It Could Be More | ✔

15. The One

When Maverick came looking for me, I wasn't going to be found in the same spot, like the introvert I truly was. I went inside for more soda, and to maybe not appear like a total loser by talking to some people. Maverick finding me laughing it up with his friends was a much better image than me waiting for him like a loner.

There was only one orange soda left in the box and I gladly snatched it up. That time, I drank straight from the can. I wasn't going back to the garage for ice and a contact high.

"Cake hater!" I turned, finding Emily (no under eye mole). She had a napkin of cookies in her hands. They looked homemade and delicious. My stomach growled.

"Hey. Where'd you get those?"

She pointed to the counter behind her. "Blue tin are the special cookies. Red tin is normal." She paused, tapping her chin. "Or is blue is normal and red is special?" Her dark eyes bounced between the tins. She giggled. "Shit. This is like Alice in Wonderland."

Oh, that girl was gone. "Which tin have you been eating from?"

Her eyes narrowed at me. I thought she was going to be offended. Instead, she doubled over with laughter. "Which tin have you been eating from?" She said, imitating what I guessed she thought I sounded like. "That was funny. Oh my God!"

I nodded and backed away. Not that she noticed as she stopped some girl to tell her the joke. I wandered aimlessly around the party, trying to feel like I belonged even though I felt in my bones that I didn't. I blamed my lack of party experience on Gray, but I was more than happy being home in my bed.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It wasn't a message, just a reminder that my phone had five percent left. How could I forget to charge it before leaving the house? Before my phone screen faded to black, I caught a glimpse of my wallpaper, a picture from Halloween. It was one Corey took of me giving a skeleton a kiss on the cheek. It'd been two weeks and that night still lived rent free in my head.

When the screen shut off, my reflection smiled up at me. I touched my face like I thought the smile was some trick of the light. It wasn't. That night was amazing. Thinking about it made the packed room a little less suffocating.

Hugging the wall, I sipped my soda as I watched my peers enjoy themselves. It reminded me of that first party I'd gone to last month. The gross beer. Falling through the floor of a tree house. Corey catching me before I broke my neck.

"Hey."

I startled at Maverick suddenly standing in front of me. My heart jumped like I'd been caught doing something wrong.

Maverick didn't notice as his arms easily slipping around my waist, pulling me from the wall. The thrumming in my chest calmed when he smiled down at me. I was there with Maverick. Why was I even thinking about my brother's friend?

I sat my soda can on a nearby table and wrapped my arms around his neck. We fell into a natural rhythm, swaying back and forth to some mumble rapper. It was silly. The lone couple slow dancing in the middle of a mob of people grinding on each other.

"I've been thinking," he said, a lazy smile on his face.

"About?"

"Challenging your brother to a duel."

I snorted. "What?"

"Nah, I'm serious," He insisted. "I'll slap him with a glove, assert my dominance."

"I would pay to see that."

His dimple was back. "Call him. Let's set it up."

I laughed again. "My phone's dead." Also, I wasn't bringing Gray into this. There was a sixty percent chance he'd actually drive up here to drag me out of this party.