Emo Boy

Chapter 3

"Why are you hanging by yourself," he asks nodding his head towards me.

"Uuuh. Avoiding people is probably the best way to put it." I say looking away sheepishly.

"Ms. Popular avoiding people? How can that be?" Alex says sarcastically with a smirk.

"O cmon Alex, leave me alone." The teasing is already starting with him again.

"Hey hey hey! I didn't mean anything by it!" He says while holding his hands up. I watch him and roll my eyes before looking back at the bonfire where I see Connor. He catches my eye and precedes to smile and wave in his boyish way. I look away without acknowledging feeling more and more guilty. I drink some more.

"Something wrong with the perfect couple?" Alex asks, gesturing towards Connor.

"We aren't a couple," I reply quickly.

"But he wants something more doesn't he..."

I don't say anything which gives him the answers he needs.

"Do you want to be with him?" Alex says and takes a swig again after my pause.

"I don't know..." I look into my beer.

"Ha! That's a no if I've ever heard one." Alex smiles and laughs. His laugh is a low chime. I find myself smiling and looking down to where his hands are holding his cup, up his arm to the tattoo that is peaking out of his black t-shirt. He got that one last year I recall.

"Tell him how you feel Sarah, otherwise you're just going to keep leading the puppy on," Alex tells me.

"I don't need your advice, Alex."

"Yea well. Don't think your friends are gonna give ya any." I look at his blue eyes. He is definitely serious. But I can't help but wonder why he even cares. Ever since middle school he has hated Connor. Before the group fell apart they used to be almost best friends. I never knew what happened for them to split apart.

By now Alex and I have moved closer to each other. That thing I saw earlier was in fact a lip piercing. I almost could feel the heat from his body and felt myself wanting to move closer. I notice the tattoo peeking out of his shirt on his lower neck. That one he got 2 years ago.

"Hey, Sarah I...."

"Sarah! There you are! Come here!" I see Tasha coming towards me. She grabs my arm and pulls me toward the bonfire where everyone is. I never got to hear what Alex was going to say.

----

As the night continues and people get drunker, I start to have a better time. At this point, I am drunk enough that I can't stop laughing. My friends and I dance together by the bonfire, happy as can be.

Connor tries to come and talk to me several times throughout the night. Each time I either start talking to someone else or avoid somehow. At first, I felt bad, but then the alcohol got to my head and it became a sort of game for me, Tash, and Chels to play.

Every time Connor started looking like he was going to come over, we would run around each other trying to escape. Once we did it successfully, we would start wheezing laughing and doubling over with how funny we thought it was.

The party was in full swing when we were dancing between the bonfire and the tree line of the woods with everyone. The music was pounding right in our ears through the huge speakers someone brought.

As we were dancing, I caught Connor walking closer, very determined. Clearly, he was aware now that I was avoiding him. Drunk me though still thought it was hilarious.

"Oh no Chels he's coming!" I yell at Chelsea behind me and grab her arm pulling and laughing as I whine.

"Ok, we gotta run!" Chelsea yells and we scream and laugh as she starts pulling me towards the tree line of the woods. Once we reach a big tree, she places me behind it so that no one from the bonfire can see us.

She presses me against the tree, swaying a little and probably trying to keep herself up through me leaning on the big trunk.

"Stay...here!' Chelsea speaks slowly and carefully, clearly very drunk and dizzy. "I will distract him!" she says as she raises her hand in the air pointing up as if this is her biggest mission.

I laugh as she walks away bouncing. As I turn back to look in front of me I notice that a few feet away from me someone is smoking by a tree by himself.

"Excuse me!" I drunkenly yell

The person looks at me and drags his cigarette out.

"Yess?" he answers.

"Alex! what are you doing back here?" I say as a stumble towards him.

"What does it look like Im doing?" He says and tasks another drag out of his cigarette,

I get up to him and stand in front of him. I get a whiff of his cigarette and start coughing immediately.

He laughs lowly.

"You know you shouldn't be smoking" I say scoldingly and point my finger onto his chest. "it's really bad for you."

"And you shouldn't be drinking but who am I to judge" he replies wryly smiling and looking at me with those piercing blue eyes.

"What are you doing back here?" He asks as he grabs my hand from his chest that I hadn't realized I left. But he doesn't let my wrist go. I feel his warm hand gently hold my wrist.

"Hiding." I pout.

There is a moment of silence as he takes another drag. I watch him bring it up to his lips then pull it away and blow the smoke out to the side, careful not to blow it in my face.

I unconsciously lean is as I almost fall into him. My drunkenness really starting to hit me. He catches me as he was still holding my wrist and the hand with the cigarette lightly holds my other hip.

I look up at Alex and smell his cigarette on his breath. Before I know it, I pushed myself onto him and place my lips onto his.

He's shocked and doesn't respond at first, until a few seconds later he starts to respond to me. He pulls me into him closer but lightly, almost unsure.

I taste the cigarette on his tongue and breathe out contently. Alex takes his hand off my wrist and runs it through my hair, pulling my face closer.

"Sarah!"

We pull away quickly in shock.

"Sarah..." I look over to Chelsea standing near the the edge of the woods.

"You better go back to your friends Sarah." Alex says as he takes a drag of his cigarette and leans back against the tree casually. I look back at Chelsea and start walking back. We walk all the way back to the bonfire and join everyone else.