"It's ten for a cup," Samantha explained as she wrote her name on the glossy red side with a black marker.

Emily nodded. Never really having drank before, she didn't originally plan to drink tonight, but then Evan pulled out his wallet to pay for her before she had a chance to decline.

"Thanks." She bit her top lip while her brain reeled.

I can probably nurse a beer or two and be fine... What did we learn in health class about the rate at which alcohol is released into the bloodstream? I think they covered it in biology last year too...

"Everything okay?" Evan asked.

Emily nodded and smiled. 

They made their way to the kegs and coolers in the backyard. Samantha filled their red cups from the keg, looked at Emily and said, "Bottoms Up!"

Emily lifted her cup. "Cheers!"

She took a tentative taste while Samantha swallowed half her beer in one gulp. Evan looked at Emily, shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a bottle of water from a cooler.

A number of people stopped to say hello and talk to Samantha and Evan. Samantha introduced a few of her friends to Emily adding, "Since Emily doesn't know anyone yet, I'm going to stick close to her for the night."

Meanwhile, Evan didn't introduce her to anyone. Although she did notice that some of the guys he talked with gave her a once over, nodding at Evan before they walked away.

Emily was shocked to realize that it actually made her feel more confident than it normally would to have these boys gawk at her.

But in the present situation, it's probably the effect of the beer...

After she finished her first cup and started on the second, two girls came over to talk with Evan about a baseball camp he would attend this summer.

Emily watched them flirt way harder with him than even she had all day.

One girl stroked his arm whenever she spoke with him. The other one flipped her hair so many times Emily worried that the girl's spine was in danger of damage.

She watched the arm-stroker move her hand up to Evan's chest while she gave an exuberant laugh at his last comment.

Emily turned her head and rolled her eyes.

It wasn't even that funny... Seems I'm not the only one acting tonight...

When the hair-flipper whipped her in the face with the next swish of hair extensions, Emily felt the distinct desire to push the girl away and draw Evan's attention back to her.

You are being completely irrational and it is ridiculous to feel jealous over a boy you barely know...

She was about to interrupt the trio when Samantha grabbed her hand and said, "Let's check out the bathroom situation."

Emily nodded and followed.

It's probably good idea... Especially at the rate we're drinking...

They made their way through the crowd to the line for the upstairs bathroom. Emily drank nearly all of her second beer and wondered if she should say something to Samantha about how odd she felt getting possessive over Evan after just one day.

Instead she leaned into Samantha's ear and said low enough so she wouldn't be overheard by the other people waiting, "Evan's pretty popular huh?"

Samantha responded a little too loudly. "He's our baseball team's star pitcher. He'll probably go to a college on a Division 1 scholarship. Tons of girls drool all over him at school. Honestly I think half the reason my crush on him died off is that I knew he would never be into me. The only girl he's ever dated seriously is the total cliché –a gorgeous, leggy, blonde cheerleader."

Emily swallowed the final gulp from her cup. "Got it. When did they end it?"

Samantha squinted her eyes and bit her bottom lip. "Maybe about two months ago. I'm sure Morgan will turn up before the night is through. She's dating Evan's former best friend Dave and even took him to the junior prom earlier this month. It's been completely uncomfortable." 

Emily said as she stared down at her feet. "I'm sure."

I have an intense relationship with discomfiture... In fact now that I understand what's been going on all day... Evan obviously has zero genuine interest in me and just wants to use me to make Morgan jealous... I'm growing more and more intimate with 'uncomfortable' as each minute here passes...

Just then, the bathroom became available and Samantha dragged Emily inside with her.

Samantha squatted to pee. "Are you okay? You look like someone whose dog just died."

That expression is so weird...People get really upset when their dog dies... I hope I don't look that distraught...

Emily looked at herself in the mirror. She plastered a stage smile on her face. "I'm fine."

While Samantha washed her hands, Emily took her turn on the toilet.

Samantha observed Emily in the mirror, as though she was deciding something.

