Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan Read Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t tell.
    The headliner took the stage, and the crowd squeezed in around us. We jumped to each song, rocking our heads and pumping our fists in the air. Serena appeared with another shot. I was so lost in the music, I hadn’t even noticed she’d disappeared.
    ‘This is it, Em!’ she yelled as she held up the shot. ‘It’s now or never!’ We tossed the liquid back easily – I seemed to have acquired a taste for it.
    Serena shouted encouragement as I walked towards James. Without a hint of emotion, he nodded his head slightly, letting me know the stage was all mine. My heart thrust to life, and my body buzzed with nerves. He murmured, ‘Good luck’, just before I hopped onto the platform.
    I shuffled to the centre of the stage and saw a few people pointing at me out of the corner of my eye. Another bouncer from the opposite side started moving towards me, and I knew I didn’t have much time. If I was going to do this, I had to do it fast. My breath quickened. I could feel the adrenaline pump through me until everything else was gone, and it was all I could feel.
    I turned my back to the audience, hoping they had their arms outstretched behind me. The lead singer continuedbelting out the lyrics. I glanced at him as his eyes twitched curiously. I grinned at him ever so slightly … and I fell back.
    My stomach opened up, and I let out an excited yell. Hands gripped, jostled and guided me across the crowd. Music bellowed around me. People hollered beneath me as I passed over them. The lights flew by in a blur of colour. I rode along the turbulent sea of hands until I was gently lowered to my feet. I stood in the spot for a moment, orienting myself as faces flashed before me. The crowd rocked in unison, their energy gliding over my skin like a hot breeze.
    I thrust my arm in the air, bellowing out the lyrics while jumping with the crowd. Serena burst through the bodies and screamed, ‘That was so fucking awesome!’ We leapt side by side until we were drenched in sweat, and there was no more music to keep us on our feet.
    We collapsed on our couch as everyone filed out. I had a permanent smile on my face, and all that pulsed through me was elation. The room swirled, and images shifted before my eyes. I blinked heavily, having a hard time holding my head steady.
    ‘I’m going to find James and get us some water,’ Serena told me. I think I nodded. If I didn’t, I meant to.
    A moment later, the couch jostled beside me. I flopped my head to the side and found a lean guy with tightly trimmed deep auburn hair and a chin capped with a buzz of whiskers.
    I smiled. Or maybe I hadn’t stopped.
    ‘Hi,’ he said, throwing his arm along the couch above my head. ‘I’m Aiden.’
    ‘Hey, Aiden,’ I greeted loudly. ‘I’m Emma.’
    ‘Emma, you shouldn’t be sitting here all by yourself. You need to come to a party with me and my friends.’
    ‘I do?’ I laughed.
    ‘Yes, you do,’ he confirmed with a charming smile.
    ‘I’m waiting for my friend,’ I explained. ‘I don’t know where she is.’ I couldn’t remember where Serena had disappeared to. The fog in my head was too thick to recall her words. ‘But then we’ll go … with you … to the party.’ I smiled again – or I continued to.
    ‘You’re cute,’ he said, scooting in a little closer.
    ‘You’re not so bad yourself,’ my mouth said. He leaned over and thanked my mouth with a kiss, and I let him. I realized again that I couldn’t feel his lips. Or maybe it was my lips I couldn’t feel. I really needed to figure that out. I realized I was drunk. And I was okay with that too.
    ‘Emma!’
    Aiden pulled back. I was confused by his retreat, and when I opened my eyes, Serena was standing in front of me. She looked mad. Why was she mad?
    ‘Serena!’ I yelled enthusiastically. ‘There you are! This is Aiden. We’re going to a party with him.’
    ‘Hi,’ he said.
    ‘Uh, no we’re not,’ she snipped. Wow. She was
really
mad. ‘Get