The Worst of Us

Sneak Out the Back Door

 Jem greeted me with a wide smile the moment I joined him on the dance floor. His hands were on my waist instantly as he swayed to the music, making me dance along with him. 

I smiled back at Jem and tried to keep my attention fully on him, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed the other guys from our school elbowing each other, grinning, and not-so-subtly moving away from us. Then, I observed how one of the guys approached a girl, having the others look on from the sideline as wingmen. When the girl's friends threatened to intervene, another guy swiftly jumped into action to approach and distract them. 

I rolled my eyes and leaned in to shout in Jem's ear. 

"They really think they're smooth, don't they?"

Jem shot me a confused look. 

"Who?" he shouted back. 

I nodded at his school friends, who were still chatting with some girls on the dance floor, though, I could tell from their body language that the girls weren't really interested in what they had to say. 

"Do they think those girls don't notice what they're doing?" 

Jem let out a laugh. He let go of me to reach for his chest like I'd wounded him, then placed his hands back on my waist.  He leaned in, so close his lips were brushing against my ear.

"Hey, you can't blame them for trying," he said. "It's not like they have a gorgeous girl in their arms who they already know they're going to take home tonight." 

Jem pressed a kiss to my lips and smiled. I smiled back, but in my mind a million alarm bells were ringing. Okay, I hadn't been super clear on the matter to Jem, dodging around it with excuses or vague answers. Now that he was asking directly like this and all my muscles tensed, I was sure I didn't want to go home with him yet. 

Jem seemed to consider it a done deal, however. His hands traveled down from my waist to my butt and breathed out through my mouth in surprise. It wasn't like I hated it, but now that I knew where Jem was with his head, it was too much. 

He leaned in to talk to me again. 

"You look really hot tonight in that dress," he told me, his alcohol breath heavier in my ear now. "Why don't we cut the party short a little and go watch a movie at my place? I'm sure Jasmine understands." 

"Uh," I sputtered, unable to come up with a proper reply in all my shock at how incredibly fast this was going. 

Before I started dating Jem I'd thought I wanted this. Part of me still did. I wanted to find out what it was like to sleep with someone, and to have that kind of a relationship with someone. That was what made my clenching stomach and discomfort even more confusing. 

"I think I'd rather stay here at the club for a while longer," I finally managed to press out. 

Jem's hand slid away from my butt and back to my waist. 

"Alright, babe," he said, a small smile still tugging up his lips. "Can I get you something to drink? Some shots, maybe?" 

Why was Jem offering shots now? 

Was he trying to get me drunk so it would be easier to convince me to come home with him? I had no grounds for the suspicious thoughts that suddenly flashed through my mind, yet, they were there. Maybe it was because Jem's friends were trying to pick up women with their tricks. They knew what they were doing, and Jem was part of that group, too. 

"Later. Let's just dance," I refused Jem's offer.

He shrugged, but then smiled and we danced to the loud music without speaking for a few moments. It didn't take long for Jem's hands to wander again, going to my butt and up my back. He moved closer, pressing his lips to my neck. The longer we were there, the less it seemed like we were dancing and the more it was like dry humping in public on a dance floor.