? He keeps looking at me, and I can’t think of a way to get away.
After a while, I say, “I have to go to the toilet,” and his eyes shine with something I can’t understand. He runs a hand through his blonde hair and says, “I’ll watch your drink.” He looks good, but his personality makes him look bad. I know he hasn’t done anything wrong, but he makes me feel sick.
I rush to the toilet and take my time. When I get back, I look for Skye but find the blue-eyed devil instead. He gives me my drink, and I sip it while giving him a fake smile.
He begins to ask me about where I used to live. I give him short answers in the hopes that he will get the hint, but he doesn’t. I feel dizzy. I hold on to his hands for support. I can’t hear anything, and everything goes blurry all of a sudden. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud.
It all gets blurry after that. I can’t remember anything.
********
When I wake up the next day, I have the worst headache. I try to open my eyes, but they just close again. It feels like my head is going to explode. I can’t remember anything from last night. I dare to sit down and open my eyes. I know I’m in my room. I feel better, but it doesn’t last long.
I gasp and say, “What are you doing here?”
What the hell is Austin doing here?
I feel panic in my chest as I try to remember what happened last night. I can’t remember anything at all. How is that possible? I didn’t even drink. Austin leans against the window and looks at me, then back outside. He has a small smile on his lips, and my heart is about to burst.
This is the most I’ve seen him say.
He says, “Good morning to you too,” in that deep voice of his. My heart skips a beat.
What happened last night?
When I see that Austin isn’t wearing a shirt, my eyes almost pop out of their sockets. I have never seen a body like that before. I look at his face, hoping he didn’t see me looking at his body, but the smirk that slowly turns into a small smile says otherwise.
Did he just… smile? I stare at him, confused.
“So… what happened yesterday?” I say in a soft, defeated voice. If something did happen, I can’t go back in time.
“Come on, say something,” I say. More like plead.
“Did we…?” I ask, suddenly feeling shy. I look at my hands, which are crossed over my lap and under the covers.
“Did we…?” he says, his voice as husky as ever and his smile getting bigger. There are dimples on his left cheek. I get out of the daze.
“You know…” I grit my teeth when he laughs. He waves his hand to say to keep going.
“Did we… sleep together?” I get it out, and I’m pretty sure I look like a tomato. His laughs fill the air, and I can’t believe how much I like it. I didn’t think I’d ever see him smile. It sounds like heaven. He is laughing at me, though.
He laughs and says, “You know, bunny, you’re cute.” My heart skips a beat. Cute? Me?
“K-bunny?”
“You’re like one,” he says and brushes it off.
But what makes it so funny? Maybe he doesn’t feel that way about me. So he might think the idea is funny. That makes my heart beat faster. A little bit.
When I stand up, my headache gets a little better. My dress… I’m not putting them on. I’m in my pyjamas instead. How? Why is Austin at my house? How did he get here? Why can’t I remember anything?
What the hell is going on?
“Tell me what happened,” I say, still sleepy. He stops laughing as he gets closer. I put my hand out to stop him. I don’t want him to get too close and distract me.
“Please?”
He nods his head, and his face gets serious. I wonder if I’ll ever see that side of him again.
“You drank too much.” Too much?
“I’m confused. I didn’t drink at all.”
His serious face turns into a frown. “I found you passed out on a couch at midnight—”
“Midnight? But we got there at 8,” I say. He frowns even more.
He says, “I looked for Skye, and that’s how I got into your flat.”
“Skye told you where I lived? Just like that?” I ask in shock. Why would she do that?
He says, “No, she was here all night. She just left an hour ago.”
“And why are you not wearing a shirt?” I ask, trying not to look down. But a quick look wouldn’t hurt, would it? Don’t look, don’t look—
Oh God. He looks better than the models in these magazines. Can a boy his age really have that kind of body? Wow.
He says, “I don’t see you complaining.” I turn red for the umpteenth time.
Time… Yes.
“What time is it? Are we late for school?”
“No, but we’ll have to skip the library,” he says.
“Why?”
“The assignment,” he says, looking straight at me. Stop going crazy, heart. He is just looking.
“But you—”
“I changed my mind.”
“Can we do it in the evening?” I ask him, hoping he will say yes.
“Of course,” he says. I think he sounds almost excited.
“Your place?” I ask with hope.