Chapter Ten #2
I squint my eyes as I stare across the festival at Jake and a blonde-haired girl. I feel like I’ve seen her before and it takes me a moment to place her. It hits me that I have seen her before. It’s Emily, the waitress from the tavern.
Graham drops the bean bags and his hands ball into fists at his side.
“I’m going to say something,” he says.
“No, don’t,” I plead, turning back to him. “His dad threatened Beth and I really don’t want to cause a scene.”
“His dad threatened Beth?” he echoes.
I nod. “Yeah, it was a whole ordeal.”
“He shouldn’t get away with what he did to you.”
“No, but it’s better if we don’t engage.” I bend down and pick up the bean bags. “Come on, let’s finish our game. Just ignore him.”
I hand him his bean bags and nudge him back toward the game.
Graham half heartedly throws a bean bag and still makes the shot.
“Not fair,” I say, trying to make him laugh.
“I think you’re being bad on purpose.”
“Oh, I promise you I’m not.”
I glance over my shoulder again and see Emily by herself now at the ticket stand. This might be my only chance to speak to her.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Graham before dropping my bean bags and darting off through the crowd.
She’s just turning away from the ticket stand when I catch up to her.
“Hi,” I say as I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Emily, right?”
She looks up at me, confused.
“Yeah,” she answers warily.
“You’re here with Jake Osborne?”
“Who are you?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Not important. Look,” I say, stepping closer to her. “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but please be careful with him.”
“Wait, I remember you,” she says, “from the tavern.”
I nod and glance around again. I know I don’t have much time before Jake reappears.
“Yes, that’s me. I just wanted to warn you that Jake isn’t the nice guy he comes off as at first. He groped me that night at the tavern.”
Emily’s face twists into a look of disgust. “Oh my God,” she says.
“He kept trying to kiss me and wasn’t taking no for an answer,” I explain. “So, again, whatever you do, just be careful with him.”
Emily glances over her shoulder and I follow her gaze, spotting Jake leaning up against a gate around one of the carnival rides.
“Noted,” she says, looking back at me. “Thanks for the heads up.”
“You’re welcome.” I smile.
She nods and I dart back across the festival to Graham, who is still playing cornhole by himself.
“What was that about?” he asks.
“Just doing what Raquel tried to do for me,” I say. I snatch a bag from his hand. “Now, prepare to get stomped.”
It’s nearly sunset when we decide to ride the Ferris wheel. It’s slow going to the top, but I get a chance to take in a new view of Driftbay. The whole town sprawls out in front of me and it’s breathtaking. I can see the diner from up here and the cottage on the edge of the beach.
“Wow,” I breathe, as I take it all in.
Graham shuffles in the seat and puts his arm around me. “It’s pretty magnificent, isn’t it?”
I nod. I bite the inside of my cheek as images of my mom flood my brain. I wish she were here to see this.
“Hey,” he says quietly. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice shaking. “Just thinking about my mom.”
He pulls me closer to his side. “There might not be much here, but what’s here is enough,” he says.
I think about his words and how true they are. Driftbay is definitely the smallest town I’ve ever lived in, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve met some of the kindest people within these city limits.
We begin our descent just as the sun begins hers. I’m grateful to be here with Graham. He’s never pushy and always meets me where I am.
We climb out of the carriage to find Raquel waiting for us at the gate, tapping her foot. She breaks into a smile when she sees us.
“Hey!” she exclaims. “Sorry about earlier, I got tied up.”
Graham just nods at her explanation.
“A friend of mine is having a party a couple of blocks away. You want to go?” she asks.
“I’m actually going to go help my mom pack up her booth,” he says as he points behind him.
I was hoping the two of us would head to the beach to watch the fireworks. I look back at Raquel and shrug.
“Sure. I’ll go,” I say.
The two of us say goodbye to Graham and then take off on foot in the direction of the party, away from the town square and excitement. We walk a couple of blocks as Raquel tells me about her afternoon. We’re heading toward a part of Driftbay that I haven’t explored before.
I can hear the bass from the music long before we even reach the two-story house.
I’m surprised it’s allowed to be that loud in town.
We walk through the front door and Raquel excitedly greets a couple of her friends.
There’s smoke everywhere and I’m not sure if it’s from cigarettes, or weed, or both.
Raquel disappears into the house with a few of her friends.
I look around; I don’t know anyone here besides her.
