Smells Like Teen Spirit // Nirvana

The lot - Spring of Senior year

The music is loud. The bass is pumping and pulsing. The crowd is bouncing along with it. The way the sound systems are all synced up in the surrounding cars gives me the sense that the music is closing in on me.

I need to take a breather.

Leaning over to my cousin Jeff, I shout into his ear so he can hear me over the music. "I need a drink of water!" Jeff looks at me and nods, leaning in to reply.

"I'm coming with you!"

I roll my eyes. He's worse than my dad. "Fine, whatever." I push my way past the throng of teenagers pressed together and dancing against each other, Jeff on my tail. When we both break out of the cluster, he takes my arm and steers me over to his car.

"Jeez, Jeff! I can walk without you holding me up, you know."

"I'm aware. But you don't know these guys like I do. Trust me, I need to keep an eye on you." We reach his car and Jeff finally unhands me. "I'm an idiot for letting you talk me into this. The Lot is no average high school party."

I glance around. "Duh." It's like an underground rave in the parking lot of the high school Jeff attends. He told me all about it when our families took our annual camping trip together and I've been obsessed ever since. The way the lot is set back against a thick grove of trees and obscured from the street creates the perfect cover for the sound and lights. Jeff's football gang, as I refer to them, figured out how to take the Lot parties to the next level by surrounding the party area with their cars and syncing up the music. A few of the guys scored the beer and a legend was born.

It's the best kept secret in Fallbrook Hills. All of the kids at Jefferson High in North Fallbrook know about it, but the cross-town school where I attend, Miller High, is completely in the dark. I've been sworn to secrecy by my highly paranoid cousin in order to attend. My lips are sealed. Honestly, I wouldn't want anyone I know to have a clue I've been to anything like this. I'll chalk it up to morbid curiosity and try to forget all about it. It's pretty horrifying, every single teenage cliché is present, and I want nothing to do with any of them. Girls grinding up against anyone walking by. Guys trashed on cheap beer. Group make-out sessions. Groping.

Gross.

It really is too much and I'm sad for the kids that think this is the ultimate good time. I was one of them, I guess, until I got a taste of the real thing. It's one giant STD waiting to happen.

I grab a water from Jeff's trunk and gulp half of it in one go. I'm sweating from dancing. That part wasn't too bad, and I might even dive back in for round two. I love music and dancing so at least I can enjoy it while I'm here.

A few heated voices are audible as the music dies down between songs. Jeff and I look over to see a couple of his friends in an angry stare off. Pete, I recognize from hanging out at Jeff's house. He's on the football team with my cousin. He's cute with his messy black hair and dimples, but he's kind of a jerk. The other guy is not someone I know. He's tall, sandy blonde hair, and totally wasted.

"Oh shit," Jeff mutters. "I need to check on him."

He takes a few steps over to the guys and I follow. More morbid curiosity, I guess. As we get closer, I remember seeing the mystery guy when Jeff and I arrived. The girl he showed up with turned around and left him here almost immediately. I have no idea why, but I remember feeling sorry for the guy for getting dumped publicly. I'm sure that's why he's trashed now.

"Matt, what the fuck are you doing? Stop spilling your beer all over my paint job!" Pete is shouting at the guy--Matt. Matt just smiles and slurs something about having a good time. Jeff and I stop a couple of feet from them. Pete has his arm around a girl who keeps running her hand up under his shirt. Matt is leaning on Pete's car.

"Dude give him some space. Amber just took off on him. You know how he feels about her."

Pete rolls his eyes. "Sure do. No one can go five minutes without this ass reminding us who she belongs to." Pete shoves Matt away from his car. "Looks like you forgot to tell Amber. She wants nothing to do with you." Once Matt is away from his car, Pete turns his attention to the girl trying to climb him. They start making out right in front of us. Jeff groans, rubbing his face with his free hand. He starts to hand me his beer, for what reason I couldn't say, when a girl with most of her skin showing through her tiny little outfit slides up to him.

The girl whispers something in Jeff's ear. He nods, takes a swig of beer, then dumps the can. He gives me a half eye and says, "Wait here. I'll be right back."

I stand there watching Jeff go off with the girl. Pete is focused on his girl and Matt is once again leaning against Pete's car. That's when we make eye contact. Matt gives me an over exaggerated wink looking like a cartoon character. Then he points at me and mumbles something I don't understand but he must think is hilarious based on the way he laughs afterward. Matt takes a series of stumbling steps over to me and leans into my ear. He puts his arm around my shoulder. The music has died down again so his attempt to whisper over the noise ends up just being a shout.

