The Truth About Letting Go by Leigh Talbert Moore Page B

us some punch,” Jordan says before leaving me for the refreshments table. All the cups have little umbrellas in them, and I watch him go as the warmth of bodies closes in the space where he was. The song ends and for a moment, I can hear.
    “Ashley!” It’s Mandy. My heart stops. “Over here!”
    I turn, and there he is. Stunning in jeans and a white tee with a blue lei around his neck. Mandy is wearing a Hawaiian-print wrap skirt and halter top, and I’m sure she chose the outfit for its easy access to what’s underneath.
    “Hey!” I say as they approach. I try not to notice Colt looking straight at me like he's planning something.
    “Where’s the geek?” Mandy looks all around me.
    “Punch table.” I try to stay nonchalant under Colt’s continued gaze, but my palms are damp and my heart’s beating at the base of my throat like I’m the first in line at the newest, hottest roller-coaster in town.
    “How was the game?” I ask. “You guys sure set up in here fast.”
    “I had nothing to do with this. Petra had her minions in place the minute the final buzzer sounded,” Mandy says. “This gym was transformed in a half hour.”
    “She’s good,” I agree nodding.
    Amber walks up and to my mixture of delight and dismay, she tugs Mandy away leaving me alone with Colt. I’m starting to wonder what’s taking Jordan so long when Mandy’s date steps forward and catches my hand, lacing our fingers. The music starts pounding again, but it’s no match for my heart. Here we go.
    “You look great,” he says in my ear. He smells like that spicy cologne, and his breath tickles my neck. My breathing ticks up.
    “Thanks,” I try to laugh and pull my hand away casually, but he doesn’t let me.
    “Let’s be bad,” he grins, green eyes sparkling.
    My stomach flips. I have no idea what he means, but he pulls me toward a dark passage where the bleachers meet the cinder-block gym wall. I don’t resist.
    “Stand guard,” he says, slipping into the dark passage and leaning down. I can’t see what he’s doing, but when he straightens up, I notice something’s concealed against his leg. “Walk beside me.”
    I walk close to him toward the refreshments table. Everyone is watching the dance floor, and I’m scanning the crowd for Jordan. What happened to him ? Just then he catches my eye. He’s out in the crowd dancing with Tina and looking extremely uncomfortable. I can tell he’s trying to get away, but she keeps laughing and holding his arms.
    Colt snaps my attention back when he steps in front of me. “Cover me,” he says before leaning down and lightly kissing my lips. Everything stops.
    I watch, stunned as he slides a plastic flask around the back of the crystal bowl and quickly pours the contents, a clear liquid, into the red punch. Our bodies conceal what he’s doing from the teachers, but when I glance behind us onto the dance floor, I catch Jordan’s eye. He sees me. Tina’s still got him, but he isn’t smiling. I feel a flash of guilt, but I don’t know why. I told him I don’t care about rules anymore.
    In an instant, Colt grabs my arm and pulls us away from the table and back to the small, dark opening between the gym wall and the bleachers. He pulls me in and takes a hit off the plastic flask then hands it to me.
    “Last shot. It’s yours.”
    Without hesitating, I put it to my mouth and turn it up. It’s more than I expected, and a bit runs down my cheek. The burning liquid makes me cough, and Colt laughs and takes it from me, kissing the drip from my face. I turn to meet his mouth, but he’s gone, bending down to cram the now-empty plastic flask into a crack near the floor as I wipe the side of my cheek with my hand. He straightens up and holds my waist, watching. His whole body is tense as we wait, pressed together in the tight space, my back against the wall.
    “Wait for it,” he says in my ear. I can see the entire room from where we’re hidden, but my attention is consumed by