Chapter 28

“Favourite holiday destination.”

I watch with curious eyes as Mackenzie’s face scrunches up in thought, her own gaze locked on her toes as they skim across the surface of my pool.

There’s a whole party going on inside, the music vibrating through the floor of my stone patio and through my bare legs, but I’m barely registering any of the childish antics my peers are involving themselves in inside my house. I’m far too interested in whether Mackenzie prefers hot or cold holidays, where she’s travelled and who with. This girl has me hanging onto her every word so much that I couldn’t care less about what everyone else is doing.

Neither of us are really drunk, spending a lot of time together outside without drinks has definitely sobered us up. We shared the whiskey Mackenzie had stolen from her brother and smuggled into the dance via a small silver hip flask, but we were far too busy dancing and spending time with each other to have any of the spiked punch or sneak out to drink the booze Peter Morrison hid behind the bleachers after football practice on Thursday.

I was far more interested in the fact I was getting away with putting my hands all over Mackenzie as we danced, and nobody thought anything about it because they believed we came as friends, and April and Faye danced in a pair at the same time as us to draw attention away from my wandering hands. Nobody really paid attention though, not that anyone was really interested. As far as onlookers were concerned, two girls with masks on were getting handsy. The lighting in the gym was dim so you wouldn’t even really tell it was us unless you knew what we were wearing. It was pretty difficult to make out April, and she has bright red hair, the poor lighting making her hair look brown. I almost considered kissing Mackenzie, what with her looking so irresistable and dancing on me the way she was, but my fear wouldn’t let me.

Thinking about it, I know I was scared about telling my friends how I felt about girls, but the way they helped Mackenzie and I have a somewhat normal dance together, I couldn’t be more grateful to the pair of them.

Mackenzie taps her chin thoughtfully, her face pulling into a smile as she recites a memory to me. “France. My parents took me and my brother skiing when we were younger, I was maybe eleven? It was the most fun I’ve ever had when on holiday.”

“I’ve always wanted to go skiing again. I used to love the family holidays we went on. I haven’t had chance since I was like twelve as my dad got his promotion in the hospital and that took all his free time away.” I reply, watching as her face lights up in what I interpret as her having an idea. “What?”

“Well, what if we both put our names down to go on the ski trip after Christmas, instead of the beach trip? It would be just the two of us out of our friends, so we’d definitely get some alone time, and I get to teach you how to ski.”

I ponder her suggestion and decide it’s a good one. Any time I get to spend with Mackenzie, especially at the moment as its so few and far between, is a blessing. The thought of a whole week with her sounds amazing, and I know we’ll get our chance at a beach holiday with soccer when we go to states this year.

I don’t know how to explain it, but planning for something as simple as a holiday in a few months time, excites me. I think it’s because it shows me that Mackenzie actually wants this between us to go somewhere, just like I do. It makes me feel a lot safer in this dance we have going on, because it’s confirmation she wants me just as much as I want her.

I just need to swallow my fear and take the step forward I desperately want to make. She isn’t forcing me or pressuring me in any way, and that only wants me to take that leap of faith so much more.

“Sounds like a great idea.” I mumble with a grin on my face, inching towards her to place a quick kiss on her lips. I pull back before she can deepen it, much to her frustration, and I send her a teasing smile as I watch her eyebrows pull together in annoyance. Her grey eyes are boring into my own, the shade darkening the longer she looks at me. I can’t help but press my lips on hers briefly once again. Kissing her is addicting, and I’m glad we’re alone out here so that I can kiss her as much as I want to. “We should probably go inside now we’ve hid away long enough.”

She sighs but agrees, allowing me to pull her up with a hand I extend to her once I’m up on my own two feet. I let my eyes linger on her figure hugging denim shorts, appreciating the fact she got changed. I loved the dress, but I think I like her tight crop top and tiny shorts a lot more.

We walk around my house to the side door that I propped open so that my friends and everyone else at my party had somewhere to smoke that wasn’t indoors. The light above the door only extends to the corner of my house, so you can’t see the path to the pool unless you actually know the layout of my garden. We walk through the hazy cloud of smoke loitering around my door, slipping between the clusters of people enjoying the cool air and their cigarettes. I almost flinch when I feel Mackenzie slide her cool hand into mine, her slender fingers lacing through my own as she tries to follow me through the crowd to my door.

