“What happened to getting out of here? You’ve been saying for forever now that you were meant for bigger and better things than this small area could provide. What changed your mind?” Marissa Lou asked, needing some sort of an explanation.
Katie turned and looked at Daniel briefly before turning back to her friends.
Though Marissa Lou was wasted, she didn’t miss the look. Times like these she remembered why she hated being sober.
“Figures,” Marissa Lou snorted and hastily walked away with Randy hot on her heels.
Katie was supposed to move away for college so that Daniel and I can get back together. Her staying here was never in the plans, Marissa Lou thought as she walked away. There was no way she was going to stand there and listen to Katie and Daniel’s plans for college together while hers were now ruined.
* * *
“Maris, where ya going?” Becca called out to her, but she didn’t stop. “What the heck was that all about?”
“Just let her go,” Katie said shaking her head then looked down at her feet. Of course Marissa Lou figured out why she wasn’t leaving for college after years of talking about it. One look at her and Daniel’s faces and anyone could see she was staying here for him. “I need some air,” Katie said walking away as well.
“Daniel?” Becca asked, hoping he would clarify what just happened.
Daniel turned from Katie’s descending back to look at the remaining girls. He shrugged his shoulders apologetically and followed after Katie.
“What the hell, y’all! This is our last night as high schoolers. We’re supposed to stick together.”
“Sorry, Becca,” Jess said and put a hand on her back for comfort.
After a while, the remaining friends left the school, each going in their separate directions to celebrate their accomplishments with their families.
Chapter Fifteen
When obligations were filled and dinner was had, Becca went to the graduation party that was being held in the honor of all the graduate’s hosted by Brad Thompson’s parents. Becca had been crushing on the football player all year so whether or not her other friends showed up, at least she could try to talk to him, finally after months of pinned up nerves. She was always the courageous type, but not when it came to things that really mattered. Things like major crushes on one of the hottest boys in school.
Becca steadily watched Brad as he mingled with a few people she recognized from school. He laughed easily and that thrilled her because her sole purpose in life was to be happy and laughing as often as possible. It tended to go hand in hand.
She kept an eye on him, waiting for the right time to make her move. When the conversation slowed and the group slightly dispersed, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before standing up. She smoothed down her wild strawberry curls as much as the mass of tendrils would smooth and walked up to him. Without saying a word, playing it as cool as a cucumber, she stood directly beside him, encroaching on his personal space, and looked around the room as if he weren’t even there.
“Hey, Becca, right?” he asked craning his neck to look at her.
“Oh, hey,” she said nonchalantly as if noticing him for the first time.
“I’m Brad,” he said holding his free hand out to her, which she willingly accepted, even though she knew full well who he was.
“Hey Brad. I’m Becca, but I guess you already know that,” she said with satisfaction. God he’s so cute, she thought, trying not to stare at him, but all she wanted to do was push his loose brown hair off his forehead so she could see his marvelous green eyes better.
“Yeah, I think we had a class together or something. Maybe English.”
She made a gesture as if thinking about it then said, “Maybe.” Becca knew full well that she spent the better part of the school year in English class and during her lunch period staring at him with random fantasies playing through her mind.“So isn’t this the best day ever?”
He laughed and crossed his arms across his chest. “What makes it so great to you?”
“Well, duh! School is over. Good-bye high school and hello college life. I for one can’t wait.”
“And what’s so great about college life?”
He looked at her amused, but she could only stare at him like he just asked her to give up her first born child. She threw her arms out wide and said enthusiastically, “Everything!”
“Like?” he asked barely containing his humor.
She held out her hand and stuck her pointer finger up. “Less school days,” and another finger, “late classes since you get to pick your schedule, dorm rooms, the best parties; no offense, adult decisions, new friends, no curfew, keg stands, beer pong, random hook-ups.” When she ran out of fingers she straightened and shoved all ten of her extended fingers in his face and laughed. “Now that I think about it, it does sound a lot like high school.”
“Okay, okay. Good point. What college are you going to anyway?”
“ECU,” she said beaming.
“Ahh, Greenville’s a fun town.”
“You know it. So how about you?”
“NC State, baby!”
“Wolfpack, barf.”
“Hey, watch it. They gave me a football scholarship that I couldn’t pass up.”
“Well, I guess I won’t hold it against you then. Except for game days of course. Then you’re the enemy.” She smiled wide. She wouldn’t care which school he went to. She wasn’t about to tell him that though. Instead she said, “At least you’re staying in North Carolina.”
“I’ll take that.”
Over Brad’s shoulder, Becca saw Jess walk into the house. She was thrilled to see at least one of her so-called best friends came to their graduation party.
“Hey, Brad, I love talking to you, but I have to go say ‘hey’ to one of my friends.”
He nodded his head dejectedly.
She noticed the look on his face and quickly added, “Can I find you again later?”
“I’d like that.”
