Taking Chances

Chapter Three

By the time Lizzie and I find a parking place on the infinitely crowded street, the party is already in full swing.  The house is crowded to say the least.  The living room is packed with sweaty bodies dancing to some rap song, and all of the body heat made the room feel like a sauna. I spot a group of people playing beer pong on one of the tables in the kitchen, and a couple making out against the wall.  

"Pretty nice turn out, right?"  I hear someone behind me ask.

Lizzie and I turn and see Sarah Conner, the hostess of the party.  

"Yeah, it's crazy!"  Lizzie shouts over the music.

"Both of you look great!  Please, get a drink and enjoy!  My parents are out of town and I paid off the neighbors, so don't worry about a thing,"  and with that, Sarah left us.

"Hottie at two o' clock," I hear Lizzie say beside me.

I turn my head to see who she was talking about, and sure enough, a very attractive guy was looking in my direction.  His blonde hair is buzzed, military style.  He is talking to another guy, who wasn't nearly as attractive, and seemed barely interested in the conversation.  

I raise my eyebrows and nod at Lizzie, letting her know that I approve.

Lizzie curses.  "He's coming over here, stay cool."

I roll my eyes, but I feel a bit of panic rise up in me.  Stay cool, I remind myself.

"Do either of you lovely ladies want a drink?"  He asks, leaning in close so we can hear him.

Lizzie looks at me, then smiles.  "Go ahead, I'll drive."

I turn to him and nod.  "Yes, thank you."

He smiles a dazzling white smile, and heads for the kitchen.

"Oh my God, he is so cute," Lizzie groans.  "He is into you."

"I hope so," I tease her.  I can tell she likes him too.

He returns, and Lizzie must have taken that as her cue to leave, because she weaves through the mass of bodies in the living room and disappears.  "I'm Derek, by he way," he says, leaning close again.

"I'm Maria," I tell him.



One hour, three drinks, and too many bad rap songs later, me and Derek are still talking.  I find myself really liking him.  Even though we just met, I know a lot about him.  He goes to a different local high school, is one year older than me, plays football, makes decent grades, reads a lot of books, he loves Mexican food and wants to be a physical trainer when he finishes college.  

I ask how many siblings he has and he tells me he has one younger brother.

"Lucky," I tell him, "I have three younger siblings."

"So you're the oldest in your family too!"  His face is turning slightly pink from his drink, and I know mine is too.

I giggle.

"You're cute when you laugh," he smiles at me and I blush.  

"You're cute when you smile," I tell him.  

He leans in, and I close my eyes, thinking he's going to kiss me, but instead he just rests his head on my shoulder.  "Do you want another drink?  I think I want another one," he slurs a bit.  

"I think I'm good, I think you're good too," I say.  

He shakes his head.  "Nope, I want another drink, be right back," he places a small kiss on my neck and heads to the kitchen.

The couch across the room is empty, so I sit down on it, needing a little break.  I take the last sip of my drink, and cringe because it's warm.  About ten minutes later, I feel the couch shift down, and I turn, expecting to see Derek.  Instead I see the familiar face of Jay Walters.  His dark hair falls just above his bright blue eyes.  His skin tight black shirt shows off his toned torso and arms, even when he's sitting down.  

Jay was....well to put it simply, the hottest guy I have probably ever seen.  But, he was also one of the biggest a*sholes I had ever met.  So, I don't acknowledge his presence, I just scoot farther away.

"Were you talking to that Derek guy?"  His voice startles me.  It's a bit deeper than I remember it being, but then again I hadn't talked to him in over a year.  

"I don't think that's any of your business," I snap.

He shrugs, takes a long drink.  "I wouldn't trust him, he's an a*s."

"And you're not?"  I challenge.

"Just thought you would want to know he's hooking up with your best friend in one of the bedrooms upstairs," he stands.

What?  "What?"

"I told you he was an ass," he says like it's no big deal.  "I'm going to head to the back yard and get some air, care to join?"

I shake my head no, still trying to decipher if I should trust him or not.  

"After you go and see your friend and dearest Derek making out upstairs, you'll probably want some fresh air and a shoulder to cry on.  You know where to find me," he saunters away, tossing his empty cup onto the ground and grabbing a fresh one on his way out the back door.  

I wait until I see him leave, and then head up the stairs.

It's probably nothing, I tell myself.  Jay is probably lying.

Oh, I hope so.