Just the simple contact of her hand in my own is making my mouth dry, my body deciding now that I’m desperate for a drink.

And not a tall glass of the sandy blonde who’s trailing behind me.

“I’m just going to go to the toilet.” Mackenzie speaks into my ear, her lips grazing my earlobe and making my face feel hot. “Stay here I won’t be long.”

I nod and crave her touch the second her hand slips from mine, but I can finally think clearly as my mind is free from the fog she always clouds my thoughts with in the best way possible. I watch her retreating form until I can’t see her anymore, and I smack my lips together to remind myself of the reason I came into the kitchen. I spin and head over to my fridge, knowing that I stocked it full of various types of booze specifically for the party. I’m not surprised to find that when I open it there is barely anything left, but I see a small amount of vodka left in the bottom chiller. I grab a red bull from the side and mix both drinks together in a clean red cup that I find on the counter, the proportions weighing heavily on the side of alcohol.

I smile at various people from my school as they make their way through the kitchen, either to grab themselves a drink of their own, or use the room as a shortcut to the room full of other teenagers dancing. I lean against my counter and take long sips from my drink, the sugar from the energy drink dulling the usually strong sting of vodka. I can feel my head clouding slightly due to the sheer speed at which I’m drinking, but I want to have finished my drink before Mackenzie gets back so I have my hands free for when we dance.

“Hey, Alex.” I whip my head around to see Tony Gervais, Clay’s friend, leaning against the counter a few cabinets down from me. His green eyes are looking at me with mischief, his large hands clutching at a bottle of beer that I think Clay brought with him.

Speaking of Clay, I’m not sure why he felt so awkward telling me that Faye was his date to Homecoming; it really didn’t bother me in the slightest. Faye was worried about having to go on her own because nobody had asked her, and Clay didn’t want girls swarming him in the week building up to the game today. They look quite cute together if I’m completely honest, and they looked like they enjoyed each other’s company tonight, when they weren’t hanging out with their friends.

“Hey, Tony.” I say politely as I send a small smile his way. “You liking the party?”

I take in his appearance as he ponders his answer, my eyes skimming over the fact he’s still in his suit from Homecoming, his pale blue tie looser than it was before and his shirt now untucked from his tan slacks. He’s taken off his blazer, a fact I’m not really surprised by due to the current temperature of my house, and the top two buttons of his shirt are undone.

“I am, it’s great.” He says, his gaze locked onto me as the corners of his mouth turning upwards slightly. “You have a nice house.”

“Thanks.” I say, the conversation dying slightly as I start looking for Mackenzie amongst the crowd. It’s not that I feel uncomfortable around Tony, it is simply the fact we don’t ever really talk. We don’t have an classes together, and I only really see him when he’s training with Clay. We’re capable of having the occasional banter when we talk in groups, but we’ve never really had a one on one chat.

“Can I get that dance now?” He asks me out of nowhere, his large hands running through his cropped blonde hair. I can’t help but look confused, a chuckle slipping past his lips as he pushes himself off the counter and makes his way towards me. “The dance I asked for when you and Clay told us you’d broken up.”

“Ah, that dance.” I say. I honestly thought he was joking as a way of winding up his football captain and my ex boyfriend, but apparently he was being serious. Very ballsy, shooting his shot on someone most guys would see as off limits. “Maybe later, Tony. I’m just waiting for someone.”

“Oh come on.” He teases, his arms caging me against the counter. The closeness makes me feel awkard and I blush, not because I’m enjoying it but because I feel uncomfortable at the proximity. Unfortunately, my blushing has given Tony the opposite idea, as his head drops down so he’s much closer to me than he was before. “It’ll be fun.”

I can smell the alcohol on his breath, mixed with the scent of cigarettes and weed. I look and see his eyes are glazed over, something I didn’t see before but now it’s very apparent he’s high. I try and push him away and create a form of distance, but his stocky frame makes him almost immovable. “I’m okay thanks Tony, I’m kind of seeing someone else, so I’m not that interested.”

“Kind of sounds like you can have your mind changed.” He says in a way that makes my skin crawl slightly. I look around in an attempt to catch someone’s eye and ask for their help, but for some reason the kitchen is empty.

Does nobody in this house seriously want a drink right now?!