"You're fucking hot. Take me to your place."

I laugh because what else am I supposed to do? Shaking my head, I remove his arm from my shoulder and look at him. My breath catches as I look into his eyes up close. So close. So blue, like that blue from the famous jewelry store, Tiffany's. Robin's egg blue. My stomach dips at how absolutely gorgeous his eyes are. I know in an instant that those eyes get what they want. All Matt would have to do is grace someone with those beautiful eyes and his every request would be granted.

I'm going to have to stay very far away from those eyes.

Matt stumbles back and ends up laying on the hood of Pete's car. Seconds later he turns his head to the side and pukes all over the paint job Pete had been freaking out about.

"What the fuck!" Pete is screaming at Matt. Jeff is still off with the girl who dragged him away. I just want to get out of here. Matt needs to put down the beer and sleep it off.

I reach for the arm furthest from the puke and pull Matt off of Pete's car. "Come on, dude. I'll take you home."

I have no idea how I'm going to get him home but there is no way I'm letting him drive, obviously. I glance around again, looking for Jeff. He's nowhere to be found.

"Where is your car?" I ask Matt hoping he's coherent enough to at least point me in the right direction. But he just shrugs. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Jeff. It goes straight to voicemail which seems stupid since he was all over me about keeping in touch with him tonight if we got separated.

It's time to take matters into my own hands. I reach into Matt's pockets, causing him to laugh.

"Oh yeah, baby. You know what I like."

"Shut up." I search pockets until I find his keys. Looking down I groan. He drives an Audi. The guy is definitely from North Fallbrook. Rich. The people in his neighborhood have a reputation for being privileged assholes.

I hit the alarm button and look for the flashing lights and signal on his car. I see it on the edge of the circle of cars with a blonde girl reclined on the hood. I drag Matt over to his car and glare at the girl. For all I know she's his girlfriend, although we all watched as the other girl left him here so that can't be true.

Or maybe he was playing both of them...

"Hey," I call for her attention. "Get up. He's leaving."

The girl snaps her gaze at me. "Who are you?" She's glaring then looks over at Matt. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's drunk. Puking all over Pete's car and I have no idea if there's more coming. Time to get him home."

At the mention of the puking, the girl makes a face and slides off of the car. "No thanks. He's all yours tonight. Tell him to give Courtney a call when he sobers up."

I scoff. "Yeah, sure thing." As soon as she's gone, I put him in the back seat. If he pukes again at least it won't be on me. I slide into the driver's seat and take a minute to just enjoy the car.

"Dang, this is a nice ride."

"I've got something you can ride." Matt's slurring is barely audible, but I can make out his come on.

"I don't think that's possible in your state, dude." Then I start up the motor and gun the car out of the lot. I'll text Jeff some story about catching a ride home with a cheerleader and give him a guilt trip about disappearing on me.

"Where do you live?" I glance in the rearview mirror to see Matt totally passed out. Perfect. Looks like I'm taking him to my place after all.

***

I wake up far too early. My back aches from trying to keep my distance from Matt all night. I snuck him into my room knowing that by the time we woke up, my parents and little sister would be at Aunt Jessica's house for the monthly Saturday family breakfast. I had already begged off this month because I have a huge essay due on Monday and I need all of the quiet I can get if I want to finish on time.

I turn over toward Matt. I open my eyes to find the guy looking back at me. He's already sitting up on the edge of the bed. He's just in boxers after I wrestled his puke infused clothes off of him and threw them in the laundry. Now I have the awesome choice of looking into his hypnotic blue eyes or directly at the freaking six pack of abs I hadn't noticed last night. Am I blind?

I choose the eyes. Which are bloodshot so at least they've lost some of their potency.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?" I ask. I was worried that he'd be sick again in the night.

"Um...good? I guess." Matt runs his hand through his hair, which is probably tangled and might even have some puke still in it.

Ugh, it's too early for this.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" I sit up and look at him straight on. He's uncomfortable and for some strange reason that makes me happy.

"Not really."

"What do you remember?"

"I remember drinking, a lot. I remember being asked where Amber had gone. That's about it."

I take a deep breath and release it. This should be interesting.

"Hmm...so, not much then."

Matt just groans. I know he has a string of expletives just waiting to get out.

"So what is your name? And what should I know?" He's a little demanding for a guy who got wasted and woke up in a stranger's house.

