Take the Risk

“Come on, Kara.” My friend Layla slurred to me, fanning my face with her alcoholic breath. I groaned as I swung her limp arm over my shoulder. Layla leaned on me heavily for support and I tried my best to keep both of us from toppling over. We’d been here for barely an hour and she was already wasted. I made my way through the large house that reeked of booze and cologne. The strong scent tickled my nose.

“Where’s Jess?” I asked my drunk friend, which felt like I was talking to a wall. Layla took a moment to adjust her shiny, green skirt. Her long blonde locks were still perfectly curled and I moved them behind her so they weren’t sticking to her pink face. Even though fall was upon us, the house was warm and humid.

“Over there,” She stretched out a slender finger and pointed in the direction of a small crowd of people who were dancing wildly. Everyone looked sweaty and my nose automatically scrunched up in disgust. I didn’t want to go anywhere near anyone that was all sticky and sweaty.

“I’ll take care of her.” Milo, a chiseled football player, and Layla’s boyfriend, showed up. They’ve been dating since sophomore year. He quickly brushed his sandy brown hair back before coming closer and began pulling her weight off of me.

“Oh, thank God.” I carefully removed her from my shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. Layla squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend who chuckled in response.

“Go have fun, Kara.” Milo smiled at me and I did my best to return it. I was feeling extremely antisocial tonight. It’s not that I was feeling shy, or felt awkward around people, I just had a few select friends I wanted to surround myself with for the time being. My heart was in a heavy place and I wanted to heal it.

“Kara!” I heard Jess yell my name over the loud music. I turned to see my flush-faced friend bobbing up and down behind a few other people. It was obvious that she had been dancing all night. “Are you having fun?” Jess questioned as she walked up to me with a worried glance.

I gave her a quick nod, “As much as I can.” My lips formed into an uneasy smile and Jess squeezed my hand before holding it tightly.

“Come dance.” She tugged me towards the crowd of dancing people before I could reproach it. Jess loved to dance. It’s a part of our Mexican roots, as she liked to say. She’s the one who taught Layla and I all types of dances like cumbia and bachata. Even though I was half Mexican I never learned more than the basics. My mother wasn’t big on social events, even though she was a party planner.

Ironic, I know.

Jess dragged me further into the middle of the active crowd, where the smell of sweat grew stronger. I tried my best to not breathe through my nose. Bodies bumping against me, the strong scent of alcohol, and the overwhelming amount of perfume were all a deadly combination that were suffocating me. I would’ve easily been disgusted, but I knew my friends had good intentions. Jess and Layla had made it their mission to cheer me up.

I watched my tipsy friend begin to move her body along with the loud party music. Her thick, black hair was cascading down her back, and the pretty, blue dress she was wearing made her chocolate brown eyes pop. I stood there awkwardly at first, closely watching as everyone else danced and swayed their bodies to the beat of the music. It must’ve felt nice to feel so carefree. I somewhat envied them. Overthinking was a bad habit of mine.

Jess leaned forward and brought her red lips next to my ear, “Dance Kara, stop thinking about Adam.” My heart instantly ached at the sound of his name. I wanted to never hear that stupid name again, but I knew that was inevitable.

Three weeks ago, I had walked into my boyfriend’s house thinking that we were going to go on a date, but instead I showed up only to find him in his room making out with some other girl. I yelled at him, he said some hurtful words, and I left. It was over, and I haven’t spoken to him since. It’s been an agonizing three weeks.

Jess was right, though. I hadn’t left my room for a whole week, and if it weren’t for her and Layla, I’d probably still be an emotional wreck. It took me four seasons of Supernatural to get over the major heartache, and even then it still hurts.

Another popular song began to play, and Jess squealed loudly causing me to laugh at her reaction. I started to slowly dance along with the beat, pushing away any thoughts in my mind. As I began to get more comfortable, I danced wildly with Jess and adrenaline spiked through me. It was nice to finally feel the slightest bit of relief. The rush of freedom and feeling carefree took over, and my mind was at ease for the first time in weeks. I was out with my two best friends, and that’s all I needed.

After the song was over, I felt my high come down and thankfully felt a bit more relaxed. “I’m going to go get us some water,” I shouted over the booming music. Jess nodded as a response and continued to dance with another friend that showed up as I exited the dance floor. That girl could literally dance the night away.

My throat was dry, and I desperately needed something to drink in order to cool me down. My once-straight hair became a frizzy mess due to the uncontrollable heat and I felt like throwing myself into a pool of ice. I quickly glanced at myself in a mirror and cringed when I saw that my cheeks were redder than a tomato.

I walked into the kitchen, only to find a long line of people trying to push their way through. The small kitchen was crowded and I huffed in annoyance while standing at the end of the line. A couple of more people appeared and stood behind me while casually talking to each other. I recognized a few of them from school, and we gave each other a small hello,

“Kara!” A muffled voice called out for me over the music and chatter. I frantically searched around the crowded hallway to see who had called my name. My eyes scanned the faces in the crowded area and my body went stiff when my eyes met a pair of very familiar green eyes. My heart lurched into my throat and I felt vulnerable being completely caught off guard. Panic took over and I tried to control the whirlwind of emotions rushing through me.