“Kind of means that I know I’m all in but it all depends on them.” I say quickly, clenching my hands into fists. “Can you please back up a bit Tony, you’re making me nervous.”

“That nervous in a good way?” He persists with his smirk still on his face, his right hand that’s caging me against the counter now rubbing circles on my bare arm.

I open my mouth to reply, but suddenly Tony’s imposing frame is no longer pressing me against my counter. I look to find that he’s sprawled on the floor, his face a mask of anger as someone stands over the top of him, their back heaving.

“Judging by everything else she said in the conversation, it wasn’t nervous in a good way dickhead.” My eyes snap up to see Mackenzie towering over Tony on the floor, her face a mask of pury anger. My eyes widen when I realise Mackenzie must’ve thrown him to the floor, and the speed at which he was gone from my proximity means she threw him like he weighed nothing. “She told you she wasn’t interested and then you continued to persist. Do you really think she wanted you to keep making her uncomfortable?”

“Back off dyke.” Tony slurs, forcing himself to his feet as a crowd begins to gather due to the raised voices. “We were just having some fun, it was harmless. Chill out.”

“Hitting on your friend’s ex girlfriend and ignoring her when she says no doesn’t sound like harmless fun.” She spits as her shoulders tense more, her five foot nine frame towering over the shorter boy. Despite behing half his width, and definitely not as strong, her stature is screaming intimidation, and I can see that Tony is starting to feel unnerved due to the crowd forming. I push off the counter and grab Mackenzie by her arm, feeling her unwind at my touch.

“I’m fine, let’s just leave it.” I say almost desperately, wanting nothing more than for all of these eyes to stop looking at me. I just want to drag Mackenzie away and for the pair of us to disappear upstairs, just so people would stop staring.

“No.” I hear a voice call, but it wasn’t Mackenzie’s. I see Clay push through the crowd, his face flushed with alcohol and anger, Faye following behind him. Whilst Clay squares up to his friend, Faye comes over to me, winding her arm around my waist as she whispers questions in my ear, asking if I’m okay and what happened. Despite Mackenzie making Tony look short, Clay dwarfs him being almost a foot taller than him. “You tried to get with my ex, even after she said no?”

Tony rolls his eyes, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. I can feel the levels of testosterone in the room climb as the two boys square off. “Like you said, Clay. She’s your ex. There’s no rule against going after someone who’s single.”

“Uh, bro code dude.” A voice chimes in from the crowd, which only fuels Clay’s annoyance.

“She might be my ex, but it only came out we’d split up this week, and it’s obvious I still care for her, yet you make unwanted advances on her. God knows what would’ve happened if Mackenzie hadn’t pulled you off.”

“We were having fun.” Tony spits through gritted teeth, the comment making Clay tense up with a sign I know as fury. Tony doesn’t even get the chance to say another word before Clay is sending his fist flying at his face and punching him squarely in the mouth. The force knocks him to the floor, cheers emitting from the crowd before Derek and Peter appear and restrain Clay as he tries to go for his tight end.

“Have fun with another girl the way you did with Alex and I promise I’ll break your leg!” He snarls, wrenching out of his best friends’ grips. “Alex is off limits. That’s to everyone unless she tells me otherwise.”

And with that he forces himself through the crowd, no doubt to go and release some anger on the punching bag in my home gym downstairs.

Well that took an awkward turn.

///

My party remained unintersting after that, the air lingering with the fight that occured in my kitchen for the rest of the night. I think the moment sucked the fun out of the air, especially after Clay didn’t emerge for over an hour and Tony was shoved in an Uber and sent home. My friends refused to leave me alone, all of us deciding to stay in my room for the rest of the night and drink as a group, something I was grateful for. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the ordeal had left me slightly shook up, and I know that Mackenzie was feeling incredibly guilty for leaving me alone, so she refused to leave my side. Everyone ended up sleeping in my room, including Freya, as the girls all got changed and camped out on my floor as we fell asleep playing drinking games and talking about pointless rubbish.

Mackenzie, Faye and I all fell asleep in the bed whilst everyone else made themselves as comfortable as possible on my floor. They dragged in blankets and quilts from various other rooms and a few of them brought sleeping bags and pillows of their own. Derek and Clay sent everyone home and decided to sleep on my couch downstairs even though there are spare beds upstairs.