Although that is a good reason to make some demands...

"Well, first of all," I start to get up then remember I'm in the only pajamas I had clean. Skimpy stuff that I would never wear in front of anyone else, but I put it on thinking I would more than likely wake up before him. Too late to do anything about it now, so I just pretend it's no big deal.

"I'm Hannah, Jeff's cousin. He invited me to the Lot last night."

A strange sense of relief washes over him for a half second. It's replaced by another hesitant look as he asks his next questions.

"Did we..." He doesn't bother to finish the question, but I know what he's talking about. I want to mess with him, but I really shouldn't.

"No," I smirk, "you were really drunk so you couldn't exactly...you know."

"Okay, what else?" He doesn't look relieved. In fact, he looks like he might puke. Again. Jeez this guy...

"Well, you were chugging a beer when you saw me standing a few feet away. You pointed at me and smirked, mumbling something I couldn't understand." I laugh. Yes, at him. "You were so plastered! You walked over to me, or stumbled really, and threw an arm around my shoulder. Then you shouted in my ear, but I think you were trying to whisper, 'You're fucking hot. Take me to your place.' And then you threw up on Pete's car."

Matt leans over onto his knees, covers his face and groans.

"Hey," I move to sit next to him and put my hand on his shoulder. Poor guy had a rough night all the way around. "It wasn't that bad. I mean, who wouldn't have been messed up by the way she just left. I get it. You're into her, and she brushed you off."

He groans again, as if my words just made him feel worse. Maybe I should mess with him a little. Not every guy appreciates sympathy. Some of them prefer to be roasted.

"But, you're too hot to worry about it this much. Someone will fill that spot soon. Hey, if you hadn't been so drunk, it could have been me last night." I laugh again. I'm such a bitch.

Matt looks up at me and stares, mouth open. Then he squints at me like he's trying to decide if I'd have been worth the trouble. I was right about guys in his neighborhood. Ass. But I guess I asked for it by messing with him.

"Whoa..." I put my hands up, "I was totally kidding with the 'hot' comment. And about it being me. I'm not that kind of girl. Note to self, don't use sarcasm when the dude is hungover..."

"Damn," he says.

"Sorry. I shouldn't kick a guy when he's down." I let the apology sit for a second. I shouldn't treat him this way, especially after his heart was pulverized by that girl last night.

"Listen," I start again, " I could tell you were on the road to destruction. Jeff had gone off with some cheer floozy and Pete was too pissed about his car. I didn't want you to do something you'd regret so I brought you here. Oh, by the way, your car is so fun to drive!"

Matt's eyes light up, but with anger this time.

I look at him hard. What choice did I have? I was trying to help him out!

"Well it was either leave it at the Lot, or I drive it here. Which was worse?"

"You've got a point." He shrugs

"You bet I do! So, anyway, you tried to kiss me, but I pushed you onto the bed because you couldn't stand up straight. Then you basically passed out. So, I took off your clothes and washed them to get the puke out. And that's it." I cross my arms over my chest then wink at him. "Good morning."

Matt finally laughs a little. Then he sighs like the weight of the world just fell on him.

"You know, I kind of have a reputation," he says. "Anyone who saw us leave together is going to assume things. And that rumor will spread."

"And what are you going to do about that?" I make sure my words are sharp because this guy better step up and be a man after the way I helped him out.

"What do you mean?"

Seriously? I have to explain this to him? Fine.

"Well, what kind of guy are you? The kind who defends a girls honor, or the kind that needs the fist pumps and the 'we're not worthy's?'" I hate bro's before ho's mentality and this reaction from Matt is directly in line with that thinking. Protect the girl's reputation!

I stand up and put my hands on my hips. "Well?"

"I guess you're about to find out. Now where the hell are my clothes so I can get out of here." Matt gets up and glares at me, his arms crossed.

"Yup. You are kind of a dick. Good luck with all that," I huff and stomp out of the room.

When I stomp back in a minute later with his clothes, I throw them in his face. "While you're driving home, alive and in one piece, in your unscathed car, without having contracted some sexually transmitted disease, just remember the reason why. ME!" I turn to leave and lock myself in the bathroom. Matt can figure out how to get out of here on his own.

He's back!! Matt, the man you love to hate. More will be coming soon so stick around for the best bad boy black heart to gold story on Wattpad. This story introduces you to Fallbrook Hills, which is now the Universe that all of the series will exist in. It's angsty, dramatic and full of romance 💕

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