Chapter 22

"Hey, Dane," I said with a smile.

Drake leaned towards me, "Think you can stay with Dane for a while? I've got some stuff to do."

"What?", I said turning to him, startled at his words, "I'll come with you."

"Grace, I'll be just a minute. You stay here."

"No!", I whisper yelled at him, "I don't know anyone here. How could I..?"

"Grace...", he cut me off, "I won't be long. Please stay here. Dane will look out for you. You don't have to be worried."

Is he kidding? How can I not be worried? It's my first college party, I barely know anyone here besides him and he is leaving me alone. He might as well have been asking me to swim in a lake full of sharks alone.

Okay, now I am being dramatic.

I hesitated for a second before I nodded. More because I don't want him to feel that I am clinging to him. He can do what he normally does at a party like this. I just have to figure out how am I going to survive this.

"Yo, Dane!", Drake yelled, "I'll be back in a while."

Dane looked at him and it was like they were having a conversation with their eyes before he nodded and reached out his hand for me.

"Come here, Grace. I'll show you some party moves," Dane said twirling his waist and a grin came to my lips. Drake's hand fell from my back and he disappeared through the throngs of people.

"Heya buddies," he addressed to the group sitting on the table, "Let me introduce you all to Grace over here."

And then he started spouting off names. Michael, who looked like the boy-next-door with shaggy brown hairs, Eric, who had mahogany mohawk hair and piercing in his eyebrows, Clara was the one with bleached blonde hair and dimples in her smile, Kate had electric red hair, Tate was the one with natural blonde hairs.

As he went calling their name, they all either waved at me or gave an acknowledging node except Tate. She had a scowl on her face. After Dane was done I said, "Hey", holding back from doing the awkward wave thing.

Tate snorted, "Oh, so she speaks. Thanks for letting me know that she is not exactly mute." Tate laughed but no one else joined her.

My cheeks started to burn in embarrassment. But then I lifted my chin, I might have my reservations but that doesn't mean I will let someone walk all over me.

"Yeah I speak, Tate. I just didn't want to talk to you."

Dane guffawed next to me as everyone else on the table cracked up. There, Tate, now the joke is on you. Tate was glaring daggers at me from the table and I returned her stare. The only difference was, that I was smiling at her sweetly, further egging her on.

"Hot damn, girl," Michael said still chuckling, "You're officially in, in our group if you can bring Tate's ego a notch down," Tate growled at him but he ignored that.

I grinned, feeling a little proud of myself, and then joined everyone else at the table. After that conversations went on as they were before my arrival. Everyone included me in their conversations except Tate and that was fine with me.

Through the mindless chatter, I discovered that Michael is on the football team with Dane and Eric is the bass player of a band. That explains the rockstar look he has going on. Tate is in the cheerleader's group and Clara and Kate avoid all kinds of drama. And so far I liked everyone, even Tate. I figured that she liked to act like a diva, but had a soft side to her too.

"So, Grace?", Clara asked leaning on the table with her elbows, "Are you ready for some Drunk Jenga?"

I wanted to ask what Drunk Jenga means but from everyone's enthusiasm on the table, I figured it was some kind of drinking game like Beer Pong.

"Um. I don't know how to," I said shyly. I was waiting for her to make a disgusted face or at least cringe at my revelation. But instead, her smile became wider.

"That's awesome. Now, I can cheat and you won't even know", she said clapping like a kid in front of a Christmas tree that made me laugh.

"Uh-huh", Michael said, "You're not gonna do that. I'm by her side. And maybe she won't know but we all are not here blind, baby."

I grinned when Clara blushed at the 'baby' endearment. Okay, so Clara has a crush on Michael and when I took a closer look, a dark look in Michael's eyes revealed that he was well aware of that little fact and had said it purposely.

Hmmm, that's some juicy stuff right there.

After a while, I found myself playing Drunk Jenga with everyone and to my surprise, I was actually enjoying it. Eric was the quietest one, contrary to his appearances, and he was downing the drinks like it was just water. And I envied him for that because every time I had to do that, I swore like a sailor, making faces more than Charlie Chaplin did in his whole career. Adding to everyone else's entertainment.

In the middle of the game, I realized that Drake was still a no-show. I scanned the area but he was nowhere in sight. Just as I was about to give up, the front door slammed open, and in came Cross, prowling like he owned the place.

His raven hair bouncing just above his eyes as he sauntered with the grace of a predator. His normally stoic face laced with a seducing grin and his presence so heavy and charismatic that it even made guys' heads turn to look at him.

Some girls doing body shots on the other side of the living room started calling his name but he continued like he never heard them and went to the back.

He is strange, I thought to myself and focused again on the game at hand.

Three drinks later, I was tipsy and giggling with Kate sitting next to me. I had no idea how much time had passed. Drake was still not here but surprisingly, I didn't care. I was having so much fun to think about anything else.

As I look around the table, I found that I and Kate were not the only one intoxicated, except Eric. He was still sitting upright in his chair while Tate was leaning on Dane, mumbling incoherent words, and...Where is Clara?

I looked around and then I saw her sitting in a corner sit from the left of me, making out with Michael, which made me go into another fit of hysterics. Don't know why all of a sudden I found making out as something funny. Next to me, Kate joined me even though she had no idea why I was laughing.

Oh, this is heaven.

Why did nobody tell me before that partying is so much fun? If this is what it feels like then register me right now for every goddamn party in this world.

"I see, you're quite enjoying yourself," a voice said. I turned and saw that out of the blue, Drake was sitting next to me. I frowned. When did he come? But then I remembered he had abandoned me, all the other thoughts left me.

Had I not been in an inebriated state, I would have been wiser.

"I'm not talking to you," I said like a petulant child, "Where were you?"

Drake chuckled at me. "Wanna dance?", he asked giving out his hand to me.

I looked at his hand for a long time before I said, "No."

"Come on," he said taking my hand himself. He pulled at my hand so I had to stand up with him.

"I said no," I tried again but he just started dragging me towards the throng of body grinding against each other. That doesn't look like fun, I thought to myself.

"That's not what I heard!", Drake yelled over the music, "I thought you said, yes!"

"You're a prick!"

He just laughed as a response as he drew me into his arms. He started swaying to the music like he was made for it, forcing my body to move with him.

His moves were so soft and practiced that I was getting sloshed with the feel of it against me. And soon I was lost to the music, lost to its beats, lost to the feel of Drake's body moving in accordance with mine. When I will bend, he would lean creating friction that was doing funny things to my conscience.

He took my hand and twirled me to crush my back against his chest. I threw my hands up in the air and then around his neck. His hand came to my hip and we started moving to the music again. But this time it was different.

Shivers started going up my spine as I leaned my head back on Drake's shoulder with a moan. What was happening to me? Why does it felt so good? A tingle started low in my belly making me ground hard on Drake as his fingers started kneading my hip while the other started roaming all over my belly and waist.

If I had not been so dizzy, I must have done something about it. What? I can't remember right now. It feels so good. It's like I am climbing a mountain, going high and high with every move and rub of our hips. It was making me desperate.

Suddenly Drake put a hand on my waist and turned me to face him. Before I could think of anything his lips were on mine.