Lost In Emotion: 80's Baby Series 2

  LOST IN EMOTION

  SAMMI STARLIGHT

  Copyright © 2022 by Sammi Starlight

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  CONTENTS

  1. Tiffany

  2. Justin

  3. Tiffany

  4. Justin

  5. Tiffany

  6. Justin

  7. Tiffany

  8. Justin

  9. Tiffany

  10. Justin

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  1

  TIFFANY

  “Let’s go to Jim’s.”

  “Oh my god, Sarah. You have it so bad for him. Can’t we ever spend one night away just you and me?”

  I threw my scrunchie at my best friend Sarah as she sat on her bedroom floor painting her nails. She started dating Jim three weeks ago, and they have been inseparable ever since.

  We finished working at Blockbuster at nine and went over to her house. I planned to spend the night as usual because my house was too big and dull. My mom was a lawyer, and my dad was a doctor, and they were never home. I was an only child and hated being alone in that big empty house. Sarah used to come to my house, but I insisted we go to hers. She had two little brothers, and her mom was a stay-at-home mom. She complained about them always being around, but I was jealous.

  “Please? I promise we won’t sit and make out. He just got an Atari. We can play Pitfall.” Sarah closed her nail polish bottle and waved her hands as if the air would make them dry faster.

  She looked at me with those big brown eyes, and I couldn't say no. I liked Jim and didn't mind hanging out with him. He was always nice to me, and it was boring around Sarah's that night.

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine! But you owe me.”

  She jumped up from the floor and hugged me. “I do. I promise. Let me tell Mom.”

  Sarah ran from her bedroom, yelling for her mom. I got up off the bed and checked my hair. I redid the banana clip in my hair, securing it tightly. Then, I generously sprayed my dirty blonde locks with the Aqua Net nearby. Next, I reached for the Wet n' Wild eyeshadow on Sarah's dresser. I touched up my blue eyeshadow before pulling my Kissing Potion lip gloss out of my pocket and applying it to my lips.

  "Mom said we could go but had to be home by midnight." Sarah came bouncing back into the bedroom. She pushed me out of the way and fixed her bow, teasing her hair even bigger with her comb. She turned to me. "Do I look okay?"

  Sarah always looked flawless. Her makeup was perfect, with her hair in the latest hairstyles. I always told her she looked like Madonna with her bows and fishnet stockings.

  Guys were always asking her out. She usually said no, but Jim was relentless, coming into Blockbuster nightly for two weeks before saying yes. They went to a movie that night, and the rest was history. She and I had been inseparable, so I missed her sometimes, but I was happy for her. The two of them made sure I didn't feel left out.

  We left in my Chevet and drove the five minutes to his house. Most kids our age didn't have their own car yet, but that was a perk of parents with good jobs that were never home. So before I even turned sixteen and got my license, they had the car bought and waiting for me in the garage. Sarah and I had some good memories in this car.

  We pulled up to Jim's house, and I parked on the road just in case his parents weren't home. He was outside shooting hoops, waiting for us to arrive. It was a beautiful summer night.

  Sarah barely let the car come to a stop before getting out and running to him. Jim wrapped her in his arms and hugged her tight before kissing her softly. "Hey, you. I missed you."

  “I missed you too,” she replied, throwing her arms around his neck.

  I tried not to roll my eyes as I shut my car door. Gag me.

  "Hey, Tiffany!" He called as he untangled himself from my best friend. "How are you?"

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “Better now.” He took Sarah’s hand and smiled at her.

  I felt a stab of jealousy. I never cared much if I had a boyfriend. I'd been on dates and made out with a few guys but never had one person like Sarah had Jim. I wanted to feel that way about someone.

  "We can go hang out on the back porch," Jim said, interrupting my thoughts. "It's nice out, and my sister has friends over, so they've taken over the basement."

  He led us around the house and onto the porch there. We sat on the chairs, and he went inside to get us some sodas when I heard a loud rumble. We had a perfect view of his neighbor's driveway from Jim's patio. In pulled a loud TransAm. Not only was the car itself loud, but the radio was blasting.

  The car parked, and out stepped what I imagined the perfect man to look like. He appeared tall from the way he unfolded himself out of the vehicle. His darkish blonde hair was shorter on top and longer in the back - something I could run my fingers through when we kissed. He wore a dark jean jacket with the collar flipped up and a black Judas Priest t-shirt underneath. He glanced over at us and smiled at me.

  “Hi there.” His crooked smile made my stomach do a flip flop.

  "Hi." I lifted my hand in a half-wave and pulled it down immediately, horrified at what a spaz I was.

  “Hey Justin,” Jim called out as he came outside, holding an arm full of sodas. “How are you?”

  The talk drink of water came across the backyard towards us, and my hands got sweaty, holding on to the edge of my chair.

  "I'm good." He glanced at Sarah and then at me, his gaze lingering on me slightly longer. "Looks like a party."

