Senior Week Fling

by Maggie Dallen

  He looked at me in surprise. “Heartless? Why? I thought you didn’t want them hanging out with us….isn’t that what that not-so-subtle look was about?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “But you didn’t have to be so obvious about it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Next time you want me to blow off a girl for you, you can do the honors.”

  “Don’t tell me you wanted her to stay!” I said.

  “Of course not! You know what I mean.”

  “Okay, you two. Enough bickering,” Victoria said. “We’ve got more important things to argue over. Like, what on earth are we going to do all day?

  Chapter Seven

  Despite Victoria’s best efforts, she couldn’t convince me to budge from the house for the rest of the day. Not that there were a lot of things to do, given the terrible weather.

  But when she and Mark left to go to a local diner for lunch and then stop by to visit with some friends at a nearby hotel, I refused to go with them and Adam opted to stay behind as well.

  We sipped hot chocolate in front of the large bay window after they left watching the rain fall of the beach.

  “So what are we going to do with our day today?” Adam asked.

  I shrugged. “You can do whatever you want, I’m not stopping you.”

  “I’m not going out without you,” Adam said. He was using his no nonsense tone, one I knew better than to argue with.

  We sat in contented silence for a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

  “You know,” Adam drawled. “I’d bet a million dollars that you wouldn’t run into Ryan on the beach on a day like this.”

  I turned to look at him, my eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “What are you saying?” I asked.

  “I’m saying we should probably take advantage of this glorious afternoon.”

  When Victoria and Mark returned hours later they found the two of us happy as could be floating amongst the waves as rain poured down from above.

  “This was a fantastic idea,” I said.

  We were floating next to each other, bobbing up and down on the unusully calm water. The water was warm and the cool raindrops felt amazing on my face and hands.

  “Thought you might like it,” Adam said.

  Not only was Ryan nowhere in sight, but there were absolutely no people on the beach for as far as the eye could see.

  “We could be on our own deserted island,” Adam said.

  As usual, he was reading my mind.

  Just after dinner, one of Mark’s friends from his band called and invited us all to a party at their place. They didn’t go to the same school as us but it turned out a lot of kids from their school had decided to crash Harbor High’s Senior Week. The guys from his band were only in town for the weekend so Mark felt obligated to stop by.

  “You guys should go!” I insisted for the tenth time since Mark got off the phone. I was sprawled out on the couch in the same place I had been since we’d returned from swimming.

  “I don’t feel right leaving you home alone,” Victoria insisted, eyeing the nearly empty bag of Doritos I was clutching.

  “I’ll be fine, I promise,” I said. “I’m just going to settle in with a movie.”

  “But still, you’ll be all alone on vacation…” Victoria started.

  “She won’t be alone,” Adam said, plopping down next to me. “I’ll stay with her.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “But I promise I don’t need a babysitter. You three go on ahead.”

  “This isn’t open to debate,” Adam said. “I’m staying and that’s final.”

  “But—”

  “What did I tell you on the porch the other night? We’re in this together. Solidarity sister,” he joked, reaching across the couch to give me a fist bump.

  I rolled my eyes at his cheesy humor but was touched nonetheless. I hadn’t exactly been relishing the idea of a night in alone while everyone else had fun.

  “Are you sure?” Victoria asked. She edged her way to the stairs.

  “Absolutely,” Adam said.

  “Perfect,” I said. “So now there’s no reason you and Mark shouldn’t go.”

  Victoria spent more time than usual getting ready that evening. Since I was already set for the night with my pajamas and ponytail I watched her primp from my bottom bunk.

  “Ugh,” she groaned in frustration as she wiped off her eye makeup and started all over again.

  “What’s up, V? You’re not normally so uptight about makeup. In fact, it’s normally you’re favorite pastime,” I teased.

  She shot me a look in the mirror and I dropped my teasing tone.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she sighed. “I’m just…nervous, I guess.”

  “Nervous? You? Why?” I couldn’t fathom how Victoria, miss social butterfly herself, could be nervous about a stupid high school party.

  “I’ve never met these guys before,” Victoria explained.

  “Who? Mark’s friends?”

  Victoria nodded. We went to nearly every one of Mark’s shows but the band was popular and Mark never wanted to hang around afterwards and deal with the crowds so we always slipped out and met him somewhere else.

  “So? Since when are you intimidated by new people? You thrive on this kind of stuff!”

  “I know, but—Oh, I don’t know. I’m being stupid.”

  I waited patiently in silence. If there was one thing I’d learned about my friends it was not to pressure them into talking.

  “What if they don’t like me?” Victoria asked.

  Her statement was so sudden and took me so off guard, it was hard not to laugh. But I managed to keep a straight face since she was clearly serious. And honestly worried.

  “Why do you think they wouldn’t like you?” I asked. “Everyone likes you! You’re a likeable girl.” I flashed her a cheesy thumbs-up.

