Tumbling Down // Chapter Four (Nudity and New Information)

Parties at Jake Matthew’s house were always low-key, which was exactly how Taylor and I liked our parties. Chris and Jackson had gotten thrown in the mix because they were friends with us, but it was mostly a music and theater crowd. Jake would make amazing mixed drinks behind the bar in his living room and we’d all sit around, talk, and get sloshed into the early hours of the morning. Seeing as how we were all already pretty drunk by the time we got there, it didn’t take us long to say hi to everyone, get another drink and settle down in our usual corner. It was a little more crowded than usual due to Zac and Hunter being with us, but we managed.

When Taylor and I got drunk together, we tended to be much more touchy-feely than usual. In fact, when we weren’t drunk we really didn’t touch much at all. But once some hard liquor got mixed into the equation, we shared hugs and occasional random kisses on the cheek, eliciting looks from our friends and a drastic increase in the rate of my heart beat. Every time he touched me, no matter how brief the contact, I hoped that he would feel it, too. Feel that spark that shot straight through me every time.

I finally perched on the arm of the chair Taylor was sitting in after making him promise that he wouldn’t push me off again. Once I was situated, Taylor reached his arm behind my back and pulled me close. I let my delightfully fuzzy head to rest on the back of the chair while the rest of me tried not to melt into him. As per usual, I tried not to show that I cared that he was showing affection towards me. I would never be the first one to initiate something with Taylor. The fear of rejection, especially from someone I was good friends with, was not something I wanted to push myself into. No, that would be up to Taylor, and it was up to me to make him want it. Bad.

Everything was going great. We were all talking, laughing loudly, enjoying each other’s company when it happened. In walked the ever-perfect Brooklynn. She always managed to show up at these parties even though she was not part of either of the social circles that made up the crowd. I figured she’d probably slept with Jake at some time, that or her “Taydar” as Chris and I called it was just particularly well-honed. Brooklynn always seemed to show up right when things were going well, when I thought that maybe tonight would be the night.

As soon as she walked in the room, Taylor’s arm was gone from my waist and I could feel the anger start to boil inside of me. Jackson, who was always more perceptive than he let on, called me over to sit between him and Zac on the couch. With slumped shoulders and undoubtedly a horrendously crabby look on my face, I made my way across the small space and plopped down between them on the hideous brown couch.

“How’re you doing, Cams?” Jackson asked, reaching a hand over to squeeze my knee and then letting it linger there. I grabbed his hand and dropped it back on his own lap.

“Just peachy,” I said blandly, idly sipping my drink.

“Who’s the walking case of chlamydia?” Zac asked, prompting me to almost spit my drink out.

“Oh, you’re my new favorite person,” I laughed, shifting my weight so I was sitting closer to him, “That would be Brooklynn, your brother’s stalker and resident dorm whore.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about her,” he said, looking as if he regretted saying it the second the words left his mouth.

“Is that so? Did he tell you about how she’s offered him sex more times than he can count?” Zac looked at me and hesitated before answering.

“Well, yeah, that and that he’s taken her up on it a few times.” Everything around me seemed to go silent and his words echoed through my head. Taylor and Brooklynn? When the hell had that happened? How did I not know about this?

“Oh, well yeah. I mean, a guy can only refuse sex for so long, right?” I asked, forcing a laugh along with it. The smile Zac returned to me was as weak as my own and we sat there pretending like it hadn’t just happened.

I looked over at him. He was good-looking, for sure. Dark brown eyes, more thickly built than Taylor. In fact, almost kind of an anti-Taylor. Not my type, but good enough for the time being. I licked my lips as a plan started forming in my alcohol-clogged brain. It was almost too easy when I switched over to flirt mode. They fell for it every time. Well-placed touches, nonchalant laughter, whispers in the ear and I had them eating out of the palm of my hand. Usually.

Zac was proving to be more of a challenge, probably because he knew that I was in love with his brother, but it only made me more determined. Part of me wanted him, sure. Who wouldn’t? But the knowledge that it would royally piss Taylor off was making Zac look all the better. We were chatting, some funny story from when they were growing up, and I was slowly moving closer and closer to him. Zac finally stopped mid-story and just leaned back into the lumpy cushions.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, propping one elbow up on the back of the couch and turning to face him.

“I’ve never been drunk like this before,” he said to the cup in his hand.

“Enjoying it?” I asked with a smile. He laughed.

“Yeah, probably a little too much,” he replied softly. I took that as my cue and I leaned in to kiss him. When my mouth was only centimeters away from his, he spoke.

“We can’t do this,” he said before turning his face away from mine. I fought back the blush that was quickly seeping its way into my cheeks.

“And why not?”

“It’s not right. You know that it’s not right. I know that it’s not right. It just can’t happen.”

“Zac, we’re grown-ups. If we want to make out a little, that’s perfectly acceptable.”