Becca hated breaking away from her conversation with Brad, especially after she finally had the courage to speak to him after months of crushing on him from afar. But Jess was her friend. Marissa Lou was always her favorite out of the group because they had so much more in common, although she would never admit that to anyone but herself, even though no one doubted that Katie and Jess had the same sort of friendship. Whatever the dynamics were before, she and Jess had grown closer this year, ever since Katie and Daniel decided to hook-up and put a strain on the friendships and Marissa Lou went insane and began hooking up with Randy Farris. She was really worried about Marissa Lou’s feelings at first. She knew how much Marissa Lou cared about Daniel, but it didn’t take her long to move on. So she began to relax, thinking maybe, just maybe she was going to be alright. That was until she realized how much of a bad influence her new boyfriend was. Becca didn’t care for Randy, and for a good reason. He was a bad guy and though Marissa Lou might have everyone else fooled, she was not blind. But Marissa Lou was a big girl and dealing with things the best way she could.
With all the new changes, it left Becca and Jess alone, allowing them to grow closer. They even made a pact to not date anyone that year, with fears of letting yet another boy completely tear apart what was left of their once inseparable group.
“Jess! Over here,” Becca called out.
Jess’ face lit up when she saw Becca waving to her. She made her way to her and when she was close she said, “I wasn’t sure who would be here. Have the others gotten here yet?”
Becca shook her head side to side. “Not that I’ve seen and really, at this point, I don’t even care. I’m so tired of the drama, you know?”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Their loss. We’ll have fun together. Just me and you,” Becca said putting an arm over her shoulder and ushering her toward the kitchen where snacks and drinks were laid out.
Chapter Sixteen
“You really want to do this?” Daniel asked
looking at the massive house.
“Of course. It’s our graduation party.”
Daniel turned from the house to look at Katie. Her big eyes were sad as she stared ahead. He felt bad for her. He knew how close she was with her friends, but this year everything has been so strained. He was hoping it would all come to an end once high school was over. First they had to get through this night with as little drama as possible. After what happened earlier, he wasn’t so sure that would be possible.
“Come on then. Let’s get this over with,” he said opening the car door.
When they stepped into the house, the sounds of blaring music and loud laughter and conversations slammed into them. It looked like the entire senior class was there, and then some. It was a good thing Brad Thompson’s house was big enough to hold them all.
They pushed through people, scanning the crowd as they did, trying to find Jess, Becca and Marissa Lou. Surely they would be here, and if so, chances were they would be together.
Passing through the living room, Daniel spotted a mass of curly red tendrils. “Over there,” he said pointing toward the kitchen and pulling Katie along.
When they got close, Katie was both relieved and disappointed to see that Marissa Lou wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Hey y’all,” she said to the girls once she was close.
“Yay, Katie’s here!” Jess said smiling wide.
“Of course I am. Where else would I be on our big night?”
Becca shrugged her shoulders. “We weren’t so sure you or Marissa Lou would show up after what happened earlier.”
“Is she not here?” Daniel asked.
“Not that we’ve seen.”
“Well, she can do whatever she wants. All this drama and tension is getting old,” Katie said rolling her eyes at Daniel.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me,” Daniel said taking notice of the eye roll.
“I’m not. I’m just over it.”
The group stood around in awkward silence for a moment before Becca spoke up, trying to cut the thick tension. “I finally talked to Brad.”
Katie turned in her direction with her mouth hanging wide open. “Shut up! You did not!”
“I did,” Becca said smiling proudly.
“What did you say?”
“Oh you know, I acted like I didn’t even know him. Apparently that’s something that gets guys curious. Then I schooled him on the joys of college life and told him his college sucked. Wolfpack, puke.”
Daniel burst out laughing while the girls stared at her shocked. “I bet that went over well.”
She shrugged her shoulders and turned around and gave a smile and a wave at Brad before turning back to her friends. “Looks like it went over just fine to me.”
“Oh, Becca, you are too much,” Katie said wrapping her arms around Becca and squeezing her tight. “I’m so glad I’m staying. I was going to miss y’all so much.”
“Hey, what’s going on over here? We having a lesbian party or something?”
Everyone turned around to see Marissa Lou and Randy standing behind them.
Daniel put a hand on Katie’s back and said, “Hey, I’m going to let y’all talk.” Without saying anything else, he walked away, all the while keeping his eyes on Marissa Lou. He was not happy about the way she had been acting lately and he was finding it harder and harder to keep his mouth shut about it. They were technically friends but he knew he still didn’t have a right to say anything to her.
* * *
“Hey, I’m going to find a drink,” Randy said letting go of her waist and walked away. Without him there to hold her up, Marissa Lou got slightly off balance. She grabbed the wall and watched him walk away.
“Marissa Lou, you made it!” Becca said happily.
She turned her blurry stare back at her friends. “Of course I did. I wouldn’t have missed it.”
“Do you need to sit down?” Katie asked her concerned.
“No, why, do you?”
“Whatever,” Katie said and walked away.
“Jeez, what’s her problem?” Marissa Lou asked, more like slurred.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Becca asked putting a hand on her arm.
“Yeah, I’m great.”
Becca and Jess looked at each other, neither seeming very convinced.
“How about a walk?” Jess said quickly.
Becca nodded her head and looked back at Marissa Lou. “Come on, let’s go for a walk. It’s so nice outside.”
