32. 32
32
The evening air was chilly as Barrett put the finishing touches on the fire pit, an imperfect circle dug into the sandy shoreline a few feet in diameter, far away from the shrubbery surrounding Jackson Lake. Tenting the last of the firewood in the center, he looked up at the blanket of stars above them.
The night was uncharacteristically calm for this time of year. Summer warmth seemed to be edging itself closer as the frigid winter nights gradually shifted to a temperature most Wyomingites considered comfortable.
Feeling around in the pockets of his blue zippered hoodie, Barrett produced a match, lit it, and flicked it in the pit at the gasoline-soaked wood. A whoosh of fire rose in front of his face, forcing him to take a step back.
He recalled dozens of parties in his youth on this lake. Every nook and cranny had a memory. He’d had sex with his high school girlfriend behind a nearby tree where they’d carved their initials, only to scratch them out a week later. There were familiar bushes he’d thrown up behind and patches of dirt where he’d stared for hours, drunkenly trying to find all the constellations. The memories felt like wearing a favorite old sweater, warm from the dryer.
In the distance, a set of headlights came his direction, winding down the dirt path and heading toward him, kicking up a dusty plume in its wake. Another vehicle’s headlights sliced through the cloud, followed by another still. Within a few minutes, they’d all circled the pit and killed their engines, tailgates facing the roaring fire.
Chastity was the first to amble out, quickly jogging toward Barrett. Twisted curls bounced against her shoulders, vibrant hair colors muted in the moon and firelight. He admired the shapely legs jutting out of her white shorts and the jiggle of her bra-less breasts as she bounded closer.
Holding open his arms, Barrett welcomed her in. Without hesitation, she crashed into him, her weight a pleasant pressure against his chest. Catching her without so much as a grunt, Barrett spun her around. Her soft giggle vibrated against his neck. Setting her down, he tilted her chin, lifting her eyes in the direction of his own. Her puffy bags and red nose stirred a fiercely protective feeling in him. Her heart had broken, and he wanted to soothe it, to be a balm on all that ached within her.
He couldn’t fix the past, the words exchanged between Chastity and her parents, and he felt wholly responsible for their divide. He knew, more than anyone, to feel the absence of both parents in an instant.
His eyes bore into hers, thumbs stroking her cheeks. “I’m so sorry that I caused this.”
“What? No,” she said. “We haven’t seen eye to eye in a long time. They never tried to, and now I don’t have to force it anymore. It hurts, but it’s not your fault. It’s them . Not us .”
Us .
He swallowed hard. He had never really been part of an us before. Not like this.
She planted a soft kiss on his lips, then one on the tip of his nose. “I don’t want to think about them anymore tonight. I just want to be here with you.”
He nodded, kissing her forehead. Will and Ava laid a blanket down and sat in the bed of Will’s maroon pickup. They were dressed in almost identical hoodies and sweatpants.
Barrett laughed. “Nice outfits. Is Neiderman’s having a big two-for-one sale?”
“She doesn’t need to wear anything special to be the sexiest woman alive,” Will said, putting his arm around his fiancee.
“In my defense,” Ava said, “Will didn’t didn’t say anything about anyone else being here. I was supposed to be prepping save the dates tonight.”
“So glad you could find the time , then,” Barrett joked.
“Thankfully, she’s a take-charge kinda woman. Otherwise, I’d have just eloped with her and had a small wedding on a beach somewhere.”
“Is that still an option?” she joked, trying to tame her frizzed auburn hair.
“So glad I found the place on the first try. I was worried I was going to get lost out here and eaten by wolves or something.” Sherri Nussbaum, the oldest in the group by a decade, adjusted her black V-neck sweater and high-rise denim pants. Chastity bolted away to greet her with a hug.
“Sherri, so glad you could make it. Let me introduce you to everyone.” She pointed around at the group accordingly. “Will and Ava, Barrett, of course. This is my friend Rachel…”
Rachel waved politely and approached the fire. Barrett smiled, remembering her as Chastity’s ride from the police station. Her cherry-wood-colored hair looked black in the moonlight, tied up in a ponytail, tube top barely covering her large breasts, exposing her flat belly. A few weeks ago, Barrett would have looked at her shorts and impractical wedge sandals and tried to get her out of both as fast as possible. But meeting Chastity felt like it changed everything.
