Last Summer #2
She shot him a judgey look. “Jesus, Ryder.” She took her traditional two tiny puffs and passed it along to Montey who inhaled deeply. “Learn some class.”
Token fell back, letting his head rest on the bean bag. “Montey, you're lucky your mom’s clueless as hell. I mean, we’d never get away with this shit at our place, especially not for this long. We’ve been down here, fucking around for years.”
“Don’t talk shit about my mom, you fucker.” Montey snapped, handing the joint off to me.
Token’s arms raised. “Whoa, hey, I’m not! Relax!”
After taking a deep inhale, I let the smoke settle in my lungs before exhaling.
I felt Montey’s hand wrap loosely around my ankle, gently stroking the skin along the top of my foot.
It was a sweet sign of affection that was making my core go molten.
I felt my face heat and my heart begin to race, pounding in my chest, and I hoped none of the others noticed.
Get a grip, Crissa.
I leaned over Montey as my arm reached to Token to hand off the joint. His scent overpowered the dank smell of weed, and consumed my senses. I felt weak being so close to him, feeling his body heat. And no matter how hard I tried to hide it, he was my fucking weakness.
Lavender shot up from where she was sitting. “Let’s find something to do while we wait for the pizza. Like…I don’t know, play a game or something,” she suggested. “We always just sit down here, get high, and eat. Can’t we mix things up? I’m fucking bored.”
“Well, do you have any suggestions?” Montey asked.
“No,” Lavender’s sulky tone made me chuckle.
“I mean. there’s all these board games we used to play, over there.
” She gestured to the book case that housed an eclectic collection of games that we had surely played dozens of times, especially as kids.
Without a doubt all of them were missing at least a piece or two. “We could pull one out.”
Token scoffed and mocked her. Lavender just rolled her eyes, pretending his teases didn’t bother her.
Montey pondered for a minute. “Hmm. Maybe not one of those, but there’s so much shit down here, we’re bound to find something to entertain us.
My mom has hoarded so much crap over the years, let’s just look and see what we can find.
” We all looked at one another before agreeing, passing the joint around until it had reached its end.
“Okay!” Token jumped up from where he was laying on the floor.
“I have an idea. Let’s split up and see who can find the weirdest thing.
We can make this like a weird, fucking scavenger hunt or something.
” He broke from the group as the rest of us busted out laughing at the ridiculous idea.
“Shut the fuck up!” He yelled from the other side of the basement, digging through shit.
“I don’t see any of you coming up with better ideas. ”
Just as we were all about to separate, the basement door creaked open. “Montey, the pizza you ordered is here,” his mom called down.
“Finally!” Montey clapped his hands together and stood from the couch.
“I’ll be right back.” As he stepped away, he stumbled over my feet and fell, encasing me in his arms. “Whoops, sorry,” he whispered, honking my breasts, winking as he pushed off the couch and walked away toward the stairs.
I knew my face was probably bright red and I tried to look nonchalant, but both Lavender and Ryder gave me a knowing gaze before walking away in opposite directions.
Get it together, Crissa!
I slapped my cheeks to focus before standing and wandering around the basement.
I had no clue what the hell to even begin looking for, and my mind was cloudy from the lust and weed.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Montey. I just wanted the rest of the group to leave so he and I could finish what we started earlier.
I bit my lower lip, fighting back a smile, losing myself in a little daydream.
“Crissa, did you find anything yet?” Lavender’s booming voice startled me from the whole other side of the basement.
My body spun as I shook my head, my green hair waving around my face.
“Not yet!” I tried to sound normal and focus.
I had no clue where Ryder and Token were, but I was thankful this was a basement big enough for all five of us to get lost in.
I just needed a second to myself to catch my breath and control my feelings.
Focus, Crissa!
As my mind struggled to control itself, I found myself back in the closet that Montey and I had occupied earlier, looking for anything that I could easily carry back to the group, when my eyes landed on a dilapidated ship in a bottle.
“That might work.” I snatched it from the shelf and casually walked out of the closet only to run smack into Ryder.
“Ow!” It felt like I ran into a wall, not a person.
