Chapter One #2
By the time we each have a beer in our hands—I plan to give Danika mine when she’s done with hers—the football players have started to file in.
The cheers and fist bumps announce their entry.
They revel in the attention, hollering back with their arms in the air.
Apparently, their win earned them free entry.
An arm snakes around Danika’s waist, and lips crash against her neck. She turns her head to intercept them, and I shift my attention to the pale yellow beer I’m babysitting.
“Hey, Sadie.”
“Oren,” I acknowledge, offering him the cup that he accepts without hesitation. Then his lips are latched back on to Danika’s as she runs a hand up his shirt. And that’s my cue to exit.
I navigate my way around a drinking game and more groups who pick the most obnoxious places to stop and talk before finally finding the back patio.
Of course there’s a beer pong game going on, surrounded by heckling spectators.
Further out in the small yard, I find exactly who I’ve been waiting for, seated on a pair of weatherworn Adirondack chairs.
I balance on the wide arm. “Finally. Ready to leave whenever you are.” I produce an exaggerated smile.
“Having that much fun already?” Collin says from the other chair. “Let me at least drink this flat beer I so generously paid for.”
“You didn’t pay anything.” I roll my eyes.
“Well, someone did. So, I shouldn’t waste it.” He sips the beer and cringes. “So worth it.”
A finger brushes against the side of my hand, and my entire body erupts with chills. I look down and grin. “Good game.”
“Yeah. The team played well,” Jonathan says with a chuckle.
“You got out there for four plays,” I argue, like they’re the only plays that mattered.
“You even had to take a shower after,” Collin adds, chuckling.
“Only because I didn’t take one all day,” Jonathan says. “What-ever. Just in it to stay in shape for swimming.”
“There you are! Are you trying to ditch me?”
I try not to reveal my internal oh shit reaction, but from the look on Collin’s face, he picked up on it. He scans Laurel, who I have yet to face and acknowledge. Deep breath. I shift on the arm of the chair and force a smile. “I thought you were with Livvy.”
“Just to get my drinks. You know I don’t really know anyone. That was so cruel, Sadie.”
“Sorry.” I’d mean it if it was the truth. She knows just about every person at this party and more about them than most who’ve been going to school with them for years. She made it her mission to get as much information about every student in our class. Especially anything salacious.
I wasn’t a great source of gossip. It’s not my thing. And I did everything to keep her from learning about the two I’m sitting with now.
“Oh, right. Of course you’re out here.” She eyes Jonathan with a raised brow. “She could barely stop looking at you all night. Now I understand why.”
My mouth drops. “Laurel!”
“What? Aren’t you together or something?” She’s completely ignorant of our stunned faces.
Jonathan shifts in his seat, away from me. A pang reverberates in my chest. I stand and shrug. “Laurel, this is Jonathan and Collin. Friends of mine. We grew up together.”
“Didn’t everybody here? There’s, like, ninety people living in this town. Surprised some aren’t dating their cousins.”
“Eleven thousand, but close,” Collin says conversationally. “Where are you from?”
“Brooklyn. Stuck here for who knows how long. How can you even stand it? All these ... trees? And, like, nothing to do?”
“Oh, there’s tons to do. You just have to have a little imagination,” Collin says with a playful wink. “There’s plenty of things to blow up. And cliffs to jump off.”
Laurel crinkles her nose like he’s the example of backwoods she’s been complaining about.
I stand, awkwardly stuffing my hands in the back pockets of my jeans since there’s evidently no one willing to touch them now. I purposely don’t look at Jonathan. Laurel picks up on the tension. Of course she does.
“Did I say something wrong? Are you guys, like, exes or something?”
“You say everything wrong,” Danika announces, coming up behind Laurel, holding Oren’s hand. “You have no filter. And you’re nosy.”
Laurel scoffs in offense. “Excuse me?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Danika returns. “Why don’t you go scurry off? We’re done pretending to be your friends.”
Laurel blinks hard. She looks to me to defend her. “Danika, c’mon,” I placate, trying to get her to retract her claws.
“Sadie, it’s time. She needs to find her own friends,” Danika says, and I don’t know how to get out of this situation, so I look at the ground instead.
“I get it. I know exactly who you are, Sadie Prescott. Phony bitch.”
Someone rises to their feet behind me. Two someones. I watch Laurel’s eyes take them both in before she turns and stomps back inside.
“I don’t like her,” Collin declares. “She’s not nice.”
Danika laughs, and I try not to as I say, “That was horrible.” But the laugh still sneaks through. I turn to meet Jonathan’s dark gaze as he watches her disappear in the crowd. He glances at me, but not for long enough.
Hollering erupts inside. Deep, bellowing voices rise above the rest.
“Reeves! You better get in here,” a guy yells from the patio.
I step closer to Jonathan. “Please don’t. You know whatever it is, it isn’t good.”
Jonathan glances at Collin. He knows Collin’s with him, whatever he decides.
“Reeves! Players from Greenfield are here. Including the guy who took Jackson down. We need you, man.”
Jonathan steps past me and heads inside. Collin sighs. “Here we go again.” He looks back at me when I don’t move. “You coming?”
“You know I can’t watch.”
Danika follows after Oren, who looks excited to join in.
I lower onto the Adirondack chair and hug my knees to my chest, waiting for the fight to break out. And the sirens to follow. Just another weekend night in Hollis.