“If you weren’t in love with my brother, I might buy that it really didn’t mean anything and it could just be casual. I know why you’re doing this, Cameron. I don’t blame you for it, I really don’t. And, I think you’re gorgeous, but it’s just not right.” And with that, he was up and walking into the other room. I just sat there blinking into the hazy, loud room, wishing that the couch would open up and swallow me whole. Instead, I shook my head, downed the rest of my drink and stood. A quick surveillance of the room found everyone I had come to the party with missing in action. I sighed and walked up to the bar.

“Hey Jake, did you see where Taylor went?” I asked.

“Yeah, he went upstairs a while ago,” he replied, “You want another drink?”

“No, I think I’m good for the night,” I said before walking away towards the other room where the stairs were.

Somehow, I managed to stumble my way up the steep carpeted stairs in my heels and I found my way to the bathroom. It was empty and there wasn’t another person in sight. A door down the hallway was open a crack and the light was on. Since I knew everyone who lived there, I made my way to see who was up and avoiding the party. The scene inside was not what I expected.

Taylor had Brooklynn shoved up against the wall, her shirt already off and his mouth attached to her neck. Her hands were fumbling with the fly of his pants, and I knew that I didn’t need to or want to see anything else. I turned around and steadied myself against the wall, accidentally causing a thud to sound through the hallway. Their eyes immediately went to the hall and I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough for them to miss me.

“Cameron?” Taylor asked as he tried to focus his eye enough to see that far.

“Were you spying on us? That’s sick!” Brooklynn exclaimed while not even bothering to cover herself up.

“Yeah, like I want to see any of this. I was just looking for Taylor since everyone up and left me sitting down there.”

“You were talking to my brother! I didn’t think you’d-”

“Didn’t think I’d what? Notice? Jesus, Taylor! Give me some credit here!”

“Well you haven’t noticed in the past, so why would you notice tonight?” Brooklynn asked.

“What?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter,” he said. For a split second, I thought he might abandon the situation and do something right for once. “Can you make sure my brother gets home okay?” Nothing could have masked the anger on my face at that moment. He left our whole circle of friends to go sleep with the girl we all hated and now he wanted me to baby-sit his brother?

“Fuck you, Taylor!” I yelled, restraining myself from throwing my purse at him.

“Cams, come on. Why are you getting so pissed? Just do me this one favor.”

“No! He can find his own way back. I’m out of here.” Without looking back I turned and made my way back downstairs. I shoved my way through the remaining crowd and went outside as fast as possible.

It was all too much: the alcohol, the secrets revealed, the rejection, and I couldn’t help it as tears started to spill down my cheeks. I swiped at them angrily and tried my best to storm down the sidewalk in three-inch heels. Since I was underage, I attempted to not look drunk, but I knew that my swaying steps were betraying any efforts I was making. I hadn’t even made it a block when the tears were flowing too fast to manage while walking. As I slowed to a stop and leaned against a random tree, I heard someone come up behind me.

“Cameron?” I reluctantly turned and found Hunter looking back at me. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I nodded my head and tried to force back my sobs.

“I’m fine. Just too drunk, I think.” He didn’t look convinced.

“Even drunk people have to have a reason to start crying,” he said, “Don’t you think?”

“You’re drunk, too. Why should I listen to you?” I asked, smiling despite myself.

“Because even though I’m drunk, I’m pretty smart, and I’m not the one who’s a big emotional mess right now.”

“Yeah, well I’m not usually the type of girl to get emotional, or to even cry. I haven’t cried in so long.” I didn’t know why I was telling him so much. For some reason it just felt like it was okay to do so.

“Everyone needs to cry sometimes. Even I cry sometimes. I know it’s hard to believe.”

“Nah. I pegged you for a crybaby right away,” I teased, wiping the last of the moisture from my cheeks. We stood there in silence for a minute.

“So, are you going to voluntarily tell me what made you cry like that or am I going to have to pry it out of you?” he asked, leaning next to me on the tree and looking at me so sincerely I almost told him.

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“If I guess will you tell me?” I looked at him and shrugged in mild approval.

“Does it have anything to do with the older brother of my good friend, Zac?” I just stared back at him, unwilling to give a response. Was it that obvious? I just ignored him and looked off into the distance.

“He’s not worth it, Cameron. I’ve known him for forever. He’s not good to girls and never has been. You can do so much better.”

“Oh, you think so? You hardly even know me. We met tonight, Hunter,” I said as I grew increasingly uncomfortable with his ability to read me.

“True. I don’t know you, but I happen to pride myself on being a pretty good judge of character. You pretend to be a hardass, but you’re really a big old softie underneath,” he laughed. I couldn’t help it as a chuckle escaped from my lips. He really was too adorable to ignore or be irritated with.

“You wish,” was all I said before I looked at him again. His face was no longer smiling and he was giving me the look I had been hoping to elicit from Zac earlier. I wasn’t going to complain, though. Hunter would do.

Chapter Five

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