Ethan's POV
"Pfft...your's my ass. In your dreams Miller," Corey pushed me off, but he was smiling.
"Come have a drink with me," I suggested.
"No thanks. I should go back my date," Corey said.
"Who, Ally? She is fine. Look, she found Pete Wallace, and they are all over each other. You don't wanna interrupt her," I chuckled.
Corey looked at her and winced. "Great...I should've seen this coming."
"Yup. You're stuck with me," I smirked.
"You were full of shit when you said you loved me earlier, right?" Corey asked me after we sat down to have a drink.
"Nope, I meant it," I said.
"Then you shouldn't have a problem if I get to be the top next time," he smirked.
What the hell? Is this man trying to blackmail me?
"Not a chance," I let out a nervous laugh.
"Then I'll take it you are a liar," Corey crossed his arms.
"You are emotionally blackmailing me," I accused.
"I am punishing you for being a douche," he answered. Fair enough.
"I'll think about it," I grinned.
We ended up having a good time and mingled with other classmates. Corey was finally warming up to me and not pushing me away.
"Hey, how about we go somewhere private after this?" I leaned over and whispered in his ears.
Corey's face turned red. "Uh...well...I..."
"ETHAN! ETHAAAAAN"
I almost tripped on my feet and spilled my drink on Corey's shirt when I heard a shrill voice screaming my name.
I looked to see where the voice was coming from and saw a girl frantically waving at me. She had long blonde hair, big brown eyes on a small heart-shaped face. She wore a skin-tight sparkly blue dress that emphasized her curves. Her humongous breasts looked like they were going to bounce off her body as she waved frantically.
Who the hell is that? I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out her identity.
"Oh look, it's one of your biggest fans, Sherry Malone," Corey sounded bitter.
Sherry Malone? I searched my brain, trying to remember. Then suddenly, it clicked. Holy fuck...not this chick...!
"Sherry," I croaked out. "I gotta run." I tried to run away, but Corey grabbed my arm.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to say hello to the love of your life?" Corey smirked evilly.
"Did you set me up?" I winced.
"Don't be silly. This is our high school reunion, so of course, she'd be here too," he chuckled.
"Then let me go before she comes any closer," I said and tried to avoid making eye contact with her.
"ETHAN! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?"
I heard her alright. And then I made the mistake of looking at her again, and our eyes met. She ran towards us in her 6-inch Louis Vuitton. To late for me to escape.
She threw her arms around me. "Oh my god, Ethan Miller! I haven't seen you in so long. Look at you! You look so HOT," she chirped.
"Oh...hey Sherry, good to see you again," I chuckled.
"Why didn't you call me after high school? I waited for you. You're such a jerk!" she shoved me playfully.
Corey cleared his throat. "Hey, Sherry. I guess you didn't see me," he smirked.
Sherry looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "Sorry. I don't recognize you."
"It's Corey. Corey Price. I was in three of your classes, remember?"
"Oh! You mean the scrawny gay kid?" Sherry exclaimed.
"Yes, that's right. The scrawny gay kid," Corey chuckled.
"Oh wow, you look great too. Still gay?" she said cheerfully.
"Still gay," Corey nodded.
"Anyway, Ethan. I am glad you are here. And I see you didn't bring a date. Does that mean you're single?" she touched my arm flirtatiously.
"Err...Sherry..." I started to say something, but Corey interjected.
"Oh yes. Ethan is single. Not just single. Single AND available. Some may even call him an eligible bachelor!" Corey gushed.
"Corey!" I gave him a warning glance.
"So am I! We should get together again. We had so much fun in high school, remember?" she winked.
I remember alright. I remember sleeping with her only once and how after one time, she became obsessed with me. Then she started to tell everyone we were together and she'd kill any girl if they came close to me. Not to mention the constant phone calls and texts, and all those facebook posts about how I broke her heart. She was nuts and didn't seem to remember any of it. Corey knows all about it, and I guess he is having fun watching me suffer in this awkward situation. Jerk.
"Well...I'll leave you lovebirds alone. Enjoy," Corey winked and waved goodbye. Oh, hell no. I saw him walk toward Ally, laughing. Probably to tell her about my situation and have a laugh together.
"Sherry, look. I'm not available. Far from it," I said.
"But Corey said..."
"I'm gay, alright!" I declared.
"What? No, you're not," she winced. Her eyes turned wide.
"I am. Unfortunately, I prefer men. More specifically, I prefer Corey," I said.
"No kidding!" Sherry said. "You hated Corey in high school. You used to beat him up."
"I never hated him. I was just insecure and confused."
"This is silly. You are confused right now. I bet I can change your mind once you spend the night with me," she smiled seductively.
"You know what, Sherry. Even if I wasn't gay, I would never go out with you now. You are a terrible person. You never tried to talk me out of my shitty behavior. In fact, you were encouraging it. Besides, I know you fucked Brian behind my back," I rambled on, not thinking about who might hear me.
Sherry gasped. "How dare you talk to me like that! I only slept with Brian because he promised he'd convince you to go out with me," she whined.
"Are you listening to yourself! Grow up and find someone else," I shrugged her off and looked around to find Corey again. I was having a great time until Sherry showed up to spoil my night. Coming here was a bad idea.
I saw Ally and walked towards her. "Where is he?" I asked. I hoped he didn't leave already.
"He said he was going to the restroom, but I didn't see him come back," Ally shrugged.
I went inside the men's room, but no one was in there. I walked around the ballroom but still no sign of Corey. I saw something glinting at the corner of my eyes, so I went closer to investigate. It was a small stack of keys. I picked it up and inspected it. A tiny silver keychain shaped like a cat was attached to it. I recognized it instantly. I gave that to him when we were in elementary school. He had saved this all these years. And he says he hated me. I smiled to myself.
I thought and went to the front desk. "Can you tell me if Corey Price already leave?" I asked the receptionist at the desk.
"Sorry sir, I am not sure," he shook his head.
"He checked his coat in. Please look and see if it's still there," I urged him.
"I'm not sure if I should..."
"Please? He dropped his keys in the bathroom. I'm sure he needs it. I'm his friend. I can give it to him," I insisted.
The guy stood up and looked inside the closet. "His coat is still in there, sir."
That means he was still here. I furrowed my eyebrows. I looked around the ballroom again but couldn't find him anywhere. Where is Corey?