“ ‘Kay,” Marissa Lou said pushing off the wall, but losing her balance as she did.
Becca quickly grabbed Marissa Lou’s arms and Jess made a move to help Becca hold her up, but Becca shook her head. “I’ll take her Jess.” Jess stepped back and Becca turned back to Marissa Lou. “Come on, I got you,” Becca said wrapping her arm around Marissa Lou’s waist and led her through the crowded kitchen and out the side door. “Gosh, it’s a good thing Randy’s so big and strong. You get heavy.”
Marissa Lou threw her head back and laughed, which almost made them both lose balance.
“Girl, you’re going to have to give me some notice before you do stuff like that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Marissa Lou said seriously and gave her, her best military salute. “Where we going anyway?”
“We’re just walking. I thought the fresh air would do you some good.”
“I told you I’m fine.”
“I know you did, honey, but it doesn’t mean I have to believe you, because really, you don’t look very well. How much have you had to drink today anyway?”
“Third degree much? Is it a crime to celebrate when you accomplish something big?”
“No, but it seems like you’ve been celebrating a lot lately.”
“Sue me, I’m just having fun.”
“And being a bitch too!” Becca said dropping her arm that was holding Marissa Lou up causing Marissa Lou to lose balance and fall to the ground.
She sat up and glared at Becca. “Why’d you do that?”
“Because you’re being mean.”
“I am not. You’re the one being mean. You keep nagging me!”
“That’s because I care about you, dummy.”
“See. Mean!”
“Ugh, come on,” Becca said holding her hand out to Marissa Lou to help her up.
“No,” Marissa Lou said crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. “Not until you apologize.”
“Really, Maris?”
Marissa Lou didn’t answer, her but continued to stare at her.
“Fine, you little brat. I’m sorry! I’ll try not to care so much. Now take my hand and get off the ground. You’re getting all dirty.”
She sucked her teeth and slapped her hand in Becca’s and with her help, stood up. Becca helped her wipe dirt and grass off her jeans then they began to walk around in silence. They left Brad’s yard and wandered down his road. Thankfully it wasn’t a very populated road so they didn’t have to dodge vehicles. Becca wasn’t so sure how that would go while holding up a stumbling Marissa Lou.
After a while the fresh night air unveiled its magic and Becca slowly began to let go of Marissa Lou a little at a time until she was able to stand up right on her own, even though she still couldn’t walk a straight line. It was still progress though, so by the time they made their way back to Brad’s house Becca was confident that she could finally enjoy the party without having to babysit her friend.
Chapter Seventeen
Back in the house, Becca left Marissa Lou by the snacks in the kitchen to find Brad like she told him she would. She hoped he waited for her and didn’t find someone else to talk to.
Marissa Lou shoved a few chips in her mouth and turned to look around. She smiled, happy to see all the familiar faces of people she had gone to school with for the past eight years, but frowned when she realized Randy wasn’t one of them. She had forgotten all about him once he walked away after they got there, but now she missed him.
“Where’d he go?” she asked herself
and set the chips aside.
She slowly pushed her way through the bodies, craning her neck as she searched for him. She spotted Katie and Jess huddled together while in line for the downstairs powder room. They were laughing about something, but she turned in the opposite direction opting to keep space between them. She ducked behind a few people until she got to the staircase and quickly walked up, holding onto the banister as she did. It was much quieter up there and that made her happy. She walked through the long hallway, peeking inside dark doorways as she did. At the end of the hallway there was one last room. It was the only one with the door closed and she was slightly nervous what she would walk in on. She took a deep breath and put her hand on the knob and slowly turned to open the door. She closed her eyes and peeked her head through the crack. When she didn’t hear anything that sounded inappropriate she opened her eyes, one eye at a time and was relieved to see the room was empty thanks to a light around a corner further in the room. She was about to close the door when she heard a noise coming from the area where the light was. She looked down the hallway behind her to make sure no one was paying attention to her and slid into the room and lightly closed the door behind her. As she got closer she could hear more noise. Someone was definitely in there. Just before she reached the door way she caught a glimpse of a reflection in the long bathroom mirror. She stood up straight and stared at the images.
Once the realization of what she was seeing set in, her heart dropped to her feet. It was something she didn’t expect and the sight of them made her stomach turn. She wasn’t in love with Randy, but watching him standing behind Tara Mercer, a girl from school, with his pants around his ankles and her bent with her skirt pulled up, she felt shocked and heartbroken.
Fighting the urge to vomit, she backed out of the room and clung to the wall as she made her way back to the staircase. Once back in the living room where everything was somehow louder and more chaotic, she pushed her way to the kitchen, grabbed whatever bottle of alcohol that was close and poured its contents into a cup. She quickly took a big sip, swallowing as much as her burning throat would let her. When the cup was empty she held her mouth shut to keep it in, despite her stomach’s objections. She didn’t know if she wanted to throw up or cry. One thing she knew for sure was she didn’t want to do either inside where everyone could see so she pushed past a few people and hurried out the side door where she and Becca had exited earlier.
Hometown Girls: Beginnings (Hometown Girls Series Book 1) Page 10