  Victoria smiled at my little pep talk. “Thanks, but…I don’t know. Maybe there’s a reason Mark never introduced me to them before, you know? I mean, I’m sure I’m not the kind of girl they’d expect Mark to hang out with…”

  Her voice trailed off but she didn’t have to explain any further. Mark and Victoria were opposites in almost every way. He was all tattoos and piercings and she was clean cut and trendy. He was quiet to the point of mute and she could talk to anyone about anything at anytime. They were like night and day but somehow that’s why they worked in our little foursome. They evened each other out.

  But now, looking at it from Victoria’s point of view, I could kind of see where she was coming from. She was more than likely going to be an alien species among Mark’s band buddies.

  “Adam has met these guys and he says they’re a nice group, I swear.”

  Victoria looked unconvinced so I continued, “Adam has no reason to lie about that. Plus, we all know Adam is a terrible liar so I know he was telling the truth when he said that they’re cool.”

  Victoria nodded but she still looked doubtful. “Maybe Mark never introduced me because he was embarrassed…”

  Her voice trailed off and I stared at her in amazement. I don’t think I’d ever seen Victoria unsure of herself. And never so ridiculous. “By you?! Are you crazy?! What on earth would he be embarrassed by? How hot you are? How funny? How unbelievably nice?”

  Victoria was laughing now. “Okay, okay. Enough with the compliments. I don’t know why I’m getting so paranoid.” She shook her head as if to shake off the negative thoughts and finished getting ready.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she sighed with one last critical look in the mirror.

  Adam and I saw them off and settled in for a marathon of The Office. With the wind howling outside and rain battering the windows, Adam and I both agreed that we were pretty glad to be staying inside where it was warm and cozy.

  Chapter Eight

  We’d fallen asleep before Mark and Victoria returned home and I was dead to the world until I heard Victoria coming down the stairs the next
morning. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Adam and I sprawled out on the two couches in the living room.

  “You two know there are actual beds in this house, don’t you?”

  Adam was still asleep so I followed her into the kitchen before asking her about the party the night before. “It was awesome!” she said. “Really fun.”

  “And Mark’s friends?”

  “Were great,” she finished with a smile. “I can’t believe I was being so ridiculous. I seriously overreacted.”

  “Maybe that should be the theme for this week,” I joked. “So far this has been less Summer of Love and more Summer of Ridiculous Overreactions.”

  “Oh, it hasn’t been that bad,” Victoria reassured me.

  I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Were you there when I literally ran away and hid two nights ago?”

  Victoria stifled a laugh. “Okay, so maybe you overreacted a little. But now things can go back to normal and we can focus on finding you the man of your dreams.”

  “The man of my dreams, huh?”

  “Okay, maybe just the man of the summer. Whatever. You need to move on and now that Ryan is out of the picture, you are free to do just that.”

  “He’s definitely gone?” I asked.

  Victoria nodded. “We ran into him and his friends on our way back home last night. They were packing up the van getting ready for their drive to Philly this morning.”

  I let out a long sigh of relief, feeling my muscles already beginning to relax. “Thank God.”

  That day was heaven as I celebrated the joy of my newfound freedom. Ryan was gone from my thoughts as though my memories were actually linked to his physical closeness. I could practically feel his old beat up van driving out of town as I relaxed on the beach with the others.

  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we took full advantage of the perfect day by lounging on the beach until the sun started to go down.

  I was so blissed out I was even looking forward to the senior class party that night even though it was sure to mean a run-in with Lindsay, who had planned the event. But now that she didn’t have Ryan in tow, I could totally handle her.

  * * *

  Victoria used the party as an excuse to play dress-up and I wound up her doll before I realized what was happening.

  “Oh, come on, Eve. Don’t you want to see Lindsay’s face when you walk in there looking like a million bucks?” Victoria loomed over me wielding a large brush dusted with bronzer. Apparently my scowl made it difficult for her to apply makeup.

  “Not really,” I said eyeing the powder. “In fact, I’d be more than happy to never see Lindsay’s face ever again.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Besides, what if tonight is the night that you meet someone new?”

  “Like who, V? You do realize that this party is for Harbor High seniors, don’t you? This party is going to be like any other Harbor High event…the same boring people talking about the same inane things.”

  Victoria picked that moment to quickly sweep the brush over my cheekbones. Hmm. Not bad.

  “Don’t be such a party pooper,” she warned, yanking me up from the chair and dragging me to her closet. “It’s time to embrace the new you. Ryan is gone. Live a little.”

  Twenty minutes later, I was unrecognizable. I followed Victoria downstairs where we found Adam and Mark watching Family Guy in the living room. Mark saw me first and he started to applaud, an appreciative grin on his face. Adam, looked up to see what the commotion was about and the shocked look on his face was enough to know that whatever Victoria had done…it had worked.

  The dark red tank top was thin and sheer with a plunging neckline that was far more revealing than anything I’d ever worn before. She’d paired it with a short black skirt from H&M that showed off my legs. She’d even managed to tame my wild, black curls so they fell in pretty, smooth waves down my back.

  I think it was the makeup that really shocked them though. They’d only seen me bare-faced except for the few occasions when I’d gone to a club to see Ryan’s band perform and then I’d just thrown on some red lipstick in an attempt to look older.