Another vehicle pulled down the road and approached the campfire, doing a clumsy nine-point turn to get her car’s trunk to face the fire, too.
She stepped out and waved timidly. “I made it!”
Will chuckled and tilted his head. “Well! Who do we have here?”
“I’m Maya. Aguilar .”
“Oh!” There was recognition in Will’s eyes.
Ava perked up. “Oh my God, a client! Have you come to complain about Barrett’s service? He’s still a little rough around the edges, but we have faith that he will improve.”
Maya laughed. “Zero complaints. Mr. Andrews here just basically forced me to come out for a night to clear my head.”
Barrett waved her closer for a hug. She wobbled to him in her tennis shoes, firelight flickering against her patterned sundress. He squeezed her tight and invited her to join them on the back edge of his Jeep.
Chastity elbowed Barrett, and he shot back up to his feet. “My apologies. For those of you who maybe don’t really know her yet, this is my girlfriend, Chastity.”
Ava gasped, and Chastity’s own eyes widened in surprise at the label.
“Girlfriend? Wow,” Will said. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Don’t make it weird ,” Barrett joked.
“Oh, it’s weird, alright,” Ava offered with a snort. She turned to Chastity. “Darling, you’re beautiful. What the hell do you see in this oaf? Wait… blink twice if he’s holding you hostage.”
“You guys are dicks,” Barrett teased. Then he pointed to Maya, addressing Ava. “She’s a workaholic too. She’s like a nicer, quieter version of you.”
“I’m plenty nice, just not to boyish man-children like you,” Ava said with a sarcastic grin.
Barrett tugged a large igloo cooler toward him and pulled out two chilled bottles of booze and a few bottles of water. “There’s whiskey if anyone wants some. Honey and regular.”
“You got cups?” Ava asked.
“Nope. Gonna have to deal with my cooties.”
“Oh God. Cooties .” Ava giggled. “You really are a man-child.”
He took a swig. The liquid burned like fire as it went down, spreading across his abdomen like a bomb in his empty stomach.
“That’s my one and only drink tonight, you guys. Designated Driver Barrett is now officially at your service.”
Chastity snatched the bottle from Barrett and took a swig, which was made more delicious after knowing Barrett’s lips had been wrapped around it only moments before.
“Let’s start things off with a game, shall we? A little icebreaker, perhaps. How about a little truth-or-dare?”
In unison, everyone else groaned.
“You kidding me? That’s a good game,” Barrett hollered.
“Cooties and now truth-or-dare?” Chastity joked, leaning away from him like he was contagious. “I’m gonna need to see some ID. Are you old enough to drink, boy?”
“Alright, smarty-pants. What would you suggest?”
“Truth-or- drink . You gotta hand the bottle to the person of your choice. They can choose to answer something truthfully about themselves, or they have to take a drink.”
“What’s the difference?” Barrett asked with a sassy bobble of his head.
Will interjected before Chastity could answer. “The difference is you can’t give Sherri hypothermia by telling her to skinny-dip in the lake or get Will arrested for running naked down the highway screaming ‘I’m bigfoot’ on some dumb dare.’”
“How about another rule,” Sherri said, her tone more commanding than the others. “No photos? I don’t need anything embarrassing coming back on me or my family. They think I’m at a fundraiser right now.”
Barrett shrugged. “Sounds good. Chastity’s game, so she should start.” He tickled her on the side. She shrieked and jumped away from the Jeep to get away.
“Fine. Maya?”
Maya lifted her head from picking at her cuticles. She shifted uncomfortably on her trunk.
“Oh, no. I don’t want to start.”
“Please? Chastity plead, handing Maya the bottle of whisky.
“Truth, I guess.” Maya eyed the bottle in her hands like it was ready to bite her.
“What’s one thing you’re really good at?” Chastity asked, voice soft with the clearly anxious woman.
“Uh… I don’t know. Work, I guess?”
Barrett groaned. “Come on, Maya. I know there’s more to you than C++.”
She smiled weakly. “I… I’ve always been decent at art. I used to doodle a lot in school because I was bored. I still do at work sometimes to keep myself from falling asleep during meetings. I just pretend like I am taking really detailed notes and nod along.”
Everyone chuckled.