  "Just hanging out. This is Sarah, my girlfriend and her best friend, Tiffany." Jim put the bottles of Coke on the table and sat down. "Girls, this is my neighbor, Justin. We've lived next door to each other forever. Do you want to join us, Justin?"

  "Nah. I just got home from work. I'm going to crash." He looked at me. "Maybe next time. It was nice to meet you, ladies."

  I licked my lips and hoped the disappointment didn’t show on my face.

  Jim and Sarah were chatting quietly as I watched him walk away in his Levi’s.

  "Take a picture; it'll last longer." Jim grinned at me.

  “Shut up.” I glanced over, making sure Justin was inside and couldn’t hear me.

  "Oh my god, Tiffany. I thought you would start drooling all over yourself," Sarah giggled. "He is cute, though."

  “Hey now!” Justin pretended to look hurt.

  “Well, not as cute as you,” Sarah replied, trying to recover. “Seriously though, you should set him up with Tiffany.”

  "Maybe," he shrugged. "I don't see him much. He works a lot, and if he's not at work, he's with his band. He thinks he's going to be a rock star." He rolled his eyes.

  He changed the subject then, but I couldn't get Justin out of my head. So the next time Sarah wanted to hang out at her boyfriend's, I wouldn't argue.

  2

  JUSTIN

  I went inside the house and down to my room in the basement before my mom could say anything. I wasn't even sure if she was home or not. She was probably out with one of her loser boyfriends that hated me.

  I flopped on my bed and turned on the tape player, blasting the latest Judas Priest album. Unfortunately, work had sucked more than usual. Working at Skateland usually had its perks and was more like a party than work, but we had three birthday parties tonight. As a result, the place was overrun with snotty seven-year-olds.

  We canceled band practice, so I didn't have that to look forward to after work. Also, two of the guys couldn't get off of work. We could sometimes get by with one guy missing, but not two. We practiced at the drummer's house, and his mom had been getting pissy about how much noise we made, so a night off was probably best.

  But now I was stuck at home. I hated being home. Most of the time, my mom was a raging bitch, constantly bitching at me about my alcoholic father. It was almost like she thought I had something to do with how much he drank and how abusive he was.

  I needed to get my own place, but working at a skating rink full time didn't bring in the money required to venture out on my own. Also, I loved my bandmates, but I didn't think I could live with them. Besides, every time I mentioned to Mom about moving out, she'd lay a guilt trip on me about leaving her alone.

  Mom kept telling me I needed to get a full-time job at the mill but fuck that. I wasn't going to become a millrat like the rest of my family. I wanted more out of life than that. She constantly berated my band and told me how stupid I was to think anything would come of it.

  It was great having such a supportive mom…not.

  I threw a hand over my eyes. I should have taken the neighbor Jim up on his offer to join him and his girlfriend and her friend on their back patio. I wanted to; the girl Tiffany was hot. She wore a t-shirt that fell off the shoulder and came a little low, revealing her incredible tits. Her smile was gorgeous, and I got close enough to get a whiff of her perfume. I was pretty sure she wore Love's Baby Soft.

  Tiffany wasn't like the other girls I was used to dating. She had her own car, and the jeans she had been wearing were Guess jeans. My guess was she came from money, and girls like her didn't like hanging out with grits like me. They always thought they were too good for me. So she probably wasn't worth my time. r />
  We hadn't really hung out since we were kids, so I thought it might be weird if I stayed. I'd seen Jim's girlfriend numerous times, but that was the first time I'd seen Tiffany. I hoped she was around more often.

  I soon fell asleep, dreaming about a dirty blonde in an off-the-shoulder t-shirt.

  The following week was a blur, busy with work and the band. We had a few people gone from the roller rink, and I picked up some extra shifts for some extra money. It beat being at home as well.

  When I got home from work the following Saturday night, there were quite a few cars in Jim's driveway and on the road. It looked like there was a party at Jim's house. My mom had mentioned she thought his parents were out of town.

  I noticed Tiffany's car in the driveway, so I decided to stroll inside. I'd had a shit evening, and maybe there would be beer. Jim wasn't old enough to get a beer, so I was curious to see if he'd gotten some.

  When I walked in the door, a couple was making out in the chair. I thought it was Tiffany for a second, and my heart sank. Then, the girl pulled away from the guy she'd been sitting with and giggled, revealing she wasn't Tiffany. I found myself relieved.

  There were guys and girls all over the place. Some were making out while others were only talking. Finally, I paused and asked some dude where Jim was. He only grinned at me and told me he'd seen him go off to the bedroom with his girlfriend.

  Great. That meant Tiffany was more than likely alone. I'd been to enough parties to see the kind of guys I feared were preying on her. They would find the girls alone. They didn't always have to be cute. Tiffany was attractive, though, making her more of a target.

  I searched the whole first floor of the house and didn’t find Tiffany or Justin and his girlfriend. I ran my hands through my hair, becoming almost frantic that I couldn’t find her.

  This was ridiculous. I met Tiffany once. I barely knew her, and it wasn't my job to make sure she was okay. If I interrupted anything, she might think I was the creeper. I should just go home and forget about Tiffany.