  What Victoria had done was nothing less than art. The overall effect was natural—like me on my very best day. Despite all my protestations, I had to admit there was a little itty bitty part of me that was excited to show off Victoria’s handiwork at the party. Not that I would ever have admitted that out loud to another living soul.

  Victoria, meanwhile, looked stunning in a new, skin-tight dress (that she’d gotten on sale, she reminded us repeatedly).

  It was a bit of a hike down the beach to the house where the party was being held but it was a beautiful, starlit night and none of us were in a hurry to get there. We could see the bonfire and hear the music from a mile away.

  “Jeez,” Victoria breathed. “Check out that crowd.”

  The party was in full swing. A crowd of teenagers were gathered on the beach behind the house and spread out in every direction. Large groups were hanging out by the water, while others were huddled on blankets dotting the outskirts of the party. A Rihanna song was pumping out of strategically placed speakers on the deck and a group of girls were already dancing enthusiastically nearby. One of the drunken dancers spotted us and sprinted over as fast as the soft sand would allow.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Ashley gushed as she latched herself on to Adam’s arm.

  “Hey, Ashley,” Adam said. “Uh…what are you doing here?”

  Marie had joined us by this point and was hovering uncertainly by Mark’s side. “Oh, we hear about all the good parties,” she said. “Do you want to dance?”

  Mark looked extremely uncomfortable. He was not a dancer. But Marie seemed so sweet and shy that he didn’t have much of a choice.

  “How about you dance, I’ll watch,” he offered.

  Marie beamed.

  Ashley didn’t even bother asking. She just started dragging Adam along by the hand behind her, following in Mark and Marie’s footsteps.

  “Well, I guess we’re on our own,” I said.

  “Hey!” a voice called.

  “Oh no,” I groaned under my breath.

  Lindsay had spotted us and was waving excitedly. “Over here!”

  Victoria and I joined her where she was surrounded by several friends and a handful of football player types. She was entirely in her element.

  “I’m so glad you’re here!” she squealed to Victoria. She did a double take when she saw me, but as she was clearly not speaking to me, she only arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you guys were coming,” she said.

  “Why not?” Victoria asked. “Hey guys,” she gave a friendly wave to the football players who were eying her like candy.

  Lindsay rolled her eyes. “You four are so into your little group, your ‘too cool for school’ little clique…I didn’t think you’d have anything to do with a party like this…” She gestured broadly, nearly losing her balance. Her words were slurred and her eyes were having a hard time focusing on Victoria’s face.

  “How many of these have you had?” Victoria asked, taking Lindsay’s plastic cup from her.

  Lindsay shrugged. “Dunno.” She took a step forward and swaggered unsteadily on her feet.

  Victoria grabbed one of her arms to keep her from falling and earned a sloppy grin in return. “I love you, Vicky,” she sang. “You’re so nice…so…sweet…” her words trailed off as she turned an unhealthy shade of green.

  “O-kay,” Victoria drawled, wrapping a supportive arm around Lindsay’s limp body. “Time to get you home.”

  “Here, I’ll give you a hand,” I offered. I had barely taken a step in their direction when Lindsay snapped, “No! I don’t want your help!” She scowled at me and Victoria shook her head. “You stay here, Eve. I can manage.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need a hand?”

  “Hey you!” Victoria called to the football players who’d been standing around watching the show. “Give
me a hand!”

  Next thing I knew there were three large guys holding Lindsay upright awaiting Victoria’s directions. She flashed me a smile, “I think we’ll manage. Go have fun. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  I watched them walk away and tried not to feel abandoned as I entered into the melee. Guys I had gone to school with my entire life checked me out as I said hi to some of the people I was friendly with in classes, managing to avoid getting sucked into any drunken, nostalgic conversations. What was it about graduation that turned everyone into a walking Hallmark card?

  I spotted a friend from my history class near the pool but by the time I reached him he was surrounded by a group of girls I recognized as sophomore and junior cheerleaders. Evidently Senior Week wasn’t just for seniors these days. At least, not if you were cute, peppy, and friends with Lindsay Miller.

  Not wanting to interrupt what was obviously a mating ritual in action, I wandered around through the crowd, trying to pretend that I was looking for someone and not just the only person at the party with no one to talk to.

  I spotted Adam on the far side of the pool and headed toward him like he was an oasis in the desert. Adam would save me.

  I was less than ten feet away when the group around him walked away, leaving him alone with Ashley. She was smiling up at him from lowered lashes and was giggling sweetly at whatever it was he was saying.

  She inched in closer and I saw Adam place a hand on her back and lean in closer to talk directly into her ear. One of her hands went up to rest against his chest.

  I hesitated, not wanting to crash a private moment but not wanting to wander around on my own any longer either.

  Ashley tossed her head back and lauhed loudly at something Adam said and he was grinning broadly, clearly eating up her adoration.

  Was that really the kind of girl he wanted? Obviously it was.

  I tugged at my skirt. In a matter of seconds I’d gone from feeling pretty and grown up to a child playing dress up. I resisted to urge to wipe the lipstick off.

  I couldn’t wait to get home and change into my pajamas.