Chapter 25: Chapter Fourteen-3

"You shouldn't be drinking," I say to him cautiously, eyeing the almost-empty bottle of beer in his hand. He offers me a lope-sided smile. "That's exactly what the paramedic said." I let out a laugh, as I feel two warm hands rest on my hips. Alec drags me to him as he continues to stare at me. "Isobel," he murmurs. "You look incredible." I swallow uneasily, nervously taking a step back. There are many people around here and even though Finn might not be one of them, it only takes one pair of eyes to notice. "Thank you," I reply quietly. "Come for a walk with me," he smirks, reaching for my hand. "Alec!" I exclaim in a whisper, stepping back. "There's people around." "So?" he grins with a shrug. "Is that so bad?" "Do you want to die?" I ask flatly, masking how emotional I feel at how forward he is being. He would openly show his feelings for me? Or, is it because he is drunk? "Might be worth it." he whispers, taking his bottom lip in between his teeth. "Alright, break it up," Jai intervenes, literally stepping in between us, looking at Alec. "This can't happen. You're drunk and I know you might think you won't regret it, but you will. At least talk to Finn first if you're going to go public with this, yeah?" "But Jai, look at her," Alec whines, pouting. I snort with laughter at the sight of him. He is definitely drunk. "Take a lap," Jai says, pointing to the door, sounding much like their Coach. Alec sighs, grabbing another drink, before leaving the kitchen. A number of eyes are watching me but I ignore them. "Good thinking there, Jai," I tell him. "Listen, Is," Jai said in a low voice, squeezing my arm. "Don't get your hopes up from what Alec was just saying, okay?" "Okay," I reply quietly. "Why do you say that?" "I don't want you to get hurt, that's all," he smiles, squeezing my arm one more time, before he steps back. I bite my lip, staring down into my drink as I ponder his words. I have been hesitant about my involvement with Alec, fearing it will turn out exactly like it did with Miles. Jai only made my fear more real. With my grip tightening around the bottle, I scull the remainder of it. I blink a few times as I grip the bench, the loud music pulsing in my ears. I can feel my alcohol consumption beginning to take effect on my body. My head feels light as I stare into Samara's dark, perfectly lined eyes. She gives me a wide smile, grabbing my hand, pulling me after her. Someone slaps my butt as I walk past them but I don't acknowledge it. As we're walking, Jai leans in, whispering something into Samara's ear. "Go dance with Jai," I slur with a nod. "I can take care of myself." "I want to dance with you," she replies a little suddenly, pulling me after her again. She pulls me close to her, looping her arms around my neck. I close my eyes, leaning back, letting my body move to the music. I suddenly feel a little careless, planning to ignore my unwanted, mixed feelings in regard to Alec and Miles right now. Her black-tipped fingers slide through mine as she rolls her body, dropping to the floor a few times, swiftly bouncing back up, somehow making the promiscuous move look classy and elegant. A warm hand on my arm brings me back to reality, as I blink into focus. Miles' face materialises before me. He looks good. Miles is wearing a plain black, V-neck t-shirt, with ripped jeans and his leather jacket. The sleeves are pushed to his elbows, showing off his lightly tanned arms. I lean into him momentarily, wanting to get closer to him. "Isobel," he says softly, looking devastatingly handsome with his jaw slightly swollen, the music drowning his voice. "You okay?" "She's fine." Samara snaps, wrenching my arm from his hold. She drags me after her and I pout, wanting to know what Miles was going to say. I stumble to keep up with her as she leads to me to the large, dining table where a couple of people are seated. She pulls a chair out, climbing up onto it. "Samara!" I gasp, my head feeling dangerously light, my body swaying. "What are you doing?" "Come on!" she urges, reaching for me. I find myself climbing onto the table as a number of people begin cheering and whistling, encouraging us to dance on the table, Bentley's voice seemingly the loudest. She saunters to me, rolling her shoulders, shimmying up and down me, as she laughs. I begin dancing, more to myself though, loving how drunk and carefree I am feeling. I love Finn, but it's somewhat comforting knowing he isn't here and I have that bit more freedom than I usually would. "I'll give you $10 if you dirty dance on her," Bentley smirks, holding up a ten dollar note between his index and middle finger, looking like he is enjoying the show much more than he should be. His dark eyes aren't on either of our faces as he waves the note around, almost impatiently. It is then, I realise, a crowd has gathered around the table. Cheekily, Samara leans across, yanking the $10 from Bentley's hand and slips it down the front of her dress. I know I will regret this tomorrow but I'm drunk and don't honestly care right now. I let out a laugh as Samara begins to grind on me. I close my eyes and dance, not really going along with what she is doing.