Part 14 (1/2)

”I don't know!” Even if I wasn't still drunk, I didn't know where we went. Jane knew the directions, not me, and I'd been too busy trying to keep us from cras.h.i.+ng to notice any major landmarks.

”Look, I'm coming to get you!” Jack decided.

”How do you know where I'm at? I don't know where I'm at!” I was trying to walk down the stairs and talk on the phone, and that just wasn't working at all. I stumbled into the railing and dropped the phone. When I picked it up, Jack was yelling panicked h.e.l.lo's. ”Jack?”

”Alice! Go outside!” Jack commanded.

”Why?” I was still fighting my way through throngs of people, and I was pretty sure that someone had grabbed my a.s.s. I could hear Jack saying things on the phone, but I couldn't understand them. It wasn't until I'd finally made out at the front door and the sound was severely dampened that I could hear him again.

”-need you to look around,” Jack was saying.

”You need me to do what?” I asked, looking around. I half-expected it to be some kind of magic trick, and Jack would already be waiting out front for me, but there was no such luck.

”You're outside?” Jack asked.

70.

”Yep, I'm outside, and I'm not wearing any shoes.” There were several broken bottles and crushed beer cans strewn about in front of the house, and I was careful not to step on any of them.

”Do you see any street signs? Any landmarks? Anything to tell me where you are?” Jack instructed me.

”Um...” I scoured the area around me. We were just on some residential street, but I could hear the traffic from the high way and I saw a billboard a block away. ”I think I'm right off of 494 by a billboard for 93X. Is that good?”

”Yeah, I can work with that,” Jack sounded relieved. ”Just stay where you are. I'll be there in a minute.”

”Okay,” I nodded, even though he couldn't see me.

”Call me if you need to. But I'll be there really quick,” he a.s.sured me.

”Okay,” I repeated, and then he hung up the phone.

I probably should've let him know that I actually wasn't in any danger. Well, not in any immediate danger. After all, I was drunk, shoeless, and sitting on the curb outside of a house party. There were things that could happen, I'm sure, but not in the time it would take Jack to get there. He traveled at the speed of light and what not.

Jack had apparently decided it was an emergency because he pulled up a few minutes later in the Lamborghini, which was how he traveled when speed was a necessity. He stopped right in front of me and dove out of the car, leaving it on and the door open, when he rushed over to make sure I was fine.

”Are you okay?” Jack crouched down in front of me to inspect me for injuries, pus.h.i.+ng my damp hair out of my eyes.

My eyes were puffy from crying, my fancy top was stained with beer, and my feet were very dirty from walking around the party, but over all, I was okay. I'm sure the next day I would wake up with plenty of bruises that I couldn't remember getting, but nothing life threatening.

”I think so,” I nodded meekly.

”You're drunk,” Jack realized, smirking.

”I think so,” I admitted.

”Okay. Let's get you home.” He stood up and took my hands so he could help me to my feet.

Before we got in the car, he gave me one more once over to make sure I was fine when he noticed something. His eyes got hard and the hand that was holding mine got very cold. ”You're pants are undone.”

”What?” Confused, I looked down at my jeans, and I couldn't remember undoing them. Then I remembered being upstairs making out with Jordan, and it would be rather hard for him to start playing with my underwear if my pants weren't undone. ”Oh. Yeah. That. I didn't do anything.”

”You didn't do anything?” Jack had let go of my hand and he was eyeing me up severely.

”No, I didn't. I mean, like kissing, but you know, just that. It was nothing at all.” I started zipping up my pants when something occurred to me. ”I'm wearing a purple a thong.”

71.

”You're wearing a purple thong?” Jack raised an eyebrow, but since I was drunk, I couldn't get a read on his emotions. I didn't know if it was an intrigued, I'd-like-to-see-more eyebrow, or a disapproving, you're-a-huge-s.l.u.t eyebrow.

”Yeah. Wanna see?” I offered helpfully.

”Just get in the car,” Jack said, not unkindly, and walked around so he could get in the car himself.

”Sorry,” I mumbled, and stupidly, I felt like crying again. When I got in the car, I felt a tear slide down my cheek, but I tried to wipe it away before he noticed.

”That's what you were doing when I called?” He kept his voice even, but the car squealed angrily away from the house. His hands were gripping the steering wheel too tightly, and I sunk deeper into the seat.

”He just kept pouring me shots, and I don't remember most of the night. I don't even remember how I got in the room. But when I realized what was going on, I pushed him off of me, and then you just happened to call like a second later.” I played nervously with my hair and shook my head. ”I don't know why I have to explain myself to you, anyway. You were too busy to even talk to me tonight. It's not my fault that you decided to grace me with your presence the one time I'm actually out doing something.”

”Oh, yeah. Because I'm just busy partying it up all the time. That's why I can't talk to you,” Jack scoffed.

”I was just sick of sitting in that stupid house waiting for you!” I snapped. ”So when Jane text messaged me-”

”I should've known she'd be the source of all this,” Jack laughed darkly.

”You're the one that suggested I hang out with you while you're so 'busy.'” When I made the little air quotes for busy, he rolled his eyes at me.

”I didn't mean it,” he sighed. ”I just felt guilty for leaving you alone all the time, but I took it back right away. That's why I had Mae come get you.”

”Oh, yeah, thank you for that, by the way. Great idea,” I told him dryly.

”What? You love Mae!” Jack looked at me dubiously. ”How was that not a great idea?”

”Because! I wanted to see you!” I shouted, then instantly regretted saying it. Tears were just waiting to spill over. There was this whole fountain that had been called to action tonight, and they were just waiting for the perfect time to start pouring down.

”Do you think I really enjoy this?” Jack countered. ”Do you think that this is what I wanted? That I wanted you to hang out with Jane, getting drunk, and messing around with random date rapists?

Yeah, this is exactly what I wanted, Alice. You've got it all figured out. All this time, hanging out with you, it was just a big set up to get to your brother.”

”It's not my fault that that's what it feels like,” I grumbled crossing my arms over my chest.