Nothing Good Happens After Midnight—Ever-Jenna
“WHAT the hell do you mean by that?” I was pissed. Why the hell did he not want me going to a party?
“Look, you’re drunk, and they’re assholes there.” He ran his hands through his hair, exposing skin between his shirt and waistband. I absentmindedly licked my lips, but he spoke again. Then I remembered I was pissed. “I’m worried about you.”
I scoffed. “Don’t be worried. That’s stupid. I know some of the guys there. Evan is Kennedy’s cousin. We’ll be fine.”
“You can’t trust all those guys.” His eyes were intense and filled with anger. After seeing him in a towel earlier, it was hard to ignore my lady parts around him.
“What do you think is going to happen? I’m just going with my girls to dance and probably play beer pong again.”
“I just…feel responsible. You drank at my house. I should make sure you’re safe.”
I responded with an eye roll. “That’s ridiculous. Don’t be overbearing. We’ll be fine.”
“Text me when you get home, all right?”
“Sure, but remember not all frat guys are assholes. I’ll be fine. I gotta go.”
“Shit. Okay, just promise me you’ll be safe.”
“Always am.” I patted his arm as I walked by, and I heard him suck in a breath of frustration. He was freaking nuts.
I met my friends on the sidewalk, and we began walking toward the Delt house.
“They were entertaining. We’re hanging out with them again,” Maya said cheerily. She waggled her eyebrows at me suggestively. “You and Aiden are totally going to hook up.”
“He wouldn’t stop staring at you the whole time, J. It was intense,” Kennedy added in a whisper.
I shook them off. “No, he’s just really overbearing. He asked me not to head to the Delt house tonight because he’s worried. He’s a mother hen.”
“No, he’s jealous,” Maya said smugly.
“No.” I refused to think along those lines. “Let’s drop it. This walk is going to kill my buzz.”
“Wanna bet me five dollars I can hop the fire hydrant?” Maya egged us on. Drunk Maya liked dares and challenges. Drunk Jenna liked betting money. It was a win-win.
“Five dollars. You do it in the heels, I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow,” I taunted. “If you don’t, you clean the bathroom.”
“You’re on.” She took a deep breath and counted to ten. She ran to jump over the hydrant and landed it perfectly…until she fell flat on her ass.
I burst out laughing, and we jogged over. Ken held her stomach as she laughed so hard she cried.
Maya sat there exposing her ass to the world and pouting. “That hurt.”
“Your pride and ass.” I helped her up and wiped away some tears.
“I call it a tie. She did land it, but then she busted her ass,” Kennedy said as we continued our walk to the house.
“I’m okay with that. Maybe next time, Maya.” I smacked her ass, and she flinched.
“Damn. Hate myself right now,” she said under her breath, and I chuckled again.
* * * *
“My favorite ladies! How are we doing?” Kennedy’s cousin Evan greeted us as we walked into their house ten uneventful minutes later. Kennedy hugged him, and he kissed her on the cheek before giving us all hugs.
“Looking fresh, E.” I gave him a wink and threw up some random hand gestures, making him laugh.
“Jenna!”
He guided Kennedy through the foyer.
I heard some music playing and couldn’t stop myself from grinding my hips as we zigzagged through the crowd. As soon as we entered the kitchen, Maya and I were handed a cup filled with red liquid. It tasted fine. Of course we drank it. It wasn’t my first experience with jungle juice, and I wasn’t going to back down from free drinks.
Maya and I were talking to some of Evan’s brothers when a group of girls walked up, looking ready to fight. I could be rambunctious when I drank, and incited by their facial expressions, I planned to dominate whatever they planned to dish at us.
“So you’re Aiden’s new toy?” the tall blonde snapped through perfect teeth and lipstick.
“Uh, excuse me? Toy? No.” What the hell? My defenses were on high alert—well, as high as they could be in my drunken state. Barbie wanted to play. All right. Bring it.
