I Dare You *On Hold*

7| The Setup

"That's her," I said, a smile on my face as I turned to Natalie until she was facing the right direction.

"What? Where? I don't see her," she complained, hopping up and down.

Grabbing her waist, I easily lifted her up so she could see above the crowd and waited for her to say something.

"Well?"

"Uhhhh, there's quite a few people you could be referring to."

"She's standing next to Lou," I provided, hoping that would help her narrow things down a bit.

When I set her back on her own two feet, she looked at me with a thoughtful expression. "Okay, so, you're either talking about Donna, Hannah, Madelyn, or Stacy. Those are the only blondes next to Lou."

Furrowing my brows, I shook my head. "Doesn't make a difference to me what her name is. I just want to talk to her, thank her for helping me get over my writer's block...and maybe even makeout a little...or a lot. Whichever. If it turned into a hook up, that would be completely up to her, but you wouldn't hear me complaining."

"Riley!" Natalie exclaimed, a humored expression of disbelief on her face. "I thought I raised you to be a gentleman!"

"I'm just kidding!" I laughed.

"Mmhm, you better be," she warned, slapping my arm.

"Ow! I was! But, geez, we can't all be saints like Drew—crap, sorry," I quickly apologized, realizing what I just said. "I'm an idiot. It just kind of slipped out."

Way to put your foot in your mouth.

With a somber expression she nodded her head, looking at the floor.

"Nat-"

"It's okay, Riley," she weakly smiled. "We can talk about it later. Right now, I'd rather pretend my cream soda is beer and dance."

"Okay, then let's dance."

"No," she shook her head, still sporting that fake smile I could spot from a mile away. "Go get your mystery girl. I'll be fine on my own." Before I could argue, she added, "Besides, this is my house. I should feel right at home, right?"

Holding an unsure expression for a moment longer, trying to figure out if I should press for more or just give her what she wants, I caved and did what I always did. I gave Natalie Drake what she wanted.

"Okay," I gave in. "But, I don't care if I'm upstairs, in the middle of hot, passionate, wiiiild sex-"

"Riley!" she gasped, clearly blushing at the image I put in her mind.

"I'm just saying, I don't care what I'm doing. If you need me, I'm there. Got it?" I asked, making my point very clear.

"Got it," she agreed, adorably flustered. "Now go, you little freak."

When she saw the beginning of a smirk form on my face, she shook her head and pointed a finger at me. "Don't even."

My smirk only grew.

"Riley Baker, I swear! Do not be that guy!" she pleaded, wanting me to spare her from the cringe. Naturally, I didn't.

"There's nothing little about me," I teased, wiggling my brows.

"Oh my God, you'rr terrible!" she groaned.

Laughing at her discomfort, I waved childishly before making my way through the sea of party-goers, searching. My height helped immensely, for the most part. I could see the girl I desperately wanted to talk to again as she leaned against a wall, surrounded by who I assumed to be her friends. Lou was in front of her, talking animatedly while she looked rather annoyed. I had no idea what Lou could be saying to bother her so much, but her blue hair might as well have been glowing, the way it helped me not lose them in the crowd.