But with people like Britt Morgan and Lexi DeNero walking the halls, you never know who might be plotting to dump a pail of blood on your head. When I pass by Britt who is very begrudgingly clapping for me, I notice the giant scowl all over her ugly face, and I figure I’m safe—if she wanted to mess me up Carrie style, I think she’d be smiling.
There is actual cheering when Garrett and I have our first dance together, and it’s so totally weird that it gives me this butterfly-like feeling in my stomach, and I can’t say whether that feeling is altogether good or bad. We went from planning an anti-prom to being crowned king and queen.
A few minutes into our dance, I scan the crowd for Evan. I’ve been worried about him, even though he seemed to perk up and sober up during the tense dinner at DeNero’s.
When I finally spot him, Lexi is dragging him out into the middle of the gym as the prince and princesses start their dances. He goes through the motions, but he looks miserable. I just wish he’d tell me why. I could help him if he’d be honest with me the way Mike had been. Isn’t that what friends are supposed to be for?
After our dance, Garrett excuses himself to go and talk to Beth. “I just need to be sure she’s okay,” he says.
“Sure.” Honestly, if I were Beth, I’d prefer a clean break, but I don’t tell Garrett that, and I’m not really sure if it’s guilt that is drawing him toward her or if he wants her back. Lately, my best friends have really been confusing me.
Alone now, I make my way over to the refreshment table and ladle up some punch, which I can tell has been totally spiked after I’ve taken a few sips.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
I turn to see Mike in a tux with a red bowtie and cummerbund, for the first time not blending in with everyone else.
“You look pretty good yourself,” I say. “Red totally suits you.”
“And white suits you.” He looks me up and down, and I know now that he’s only admiring me, not coveting me. “You look really classic, Paige, and I can see how you’ve grown out of that red fuzzy coat now.”
I’m struck with a shot of melancholy. Mike has really grown too.
I warn him about the punch when he ladles himself a cup.
“I can handle it,” he says.
“I’m sure you can. You’re handling a lot.”
“Oh, that.” He takes a drink of the punch and smiles. “It is sort of weird being the only openly gay guy in Basin Lake.”
“I think it’s going to be better at college, right?” He’s going to college in Ellensburg, a town not that much bigger than Basin Lake, but Central is a big school, and I imagine that it has to be better than being here.
“Sure,” he says. “They have a gay-straight alliance at Central, so there’s got to be a few more like me.”
“I’m sure there’s a lot more.” Mike is such a cute guy, and I want him to find someone just as handsome as he is.
“You know, I really did try to be straight for you, Paige. That time we almost had sex… well… I kind of thought it would make me feel something different if I got through it.”
“I don’t think it works that way.” It still makes me sad that he felt he had to try. I’d thought us having sex would have given us back a spark too, but I’m so glad we didn’t go through with it—I’d have never wanted to make him feel like he should have been someone other than who he really was.
“No, but I did always like kissing you.” He blushes and looks down. “I mean, it was always pretty nice even if I was secretly wishing you were a guy.”
“Yeah, last summer was pretty nice.” We both laugh at the same time. It was a bit like the last hoorah of our relationship, our last summer together in which I’d gotten more kissing experience while at the same time confirming for Mike he wasn’t interested in going any further with me.
“So, where’s your boyfriend?” He takes another sip of his punch and looks around.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t have a boyfriend, silly.”
“Uh, yeah you do. You and Garrett have the whole school believing you’re the best thing to happen since William and Kate.”
“How endearing, Mike—you know your royals, but Garrett and I are just friends.”
He shrugs. “If you say so, but you might want to tell him that.”
Mike tilts his head, and I follow the general direction of his gaze and see Garrett. I’d have expected him to be talking to, dancing with or perhaps even kissing Beth after realizing he’d made a mistake in breaking up with her. And yet, he’s not anywhere near Beth. He has his arms crossed over his very broad chest and is staring straight at me… and smiling.
