Rude Boy

Chapter 1 🌑

I don't quite know how this happened. How my friend managed to convince me to go to a party. How she managed to get me in this dress. And how she managed to slip away into the crowd the second I turned my back to her.

I stood in the corner of the room cradling a cup I had no desire to drink from in my hand, eyes flickering at the mass of people surrounding me, fingers trying to desperately make the skirt of this dress somehow longer, mind working overtime to keep my anxiety levels low. I didn't belong here and if you couldn't see that, then you had to be blind.

Girls walked passed me with boys following them like puppies, looking me up and down and giving me a pitiful look as they sauntered off to do God knows what. Who am I kidding? These college parties are all just a big fuck-fest anyway, everyone knew what was happening behind the closed doors with knobs covered with a nasty gym sock the guy getting head to let others know that they were indeed doing what they thought they were doing.

I'd groan but I don't even think I'd be able to hear myself over the loud music and voices. I would call Poppy, the friend that dragged me here, but she was currently holding onto my phone for me. Another thing that I had yet to figure out.

I decided enough was enough and I wanted to leave when a guy stumbled past me and spilled his drink over the front of my dress, Poppy was definitely going to get an earful from me once I found her. If I found her actually. I prayed she wasn't one of the gracious women behind the socked doors and decided to check the rest of the house first.

I knew there was no way I was going to be able to break into the sea of drunken bodies grinding against each other like they would die if they didn't, so I opted to scope out the kitchen first, knowing Poppy she would be where the alcohol generated from. My search didn't go far as I immediately spotted her stretched out on the bar, top forgotten as several guys were doing body shots off of her. I rolled my eyes at how she managed to get herself drunk enough to do this in under an hour before stepping in and being the killjoy that I am.

Just as another guy was about to set her up for another shot I stepped in and tapped his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise and he let out a holler making my own eyes widen as I knew what he was thinking, and I was in NO way doing a body shot off of my best friend.

Poppy gave me a drunken smile as she sat up to pull me in a-you guessed it-drunken hug which consisted of her pushing my face into her boobs while I struggled to break from her grip.

"Poppy!" I managed to breath out once I pulled free from the void of her boobs. "Poppy, can I have my phone so I can call a cab? I'm gonna head home and you're certainly welcome to come too." Although I doubt she would.

"Aww Atty don't go! The fun was just about to begin." She smiled sensually at one of the boys behind me making me shudder in disgust or fear, I couldn't tell.

"I think I'm good Popps." I shook my head as she groaned but pulled out my phone from her jeans.

"Don't call me that when I'm trying to get laid Atty. Speaking of which, when are you gonna lose your v-"

"POPPY! Thank you for that, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon I'm guessing?" My eyes wide and wild as she almost spilt something completely unnecessary to a group of strangers.

"That's if Mr. Kim pleases me well enough." She smirked and I heard two voices call out.

"Me?!" I turned and saw the owners of the voices, one belonging to a tall boy with a boxy grin and soft blonde hair, the other with wide shoulders and styled black hair.

"Sure!" Poppy said enthusiastically to the both of them.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Popps. Pace yourself woman." I turned to the two boys, "Take care of her, if she comes home and there is even a single thing out of place on her head I will be out for blood. Got it?" The boys who were admittedly a few inches taller than me gulped and nodded, uncertainty wavered in their eyes on whether they should believe me or not.

"I mean it." I glared them down and they nodded quickly once more.

"Atty! Don't scare them off now."

"Just looking out for you Popps." She groaned making me smirk before she spoke again.

"Whatever. Get yourself a cab and I'll see you after morning."

"It's called afternoon Poppy."

"Shut up." She slurred sassily.

I prayed she'd be fine and with my phone in hand I exited the loud and outrageously large house to call a cab.

Several beeps on the line reminded me that cab hours were long over making me let out a frustrated groan.

"Need a ride?" I turned behind me to see another boy, blonde hair almost silver in the moonlight and a dimpled smile on his face as he approached me.

"Uh no thanks. I'll just walk." He stopped a few feet from me and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated.

"Which building do you live in?" He was talking about campus apartments.

"13..." I admitted sheepishly and his eyebrows raised.

"That's quite a ways y'know. All the way on the other side of campus." He explained, like I didn't already know.

"I know." I snapped, not really meaning to but I was frustrated.

"Alright alright. No need to bite my head off. My offer still stands." He tucked his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side curiously.

"I don't accept rides from strangers."

"Kim Namjoon. See? Now we aren't strangers." His dimples broke out, trying to sway me with his charm. And damn was it working.

"Ah. But you don't know my name." I smiled with a bitter tone but his smile only widened.

"Song Atlas yes?" I stared at him in shock and concern.

"Your friend Poppy...she's well known among my friends." His eyes widened immediately as he realized what he had just said.

"Not like that! No! I just meant she's a good friend of my roommates and I on the account of her being my cousin." I scoffed again.

"So you just let your cousin have threesomes with you friends?" I asked and he shrugged.

"She's a grown woman, I can't stop her. I can only threaten my friends to treat her right and not be dicks to her. It's worked this far and it seems like I have some extra help from you." His dimpled smile came back making my stomach twist.

"Cousin huh? I had no idea..." I trailed off. If this guy was really Poppy's cousin then getting a ride wouldn't be so bad...right? I guess it did make me feel better knowing I wasn't leaving her with strangers (to her anyway).

Swallowing my pride and shivering partly because of the alcohol that was making my skin sticky and wet, now cold because of the wind, and partly because of how Namjoon's stare never wavered, it seemed as if it only intensified.

Tired, cold, and really not in the mood to walk the distance back to my apartment, I hesitantly agreed.

"Alright. If your offer still stands, I'd like to take it."

There was that dimpled smile again. Except this time it had a hint of a smirk.

I hope I won't regret this.