Chapter 7
Seven
RHOADS
Maybe it’s just my optimism, but this lemon sports drink tastes even sweeter today than usual. I smile into my cup like a complete fool and sit down on a free hay bale near the bonfire.
The sun is already setting and spreading its watercolor of pink and orange across the golden corn fields.
For this moment, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
I wasn’t planning on coming to Lucas’s annual back to school bonfire.
I would have been happy to skip it and spend my Saturday night playing video games instead, or even a pickup game at The Field.
But something told me I needed to come tonight, that I deserved a reprieve from my recent self-pity. Lo-and-behold, that little voice in the back of my head was right.
Popular hip hop booms from the Bluetooth speaker, and despite myself, my head bobs to the beat.
Jake plops down next to me and pulls Piper onto his lap. These two only started dating at the end of summer, but already they’ve cemented themselves as one of my favorite couples ever, PDA notwithstanding. But I can overlook it for them, especially tonight.
“Why are you smiling into your cup like you’re about to profess your undying love to it?” Jake asks.
I look up and laugh, a carefree kind I haven’t heard come out of my mouth in a while. “You know, I just might.”
“What are you drinking, anyway?” he continues. “And can I have some? Because this is the most relaxed I’ve seen you in months.”
I shrug.
Piper stage whispers, “I think he’s drunk on love.” To me, she says, “I heard you had a moment with Chloe at school yesterday.”
I nod. “I had a feeling we might be overheard. But I don’t even care about that, to be honest. What I do care about is that I made a move. And it went well.”
“Finally!” Jake smacks me on the shoulder hard enough that my drink slops over the edge.
I could have just left it in the plastic bottle, but I didn’t feel like fielding questions about why I’m not drinking alcohol tonight, and it seemed safer just to pretend like I am, hence the red Solo cup that overflowed onto the grass.
“Dude,” Jake says. “That’s amazing. So, when are you taking her out?”
“I’m not. Not exactly. Not yet. I need to lay some groundwork first, let her see that the guy she thinks I am has been a fake persona.”
“Okaaaay,” Jake says. “Explain.”
I tell them all about running into Chloe in the music wing and the deal that we’ve made. Jake sighs. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t just go for it and ask her to be your girlfriend.”
But Piper nods. Her eyes crackle with the reflection of the fire, her red hair absorbing the glow and shining even brighter than usual. “I think that’s smart.” She takes a swig from her water bottle.
Lucas bounds out his back door, which is at least a soccer field’s length away, carrying metal pokers and a giant bag.
For all Lucas’s complaining about his parents being uptight, they do let him throw an annual bonfire every fall to welcome in the new school year.
If they know about the alcohol someone always sneaks in, they look the other way.
His parents are both lawyers, and his two older brothers are both in law school, on track to joining the family firm. They’ve always been way more serious than my friend.
“Happy bonfire,” I say, cheersing Lucas in the air with my drink when he makes it to the fire. He stops and his jaw drops. He hands the stuff to Jake and Piper, then makes a big show of rubbing his eyes and staring at me like I might disappear.
“Am I seeing things?” he asks Jake. “Or is Rhoads Simpson really at this bonfire and acting social?”
I smirk despite myself. I definitely deserve the ragging. “Eh, I had nothing better to do tonight. Figured I’d make an appearance.”
Lucas nods, closes his mouth, then his eyes spark to life, which is always a bit terrifying. Lucas is definitely the wild sheep of his family, and he loves to let loose and have a good time. “Now it’s officially a party!” he shouts. “Rhoads Simpson is in the house tonight, everyone!”
“Dude,” I whisper. “Chill.”
He stalks over to me and shakes the blond hair out of his eyes.
“I will do no such thing. This calls for games.” He thrusts his pointed finger into the air and gestures to a few of the guys who had been huddling near the fire.
They go with him to the shed and return with a six-foot table, which they unfold.
Then Lucas takes out a stack of plastic cups and arranges them in triangles at either end of the table.
“In honor of my friend’s reappearance into society, we are having a pong tournament!” he shouts.
Cheers ring out across the field. Lucas’s family’s property is over five acres of mowed grass and cornfields.
His house sits toward the front, but we’re all hanging out at the very back, disguised somewhat by trees.
Even though we’re being loud, there’s nobody around to complain.
His closest neighbors are about a quarter-mile away.
People line up and pour water into the cups and make sure their drinks are full. Lucas tosses two ping-pong balls to the first set of competitors, then he stands and beams at me as if I’ve single-handedly made this party successful just by existing.
“This is kind of ridiculous,” I mutter to Piper and Jake.
Jake tilts his head. His voice is low and calm. “We’ve all just missed you, you know?”
His sincerity hits me in the heart, a little stab of guilt where it’s actually meant to be comforting.
I’ve let them down by being out of the picture for so long, at least socially. The mask I wear at school was only supposed to be for the girls, but over the past few months, it’s transformed into keeping even my closest friends at arm’s length.
“I’m sorry about that,” I say quietly. I haven’t been hanging out as much lately, since everything happened during the summer, and I know it’s been bugging them.
They tried to be understanding at first and let me have my space to wallow.
Recently my absence has struck harder. I’m always at practice and games, of course, but the social aspect of my life took a nosedive.