When he sees that I’m looking back at him, he drops his arms and makes his way across the dance-floor.
“Looks like Romeo’s on his way.” Mike gives me a soft peck on the cheek before disappearing back into the crowd.
“You were staring at me,” I say with a laugh when Garrett is less than a foot away from me.
“I was admiring you,” he says, smiling. “You look great in a crown.”
“It’s plastic,” I say, the teeth digging into my scalp.
“So is mine,” he says, pulling it off.
“You want to go to the lake?” I take my crown off now too, and we set them on the refreshment stand behind us.
“I thought you’d never ask.” He takes my hand, leans toward me, and I think he’s about to kiss me. I still haven’t resolved the near-kiss from Evan last November in my mind, so I definitely don’t feel ready for the one I think is coming from Garrett.
“We just have to go find Evan,” I say tugging away from him. “I guess we’ll have to invite Lexi too.” I want to refer to her as “the bitch,” but I know that won’t sit well with Garrett.
“Oh.” He slides his hand behind his neck. “Yeah, of course.”
“Plus we have his car,” I remind him.
“Oh, absolutely,” he says. “I kind of forgot.”
“You okay?” Garrett looks like he’s just had the rug pulled out from under him, and I suppose I’m playing a bit dumb as to the reasoning for that.
“I’m fine,” he says.
“And Beth okay?”
“As far as I can tell. She and Ben are officially dating now.”
“Well, that’s good.” And it is, though it happened pretty quickly. I look through the crowd for Evan and find him with a group of his friends at the other side of the gym, sans Lexi.
“Paige, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Garrett says just as I’m about to step away from him.
“Can it wait? I’m going to go grab Evan, okay?”
I don’t wait for another word to come out of his mouth. Now that he and Beth are broken up and we’ll be going off to college together soon, there’s a real possibility that he and I could get together as more than just friends. But the idea makes me feel like I’m going to break out in hives. What if it doesn’t work out? What if Garrett and I end up screwing things up? What if Evan had truly meant to kiss me in November? On top of all that, when I even think about a romance with Garrett, my feelings get all blurry.
EVAN
Of course Garrett was crowned king. Not that I begrudge him the honor, but did Paige have to be his queen so that their couple-dom can be memorialized forever in pictures? I know I’m being an asshole for wishing she was just voted a princess, maybe even my princess, but whatever. At least I’ve got more alcohol to take the sting away, having been nursing vodka from a flask my buddy, Reggie, provided me when I got here. It sure as hell helped me through that dance with Lexi who has been difficult ever since we’ve arrived.
It’s been a while since I’ve see my date. She ran off with some friends I think, but I can’t be sure, and I’m not complaining about my success in avoiding her. My current irritation with Lexi is what I guess happens when you hold on to a relationship for too long, when you think you still have something worthy to offer someone when you really don’t. The only thing I’ve been doing by sti
cking with Lexi is making her more dependent on me. And now that she knows I’ll be leaving for North Carolina soon and have taken away the offer to pick up calls from her day or night, she’s made it her mission to make my life miserable.
I’m about to go real deep into a rut of bad memories when I catch Paige walking toward me. Like a defibrillator starting up a heart again, her movement toward me sparks me back to life, and I can’t help but smile.
“Well, here comes the queen,” I say, taking an unconscious drink from the flask.
She stops short and shakes her head at me. “Evan.”
“What?” Oh, the flask. “Yeah, well it’s not like I’m driving,” I say.
“Garrett and I want to go to the lake,” she says matter of fact. “You and Lexi kind of have to go with us since we have your car.”
“Good luck finding her,” I say. Reggie and a couple others guys, who I didn’t even realize had been standing so close, laugh in unison.
“You guys get into another fight?” Paige asks me, ignoring my friends. Her look conveys disappointment. I’m used to that look now, and I hate it.
I shrug. “I guess… I don’t know… I’ll go find her.” I hand Reggie his flask and march off on a mission I’d rather not accomplish.
