South beach by Aimee Friedman Page B

were gawking at Alexa.
    "We've been watching you dance all night," one of Colby's friends slurred to Alexa. "Is that guy your boyfriend?"
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    "No!" Alexa said as emphatically as she could, considering her own speech was a little on the slurred side. "I do NOT have a boyfriend."
    "Good," Colby said. He came up to her and planted a long, wet, sloppy kiss on her lips. Alexa drew back, caught off guard.
    "Could you not shove your tongue down my throat?" she asked, but Colby didn't hear her. Or maybe she hadn't even spoken. Her head was spinning even more now. She glanced to her left and saw Kaitlin was making out with one of Colby's friends. Beside them, Jonathan and Daisy were going at it, looking like they needed to get a room themselves. Everyone's hooking up, Alexa thought. Suddenly, she felt tired. She wondered where Holly was, and if she still wanted to go back to the motel.
    "Hey, come with us," Colby said, taking her hand and leading her to a table near the bar.
    "Okay," Alexa said, trying to perk up. This was fun. This was what she wanted to be doing. Why did she feel so turned off by the whole scene?
    "Do you know what body shots are?" Colby yelled above the din. He took her by the waist, lifted her, and set her down on the table.
    Alexa nodded, thinking back to what they'd talked about at dinner. Colby eased her back so that she was half-lying on the table, and Alexa rolled up her cami,
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    exposing her midriff. She noticed that Colby and his friends were now all holding shot glasses full of tequila.
    "Can I do some off your stomach?" Colby asked. "I'm just gonna get some salt and limes from the bar."
    Alexa paused for a moment, considering. It would be kind of funny to have Colby licking salt off her belly. But then she looked across the room and saw Holly, standing by the bar. For a second, she and Alexa made eye contact, and then Holly looked away again. Alexa felt a flash of sobriety. Was Holly judging her? For an instant, Alexa saw herself through Holly's eyes: trashed and half-clothed and lying on a table in front of three horny boys.
    "Get away from me, you gross-out morons," Alexa managed to say, standing up and pushing Colby aside. She flung her hair back, readjusted her top, and made her way toward the bar.
    At the bar, Holly gazed sadly into her glass of water. Alexa was out there having a blast -- hooking up with boys, dancing, being wild -- while she was stuck in a corner, playing the wallflower role to the hilt. Holly wished some of Alexa's sparkle and spontaneity might rub off on her. She just felt so bland.
    "Hey," Alexa said, appearing beside her. She looked a little woozy, Holly noticed.
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    Alexa reached for her clutch, which she'd stashed in the corner. "Do you want to head out?" she asked Holly.
    "Aren't you having fun?" Holly asked, gesturing to the dance floor.
    "Of course," Alexa lied. "But you need to end the night when it's at its peak. Stay out any later and you're, like, desperate."
    "I guess," Holly said, her eyes scanning the dance floor for Aaron. He was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged, and slid her bag onto her arm. "Okay. Let's go."
    They left Ohio's, waved to the bouncer, and walked slowly back to the Flamingo. This time, Holly noticed that the silence between them didn't feel uncomfortable. They were just being quiet, letting the ocean breeze wash over them. The loud music from different clubs blurred together as they passed. It felt good to be getting away from that blur, for now. Holly looked at Alexa. Her eyes were half-closed, and her hair was tousled.
    "I can't believe you made out with all those boys," Holly said to Alexa quietly. She felt dumb bringing it up, but her curiosity was nibbling away at her.
    "Only two," Alexa sighed. She'd done better. Once, on a good night in Cannes, she'd kissed five.
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    Two more than me, Holly thought. Maybe she should have let Aaron kiss her. But, no. Her first instinct had been right. It was Diego's kisses she wanted to savor. If only