Life Before Damaged, Vol. 1 Read Online Free Page A

tighten my grip on my phone and keep my eyes glued to the floor. Although I’m in a mass of people, I can still feel eyes on me. My fingers straighten and ball up again as I think about it. What a jerk. I know he just did that to get to me. No one would ever invite me to a threesome. I mean, look at me. I’m the only woman here who isn’t flashing boob every two seconds. Mine are wrapped up tightly in my virginal little blouse. So again, why would he ask me to be part of a sex sandwich? Do I look like that’s my thing? Maybe he thought my pearl necklace was made of butt beads.
    Scowling, I shoulder my way through the crowd, putting as much distance as possible between Pete Ferro and me. The music continues to pulse and I wish I could relax, but that’s not my MO. I’m uptight Gina, the chick with the pearls around her throat, not up her ass. The stick is in the way.
    My shoulders sag as I stop and back up to lean against a wall. Why do I even care? So what if Pete Ferro thinks I’m a prude? Who cares if he was teasing me or serious? It doesn’t matter. For one, I’m dating someone, and reason number next—he’s Pete Ferro—and it’s been confirmed that the tabloids didn’t make the man. He did that himself by nailing women to the wall with his thingy, in public!  
    I shiver thinking about it. I can’t even kiss in public. When I feel other eyes on me I freeze. The action lacks intimacy and seems wrong.  
    Laughing to myself, I think, maybe I am a prude.

THE GOOD GUY

    8:47 pm

    Just then, my cell phone vibrates, flashing my boyfriend's name across the little screen. I love him but crap! Anthony can’t know what's going on here tonight, he’ll blab to Dad about it. Since Anthony’s working the night shift in the ER for his residency in med school, the timing for this party was perfect. He's probably just on his break and calling to say goodnight and a quick I love you.
    I’m not a total ass; I would have invited him. The thing is I needed to unwind and have some time with Erin. Then my girl time turned into this. A rave with drugs and half-naked women isn’t really his scene. Too many people in too small a space, plus the added opportunity of going to jail, not finishing his degree, and alienating himself from his future seemed like unnecessary temptation. So I didn’t give him the option. I feel a little bad about that, about being here without him. Maybe I should go.
    The phone continues ringing in my hand, as I gaze across the warehouse and the throng of people, tables, and dancers between the door and me. I’ll talk to him and then bail. Erin can have enough fun for two people. This isn’t my scene.
    Headed toward a spot where the noise level is at a minimum, I run up an old metal staircase toward the storage room. After a couple forceful pushes and tugs on the handle, I notice that the lock at the bottom of the door is on. It’s the kind that slides down into a hole in the floor. Lifting the pin with my foot, I slip the lock up, and push the door open.  
    I might be a little bit tipsy from having chugged down my drink so fast. I’m also frustrated with the way this whole evening is turning out, and the fact that I’m still irritated over a Ferro. I slam the door shut and take a deep breath before answering the phone. Luckily for me, the room is more soundproof than I remembered. The bass is just a dull vibration on the floor, and the walls and the door muffle most of the high-pitched treble sounds.  
    “Hey, babe,” I say, answering the call.
    “Where are you? The phone rang forever. I thought you fell down a well or something,” Anthony teases. I think of myself as graceful, I mean who ever heard of a clumsy dancer? But Anthony has this way of making me feel awkward.
    I laugh it off. “Ha, ha. I’m fine. Just hanging out with Erin.”
    He groans. “Oh God, seriously? I thought it was bath night?”
    The way he says it makes me sound like an old lady with too many cats. My brows pinch