Then she said softly, "I know what you need. You need another drink and..."

She took a step towards Emily who was pulling her dress back in place, grabbed her shoulders, shook her a little and screamed, "you need to DANCE!"

Emily laughed despite herself. "Dancing is actually a great idea, but let me wash my hands first."

They went back downstairs and on their way through the kitchen Samantha grabbed two shots and handed one to Emily. "Go ahead, one won't kill you..."

Emily accepted it and drank it down. The vodka burned and she coughed.

Samantha handed her a lemon slice covered in sugar. "Bite this."

Emily's tongue felt assaulted from the sting of the alcohol, followed by the citric tartness and crunchy, cloying sweetness.

Once they were on patio again, where the music played but nobody danced, they refilled their cups. Samantha went to the DJ to make a request.

Sia's "Cheap Thrills" came on she whirled around and shrieked, "I love this song!"

The girls danced and gyrated around with each other and soon Samantha's other friends joined them. Before they knew it, they had half the party dancing. A few guys tried to dance with Emily but she spun and moved away anytime they did, which only seemed to encourage them to try harder. Even though she was annoyed by it, she kept dancing.

I'd rather deal with their groping hands right now than groping for words with Evan...

When the song ended, Emily went over to the keg to refill her cup.

An arm twined around her waist and then Evan's voice rumbled against her ear, "I thought you weren't into Top 40 music? You looked like you were pretty into that. And I know I was into watching you."

Emily didn't look at him. She took a moment to glance around first and she could see a leggy blonde girl across the yard, openly gaping at them.

She also saw her brother and his friends on the other side of the patio where Samantha now stood. Kelly was there, wearing a Pearl Jam tee, jeans and expression that said he didn't like what was going on between her and Evan.

She spun around in Evan's arms to look at him. "I know what you're doing."

Evan smirked. "I hope so! I've been pretty obvious about what I'm trying to do."

Emily felt her eyes well up.  This was the exact moment where the cool, confident and experienced role she played all day began to crumble.

Not now! Why do I always cry when I'm mad? Such a stupid habit... I just want to be able to yell at someone without bursting like a weak dam and I can never seem to do it... I'm so exhausted I won't be able to keep this façade up much longer...

Emily closed her eyes to hold back the tears and took a deep breath trying to steady herself.  She didn't know what to say and she wouldn't be able to keep the tears from falling if she started to talk anyway. Instead she chanted in her brain.

No tears, no tears, no tears...

Thankfully, she was saved by Samantha.

"More dancing, less talking!" Sam ordered with a wink as she grabbed Emily's hand.

Emily let herself get pulled back onto the dance floor for Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For." As she listened to the lyrics for the first time ever and had to admit the song felt perfect for the moment.

Emily downed another shot someone handed her while they were dancing and finished her third beer. Then she let some random guy grind against her when Nick Jonas' "Jealous" came on next.

Evan stood by the coolers with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

He looks pissed. I guess I messed up the planned performance for his ex...

The song ended and Emily went to the keg to fill her cup again.

Is this my third or fourth drink? Or fifth or sixth including the shots...

She started to panic a little at the thought. Already flushed and breathing hard from dancing, her hands shook as she struggled to work the keg tap.

Evan took it out of her hand. "Whoa. I think maybe you've had enough Emily."

She glared at him and hissed, "You don't know me. You don't know anything about me. You don't get to say when I've had enough."

That got his attention, plus the attention of a few people standing close by.  Emily watched as a range of emotions crossed Evan's face, from concern, to anger and finally to resignation.

"You're right Emily. I don't... I didn't... I'm sorry," he stammered, then turned to stalk away on his long legs.

Emily felt sick and knew she needed to leave before something worse happened. She looked around frantically for an escape.

Where the hell has my brother gone? He's never there when I need him!

She left the yard and stumbled through the house, dragging her hand across the wall in the hallway, to make her way out the front door. Emily sat on the front steps and rested her head on her knees. The world spun a little bit.