“I know. But it’s good to have you back.”
“Want to be my pong partner?” I ask.
“Really? Heck yeah!”
I nod. “Jake and I have the next game!”
More cheers. Internally, I roll my eyes. But I’ve missed this. Not the booze. But the friendship.
I watch the current game, roast a few hot dogs and slam them down covered in ketchup.
Jake and I get in position to take the losers’ spot.
Someone cranks up the music, and a bunch of people dance and laugh to my left.
A tennis guy chases two cheerleaders, trying to get back the hat they stole off his head.
Everyone’s cackling as he catches one of them around the waist and hoists her up in a fireman hold.
Smaller groups of games have broken out, and whoever thought giving inebriated people access to bags filled with sand made a bad call.
I dodge right as a palm-sized bag zips toward me, nowhere near the cornhole board.
“Sorry, Simpson!” Jorge calls out.
I know for certain that some of these people aren’t planning on sleeping here tonight.
“Just a sec,” I tell Jake. I round up an armful of water bottles and hand them out to people who could clearly use them.
One of the football players refuses the water and keeps talking to his friend about how he’s going to hit up another party. He pats his pockets, looking for his keys.
A shiver of premonition runs down my spine. I paste on my charming facade. “Hey, Doug. I’m Rhoads. I think you have a class with me?”
He gives me the once-over with his glazed eyes, and he shakes his head. “Nah. I don’t think so. You don’t look familiar.”
I change tactics. “Lucas is about to bring out some s’mores stuff. You should stick around.”
Doug snort-laughs. “I don’t have time for that kid stuff. I’m going to Mia’s. She and I hit it off last weekend, and I think we’re gonna take a step further tonight, if you know what I mean.” He pats his pockets again, then pulls out a jingling set. “Later.”
Doug stumbles toward the part of the field where everybody’s trucks and cars are parked. Alarm bells go off in my head. I can’t let him leave. Not like this.
I look around for his friends, but they’re all equally spent and won’t be any help getting him to sober up.
I jog to catch up with him, my body just acting on instinct. He doesn’t see or hear me coming. Doug’s easily three inches taller and seventy pounds heavier than I am. I can’t exactly carry him back to the house and insist he chug the water I offered.
I do the next best thing, which is stick my foot out just enough that his sneaker catches on it. He falls. His keys hit the ground a foot away, and I snatch them up.
“What the hell?” Doug pushes himself clumsily off the ground. “Give me back my keys!”
I’ve lost my ever-loving mind. He could crush my foot with his pinky finger and end my soccer career in half a second. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you drive right now.”
“Who are you, my dad?” he slurs, reaching for me.
“Tonight, it looks like I am.” I’m faster and sober, which is my only saving grace. He has no chance of catching me as I sprint back to the house and drop the keys into a kitchen drawer. Burning adrenaline floods my entire body. I sit for a second to let the dizziness subside.
I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. It’s not my responsibility to look out for everyone, but I was the only one who saw him about to leave. I couldn’t handle it if he’d gotten in a car like that.
My mind flashes back to that night in late summer. To the tox report. If only someone had stopped that guy.
I clench my teeth so hard that the pain spikes at the top of my skull.
When I’m steady enough to head back outside, I run into Lucas on the back porch. His brows cinch in. “You good?”
“Not really.” I run a hand through my hair.
Dried sweat grits against my fingers. “I have to head out. I put Doug’s keys in the drawer with the dish towels.
Can you make sure he and everyone else are good before they head out?
Or force them to sleep in the basement or something?
” My voice is strained, and my eyes can’t focus on any one thing for too long.
If I don’t get out of here now, I’m going to hyperventilate.
“Yeah, of course, man. Thanks for keeping Doug safe.”
I grab my own keys out of my jeans pocket and call over my shoulder, “It’s a really great party, Lucas. Tell everyone bye for me.”
Rounding the side of the house, goosebumps prickle my neck.
Someone slams into me, as if they weren’t watching where they were going. Clearly, I wasn’t either.
“Oof!” she says. “I am so sorry. Rhoads?”
I steady her shoulders as my heart crescendos toward full-on fortississimo. “You okay, Baker?”
“Yeah, you?”
What a loaded question. “Yeah.”
“Are you lost? You know the bonfire’s the other direction, right?” She smirks at me as if we’re about to banter. And on any other night, in any other moment, I would relish that challenge. But right now, I just can’t.
A few hours ago, I had been riding the high of our deal.
“Wait. You’re not leaving, are you? I just got here.” Her voice sounds disappointed, but I reluctantly nod.
“Something came up. I gotta go.” My keys poke into my palm. The sensation grounds me in the moment.
“Could you stay for just a few more—”
“I’ll see you at school on Monday,” I say, cutting her off and heading to my truck without glancing back. Her gaze prickles the back of my neck, but I don’t dare turn around. Having her watch me have a breakdown isn’t going to win me any Potential Boyfriend points.
In my truck, I squeeze the steering wheel, breathe in the Tropical Breeze air freshener, and count to ten. It’s too stuffy, so I start the engine and roll down the window.
I wasn’t just protecting Doug, I reply to Lucas in my head. But anybody who might have gotten in his path.