Ryder gripped my arms, preventing me from falling over. “Careful.” He noticed the bottle in my hand as he let go of me. “What the fuck is that?” His gaze drifted to the dusty, shipwreck in my grip.
“I have no idea,” I said truthfully. My eyes raised to meet his, realizing how tall he really was. “Find anything yet?” I asked. He shook his black and white split dyed hair before walking back over to the couch. I held the bottle close and followed.
Montey had finally returned with the pizzas and everyone quickly made their way back.
We all dug in, thoroughly enjoying each cheesy bite.
There was complete silence as we ate and I wondered if we actually would go through with Token’s stupid scavenger hunt.
At this point, I just wanted to eat and wait for the other three to go home.
“Oh, what the fuck?” Token mumbled as he ate a slice of the supreme pizza. He opened his mouth wide and spit the bite out he had just taken out, being over dramatic as usual.
“Token, come on,” Ryder groaned. “That’s fucking disgusting, bro!” He watched his brother with a disgusted look.
His twin grimaced. “Me?! There’s a fucking hair in my pizza!” He pulled a small, dark curly hair from his mouth and held it in the air. “Oh fuck! Is that what I think it is?”
Ryder squinted and examined the mystery hair. “It kinda looks like it brother,” he said matter-of-factly with a small smile.
Token’s face was drained of color. “I think I’m going to be fucking sick.”
After seeing the hair and watching Token regurgitate his food, I slid the slice of pizza I was about to eat back into the box and wretched. “Okay, well I’m done eating.” I tried not to gag.
Before I knew it, the pizza boxes were all piled in a corner for the trash and we were back to lounging in our usual spots.
A light tune came from the TV where the cartoon still played.
Lavender broke the awkward silence among the group, her voice catching my attention. “Okay, what did everyone find?”
Ryder groaned. “Oh, we’re still doing that?” he asked, not lifting his head from where he was leaning back on the couch.
Lavender sighed. “Yes, we’re still doing that. And now, you get to go first, Ryder.” She tilted her head as he groaned at her.
“Fine,” he drawled. Ryder reached behind the couch and pulled a red and white box. “I found this.” He shook it around. “We could—”
Lavender and I both recognized the box immediately and shouted, cutting him off. “No!” We shouted in unison. Ryder flashed us a concerned look.
“Ryder.” I stood from the couch. “You need to put that back wherever you found it.” I walked over to the side of the couch where he was sitting.
He leaned back and away from me, clutching the box close. “Crissa, wait.” I reached for it and missed. “Wait! Just hear me out—”
“Absolutely not.” Lavender rushed over and snatched the Risk boardgame box out of his hand.
“Everytime we play this, the three of you—” she pointed to the guys, “end up getting way too serious and going at each other’s throats for no good reason.
Crissa and I always have to play referee and it’s not fun for us.
” Ryder rolled his eyes and groaned at her words.
“It’s true!” I shouted. “Last time we played, Token almost punched me in the face!” I pointed to the other twin who was now tormenting Montey with a creepy clown doll. My saying his name got his attention as he froze and looked at me.
“Wha—That was an accident!” He shouted. “You know that. I didn’t mean too—ahhh. Just drop it already, damn.” Token huffed and hugged the clown like a child.
What the hell is with the clown, and where did that thing even come from?
His twin brother sighed. “Fine, okay? No Risk.” He groaned and mumbled a few things under his breath before speaking again. “Well, what did you find then Lavender?” he asked with a snarky tone.
Lavender returned to her chair and raised a book.
Token immediately snatched it from her grasp and studied the cover before holding the book out for the rest of us to see.
It was a harlequin romance novel, with a muscular man on the cover, wind blowing in his hair with a shirt unbuttoned while he cradled a woman by the waist tightly against him.
“A harrowing tale of steamy romance and exciting adventures. What the fuck were you expecting us to do with this?” he asked, waving the book around.
She stomped her foot. “Give it back!” Token held it just out of her reach.
“Ugh. Wow, it’s a miracle! He can read!” she snapped.
