the bad boy's girl

11 - TBBG

11 - THE BAD BOY'S GIRL

Since the incident with Libby, Keke had gotten another date; they met after she stormed out, a clingy but beautiful girl, the two had been attached to the hip. She insisted on going with Keke to Kit's party—which I thought was a conflict of interest, considering their history, but, apparently not.

It had been pure sex on both ends. She had zero interest in him, and she was sure it was vice versa. She said something about him being a little too all over the place, more concerned with his own happiness than anyone else.

What she was referring to was a few comments regarding she and his time together floating around the school. It wasn't bad, but Keke loathes rumors dealing with her, positive and negative. They were still friends, but she wouldn't be spending any more time with him. She would, however, be attending his parties because, according to her, they were the absolute best.

That's what she'd been telling me for the past few weeks. I was open to it, but I hadn't been in the mood lately. Before my dad's passing, I loved mindless celebrations, dancing and laughing with friends, knocking back shots until the morning light. The luster had left, and I use to think it'd come back over time, but I was still stuck in a drained rut.

The move helped, more than I thought it would initially. My aunt and step - family, the new friends, Jax, it was bringing me back. It'd be proposeious to give all the credit to him, but he was a key factor. Not in the traditional sense of his attention, but simply him—who he is, his personality in spite of conflict.

To see someone unapologetic themselves, rather than alter to please others, gave me hope in a weird way. There was no song and dance, no hiding beneath a happy façade to please others; something I wished to master.

How we clicked, the rare yin and yang of our personalities made me suspect it was more tangible that I used to think. Knowing that he felt it too built my confidence: enough for me to ignore the recent trepidation that came with socializing and drag my ass out the house.

Butterflies still fluttered in my stomach, but not out of anxiety, and that was progress. Hell, my cousin, my crutch in extrovert situations, was preoccupied with her date yet my perseverance faltered none.

In fact, in the scenario that she left me alone, I was perfectly fine with it—which seemed dangerously close to becoming a reality.

Her girl seemed like she'd rather go somewhere more private; my promiscuous, sweetheart of a cousin was making a strong effort to keep me included, but her girl wasn't letting up as we headed to the party.

Since Kit's house was a few blocks away, it was an easy walk, lucky for me because I still refused to ride in cars, no matter how much coaxing Keke tried. It was rounding midnight, the three of us strolling along the sidewalk. Although Keke had been to Kit's house many times before, I was taking the lead, only because it felt like intruding as the two became all boo-ed up.

"You excited to see your boyfriend?" Keke teased, her date's arm looped around her waist as they walked.

I bit back a smile, turning to lift a brow. "I thought you didn't like him."

The corners of her mouth pulled down, cupid's bow pushing up, and she shrugged. "Opinions change," she told me. "I figure if you like him, then he has to have some good inside. And, most of what I thought about him was based on stuff Kit told me, and I think he's a compulsive liar."

I stopped on the sidewalk and looked at her sideways. "Are you sure you wanna go to his place?"

She waved it off. "Don't respect his ethics, but when it comes to hedonism, he and I are one in the same," was her explanation.