The party was in full swing someone had taken my dock and set it up and had their iPod on shuffle. Me, I was in the corner hanging out with a guy, I met his name was Travis.
“So this is your house?” he questioned.
“Sadly yes” I confessed
He laughed “That’s cool I got invited here to get over my girlfriend” he looked down at the ground.
“Awe I’m sorry to hear that”
“Ah its okay my friends think if I get some ass I’ll get over it”
“Will it?”
“Are you volunteering?”
I gave him a look “…No”
“No, it won’t” he paused and took a breath “Do you want to go for a walk?” he held out his hand.
This conversation had taken a turn way different than I expected.
“Sure” I accepted his hand.
The weather was still nice outside. I could still hear the music outside which made me think was it a good or bad thing? but I kept walking glancing back at the house. I hadn’t seen Levi the whole time I’d been at the party and I was relieved when I found someone to take my mind off him because the whole time I was standing off to the side by myself occasionally getting hit on I kept having day dreams of Levi in a bedroom with a girl and these day dreams weren’t pleasant and they didn’t include clothes.
“I love nights like this” he commented holding my hand still.
“Me too” I said “So.. What do you like to do?”
He told me all about his love for music, how he was a vegan and would never eat an animal because he thought it was really cruel, he wrote but only on occasions when he was truly inspired, he played bass and keyboards, and on top of all that he never did drugs or drank except once when he was experimenting.
“Your one of a kind” I commented “Kinda hard to come by”
“Why do you say that?”
“You just are”
We were approaching a park something that I hadn’t been to for awhile. I was staring at the swings debating whether or not to go on them I was still holding Travis’s hand it was warm and he had a smile on his face.
“Do you want to go on them?” he gestured towards the swings.
“Yeah. I havent been on them since the last time me and Levi were here.”
“Levi?” he asked
“You cant tell” I felt like I could trust Travis somehow on some strange level
“Okay” he said slowly
“He’s this guy who I’ve been friends with since I was about four and who I’ve liked since I was twelve.” I started to push myself back and forth on the swings.
“Does he know?” he sat down on the one next to me and started doing the same.
“Part of me thinks he does you know its kinda hard to miss me swooning over him for these past couple of years” I cracked a small smile “I don’t know its just how I think. Its funny I swear I’m psycho”
“No he is because if he knows that you like him and he doesn’t do anything about it well hes just stupid I mean look at yourself “
“What do you mean?” I started looking at my clothes quickly “Do I look bad?” I slowed my swing and he did the same with his.
“No your gorgeous.” He leaned over and kissed me and kissed him back. It wasn’t one of those small petty kisses I needed to be kissed I was tried of thinking of Levi tired of him making me feel unwanted and rejected.
I pulled away breathless and blushing “Thank you”
He smiled “Why are you thanking me? I think you just made way happier than I was before this party” he messing around in his pocket for something a condom, his cell phone, a beanie?
“Here can you put your number in my cell phone?” he handed me it
“Definitely” I started inputting numbers.
He stood up and brushed off his clothes. My cell phone rang to the sound of shake it by Metro Station.
“Hello?” I said still inputting my information into the phone
“Oh my god Natalie where are you?” Scarlett said breathless it sounded like she had just got done having sex.
“Scarlett what exactly are you doing?”
I could hear her laugh and mumble Jack’s name “Do you wanna know?”
“Not really. I’ll be back soon I’m with a really cool guy named Travis”
“Travis is he sexy?”
“Yes. Very.”
“Okay be back soon and use protection”
“Bye” I replied
She giggled “Bye”
The moon was full that night making me happy. I started walking towards my house I could hear the music the closer we got. It was about a fifteen minute walk back to my house when we finally got back thought I could see Levi sitting on the porch with some girl chatting his ear off. I was holding hands with Travis which earned a upped eyebrow from Levi.
“Is that him?” Travis whispered in my ear. I nodded.
“Hey man you must be Travis, Scarlett just told me all about you” Levi said his voice stung with something was it pain or jealousy?
“Yeah, whats up?” he let my hand slide effortlessly out of his.
“Nothing” the girl that was chatting his ear off got up to talk to someone else “Thank god she was starting to get on my nerves”
I laughed “she seemed nice”
He winced “she was she just wouldn’t shut up”
I played with my hands I knew my heart was all the way up in my throat just because I was getting some attention from Levi even though I had just kissed someone else. It was amazing the power he had over me.
“Wheres Scarlett?” I asked
“Upstairs somewhere?” he replied
Travis was mindlessly texting someone I didn’t know who maybe telling someone about the kiss we just shared or about the party he was at. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves here. I saw Sara Montgomery throwing up in my bushes something I’d have to clean up tomorrow with the help of Scarlett, Jack, and Levi.