I woke up with slightly puffy eyes from where I’d cried into Mackenzie’s shirt once everyone had gone to sleep, my hair a mess and my makeup no doubt ruined as I forgot to take it off. I was glad that she didn’t sleep until I was okay, the only sound in the room was her whispering quiet words into my ear as her fingers ran through my hair, Faye’s arms wrapped around my waist and head pressed into my back. I was comforted by how Faye refused to leave my side, even if she did pass out practically the second she got situated underneath my covers.

I’m still not entirely sure as to why I cried, because nothing happened thank god. I think I was upset at what could’ve happened had Mackenzie not stepped in, and how I physically couldn’t stop his advances. I thought I was pretty strong, spending a lot of time in the gym doing weights for soccer, but apparently I’m not and that realisation is rather upsetting.

I shouldn’t have to think I need to be stronger to keep boys off me. A girl should never have to think that.

I sigh as I snuggle closer to Mackenzie, my head tucking under her chin as even asleep her arms tighten around my body. Faye turned around during the night and she’s now sleeping on the edge of the bed with most of the covers wrapped around her. Mackenzie’s hold is comforting and familiar, her fingers drawing patterns on my skin underneath my shirt as she breathes softly against my hair.

I smile against her skin and press a kiss on the hollow of her throat knowing that nobody can see us underneath the covers. My quilt is too big for my bed, so despite Faye having most of them, Mackenzie and I are still huddled underneath a decent amount of fabric.

“Morning.” I hear her mumble quietly, her body moving around as she repositions herself so she’s now eye level with me. Her eyes are light and her smile is soft as one of her hands reaches up to cup my face, her thumb tracing my lips  gently. Her touch soothes my skin, leaving warmth wherever she the pad of her thumb skims. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” I admit, looping my around around her waist and pulling her body closer to mine, smiling when I feel her lips press against my hairline. “Tony really put a dampener on a great night.”

Mackenzie frowns and I can see her eyes darken slightly as she no doubt thinks back to what she stopped from happening. I reach up with my free hand and smooth out the creases in her brow, the action causing her to scrunch her face up and a quiet laugh to slip past my lips. “I should’ve dragged you with me.”

“No.” I say firmly, watching as guilt starts to cloud over her face. I will not allow her to feel guilty over something that is entirely Tony’s fault. “This is on Tony, okay? Not me, and sure as hell not you. You stopped it, and nothing happened so we can just let it go.”

Mackenzie doesn’t seem like she wants to drop it, her frown only deepening as her eyes search my face for any sign that I’m hiding the way I’m really feeling from her. She sighs and drops her hand from my face, settling it underneath the covers on the bare skin of my waist. I want her to drop it, I want to see her smile and joke with me because there isn’t a greater sight than that of when she smiles at me. Not one of her closed mouthed smirks she likes to tease me with, but her teeth baring, eye crinkling smile that has my heart beating out of my chest.

I tilt my head and kiss the underneath of her jaw, encouraged by the low hum that escapes from her mouth. I make eye contact as I mumble. “Please, drop it. For me.” She stubbornly refuses to reply so I press another kiss just underneath her ear and repeat the question, only to receive more silence. I snake my arms around her waist and ghost my lips over her cheek, hearing her breathing become laboured as she tries to keep quiet.

“Last time I’ll ask before I’ll start sulking with you.” I mutter as I breathe against her lips, watching with a smirk as I see her try and refrain from kissing me. I let her have a few seconds to consider it, but I pull away when she takes too long. I giggle when I hear her groan in annoyance as I drop back onto the bed and turn away from her, my arms going to spoon with Faye.

“Oh no you don’t.” I hear her mutter as she pulls me back to her, her strong arms winding around my waist and her head dropping onto my shoulder. “I’ll drop it, just let me kiss you please.”

I snort at the desperation in her voice but don’t pull away, letting her kiss me sweetly and briefly before pulling away as I yawn. I rest my head on the pillow and sigh in content as I fall asleep in Mackenzie’s arms, feeling more comfortable in my own bed than I’ve ever been before.

~•~

Hey guys! I hope everyone is doing well!

This is the last chapter I’ve prewritten and I’ve got a bit of writers block on the next chapter so I’m not sure when I’ll next be updating I’m afraid 😔

I hope you guys like this in the meantime and I’ll especially like it if you continue to stick around and be patient for the next update.

Love you all very much!!

Lauryn