“It’s rumored he was hooking up with some trashy bartender. Just wanted to warn you. He’ll never actually want trailer ‘trash’ like you. Ever.” She literally did air quotes around the word trash. What a twat.
“Thanks for the ‘warning’.” Might have been childish, but I did air quotes back. “I’ll try to remember that. But next time I hang out with him, I’ll have to refresh his memory of the wannabe Barbie his dick accidently fell in.” I made a face at her, and her expression contorted even more.
“Fuck off, you little bitch. You aren’t his type. Don’t even try. You’ll just embarrass yourself.” She then accidentally on purpose spilled her beer on my tank.
“What the hell?” I felt like I was on a reality TV show. Being drunk and wobbly didn’t help either.
Before I could do anything, one of Evan’s frat brothers I knew pretty well stepped in front of me and spoke firmly. “Bri, you need to leave. Now. Don’t come in here and start shit for no reason.” He turned around and spoke more softly. “You all right, Jenna?”
“Yeah, thanks, Alex. Just pissed about my shirt. I need to take it off.” Her words were on a constant loop in my head. What did she mean not his type? Why did I care? Ugh. Goddamn Aiden.
“Come on. Follow me. You’re not taking clothes off in front of these assholes. We’ll find something in my room.”
I followed him toward the back.
Maya stopped me, fuming. “Who was that bitch?”
“No idea. Never seen her before. Just decided to stake her claim on Aiden, which is fine by me. I’m going to get another shirt from Alex so I don’t have to wear this shit.” I gestured toward my now soaked tank. I was wearing a bandeau, thank goodness, or I would’ve been screwed.
In his room, Alex handed me a cut-off workout shirt which kinda made me look like a tomboy trying to be cute. “Sorry, this is really all I have that’ll fit you. You’re small.”
“No, this is fine. I appreciate it. Mucho. I owe you.”
“Well, there is something…” He paused, unsure of himself.
“Name it.”
He looked nervous, and I was instantly intrigued.
“Could you talk to Maya maybe…about me? I’d love to take her out, but every time I ask her, she thinks I’m joking. I don’t know how to make her realize I’m serious.”
“Maya’s a piece of work. I’ll do some investigating and get the fo’-one-one. Da info. Dem digits.” I burst out laughing at my own joke, and he rolled his eyes with an easy smile.
“You need some water. If you even remember this conversation tomorrow, I’ll wait to get the dirt.”
“Yeah, agua is a good idea.”
I slowly stumbled back to the kitchen to talk with Kennedy and Garret. Odd, I didn’t remember Garret being there earlier. I took a big swig of water and spotted Maya talking to a couple guys wearing deep V-necks. “Who thinks wearing V-necks that deep is sexy? They just remind me of Andy Samberg from a SNL skit.”
“You’re right. Don’t kill her moment, though,” Kennedy said. Her face was flushed, and she seemed happy Garret was there.
“Some guys you just know are tools,” I muttered to myself.
“Seriously. Drunk Jenna is the best.” Garret joked with me, and I attempted to give him a cocky smile, but I was sure it ended up looking like I’d choked on my tongue. I wanted to ask why the hell he was here instead of with his “date,” but Kennedy was giving me the back-off glare.
I grabbed Kennedy’s hand, and Maya joined us walking toward the gross frat basement where the music blared. Someone came up behind me and start grinding. He had good rhythm, and Maya gave me a big, goofy smile, so I knew he wasn’t a total creeper.
My mysterious dancer had good moves, and drunk Jenna liked to get down and dirty on the dance floor. He might’ve had a case of wandering hands, but hell, I was single and he was a decent dancer.
After a couple songs, I was sweating and needed a breather. As soon as I looked up, I saw a pair of pissed-off gray eyes glaring at me from the bottom of the stairs. He met me halfway, and put his arm around my waist to yank me toward a private corner.
“What the hell, Aiden?” I yelled through gritted teeth. “You have no right to jerk me around like that.”