  I was about to turn around in the kitchen when I noticed a big group of people outside on the back porch. So I would leave that way, and if I ran into Tiffany, good for me. If not, I'd go home and worry about myself. Maybe I'd even give the girl who gave me her number at the roller rink the other night. It had been way too long since I was with a girl.

  I went out the back door and casually scanned the crowd. Dusk had settled in, making it hard to really see the faces of who was out there but then I heard her voice.

  "That's okay. I'm not interested. I'm going to go back inside."

  I followed the direction of her voice and saw some guy dressed in a white suit and pink shirt who thought he was Don Johnson corner her along the patio railing.

  It took me two strides with my long legs, and I was by her side. She noticed me almost immediately, looking relieved to see me. "Hey, Tiffany. I was looking for you."

  3

  TIFFANY

  I was never so happy to see someone in my life.

  Somehow I got stuck on the porch with this douchebag. This guy offered me a beer, and when I refused, he tried the harder stuff. He even wanted to get me a drink, but I was smart enough to decline. I'd read enough horror stories about girls getting drunk and waking up having been assaulted. Sarah's mom was obsessed with telling us about it all the time.

  Sarah had gone up to Jim's room earlier. She told me tonight would be the night she gave him her virginity. I was excited for her but not thrilled with being left alone with many people I didn't know. They were mainly Jim's friends and older than us.

  I'd noticed Justin's head in the crowd but didn't think he'd come this way. So I gave him a huge smile when he walked up to me. He glanced at the asshole that had me pinned against the wall.

  “Can I help you?” Justin asked him when the guy lifted his sunglasses onto his head. I rolled my eyes. Who wears sunglasses at night anyway?

  “I would appreciate it if you leave me and my lady alone.”

  “I’m not your lady!” I gasped and crossed my arms over my chest.

  "Not yet." He wiggled his nasty unibrow at me, and I almost threw up in my mouth.

  Justin smirked and got closer to him. “What’s your name?”

  “Richard.”

  “Well, Dick, I would appreciate it if you would leave my lady and me alone." He slipped his arm around my shoulders, and I snuggled in close. He smelled a little like Tide and some stale cigarette smoke, and I breathed him in, savoring his scent.

  “Bitch. Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?” Dick stood up straight and put his hands on his hips.

  Justin let me go and pushed Dick up against the wall. "I don't want to hit you because I don't want to ruin my friend's party, and I promised my girl I would keep the violence to a minimum. It would be in your best interest, Dick, to be careful what you call a lady and to get the fuck out of this party."

  I'd never been more turned on in my life. Of course, I knew Justin was just playing, helping me get out of an awkward situation with this asshole, but holy shit, he was sexy as fuck.

  Justin let him go, stepping away and watching with a grin while he gathered his couple of friends and hurried off the deck, going around the front of the house to their car. Justin laughed as we heard a car squeal away.

  “What a bunch of pussies,” he shook his head and grabbed a beer from the cooler on the deck. “Where did you find him anyway?”

  I shrugged. "I came out here for some fresh air, and that guy cornered me here. I haven't been able to get away. He was scaring me a little. So thank you."

  He opened his beer and took a big sip. “You’re welcome. I hate guys like that. If you can’t get a chick without harassing her or forcing her, you’re a dick. Do you need a beer?”

  "No thanks. I don't really drink." I hated the taste of beer, and the thought of losing any sort of control or not knowing what was going on scared me. I guess Sarah's mom's scare tactics were working.

  He shrugged and took another sip of his beer.

  "I'm surprised to see you here. Jim said you guys haven't really hung out since junior high when you used to ride bikes together everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled you were here, just surprised."

  Justin set the beer down on the patio's railing and leaned against it. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I was hoping to see you."

  I was thankful it was dark, so he couldn't see my red face. "Me?"

  I'd been thinking about Justin nonstop since I met him that night on the patio. We'd been back to Jim's a few times but hadn't seen him again. Either he was gone, or his car was in the driveway, and he didn't come out.

  "Yes." He gave me that crooked smile that made my panties melt. He was wearing that jean jacket again with the color flipped up. His hair brushed the collar, and I wanted to run my hands through it.

  I was used to guys that dressed more like Dick - preppy and liked to flaunt their money. Sarah and I went to a private school, and many of the kids there were assholes with money. You could probably say I was one of those over-privileged kids since I had a car already and my parents made a lot of money, but I liked to think I was pretty down to earth. I never believed I should get special treatment because my family had money.

  "You're cute. I thought maybe you'd want to go out sometime."

  "Yes!" I replied, instantly horrified I sounded too eager and willing. I shivered then, and he took off his jacket, placing it over my shoulders.

  “There you go. You look cold.”

  I smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

  "There's a swing over in the corner in the yard. Let's go over there where it's quieter." He took my hand and led me off the patio and over to the corner of the yard. He sat down and put his arm along the back, grinning at me as I sat down and nestled against him. I was no longer cold in my off-the-shoulder t-shirt and Guess jeans between his jacket and body heat.