The Line Drive

thirty-seven

Dane

I've been trying to search for Mackenzie since I lost her in the kitchen, but people kept fucking stopping me to try and talk to me. I hadn't liked the look on her face when she took her first shot. It was a combination of determination and recklessness. I knew that expression. It led to some of my worst hangovers of my life. She was emotional and she was ready to just let herself go completely. 

I finally find Mackenzie, and I don't like what I see. She is clearly drunk as hell. Someone had turned what was supposed to be our dining room into a dance floor. Makenzie is on the edge, dancing by herself a drink in her hand.

Grant approaches her, and puts his hand on her waist. He leans down and says something in her ear. She makes a face, and tries to step back. But he grabs her and pulls her to him. 

It takes my brain a second to register what is happening, and then I'm striding over. 

"Get your hands off her." I grab Grant and pull him off her. 

 "Hey, she wants me here." Grant tells me. 

"No." Mackenzie slurs. She steps back and Grant grabs her again, his hand reaching around her for her ass. 

"Grant!"

"We're dancing, Dane. Get the fuck out of here."

"Dane--" Mackenzie looks at me, and I can see how uncomfortable she looks. Everything that I've said to her in the past week and a half comes crashing down on me, and with the combination of Noah's words earlier, I feel like the most awful human being alive. 

"Back off, Grant." I reach for Mackenzie, and even though I know she's mad at me, she takes my hand, and when her warm fingers fold around mine, I know that I don't deserve her. I pull her away from Grant, who whirls on me.

"What the fuck is your problem, dude? Can't a guy dance?"

"Sure. But not with her." I tell him. 

"Fuck off, bro. I'll dance with who I want to." 

"No." 

"If you weren't fucking maimed right now, I'd fucking punch you."

"You're the one who maimed me, asshole!" I let go of Mackenzie's hand, ready to hit Grant.

"Hey, hey!" Noah appears out of fucking thin air and puts a hand on my chest. "Dane, walk away." 

"I'm gonna fucking beat him." I mutter. 

"Just, go." Noah pushes me gently. "Mackenzie needs you." I turn to find Mackenzie stumbling through the living room, weaving her way through a bunch of drunk baseball players. 

I know that I'm the reason that she's drunk herself to this state. 

"Mack!" I call after her, pushing my way through the people. I finally catch her at the bottom of the stairs. 

"What?" When she whirls around, her angry tone catches me off guard. "What the fuck do you want, Dane?" 

"Mackenzie--"

"No. Don't fucking Mackenzie me." She basically pulls herself up the stairs using the railing. I'm not sure where she thinks she's going. 

"I just--" I follow her. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Only because Grant tried to fucking dance with me. Otherwise I might as well be nothing to you." Her voice is so bitter. 

"That's not true."

"Uh-huh." She makes it to my room where she stumbles inside and then into the bathroom. She slams her hand against the wall and then fumbles around until she finds the light switch. "I'm gonna puke and then I'm going to give you a piece of my mind."