The bonfire’s blazing when I come out of the woods. I hear the clank of beer bottles and I’m surprised to see how many people have already shown up. I didn’t think I was out in those woods for very long, but maybe I was.
The driveway’s turned into a parking lot and I hear music up ahead. It’s that angry metal crap Conner likes, where yelling is called singing, and the band can’t play to save their lives. I’ve tried to educate Conner on good music, but he keeps insisting this shit’s the shit. Well, at least he got one part right.
I snag a beer from a cooler along the way and halfway through it I see the golden eagle on the label. My stomach turns and everything in my mouth goes sour. Fucking freshmen! I curse under my breath and tip the bottle over, Mom’s favorite seeping into the dirt. Guess, I’m really not drinking tonight.
“Medford!”
I turn to see Vanessa walking in my direction. Her mouth is glossy and she deliberately tilts her head so her black hair slides off her shoulder. I chuck the eagle over the cars and into the woods, ignoring the crash of glass that echoes back.
“Where have you been?” she demands, moving in so close I could kiss her.
“Around,” I say, checking out the front of her and remembering the way she moved when we skipped class last week. I took her to the dugout behind the baseball diamond, where her mouth had that waxy lipstick taste. The rest of her was soft though. The rest of her was worth enjoying.
“Well, good thing I found you, then,” she says. “Getting around and all.”
I roll my eyes. She likes this game, but I don’t want to play it. She knows there’s only one reason this works. And when it stops working . . . well, then it stops working. I thread a finger through her belt loop, pulling her in, and she hangs an arm over my shoulder.
“Geez!” She flinches, her arm hitting the sweat on my neck. “What did you do? Work out or something?” She sounds annoyed but her fingers play with my hair.
“What? You don’t like me sweaty?”
She smiles mischievously. “I like being the one to make you sweaty.”
I laugh and look over her shoulder to the row of parked cars. I could take her to Conner’s SUV, but he’s pissed at me.
“I don’t have my car,” I say, knowing we could find someplace else, but there’s something in the air, and for whatever reason, I don’t want the easy and the booze. Not tonight.
“Kelley has a car,” she says, batting her lashes, and I smile at her persistence.
“Well, do you have the keys to Kelley’s car?”
She tosses her hair again and the strap of her tank top falls from her shoulder. She probably just wants to go into the woods.
“No,” she admits, moving in to kiss me, but I smell beer, and the last thing I want right now is lipstick and golden-eagle breath. I pull away as smooth as I can and throw on a teasing smile.
“Well,” I say playfully, running a hand under her shirt, over her stomach, which makes her moan hungrily. “Why don’t you find me when you have those keys?”
I inch my hand dangerously close to her breasts and she leans in for a kiss. I pull away, teasing, but she manages to pin me. The taste of wax spreads over my mouth, and I let her do it. It’s not so bad, especially if I don’t breathe.
“Keys,” I repeat when she releases me. I drop my hands and smile sideways, heading for the fire without looking back to see if she’s pissed or likes the challenge. All I know is that I don’t want to deal with her right now.
I forget about Vanessa and walk to the lake and put my feet in the water. It’s freezing. But the bonfire’s behind me so I don’t really mind. The water is flat. So flat it feels like it will go on forever. It makes me want to chuck a rock in it. Or ten rocks. Anything to cause a ripple.
“Hey!”
It’s Conner behind me, followed by a smack at the back of my head that stings like my feet in the water.
“Stop being a douche and join the party!” He holds out a beer and I take it to humor him, ignoring the black label and gold wings.
“How far do you think that other shore is?” I ask. “Straight through. If I swim?”
Conner frowns at me like this is a trick. “I’ll give you two football fields,” he says, and I shake my head.
“No way, that wouldn’t even get you to the center of the lake.”
“I’m sorry, let me clarify.” Conner smacks me again. “What part of ‘don’t be a douche’ did you not understand?”
“Shit, all right.” I step away from him.
“Two football fields,” he repeats. “That’s how far you’re going to get with whatever chick you take out there. If I see you in that water without a girl, I will pound the shit out of you.”
“All right. Point taken.”
“Good. Now drink.”
I look at the bottle and almost turn it over so the eagle is pointed at him. But I don’t want to play the mom card.
“Bottoms up!” I say, raising the beer and tilting my head back. I down the whole thing. It’s sour and cold, and tastes better than I want it to. I hand him the empty bottle when I’m done. Maybe he does see the eagle on it then, but if he does he doesn’t say anything.
So much for not drinking.