Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
EVERLY
“But we are still in our bathing suits?”
“Who cares? It’s a bonfire. You’ve been to enough, and no one dresses up.” Nick unties the boat and pushes it off the sandy beach.
“Well, no one except Everly.” Alex laughs. I reach over and pinch her left boob, making her squeal.
After spending the entire afternoon water tubing, only finally giving it up when our lips had turned indigo, and our teeth were chattering to the point we all wondered if we would need to make a dentist appointment when we got back, we had headed to a secluded sandbar on the lake.
I hadn’t seen one speck of sand on this lake all summer until now.
I rolled my eyes when Nick explained that the sandbar was private property and that you had to belong to the neighborhood association that, conveniently, his house was in.
There was a slight tone of arrogance in his voice when he said, “This spot isn’t open to the public,” which I hadn’t noticed him use before today.
Now, I have noticed it twice. Or maybe I just hadn’t been paying enough attention in the beginning.
The four of us lay out in the warm sun like sleepy sea lions until our stomachs grumbled and dusk set in.
I cleared things up with Hannah, and though she eyed me suspiciously when she learned I had essentially turned down Nick for Hux, I couldn’t help but notice she was also a bit excited to hear Nick was currently available.
The downside to this revelation was she had begged me to go to Nick’s friend Tyler’s house party.
Honestly, since the disaster that was Alex and my party, I had very little interest in going to any more festivities.
I would much prefer to spend the rest of my nights sitting at the bar while Hux closed up or soaking up my last few evenings with Alex and her dad.
“We haven’t even had dinner yet, and I’m starving.
Maybe you should drop us off at Anderson’s, and we can meet you there in a little bit?
” At this point, I am desperately looking for a good enough excuse to not show up to a party with Nick.
I look over at Hannah and don’t miss her slight frown.
I think she might be willing to starve for a cute guy.
“Tyler grabbed a shit ton of pizzas from in town, plenty of food. It’s going to be chill, I promise.
A lot of our friends have already headed back home.
Pre-season has started at most colleges.
Just a few of us are still slumming it up here.
” He turns on the boat lights, and the steady purr of the engine makes a rebuttal impossible.
“I love pizza!” Hannah chirps as we make our way to the front of the boat, a giddy smile returning to her face.
I fish my phone out of the seat cushion and find the battery has died.
If Hux has tried to get ahold of me, he definitely isn’t happy, but his response earlier was frustrating, reminding me of the “old” Hux that I am in no mood to deal with.
If he had wanted to get a hold of me so badly, he could have called Alex, but he didn’t. So there’s that.
I want to blame this bit of anger and anxiety building in my stomach on Hux and his crap attitude earlier. I am fully aware that spending the whole day and night with someone Hux felt I might have romantic potential with is definitely not helping.
I massage the skin between my thumb and pointer finger. “Does anyone have a phone charger?” I should at least clear up this weirdness between us before it blows up.
“Uh, probably somewhere in one of the thousands of compartments on this boat, but it’s dark as shit back here, and we will be to Tyler’s in ten minutes.
” Nick’s right, the sun is starting to set a lot earlier now, and I can already see the first stars beginning to pop out against the purple canvas above.
It’s not hard to pinpoint Tyler’s house when scanning the shoreline.
The bonfire, a party staple here, is already roaring.
Tyler’s mansion, which, like all the other rich kid places, is referred to as a “camp,” is completely lit up.
A long dock with lighted posts stretches out in front with a few boats tied to it.
As we approach and I start to count the shadowy figures on the beach, I am ninety-nine percent sure this party will be anything but chill.
Sighing, I lose count and give up. Well, at least there will be a phone charger, doubtful on any pizza though.
We walk up the dock toward the partygoers.
My cutoff shorts are crusted with sand, and the straps of my white bikini peek out of my tank top.
My hair flows down my back, crimped from the lake water and the messy bun I had thrown it in earlier.
My cheeks are warm, indicating I got a bit of sun today.
I feel pretty, with no makeup, no party prep, or hours picking out an outfit, just a natural glow from spending the day on the water with my friends.
As expected, the empty pizza boxes have been thrown on the fire, and other than some stale chips, the food is sparse, but the booze is not.
Josh, Hannah, and Alex don’t seem bothered by the hunger pangs, finding the keg and pouring themself large cups.
One is passed my way. I know better, but I take it anyway.
I tell myself I will nurse it all night.
My mind is still on Hux. I scan the yard but know I won’t find him.
I notice Ashlee with a few of her friends.
The Calloways check out tomorrow, punctuating that summer, and these summer parties are ending after tonight.
Alex and I still have next week, seeing neither of us play sports.
We don’t have to be back on campus until Labor Day.
I imagine next week will feel eerily quiet, with most families heading out at the end of this weekend.
I smile at Ashlee, giving her a small wave just as Nick comes up beside me and places an arm on my shoulder. “Hey, I am really glad we all got to hang out today.”
I feel a little uneasy with the physical closeness, but I remind myself we are friends, and this is just him being friendly.