Maya pointed the bottle at Sherri. “You.”
Sherri swallowed a lump of nerves and fiddled with the cuffs of her sweater. “Oh boy. Truth.”
Maya laughed. “Why are you hanging out with these weirdos?”
Sherri chuckled a little. “I don’t get out much. I’m always hosting charity events and the like, so there isn’t much time for stuff like this.”
Barrett tossed another hunk of wood on the fire from the back of his Jeep, sending up a cloud of glittering sparks before dying down again.
“Your turn to ask, Sherri,” Chastity said.
“Um, hmmm, Will, I guess.”
“Truth. I have too much to do tomorrow to be dealing with a hangover,” he snickered.
“ Pussy ,” Barrett mumbled with a smile.
“Are you a maid, too, Will?” Maya asked.
“Yeah,” He laughed. “I’m the O.G. maid of this crew, actually. Barrett joined my fleet a couple weeks back.”
“Fleet? Really? It’s just the two of us,” Barrett said.
“We’re in the process of hiring two more right now, Mr. Know-it-all.” Will turned back to the ladies. “And, yes, Man Maid is mine… and Ava’s. Been up and running for about, what, three years now?”
Ava nodded confirmation. “Two and three quarters.”
Will spoke. “Chastity. You’re up.”
“Truth,” the rainbow-haired woman said brazenly, without hesitation, “ and drink.”
“That’s my girl,” Barrett said, pulling her closer as she took a drink from the second bottle.
“How’d you meet Barrett?”
“At a bar. A guy who’d bought me a drink was being pushy. Barrett pretended to be my boyfriend. Now,” she held his hand, “after his little introduction, I guess we don’t have to pretend anymore.”
“Rachel, you’re up. Truth or drink? Will asked.
“Draaaaaaank!” Rachael said eagerly, bouncing on the trunk so hard that the car shook. She took a long sip with a stone-still expression. “I choose Will.”
“It was just my turn!”
“Well, now it’s your turn again!” Rachel playfully yelled. “What do you love the most about your fiancee?”
Everyone laughed.
“There are right and wrong answers, Will,” Ava said, pretending to be stern.
Will exhaled. “Shit, I’ll give you a list of five things right now.” Will grabbed Ava’s hand and smiled. “I love her drive. She’s the hardest-working woman I’ve ever met. I love her fire and everything, good and bad, that comes with it. I love the way she is with my daughter. I love how beautiful she is. She stole my heart from day one. And, well, number five, it wouldn’t be decent to talk about in public.”
The women in the group ooohed as Barrett faked a gag.
“Sorry, you guys. This game’s a little junior high for my taste.” Rachel dug in her purse and pulled out a white, hand-rolled joint the size of a cigarette. “Anyone mind if I smoke some of the ol’ sticky-icky?”
Everyone slowly shook their heads, and she lit the end with a bedazzled lighter. She sputtered out a cough and smiled, offering it to the others. “It’s not much, but everyone’s welcome.”
Will shook his head. “No. None for me. Weed and I don’t mix.”
“Willing parties only,” Rachel said.
Maya took it, sucking down a few deep drags like she had missed it. “Oh, you angel! It’s illegal here still, right?” Maya asked quietly.
Rachel nodded. “So don’t narc on me.”
“Where the hell did you get it? I haven’t been able to find any to save my life. All they have around here is that Delta-eight shit.”
“A friend of mine, a guy from the club, always goes down to Colorado for work. He brings it back for me.”
Maya took another puff and offered it to Sherri.
“I haven’t smoked since college,” she said hesitantly as the joint smoldered in her hand. She took a drag and started coughing as soon as the smoke hit her lungs. She handed it back to Maya, doubling over as she continued her coughing fit. “Bit… rusty… I guess.”
Ava hopped off the truck bed and strolled over, Will watching from his seat, eyebrows raised, a look of surprise etched into his features. She reached her fingers out to Maya. “May I?”
Maya handed it off, and Ava took it, taking a long drag. “Man, that takes me back. Why the hell did we stop doing stuff like this? When the hell did we all grow up?”
She held the joint out to Barrett, and he shook his head. “Normally yes, but… I just offered to be DD.”
“Chastity?” Ava held her hand out.
Chastity swallowed and gave a nervous chuckle, her face suddenly looking a little pained. “I love it. But it messes with me.”