I duck into the kitchen and find a bowl of cherry punch on the counter, next to some matching red cups.
Dodging people, I walk over and help myself to a glass.
It’s sweet, and doesn’t taste like it has alcohol in it, but of course, I know better than that.
I quickly drink my first glass, feeling awkward at this party, like I don’t belong.
I wish Graham had come with us. Anxiety is clawing at the back of my throat, ready to suffocate me at any given moment.
I dip out another glass and take a drink, feeling the familiar warmth spreading throughout my body.
The music changes and for a moment, all I hear are the conversations happening around me. Even that is still too much. I gulp down my second glass, waiting for my body to loosen up, for the anxiety to subside. I refill my glass a third time before I head outside for some fresh air.
There’s a sliding glass door on the opposite side of the kitchen.
It’s unlocked and slides open easily, granting me access to the backyard.
I jog down the back porch steps and sit down on one of them, willing myself to calm down.
I take deep breaths and finish my third glass of punch.
I debate leaving but I also don’t want to leave Raquel here.
The music, crowd, and atmosphere proved to be a bit too much for me, but the fresh air is helping. The music is muffled now that I’m outside and there’s just a couple of partygoers in the backyard.
The sky erupts into bursts of shimmering color and I stare up at it. I had hoped Graham and I could watch the fireworks from the beach, but maybe next time. I wonder if Beth is watching them, too.
I take another sip of my drink and realize it’s empty.
I set the cup next to me on the step. The movement makes me dizzy and I realize how tipsy I am.
I’m not sure I could walk a straight line given the chance.
I’m rooted to my seat on the steps as I watch the fireworks, in a buzzed, blissful state.
The music in the house stops abruptly, but it;s hard to focus on anything except the sparkling sky. The sliding glass door opens and a booming voice startles me, making me jump out of my skin.
“Put your hands up!”
I know that voice. I lurch to my feet, staggering as I raise my hands in the air and turn around. A flashlight is roving the backyard and I squint as it moves over my face. It trails down to my feet and lands on the red cup.
I can see red and blue lights flashing from the front of the house and spot an officer in the kitchen through the window.
I don’t know where Raquel is. I don’t know what to do. Running will get me in trouble but staying rooted in place will surely get me in even more.
“Thea,” I hear. It’s the same voice, only softer and my stomach drops.
It’s not just any cop.
It’s Charlie.
He walks toward me and grips my forearms, steadying me as I sway.
“Hey, Charlie,” I mutter, meeting his intense blue eyes for a moment before looking down at my feet. They’re like Beth’s in that sense, an icy blue, sharp enough to cut, and it’s like he can see straight through me.
My alcohol-induced buzz withers under his scrutiny.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he hisses.
I shrug.
“Walk a straight line,” he says as he releases my arms. He nods toward the grass.
I do as he says, or at least, I attempt to. I giggle as I teeter on the grass.
“Thea,” he repeats. “Come on.” He reaches for me and twists my arms behind my back.
“Am I going to jail?” I ask.
“No, you’re going to your aunt.”
A chill runs down my spine. I don’t know which option is worse.
“Listen to me,” he says, his voice low. “I’m going to take you to my squad car and then I’m taking you to Beth Ann.”
Charlie leads me around the front of the house, passing another officer and party-goer.
“I’ll be back,” he says as he leads me to his squad car. He opens the back door for me to get in. Wordlessly, I fumble with the buckle as Charlie shuts the door on me and walks around to the driver’s side.
“Beth Ann isn’t going to like this,” he says as he catches my eyes in the rear view mirror.
“I know,” I mumble. It was cute at first to hear him call her Beth Ann, but now it’s just annoying. I settle my gaze on the yard in front of me, watching officers lead out more underage drinkers. I blink my eyes in time with the flash of the lights on their cars to focus.
The ride home is quiet. There’s no music playing through the car and Charlie has his radio turned down low. I can hear a few more calls go out but I can’t make out what they say.
Charlie doesn’t speak to me as he drives, and I know he’s disappointed in me.
We arrive at Beth’s cottage and he kills the engine.
“Well,” he says, “might as well get this over with.”
Whether it’s delivering me or seeing Beth’s reaction, I’m not sure.
He gets out of the car and comes around to open my door. He slams it shut behind me and we trudge up the porch steps. I fumble with my keys but Charlie bangs on the door with his fist before I can find the right one.
Aunt Beth opens the door a minute later. She looks between us and then her expression ices over.