FIRST KISS (High School Romance - FYI - In need of redrafting/rewrites)

Chapter Thirty

Jimbo put me down gently on the path, where the snow had been cleared, and I hung onto his arm so I didn't slip. In his other hand he held the bag of chips and cookies that he was going to contribute to the party.

Once we got inside the house he pushed his way through the other kids, or rather they parted for him because he was so big, and I followed along behind.

"What do you wanna do?" he asked, putting the bag down in the kitchen.

Helplessly, I looked around. I didn't see anyone I knew.

"I'll get you a drink. Wait there," he said, before disappearing to the other side of the heaving kitchen.

"Mel, Mel, hey!" Anna came smiling up to me. "You decided to come." She pouted her bottom lip. "Brave choice."

"Is Luke here?" I asked.

"Nope." She swigged some coke from a can. "He's still grounded."

I guess that was one awkward conversation I wouldn't have to have.

"Where's your hulk?"

I smiled. "Getting me a drink."

"How gentlemanly of him." She tilted her head to one side and gave me a funny look I couldn't quite interpret.

I looked over and saw him standing, leaning against the wall, talking to...Taylor. It didn't take long for me to work out that she still liked him. She was smiling and laughing, and flicking her hair all over the place. Occasionally she would reach out and touch his sleeve.

But he was holding two drinks, and he pointed over at me with one of them. Taylor turned and, seeing me, her face fell into a miserable scowl. She said something in a totally different tone and sauntered off to another room, leaving Jimbo to come and bring me my drink.

Anna winked at me and left me to it as he approached; a giant in a sea of small people.

"That looked like it went well," I said, clasping the can he passed me.

"She's definitely not pleased that you're here." He grinned and clinked his can with mine.

"She likes you." I sipped at the coke and raised my eyes over it to look at him.

"You think?"

"Yeh. It's obvious."

He looked up into the distance, staring at nothing, and downed some soda. "That works for us." He paused a moment before looking back down at me and smiling. "We may as well have some fun whilst we're here, right?"

I gave him a doubtful look, but before I had time to object he had grabbed hold of my hand and bounced off into the other room, dragging me behind him.

In the hall, Bryce was on the phone and he glanced up as we walked past, his eyes popping and his eyebrows shooting up. He reached out and grabbed my sleeve, and on feeling the pull Jimbo paused too and looked back at us. He shrugged and let go of me, moving through to the room Taylor had gone into, leaving me with Bryce.

He hung up his phone and put it in his pocket.

"What are you doing here?"

"Jimbo asked me."

"That guy that beat me up?" He moved backwards, as though I were contaminated.

"That was a misunderstanding."

"What's going on with him?"

I took a deep breath. To lie, or not to lie?

"We're dating."