Taunt

Chapter 48- Taunting Parties

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The house we were invited to was just at the outskirts of the city. It was an acreage that was owned by some wealthy family, and the son was throwing a party for his 21st birthday. I vaguely knew him, as he was one of the players on Jamal's basketball team.

The party was going on in full swing even before we arrived. Drunk people stumbled their way across the floor, and tipsy people lined the dance floor.

We were all standing near the door, wondering how to make our way forward. Gemma suddenly pointed to a spot near the backdoor, where there was an empty table with barstools, and we all made our way there. We took a seat around the table, basking in the scene before us. Jamal and Andre were already talking about how many pranks they can pull tonight, and Gemma pitched in on their conversation.

I stole a glance over to Amelia, only to see her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. The small smile she was wearing could fool others, but I saw right through it. Her figure was hunched over and she was gripping tightly onto the edge of her seat.

I wish I could take her away then. I wish I could whisk her away from this place and carry her back to my house. A place where she would be safe.

Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring her here. What if she wasn't ready to be here? Gosh, now I feel sick. I knew the reason why she avoided parties for so long, and I still publicly pressured her into coming when I asked her out. But on the other hand, what if this was exactly what she needed? What if she was tired of hiding behind her walls and just wanted to let loose?

Wanting to get her to relax for now, I reached over and brought a hand to rest on hers. She turned to me surprised, her eyes looking more alive than they did a few moments ago. I leaned in towards her and her eyes widened further. Before I could make a complete fool out of myself and actually lean in to taste her red luscious lips, I switched gears and leaned towards her ear instead.

"Say the word, and we leave."

I pulled back slightly to see her response, and was surprised to see the small smile on her lips. Genuine this time. I grinned back at her and gave her hand a small squeeze.

Before I could say anything else, another voice broke us apart.

"Hey, didn't think you guys would make it!"

We all looked up and saw Eric and Joe standing by the edge of our table, each holding a bottle in hand.

They both looked around the table, and the moment I feared came. As he looked over to all of us, Eric's eyes suddenly froze when they landed on the girl beside me.

"Whoa, who the hell are you? And why have you been hidden from me all this time?" Eric said.

To my dismay, no one backed her up. Instead, Gemma, Jamal, and Andre all hid their laughter in their fists as they watched the scene play out before them. Even Joe caught on that this was Amelia, and was also hiding his smile. I looked over to Amelia, only to see that even she was biting down a smile.

Eric stayed oblivious to all of this and took a step closer to her. And then, the fool leaned down, his elbows on the table, only a few centimeters away from Amelia. I only squeezed her hand tighter under the table, my posture rigid.

"Hey sweet cheeks! Wanna tell me your name before we hit the dance floor?" Eric said in his famous flirty voice.

Could he not see that I was one second away from jumping across the table and pushing him away?