Free Never Let Go by Scarlett Edwards Page B

starts grinding her hips. “They’re gonna drop like flies around you tonight!”
    I giggle. “You think?”
    “Girl, I know .”
     
    ***
     
    I’m clinging to Katy’s arm as we parade down the street to the party. I’m a little tipsy from the shots we’d taken pregaming. Katy’s belting out the words to Sean Paul’s She Doesn’t Mind that’s blaring from the frat house speakers.
    When get inside, it’s a madhouse. I’ve never seen so many people in one place before. Everyone is laughing and dancing and having fun.
    “Come on!” Katy screams out over the music. “Let’s go dance!”
    “I’ve got to find Spencer first,” I tell her.
    “He’ll find you!” Katy grabs my hand and drags me onto the dance floor. “Now we get to scope out the place!”
    She’s the pro, so I don’t argue. I let her guide me to the middle of the packed room. We carve out a space for ourselves and start dancing.
    The music is pumping. Lights are flashing. It’s easy to forget myself and let my body flow to the music.
    I don’t know how long I spend there with Katy. The songs all blend into one chaotic mess. I laugh and spin and dance with her. A guy comes up to us, and she breaks off to dance with him. His friend smiles at me and we partner up.
    More songs stream by. The guy tries to make a move on me. I laugh and brush him off. Katy does the same thing to his friend, and then we’re dancing together again.
    I need a little breather when the next song ends. I grab her arm. “I have to pee!”
    “What?” She can’t hear me. She scrunches up her face. Then she breaks out into a glorious smile when the next song comes on. “Oh my God, I love this song!” She twists off me and starts dancing again.
    I try to drag her away. “Katy, I have to pee!”
    This time she hears me. “It’s over there,” she yells, waving her arm wildly in one direction. “The restroom’s in the corner!”
    “Thanks.” I figure I won’t be able to get her off the dance floor. So, I go by myself.
    I discover a line stretching about twenty feet from the entrance of the women’s restroom. I stand in the back for about five minutes without it moving. I really have to go. I look to my right, where the door to the men’s room stands unattended.
    A girl rushes out and the line moves forward by one. I wait, squeezing my legs together. The door on the other side mocks me.
    I don’t think I can hold it in much longer. I look left, then look right, and—satisfied that nobody’s watching me—duck across the hall into the guys’ washroom.
    It’s blessedly empty. I run into a stall and close the door. Surprisingly clean, too , I think.
    I’m reaching for the toilet paper when I hear the entrance door slam open. Somebody stumbles inside.
    I freeze. It would be humiliating to be caught in here. I strain my ears so I can hear when he leaves.
    A high-pitched, female giggle drifts from the other side of the stall. “See? Like I said, baby, it’s just the two of us.”
    A throaty chuckle answers her. She squeaks, and then all I hear are the sounds of a drunk, sloppy make out.
    I don’t dare move. They think they’re alone in here. Walking out on them would be even more humiliating.
    I’m going over my options when the guy speaks up. “Mmm, fuck yeah, babe, just like that. God you’re so hot.”
    My heart sinks in the split-second it takes for me to recognize that voice. It belongs to Spencer.
    All worries of impropriety fly out the window. I storm out of the stall. The crashing door causes his head to whip around. His eyes widen in alarm when he sees me.
    The girl he’s with is on her knees in front of him. Her hands are working at opening his belt. I recognize her as the same one who had called him a “brilliant asshole” in the lecture hall.
    I glare at both of them, furious. Before either can say a word, I run out of the bathroom.
    I shoulder my way through the crowd and burst into the night. I need to get away. Seeing Spencer there,