“That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?” Ava smiled.
Chastity looked at the fire, liquid courage in her veins tipping over the pitcher of emotion overflowing in her chest. The words came rushing out, sounding like they were screamed through a megaphone in her own head.
“I’m bipolar.”
There was a moment of silence. Barrett rubbed her back reassuringly. Unable to make eye contact with anyone, Chastity lifted her gaze up to a moonless sky, its normally steadfast presence somehow abandoning her in her time of need.
“Drugs and booze really hit me differently, I’m realizing. Sometimes the weed makes me mellow, and sometimes it takes away the last fuck I have to give. I flunked out of veterinary school a few months ago because I was high and manic, always feeling ten-foot-tall-and-bulletproof, trying to self-medicate on anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was diagnosed a couple months ago, and I couldn’t handle it.”
The area was quiet save for the crackling wood in the fire and the gentle sounds of the lake a few feet away.
“I promise I’m not a danger. I’m just… scared. You and my parents are the only people I’ve told, and they didn’t take it well.”
At the mention of her parents, tears formed in her eyes. Her body slumped, and she wiped her cheeks with her palms.
“That’s fucked up. What did your parents actually say?” Rachel asked gently before taking another puff.
“My father said nothing. My mother gave me a lecture insinuating that this was brought on by my lifestyle and wild ways. She insisted it was something I’d grow out of if I’d just try harder to get my life together. She told me to pray for strength. For ‘ this too shall pass .’”
The tears came faster, dribbling down her chin to her neck. “I overheard her and her friends talking shit about me the day I moved out. And then tonight she called, said they found out about what Barrett does for a living, and that we’re together now. She said they’re ashamed of me, that until I can come to my senses and stop seeing Barrett and stop with this ‘bipolar nonsense,’ they refuse to be seen with me. Like their fucking reputation means more than their own daughter.”
The others sat in silence.
Chastity sobbed again. “I’m sorry. I know that was more than a little bit of an overshare.”
“Girl, most of us have issues these days. Our parents had them, too. They just didn’t have names for them. They didn’t have a DSM-V or WebMD or a lot of counselors or therapists like we do now. Hell, I’m on a bunch of shit for my generalized anxiety disorder. And I swear to God, if one more person tells me to relax or do yoga, I’m gonna snap.”
Chastity sniffled, letting out an involuntary laugh. She shivered, and without hesitating, Barrett took off his hoodie and wrapped it around her shoulders. She flashed him a grateful expression.
Rachel exhaled. “I’ve had ADHD since I was a kid. I take meds for it, but I don’t tell people because everyone wants to buy my Adderall from me. Either that, or they think I’m faking it because I still function without medication. We are all a little fucked up. And with you, that sucks about your folks because you didn’t just pick this up from someone. It isn’t chlamydia . You’ve probably had it a long time and didn’t know. You’re still a badass.”
“Most badass woman I’ve ever met,” Barrett said, resting his cheek on her head.
Will and Ava smiled at him like proud parents watching their child take their first steps.
Will leaned toward the fire. “He’s a good guy, Chastity. A bit of a jackass sometimes, but if anyone can handle him, a tough sumbitch like you can.”
As the fire died and their friends packed up for the evening, Barrett pulled Chastity to the front of his Jeep, stealing a moment while the others were distracted.
“What?” Chastity asked, confused.
He pinned her to the grill, grasped her neck, and kissed her with a fervor that surprised her. His hand slipped up her shorts, between her legs, grazing the fabric of her panties. She quietly groaned against his mouth, squirming against his hand.
“You look sexy in my hoodie.” His hand retreated from her thighs and gently pinched her nipple piercing through the thin fabric of her shirt until her eyes fluttered.
“ What do you say we get the fuck out of here and have ourselves a proper sleepover? ” Barrett whispered into her ear. “ Maybe finish what we started on the mountain yesterday ?”
Chastity cupped the bulge in his pants, rising on her toes to kiss him with enough passion to give him a clear answer. She tugged his lip between her teeth and released it as she stepped away.
“Drive fast.”
“You got it.” He slapped her on the ass, and she yipped, climbing into his passenger seat. “Just not too fast,” he joked. “I’m in a teensy bit of hot water with the police around here lately.”