And I don’t. Lexi is nowhere to be found.
When I make my way back to Paige, Garrett is there with his hand around her waist, the two of them oblivious to me watching. I wish I could tell from her expression if she likes it or not, but I can’t. I guess that’s a good thing. If Paige was hot for Garrett, I’d know, wouldn’t I? I’ve got to believe there’s still some hope for me and that Garrett wouldn’t sell me out that way, knowing how I feel.
I clear my throat, and they both turn in my direction, looking at ease, looking like just friends… I think.
I’m about to ask Paige if she wants to check the bathrooms when Lexi appears like Bloody Mary after you say her name three times in the mirror.
“Hey,” Paige says to her. “We’re going to the lake if you wanted to join, and I’m… umm… sorry for what I said earlier.” Then she smiles at me. Part of me thinks she said sorry just for my sake, maybe so that Lexi would take it easier on me tonight. That would be a Paige kind of thing to do.
Lexi lets out an annoyed breath, then says, “Well the night’s ruined anyway, so let’s just go to the lake and ruin it some fucking more.”
I suppose I’m the reason for her poor outlook on the night, but I don’t ask her for clarification, and I’m grateful Paige and Garrett don’t either. Before we go, I ask Mike if he wants to join, then consider that might be uncomfortable for Paige. But he declines anyway, the girls from junior class that now idolize him keeping him busy.
Garrett remains our designated driver, taking my BMW toward Basin Lake, our town’s namesake, while I sit as far from Lexi as humanly possible in the back seat. I’m sitting behind Paige, and she smells like strawberries and fresh air.
“You sure you want me to drive this all the way down?” I’m zoned in on Paige when Garrett asks the question. I hear the words, but I’m buzzed enough that I don’t have an immediate response for him.
“Evan?” Paige turns slightly.
“Huh?” I’m so focused on her that I think she’s asking me something altogether different from what Garrett did.
“They’re asking if they can drive your Beemer all the way down,” Lexi says with annoyance.
Before I can respond, Garrett says, “I’m just going to pull over so it doesn’t bottom out, okay?”
“Sure, man,” I say, knowing my car won’t make it down the pothole filled road.
“It’s a nice night for a stroll, right?” Garrett turns the ignition off and pockets my keys.
“Not in these shoes,” Lexi complains and throws an accusatory glance my way, as if I’m the one that told her to wear three-inch heels.
“I think we can carry the ladies, right Evan?” Garrett is smiling at Paige when he says it, that same smile that makes it seem like they’ve got secrets between one another.
“Do what?” I lean over the console, wanting to make sure I heard him correctly.
“It’s less than a quarter mile to shore, man. We can carry the girls so they don’t have to walk in their heels.”
Fuck. That’s all I need.
“I don’t think so,” Paige says. “It’s sweet and all, but I don’t want you breaking your back for me.”
“Like you’re so heavy,” Garrett says.
“Well, I’d like to be carried,” Lexi says, as I shrink back into my seat.
Yet again. Fuck. My. Life.
We all get out of the car, and Garrett walks around the front and spreads his arms out for Paige like it’s her wedding night or something.
She says, “Nope,” and I’m thankful for that at least.
But Lexi stares me down and lifts one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows my way.
“For real?” Jesus. At this point, I’d rather throw her into a pothole instead of carrying her over one.
“Yes, for real,” she says, one of her small hands on a curvy hip, looking like she knows I’ll look like a dick if I don’t follow through.
“Thanks a lot man,” I say to Garrett, lifting Lexi up and cradling her.
And she smiles, for just a few seconds. It reminds me that Lexi has her good moments buried in all the bad.
Paige takes Garrett’s arm, turning to me before she moves forward with him. She offers me a smile too, but it’s a smile that I know is sincere, a smile I’m going to miss like crazy when I leave.
