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the bathroom and onto the dance floor. 
    It was eighties night at the Varsity, and Issy totally looked the part. She was wearing a short, black skirt with lace at the bottom and a black tank top with a loose white shirt over it. Her shirt had a black and white picture of Elvis on the front, which only added to its originality. On her right hand was a fingerless black glove and she had a black dog collar bracelet on her left wrist. The blue and purple from the other day had been replaced with long pink streaks. They were striking in the light and looked amazing against her dark hair.
    I watched as she danced with complete freedom and saw how others were also drawn to her. I could feel the vibrations in my chest from the extremely loud music, and my eyes kept darting around the room as I wondered if people were looking at me while I bobbed next to Issy’s erratic dancing. Next thing I knew, Issy and I were surrounded by three guys, each rubbing themselves on us. At first, I tried to politely move, but they were not having any of it. Suddenly, there were strong hands wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled out of the group. I knew immediately who had me, because he had a smell I could pinpoint even in a crowded room.
    “I told you I’d take care of you.” Jake eyes were smoldering as we danced so close his lips were almost touching mine. I stared at him, mesmerized. I no longer cared who was looking at me, only that I was in his arms. We stayed on the dance floor through two more songs, and I could feel sweat beading on my forehead. I suddenly felt self-conscious and took a step back.
    “This isn’t really your scene, is it?” Jake yelled, trying to be heard over the music.
    “No, it’s not…but, I’m still glad I came.”
    “Let’s get a drink.” Jake held my hand and led me off the dance floor and over to the bar. He ordered a drink for himself and then gestured for my order.
    “Oh, water please.”
    With water in hand, we made our way to the back of the club where there were couches and chairs. Jake found one empty seat, sat down, and pulled me onto his lap. I was taken by how forward he was and butterflies bombarded my stomach. I had never felt such a physical reaction to a boy before. Sure, I had been kissed and even dated one guy for a month last semester, but none of them ever made every inch of me tingle. Even Aaron and Danny, who were both attractive, had nothing on the desire that raged through me whenever Jake even glanced my way.
    I felt guilty for all those times I judged girls who absorbed themselves in the guys they dated. For the first time ever, I truly understood what pure, chemical attraction was to someone else, and Jake did it for me.
    He was rubbing his hand up and down my back and playing with the nape of my neck, sending chills down my spine. He leaned in and I could feel his breath on my neck, making me almost moan out loud.
    “Let’s go outside,” he whispered in my ear, rubbing his hands seductively up and down my arm. I stood and blindly followed him out as if in a trance. As soon as I felt the outside breeze lift my hair, my lungs begged for the freshness of it compared to the hot, stuffy club. Jake led me around the corner and backed me up to the wall. He had his leg jammed between mine and his chest was so close I could feel every breath he took. My body was shaking, overwhelmed by the physical attraction I felt for him.
    He leaned in and started kissing my neck and then moved up until he firmly covered my mouth. My body raged with fire, as I brought my hands to his face and then up around his neck. I could hear my inner voice screaming at me, What are you doing? You are making out in public, outside a club. This is not you! But my inner voice was a soft roar compared to my desire to stay right where I was.
    I’m not sure how long we stood there wrapped up in each other. It could have been seconds, minutes, or even hours. Time was of no consequence to me. Jake was the first to