Knowing You

Chapter 2 - So You're Scott's Girl

As we pull up to the house, I can already hear the dull thump of music coming from inside.

By this point, all that confidence from earlier has pretty much worn off, and I'm starting to second guess this whole thing.

What the heck was I thinking? I turned down a night in with my boyfriend for this?

Am I insane??

I glance out the car window to get a good look at the house. It's big and modern, and I'm instantly reminded that not everyone who goes to Northwest Academy is a scholarship kid like me.

Some of these kids are seriously loaded.

Through the dimly lit windows that face the street, I can already see that the place is filled with people. On the bright side, I don't see anyone passed out on the well-manicured lawn yet, so I guess that's a good sign.

Still, anxiety creeps up on me as Hunter brings the car to a stop next to the curb.

"So you're sure this is for my own good, right?" I ask, unbuckling my seatbelt. "You're not just making me do this because you miss your wild rockstar lifestyle from before we started going out?"

I'm only joking, but he looks at me with all seriousness.

"Trust me, Mia, I don't miss a single thing about my life from before we started going out," Hunter says. "And honestly, I don't care if I never go to another party again, but I want you to feel comfortable in your own skin, and if going to this dumb high school party can make that happen, then that's what we're going to do."

I nod and take a deep breath before getting out of the car, and as we walk towards the front door, I try to hide my nerves as well as I can.

I know Hunter senses my discomfort when he reaches over and laces his fingers with mine. He brings my hand to his lips and places a quick kiss there before giving my hand a squeeze.

It's a silent promise. I've got you, he's telling me. The action instantly relaxes me, and I give him a grateful smile in return.

When we finally walk through the front door and into the house, it's not at all like what I was expecting.

I mean, yes, the music's still loud enough to piss off anyone within a two mile radius, and yes, there are still some people well on their way to getting wasted, but it's nothing like the party we went to earlier this summer.

As usual, Hunter was right. The atmosphere here is completely different.

The vibe is a lot calmer, the space is far less crowded, and all the people here are definitely our age.

Of course, the sheer number of people in the room is still enough to make me at least a little uncomfortable, but I push the feeling down and follow Hunter farther into the house.

I'm doing this for him, so he'll know that I'm okay, and if I have to ignore every socially awkward instinct I have, we're going to have fun tonight and kick off our senior year right.

Once we've reached a less crowded area, Hunter pauses and glances back at me, and the look on his face tells me that my acting isn't nearly as convincing as I think it is.

He leans in to me. "You okay?" he asks.

I nod and wave him off with a hand. "Yeah, I'm fine," I reply. "We should probably go find our friends though, right?"

"Yeah, definitely," Hunter replies, "but first..." He glances around, and I see his eyes land on something across the room. A smile starts to form at the corner of his lips. "Dance with me," he says.