PAIGE
It’s a nice night, still warm but much cooler than it was when Garrett drove me to prom. Evan is mumbling complaints behind us, and I keep waiting for him to drop Lexi, but he doesn’t. We all arrive safely at the shore, and I’m still a little buzzed from the punch and anxious to get into the water.
“I’m guessing we don’t have any towels.” Lexi clearly wants to be annoyed by something.
“Not unless Evan magically packed them in his trunk,” I say.
“I didn’t,” Evan says, quiet.
“We don’t need towels, do we?” Garrett says. “We don’t even have swimsuits, but that’s never stopped us.”
“You’re welcome to just sit on shore,” I tell Lexi, already trying to figure out the best place to put my dress so that it doesn’t get ruined.
Lexi doesn’t say anything, and I don’t look at her, but I’m sure she’s scowling.
“Well, I’m going in,” Garrett says.
He takes off his jacket and lays it down on one of the big rocks by the shore. Next, he loosens his tie and unbuttons his shirt, and though I’ve been evading his attempts at more intimacy tonight, I don’t avert my eyes as he strips down. His bare-skinned broad shoulders and massive chest become visible under the moonlight, as do his flat stomach and the best abs of any other guy on the football team—I’ve seen them all at one point or another at the lake, and Garrett’s are first rate.
“Would you unzip me?” I ask before he’s had a chance to take his pants off.
“Gladly,” he says. When I turn my back to him, Evan is watching me, but only for a moment before Lexi grabs at his arm.
“My mom will kill me if I fuck up this dress,” she says.
“So, we’ll hang it off that tree branch,” Evan offers.
Garrett’s hand is moving down my back, pulling the zipper with it. His touch stirs something inside of me as I watch Evan turn from the small grove of trees Lexi is now hiding behind and walk back toward shore.
“There you go,” Garrett whispers into my ear while he holds onto my hips.
Except for bringing my hands to my breasts to keep my dress from falling off, I don’t move, watching as Evan slowly peels the fabric of his white shirt off of his shoulders. He’s not quite as massive as Garrett. He’s six feet tall with strong, straight shoulders and a chest to die for. And his abs remain pretty chiseled even though he doesn’t have the same work out regimen
Garrett does for football. To me, he’s the perfect male specimen, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off of him.
“Paige?” Garrett says.
“Hmm?” I turn away from Evan and toward Garrett, automatically slipping my dress off until I’m down to my bra and panties. Garrett averts his eyes for a moment, though we’ve all seen each other in our underwear before.
“Here, I’ll get that,” he says, taking my dress and laying it over his jacket on a boulder.
“Thanks,” I say and sit down on the rocky shore, wishing Evan would join us instead of waiting for Lexi.
“The night air feels good, right?” Garrett is untying his black dress shoes.
“Feels perfect,” I say, though I’m sure we’ll be a bit chillier once we’re wet. I unhook the straps of my heels, and it’s glorious to be out of them. “You okay over there?” I call out to Evan just as Garrett bounces up to peel his pants off. Evan is down to his underwear but is looking toward the tree Lexi is still hiding behind.
“Huh?” He turns to me, and our eyes lock for just a moment.
“Are you coming in with us?” I wave him over, and he actually takes a few steps before Garrett grabs my hand and pulls me up.
“Come on,” he says.
“Fine,” I say, following along but looking over my shoulder at Evan.
When we were younger, the three of us would run into the water and yell things like, “Last one in wants to lick Mr. Kramer’s nipples!” Mr. Kramer was our junior high school principal and had a major body odor issue. But as we run in tonight, I don’t yell out any challenges toward Evan. As Garrett guides me into the water and Evan remains on the shore watching us, I feel disconnected from him. He’ll be going to North Carolina soon, and that will be that. Things will never be the same.
We’re waist deep in the water, and Garrett keeps moving further out, pulling me along with him.
“I forgot to take my necklace off.” I touch it to make sure it’s still around my neck.
Between the Boys (The Basin Lake Series Book 1) Page 7