“Leave me alone.” I snapped and sent a hateful glare at Adam before scampering away from the kitchen. I had to get as far away from him as possible. My heart raced as I searched for one of my friends. Multiple emotions began to overwhelm me and I had to bite back tears. This couldn’t be happening. I wasn’t prepared to face him just yet, and especially this spontaneously.

“Kara, wait!” Adam shouted after me. Don’t you dare follow me. I grimaced at the thought of having to talk to him. If that were to happen, I wouldn’t know what to say or do. zMy feelings for him weren’t as strong as before, but they were definitely still there.

I thought I was moving away from him pretty quickly, but I was stopped when a firm hand gripped my elbow and spun me around. I grit my teeth in irritation when I faced the last person on earth that I wanted to see. I had no patience to be around him right now.

“Please don’t run from me.” Adam begged staring down at me. My jaw dropped out of disbelief, but then quickly snapped shut. I curled my hands into fists, trying to recollect all of my emotions. I couldn’t let him know how much of an effect he had on me. My grip was so tight that my knuckles began to turn white. Ignore him, maybe he’ll go away. Before I could go off on him, Adam was pushed slightly from behind by someone who was walking by.

“Watch it.” Adam growled over his shoulder, not moving his emerald eyes off of me. I tried my best to pull away from his grip, but failed. We were still too close to each other, and I was going crazy from just being so close. This wasn’t helping my mess of emotions.

“Excuse me?” The deep voice snapped back. Adam broke eye contact with me and turned to the guy behind him. Adam had a bit of a short temper, so I didn’t want to stick around to see what was going to happen. If anything, it made me want to run further away from him.

“You’re the one who bumped into me.” Adam said in a low voice, trying to sound threatening. Honestly, it didn’t sound that scary. He was just trying to be macho about it and I almost scoffed. Adam wasn’t fooling anyone; he was just causing more of a scene. He let go of the grip he had on my elbow and I took the opportunity to run once again, but as soon as I went to turn he grabbed my wrist tightly, causing me to yelp at the sudden pain. When I turned around I saw who Adam was talking to, and my jaw dropped in disbelief. Of course, it was the one and only Jason Kade. His blond hair was messy, and his intense blue eyes locked with mine, sending chills down my spine.

“Is that how you treat your girlfriend?” Jason gestured towards Adam’s death grip on me. My body stiffened drastically. Adam being considered my boyfriend again almost made me vomit. Jason’s words sent rage through my entire body. It only reminded me of what had happened and I ripped my hand away from Adam’s tight grip.

“I’m not his girlfriend.” I spat venomously. I could feel my blood boil so I began to take deep breaths in an attempt to contain my infuriating anger.

Adam turned to me in disbelief. I saw pain in his green eyes, but it was quickly replaced with sternness. “You’re still my girlfriend.” He emphasized girlfriend through clenched teeth, and took a step closer to me. My eyebrows furrowed and I shook my head in disbelief. Overtime I’ve realized how toxic Adam was, and is. His true colors were shining brightly.

“No, I’m not your girlfriend.” The whole situation was making my head spin. I didn’t want to feel these negative emotions. Adam cheated on me, called me many terrible, hurtful words, and expected me to get back with him after not talking to me for weeks? That was never going to happen. I’ve finally realized that I deserve way better.

Adam grabbed my arm tightly, and I winced once again. His fingers were digging into me and I couldn’t help but close my eyes tightly from the pain I was in. What’s gotten into him? I’ve never felt so terrified of him, let alone seen this side of him.

“What are you doing?” I heard Jason growl. “You’re hurting her.” Fear ran through me. I had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.

“Mind your own business.” Adam turned his head to his side to speak to Jason. I wanted to disappear as soon as a few bystanders began to circle around the two enraged guys. A small crowd began to form and my skin began to boil from embarrassment. If only I could dissolve into the floor and disappear from this mess.

“I’m not just going to stand by and watch you lay your hands on a girl.” Jason snapped and grabbed Adam’s arm in an attempt to stop him, but Adam immediately turned around and threw a fist at Jason’s face.

Jason chuckled in a humorless way and easily dodged it. Adam growled and lunged at him, letting go of me in the process and causing the both of them to fall backwards onto the ground. They both landed with a loud thud, catching everyone’s attention. Jason stood back up within a second and hovered over Adam.

Jason was staring at him in a taunting way, “Get up.” He barked and gave Adam a rough kick to the side, causing him to grunt. “If you can lay your hands on a girl, then you can try to lay your hands on me.”

Adam’s eyes darkened as he stood up and threw another punch at Jason. This time Jason grabbed his arm, and twisted it. Adam yelped as his arm was stuck behind him, and his words were cut off when a loud crack echoed throughout the room. My jaw dropped in shock when I saw Adam’s eyes roll to the back of his head, and he dropped to the ground.