She looked at her phone and thought about texting Jenny again.

It's too late... I don't want to worry her...

So Emily put her head and her phone back down. 

Soon something icy-cold was against the back of her neck. It felt good but shocked her sluggish senses nonetheless. She looked up with a start, to find Kelly standing over her.

He took the bottle of water off her neck, handed it to her and instructed, "Drink this."

Emily twisted off the cap. He watched her drink.

When she stopped to take a breath, he ordered, "Stand up." 

So she did.

Kelly looked at her, pointed his finger towards the street and directed, "Let's go." 

Emily wasn't sure what it was about this boy that made her listen to him. When she started to walk she realized how absurd the situation was.

Kelly gives a command and I follow it like a dog! Is that how this works? What is wrong with me today?

But she didn't say that. Instead when she opened her mouth what came out was, "I should really go tell Samantha I'm leaving. You haven't been drinking tonight, have you?"

Kelly shook his head no, held up his own bottle of water, opened his car door and directed, "Get in."

When she didn't immediately move, he reached a hand out to gently touch her hip. "Please."

Heat spread from his fingertips through the center of Emily's body. She looked into his eyes. They had changed from their earlier stormy color to a soft kitten grey. She got into the car.

Kelly pulled out and turned on his music. The Black Crowes' "Hard to Handle" blasted out. He lowered it until they could barely hear it. But Emily didn't need to hear it because she knew all of the words anyway.

Then he leaned to his right, reached over and put his hand on Emily's knee. His palm was warm and it made the coal he had already lit in the pit of her stomach spread its slow burn through her limbs. She felt the calluses on his fingers when he moved them in gentle circles on the tender skin beside her knee. It made her think about what he may do with his hands to earn those calluses. 

Does he actually surf? Or does he play guitar? Fix cars?

Emily wanted to explore the calluses with her own fingers, so she flipped his hand over and gently stroked her index finger across each of his fingers. Kelly's hand was warm and dry.

When she reached the center of his palm and drew a letter E there, his breath caught. He cleared his throat and said "Stop" in that same strange persuasive tone he had found successful with her.

She didn't stop, and he said a little more forcefully, "Stop Emily." But he didn't take his hand out of hers.

Then he cleared his throat again and straightened a little in his seat. "I like that too much. You're gonna make me crash the car."

So she laced her fingers through his instead and before she knew it, they were in front of her father's house.

That was too quick... What happens next?

Kelly blew out a breath, took his hand back and got out of the car. He came around and opened the door for her, but Emily made no effort to remove herself from the seat.

I want to hear him say it...

Kelly smirked and rolled his eyes. "Out."

His hand was on the small of her back while they walked up the path to the front porch. They climbed up the steps to the intimacy of the shadows and turned to face each other.

Emily whispered, "Thank you."

He looked at her and shook his head. "This can't happen."

She took a step closer to him. "Are you always this cautious? Just dive in."

Kelly picked up one rough hand to curve around the base of her neck and stepped towards Emily.

At first he kissed her gently.  Then Emily parted his lips with her tongue and Kelly's other hand grabbed hold of her backside. She emitted a small squeak of surprise as Kelly demonstrated his appreciation for what he had only admired yesterday.

The little sound was the only encouragement she needed to give. He dropped his second hand there as well and brought her closer against him.

Now as his zipper rubbed against her, Emily felt the burning coal inside her flare into a bright flame. She reached her hands behind his neck and let him stoke her further with his own tongue.

When they came back up for air, Emily started to snicker.

Now I know it wasn't my fault that first kiss was so awful! Nameless boy was definitely a terrible kisser...

Kelly held her out at arm's length and cocked his head to the side. "What?"

Emily whispered, "This is nice."

Kelly hugged her. "Go to bed."

He took off his Pearl Jam shirt, shoved it into her hands, and then launched himself down the front steps before she could stop him.

Just like the last time Kelly left her, Emily was shivering. But this time it was for an entirely different reason.