“Thanks again for being so great to my friends. It was nice to be able to take them out on the lake! I really appreciate it.” I look around for Alex or Hannah, hoping they can join us and make this conversation feel less intimate.
My eyes land on a couple of people stretched out on lawn chairs glued to their phones, which reminds me.
“Hey, I am just going to pop inside and look for that phone charger. My phone must have been searching for service on the boat and drained the battery.”
“You want help?” he asks innocently enough.
“No, thanks, I am sure there is one in every outlet. Go enjoy the party! I’ll find all of you in a few minutes.
” I quickly shrug off his arm, and before he can follow me inside, I disappear through the sliding glass door.
I find a charger, plug in my phone, and sit on the overstuffed couch, taking a deep breath.
Most people are outside, and the rest are doing shots in the kitchen while loudly singing a song that is too sloppy to recognize.
Why is it that when you are the most anxious for your phone to turn back on, it feels like it takes a lifetime? I impatiently tap my foot on the mahogany wood floors.
And that’s when I hear him. This time, it isn’t that magnetic feeling I get when he is physically near me. This time, it’s a tone that startles me to my core, even through the closed glass door.
“Where the fuck is she?”
“Chill out, man, I don’t know. She went inside looking for a phone charger.” Nick’s voice is brimming with annoyance.
I hear the whoosh of the glass door being aggressively thrown open as I stand up from the couch.
“Hux?”
“Who else would it be, Everly?” he responds, seething. His shirt is completely soaked, and I realize the rain has started. Now that the door has been left open, I can hear the wind and the frantic laughter of the drunk partygoers, who seem to be taking the turn in weather as some kind of game.
“I had just come inside in search of a?—”
“I have been trying to call you for hours,” he shouts. “Elle said you and Alex took your friends into Silsby for the afternoon. I even made her cover the bar in the middle of a rush to go looking for you down there when it started to get dark.” I can see the concern under his anger.
“I’m sorry we were out on the boat?—”
“Yeah, I know whose fucking boat you were on. One of my friends had the decency to fucking text me when you and Nick finally showed up here.” His anger quickly changes to full-blown disgust when he spits out Nick’s name.
“Wait, I didn’t show up with just Nick. I was with Alex, Hannah, and Josh. They wanted to come, I hadn’t heard from you, and I want my friends to have a fun visit. I planned to text you as soon as my phone turned back on.” I look down at the still-black screen.
“I did respond! Your phone fucking died, Everly,” he yells, throwing his hands up. “And I call bullshit that this is all for your friends. If that was true, why did I get a text that the two of you were cuddled up together ten minutes ago? My friends just made that up?”
Before I can defend myself, he steps closer, his wet chest heaving.
“Listen, I get it, he’s always been more your type, rich college boy, fits right in with your city friends. I’m sure you’ll be quite happy together. We all know this story, right? I was just the summer guy you used to get your confidence back.”
I stand there, tears pricking my eyes, stunned. What is he talking about? He knew I wanted my friends to spend time with him. Who cares if they live in the city or if their parents have money? None of that matters to me, and I thought I had made that clear to him.
“I’m never going back, Everly. In no universe do I leave here. And honestly, watching you and your friends talk about all your ‘plans’ for when you get back to ‘reality’ makes me sick.”
“Hux,” I whisper, and my voice shakes.
“No. You know what, I’m done with this. We always knew it wouldn’t work; you’re a sophomore, for fuck’s sake. I broke my rule by getting involved with the summer help. Shame on me, but this is done.”
He turns to leave, and I will myself to move, not caring if we once again make a public spectacle. I push my body in front of his, tears running freely down my face now.
“You know none of that is true!” My voice is hoarse and cracking with emotion. “You know my feelings for you are real. Yes, we haven’t figured out how to make it all work, but we can. We will find a way.”
“Your feelings might have been real, but I never said mine were.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Then I lied.”
His words slam into me like a Mack truck. The tears stop, my breathing stops, and I’m pretty sure my heart stops as well.
The room has gone dead-silent other than a few stray whispers. “Just go back to the city, Everly. You don’t belong here.”
Without another word, he walks out the sliding door into the darkness.
This time, I don’t move, and I don’t run after him.
I stand there, blinking, in shock. People start to move about again, the whispers turning into chatter, no doubt about our latest public display, but I can’t focus on the words.
All I hear is a buzzing, and then I feel it.
My heart starts back up, and all there is is pain.
The rapid breathing begins. My ears fill with the familiar sound of static. My eyes dart around the room, but no matter how much I blink, everything remains blurry. Just as my knees feel like they are going to give out and this panic attack will consume me, I feel familiar hands wrap around me.
“I’ve got you, you’re okay.” I look over my shoulder to see Alex’s amber-colored eyes.
“But I’m not okay, Al.” The first sob escapes as I turn and collapse into her arms.
We stand together in some rich kid’s house and cry as the storm outside intensifies.
My heart, it’s casualty.