PART TWENTY | TED THE ASSHOLE

I tend to forget and forgive easily. Let bygones be bygones.

I decided to go to the party, hoping Jeremy would be there. It is in full swing when Julia and I arrive. Music blasting from every corner of the house like a cacophony. Teenagers are nearly sober; red eyes and limp walks. It has been one hour and a half since I texted Julia to pick me up. She ends up giving me hour-long relationship advice. Telling me to apologize and fix things up with him.

It is Clayton Adams' garden we step inside. A boy with reddened-cheeks is urinating a rose bush that Mrs. Adams grows with tenderness every day. Red paper cups are cluttering the exquisite garden. Mocking a work of a professional gardener the family hired.

Inside the house, it provides a free nightclub experience apart from threatening bodyguards on the front door. Instead, a sloshed boy and girl eating each other's face. Sweaty teenagers are bopping to Panic! At the Disco on the dance floor.

Spotting Candice's blond hair pops out from the couch on the corner of the room, Julia and I saunter in her direction. She is not alone. There sitting the boy who asked her to join the band. Being Candice, she squeezes us into a tight hug. "My pretty friends," she exclaims. "What took you so long, Juls?"

"TJ is being a total nincompoop."

I roll my eyes at her remarks. Candice uncrosses her legs and shifts on the couch. "What? Refuses to come at the last minute?" She asks with a smug grin.

Sighing hard, I say, "No, I'm not gonna bail out, Candice. You should've known me better."

Candice cackles and introduces her companion as Saint-the-bandmate. She tells me that she likes my dress. Actually, it is just a simple grey dress I bought with Emily last summer. It falls on my midthigh and clings to my body. Oscar shows me his disapproval look when I leave the house. The front cut is too low for his liking.

Miko is not coming to the party tonight. She is off with the mathlete boy she has been clinging for weeks. And he isn't really fond of partying. I am not against his hatred of a disastrous high school party.

Julia drags me to the dance floor when Hey Look Ma, I Made It! is pounding in the room. We sway our hips together to the music. At least, the party comes up with a good song to dance. The room temperature is rocketing as we bop. Sweat trickles down my neck. Panting hard, I say, "I need a drink."

"I'll come with you," Julia says. We wander to the nearby table full of beer. I grab a cold beer on a bucket and pour the liquid into a paper cup. The beer is cold, but the cup remains at room temperature. It tastes like a distilled vomitus. I sweep the beer away from my lips with the back of my hand.

"How does it taste?" Julia asks.

"Horrible," I say with a chuckle. She laughs uproariously and swigs her beer. Julia shifts her gaze from my face to something behind me. Following her gaze, I meet a slender body of Amy's, and Monica walks beside her with a phone in her hand.

"Well, look who's here," Amy says. An acid smile on her smudged face.

Monica says, "Oh, didn't know you'd come, Tara." There is no malice in her voice, on the contrary, she smiles sweetly at me.

"Hello, Strangers," I reply nonchalantly.

"Where are the boys?" Amy asks no one in particular, referring to the football players. Including Jeremy. True, I couldn't spot them at the party. Even Clayton as the host. "Jeremy told me he'd come. He won't lie to me." Amy often tells an intimate conversation between her and Jeremy. As in showing people they have a seemingly close relationship.

"I'll call Clayton," Monica says. They have been dating for almost two years. Miko told me that the couple often had a dramatic fight at the cafeteria then acting all sweet the next day. It's an on-off relationship that everyone already knows.

Clayton shows up fifteen minutes later with Lux and Jeremy walk behind him. Jeremy wears a letterman jacket, accentuating his social status as a jock in the after match party. He stops talking to Lux when he sees me in the crowd. Eyes widen slightly, but his mouth remains shut.

Amy is the first person who greets him with a disgusting hey, which he ignores. Jeremy leans on the table, facing me. I should have said something but all of sudden my tongue gets tight. I notice there is an unfamiliar boy who comes with them. He looks like a college boy. A cigarette slips between his lips, moving as he talks. "Where's Gwendoline?"

"Dude, she's out," Lux answers him. Darting his eyes on me, he says, "This is Tara-Jane. The new captain, Ted."

Ted looks up and down my body while dragging his cigarette. He even stares longer on my breast. "Danielle always picks the prettiest girl on the team," he says. Everyone is giggling but I don't know what the funny thing is. I feel his glare peels my grey dress, boring into my skin.

Jeremy's expression turns acid. Amy leans into him and whispers something then laughs. But Jeremy tilts his head slightly, avoiding her breath to touch his neck. "Are you a senior? Never saw you around before," Ted says.

I shake my head and answer, "No. I'm a freshman."