“Travis I’ll be right back” I ran inside and up the stairs. Knocking on the doors I tried to identify the voices behind the doors. I finally got to my room there was a do not disturb sign on the door knob that I got when I was in a hotel in Aruba and I stole it.
“Scar is that you?” I asked
“Yeah hold on” I could hear Jack cursing behind the door.
“Not on my bed you guys” I said I chuckled.
“We weren’t” Scarlett opened the door in Jacks long band tee shirt and her underwear, Jack was in his jeans.
“Of course not you guys are just almost naked because you were watching TV”
Jack smirked “Damnit did she have to know our cover-up?”
“I know you all way too well.”
“So where’s the new boy?” Scarlett asked climbing back on my bed into Jacks arms.
“Downstairs with Levi” Jack gave Scarlett a look that had bad news written all over it.
“What?” I said
“Nothing” Jack said swiftly then held Scarlett’s hand softly in his own. Someone was holding out on valuable information here.
“Tell me” I pleaded.
“I already did nothing” Jack said then went back to studying Scarlett’s manicured hand’s like she was a god.
“I’m in a rut you guys I have a guy downstairs who likes me and well I cant get that evil demo out of my head” I said realizing all too quickly noone knew I liked him.
“Ah so she admits it once and for all!” Scarlett exclaimed
“Okay, so I do”
“And for how long?” Jack asked
“A couple years” I said sheepishly
“I win!” Scarlett shoved her hands out for something “I want my twenty five dollars please”
“You took bets on me?!”
“Its cause we love you.” he started digging in his pockets for his wallet.
“But the new guy Scar hes so nice, and hes hot. On top of that he already kissed me” I blushed lightly.
“Oh he moves fast” she said accepting the money from Jack and then kissing him on the cheek.
“I know, but I think it’s a working progress like I think I may really like him” I could hear someone else trying to get into my room.
“Who is it?” I asked
“Travis. Hopefully I have the right room but it was extremely awkward downstairs with that guy he kept staring at me all weird. Am I even talking to Natalie?” he sounded nervous like he interrupting someone having sex. I mean would someone having sex even bother to respond back to someone trying to get into the room.
“Yeah come in Travis” I said Scarlett upped her eye brows at me it was a look I was getting lately.
“Hey” Jack said “You must be Travis”
“Yup that’s me” he sat down on my hardwood floor next to me “And you are?”
“Jack the one and only”
Scarlett raised her hand “I’m Scarlett”
I knew it wasn’t the best idea to introduce Scarlett and Jack to Travis why? Because they wanted me to be with Levi. Frankly I didn’t know where he went school, or even where he lived. What I did know is that I liked him a lot.
“So..” I said Scarlett was staring at me with a grin “Travis what school do you go to?”
“West Haven” he said coolly “I take it you all go to East? I’ve never seen any of you at West Haven”
“Yeah” I answered for everyone while playing with an area rug that was on the hard wood floor of my bedroom. I would roll the string back and forth between my fingers. Scarlett and Jack were huddled together on the bed underneath the blanket and it made me think it this what its going to come to me all alone at the age of seventeen yeah I know that isn’t old but at the time I felt ancient. Just wondering if my prince charming was going to come. I had a stack of movies in my room most of them horror movies I wasn’t much of a romantic but I could become one when the case presented itself.
“You like horror?” he asked “Most girls they get all squeamish and they squeal when it comes to movies like this” he held up Ginger Snaps.
“Does anyone mind if we watch it?” Scarlett asked it was actually one of her favorite movies.
No one answered “I take that as a yes” she mumbled slipping it into the DVD player.
“I think we should call Levi to come and watch it with us” Jack said and sure enough he did. Levi joined the party that was within the party I slipped downstairs and got soda, somehow I didn’t care that my house was going to get trashed I was confused I didn’t know who to choose I had someone who actually wanted me and then I had Levi who was a confusing creature all by himself.
Half through the movie I kept getting funny looks from Levi maybe it was because I was lying on Travis’s shoulder and he was jealous I was convinced that wasn’t the case though so I carried on with what I was doing just laying on Travis’s shoulder and holding his hand it felt good to be close to another person. To be wanted. I still got dirty looks up until when Travis had to leave and he only left forcefully his friends were leaving and they were his ride.
“Night Travis” I said leaning in and giving him a quick peck on the lips.
“Night Natalie” he was smiling widely as if he won something.
Levi was behind when I turned around and he gave me a cold look. “What was that look for?”
“What look?” he asked
“The one like I murdered a puppy.” I replied
“You didn’t murder my puppy but you sure did murder something” he said then stalked off across the street and into his house.
I didn’t understand what he meant by “I sure did murder something” I didn’t get it. Which did he want? I was tired of trying to please him. Because pleasing Levi meant me being alone waiting for him to say something.