Lavender plopped back down into her chair, sullen and annoyed.
“I don’t know, I thought we could read to each other or something.
Just forget it.” She obviously had no real intention of doing anything with the book.
I shook my head and patted her on the back.
“Oh, don’t worry. No one will force Token to push himself like that.
That’s torture for all of us.” Token sneered at me as the rest of us all burst into laughter.
“Alright.” I looked to Montey. “What about you? What did you find?” I asked with the faintest hint of flirtiness in my voice.
I knew there was no way Montey could’ve scavenged something up and looked forward to teasing him for it.
Let’s see what you come up with.
He grinned and pointed to the pile of pizza boxes. “I brought the pizza. And seeing what I’m up against, I’d say I won this thing…whatever this is.” He motioned around at all of us. “But what about you, Crissa?” He shoved my shoulder a bit. “I’m dying to see what you found.”
I tried to not smile, pressing my lips together. “As a matter of fact, I found this.” I whipped out the ship in a bottle and waved it around as tiny fragmented pieces shook within the glass. “It’s broken but, yeah I found it.”
Montey tilted his head and squinted his eyes at me. “What exactly are we going to do with that? Also where did you find that? I’ve never seen it in my life.”
My lips pressed together. “It was in the closet under the stairs.” I gestured in the general direction. “Surprised you’ve never seen it before, considering how much you enjoy that closet.” I grinned. “Maybe we could—”
“Spin the bottle!” Token suddenly chimed up. “Oh! Oh! No! A little seven minutes in heaven, maybe?” He looked way too excited at the options he mentioned.
Lavender pushed him over from his beanbag chair. “Eww! What are you, sixteen? Just shut the fuck up, pervert!”
“Yeah shut up.” Ryder grinned from his chair. “Besides, these two already got their seven minutes.” He smiled at Montey and I. “Isn’t that right, Crissa?” I threw a couch pillow at his head. He dodged it and laughed at my temper.
Token grumbled to himself as he got situated. But this time, the same creepy clown from before was back in his lap. Montey finally spoke up and addressed the clown. “This idiot found Cuckles.”
Every one of us turned our heads to Montey in utter dismay, but it was Ryder who asked the question we all were dying to speak. “I’m sorry…did you just call the clown…Cuckles?”
Montey made a face. “Look, I couldn’t pronounce the ‘ch-’ when I was little!
The clown’s actual name is Chuckles. But I couldn’t ever say it!
So, I called it Cuckles.” We all tried not to laugh, snorting at a grown ass man saying such a thing aloud.
“Oh ha-ha, very funny. Yes, I’m aware of how it sounds.
No, I don't want to talk about it. I fucking hated that clown when I was little. Still do. They fucking creep me out with their unnatural smiles and red noses.” Montey shuddered at the very thought.
“Fucking clowns,” he mumbled under his breath.
Token examined the stuffed clown. “But…why is it missing a leg?” He wiggled the creepy clown around. “Did you do something to it?” he asked in a playful tone.
Montey grimaced. “I tried to give him to my dog…yeah, turns out the dog didn’t like him either.”
Ryder piped up. “Enough about the fucking clown. As the second oldest, I vote we just play spin the bottle. Hell, Cuckles can join to make it an even number.” No one argued as Ryder set the bottle down and spun it.
We all watched as it finally stopped and pointed between Montey and I.
“Oh, look at that. These two get to make out now. Again.” His eyes shot to his brother.
“Token, put the damn clown away.” He rubbed his forehead.
“Hey, Lavender. What do you think we should do with this little situation?” He threw his thumb over his shoulder pointing at Montey and I.
Lavender played with her curls. “The bottle has chosen. Come on you two!” She motioned for us to move.
“I’m sure you know your way to the closet,” she teased.
The twins began to bicker over the clown, eventually rough housing and wrestling over it as Montey and I stood.
She gave me a wink as I walked behind Montey and followed him to the closet. “Alright! Time starts—now!”
As soon as the door clicked shut, Montey’s body was flush with mine. I looked up at him and smiled right before he kissed me. “Let’s finish what we started.”