"Damn. Your voice is so angelic. I wonder how it sounds when you moan my name." I bite my cheek to hold my anger. His words are disrespectful. Everyone is laughing, but I don't find it amusing. I glance at Julia beside me. Her hands curl into a fist. I know she has been sensing my uneasiness.

"Come dance with me, baby." He slings his long arm on my shoulder.

I try to escape but he tightens his grip on my shoulder. "No, I don't want to," I say.

"Oh, come on. Gwendoline never refuses me," he says with a disgusting smug grin. Suddenly, his hand slips down to my chest and pinches my right breast.

I push him hard, making him stagger backward. Amy and Clayton think it's funny so they laugh. And so does Ted. "Nice tits," he says. It doesn't sound like a compliment to my ears. Without my knowing my hand is already flying to his right cheek. I slap him hard and turn away.

The pain on my right breast is nothing compared to my shattering dignity. Tears form on the brim of my eyes. I walk faster to the front door, past the drunken teenagers. I hear Julia yells behind me and her footsteps are following me to the exit. The cold night breeze welcomes me once I am outside. I couldn't hold the tears anymore, leaning my back to the wall and sobbing.

"Tara." Julia halts beside me. I look up at her and hug her tight. Jeremy opens the door with a loud thud. His face and knuckles are turning red. Amy and Clayton also come out. It is embarrassing to cry in front of everyone and the thought just makes me cry harder.

"Tara, it's okay. It's alright. I'm here." Julia strokes my back, calming me.

"Hey, Tara. I'm sorry, Ted is joking," Clayton says.

"Yeah, it's a joke. Everyone is laughing. It's a funny thing. Don't be so serious about it," Amy adds.

Jeremy laughs bitterly, "It's just you who laughs. Why don't you fuck off?"

Amy's eyes widen in shock to hear Jeremy's words. Then she stomps inside after giving me a dirty look. Jeremy stands in front of me. His hand extends to touch my arm. "I'll drive you home, okay?"

I nod. "Thank you, Juls," I say to Julia. Then I look at Clayton. "Thanks, Clayton."

He nods. "I'm so sorry about it, Tara."

I walk with Jeremy to his car in silence. Jeremy drives slowly. The car is surrounded by silence and darkness. He doesn't bother to turn on the radio. Street lights illuminate his face, emphasizing the sharp jawline and plump lips.

"How d'ya feel?" He asks.

"It hurts," I say in a low voice, barely audible. Jeremy reaches my hand on my lap and squeezes it lightly.

"I'm sorry," he says. I look down to his large hand, the red knuckles are visible. "Do you wanna stop by at my place? You know... If you want to," Jeremy adds.

"How about Diane?" I ask. It must be almost midnight; not an appropriate hour to visit someone's house.

"S'okay. She is probably fast asleep." Shifting his eyes from the road to me, he says, "she is pretty cool about it anyway."

"She is an amazing aunt," I say.

Jeremy giggles, "Yeah. No doubt."

We stay silent until Jeremy pulls the break, indicating we are on his driveway. The house is already dark. There is no sign of Diane. She is already fast asleep as Jeremy told me. However, Jeremy and I tiptoe to his bedroom, not wanting to wake her.

Jeremy opens his bedroom door. It is totally dark before he turns on the lamp, showing a neatly made bed, his typical cinnamon and cherry scent hits the nose. The Archies' record is placed on the gramophone.

"Can I play it?" I ask, standing in front of the shelf.

Jeremy is sitting on his bed, taking off his sneakers. "Sure, Honeysuckle. Do whatever you want," he says without breaking eye contact. I turn around, setting up the gramophone and also hiding my flushed cheeks. I could sense his gaze bores into my back, sending goosebumps through my body.

I bite my bottom lip, trying to concentrate on the gramophone. Pressing the on/off button but it doesn't work. I recall all the things Jeremy taught me before, it is all set.

I hear a creaking sound from behind me, Jeremy gets up from the bed. His footsteps are slow and captivating. My heart beats faster as he steps closer. I am well aware that he is standing so close. He outstretches his hands, brushing my waist on purpose in the process, and traps me between his body and the solid surface of the shelf.

Jeremy leans in. "The volume," he whispers. His voice is deeper than usual, and the accent is thickening. The warm breath tickles my neck as he speaks, making me shudders.

"What?"

Jeremy stares at me with an amused smile on his face. He places his left hand on my bare arm, moving it up and down slowly, probably noticing my goosebumps, then says, "The volume. Turn it up, Honey."

"Oh," I say. I clear my throat and reach for the volume, turning it up. Finally, the music is blasting on the room.

Jeremy lowers his head and plants a wet kiss on my bare shoulder. "Perfect," he says, smirking against my skin.

***
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