He didn’t look embarrassed or ashamed at all. It pissed me off more. He wasn’t some barbarian who could just manhandle me.
He bent low enough that his mouth was near my ear and said, “I texted you multiple times, and you never responded. I was worried.”
“Who cares? Why would you be worried? Why would that make you think coming here was the best decision? I’m here with friends. Why do you look so good in a towel? I’m confused! Ugh!” I threw my hands up in the air dramatically. My word vomit was out of control.
“You got drunk at my place, and I felt responsible. I know frat guys, and I didn’t want you to get into a bad situation. You didn’t answer your phone. I was worried. It’s been over three hours without a response.” He still looked pissed, and boy, the man wore anger well. I was slightly turned on by how his gaze roamed my body in a possessive manner. “And as soon as I walk in, I see some creep groping you.” He looked down at my clothes. “Whose shirt is that?”
“Funny you should ask. It’s my friend Alex’s.”
“Are you sleeping with him?” His jaw tensed, and his hand bunched in a fist at his side. I didn’t understand why he was acting like this.
“Jesus. Boundaries, Aiden. You need to learn them. You can’t just ask people things like that, but no, I am not sleeping with him. He’s a friend.”
“Why are you wearing his shirt?”
“Uhh, because your good friend Bri decided to warn me away from you and accidently spilled beer down my shirt. So…I wasn’t going to spend the night in a wet tank.” I shrugged.
“Shit!” He dragged his hand through his hair, his jaw still tensed, making his face appear even more dangerous. “Look, I’m sorry. She won’t bother you again.”
“If she does, then I’ll beat her ass! I know I’m not your type, but she made it clear you were hers. I have no plans to try and get in her way.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Are you always so audacious?”
“You know it, baby.” I was beginning to feel sick and knew I needed to get out of there. I looked around and didn’t see Maya or Kennedy anywhere. “Ah, jungle juice is not feeling hot right now.”
He took my arm, gently this time. “I’m walking you home. Please don’t argue. I feel bad enough you got drunk with me and then had beer thrown on you.”
I nodded. “Probably a good idea. I need to go, and my ladies need to stay to pick up some hot guys. Let me just…find them and tell them.”
“Don’t worry about it. Here, put my shirt on. It’s cooled off out there with the rain. I’ll find them and let them know.”
I didn’t fight him at all. Bed sounded amazing. I pulled on the plaid shirt and soon saw him walking back toward me.
“I told them you were about to pass out, and I needed to take you home.” He growled. “Your friend Alex offered up his bed, but I told him to fuck off. You may have to deal with him tomorrow.”
I didn’t really hear the way he sneered Alex’s name or feel the way he put his arm around me as we began the walk home.
“I would love to make beer. How fucking cool? Like, to have your own supplies.”
“I could see you making your own beer sometime. What’s your favorite kind?” he asked, keeping the conversation going.
“I think a lager, but sometimes I like a nice dark ale. Working in a bar has really helped me figure out my favorites. I hate Hefeweizens. I think they taste like earwax.”
Aiden made a face. “Earwax? Really? Haven’t heard that one before.”
“Oh shit!” I stumbled on the curb and fell to my knees. “Damn feet feel huge. Ouch.”
“You’re a mess right now. Want a piggyback ride?”
“This is too flirty for me. You’re flirting.” Yeah, I had no filter whatsoever.
“I’m really not. You’re drunk, stumbling, and your legs are short. This’ll quicken the pace.”
“I’m not sleeping with you. Nope. I won’t do it. Even though you probably know a lot of tricks.” My verbal diarrhea was past the point of being stopped.
He chuckled lightly, but I was for sure going to get sick soon. “Okay, maybe a ride would be better. I may be sick.”
“Hop on, shorty.” He turned and helped me onto his back. Then he added, “Don’t you puke on me.”
It wasn’t that long of a walk, but I enjoyed breathing in his masculine scent and how safe I felt with him. “You’re not so bad, you know? Even though you wear V-necks, you’re not a tool.”