by Dana Monahan
“No. I introduced them at practice but only because he happened to be standing next to me at the time. I had no clue it turned into something.”
“I hung out with him at a party once. He seemed like a real nice guy. We got pretty ripped and did the wild thing in his car.” Sierra had no problem being blunt about her sex life, even though Brad and Trent hated to hear her talk that way. “After it was over, bam, he turned into this jock asshole. We went back to the party and he ignored me, but all his friends kept looking my way and laughing.”
“Thanks for sharing.” Trent crossed his feet at the ankles and leaned against the barn. With a frown, he stared into his beer. “But we didn’t need to hear how you bopped some guy.” When she just laughed at his remark, he finished his beer and strolled back in the barn for another.
-----------------
The party was a total success. Billie swayed her hips to the beat of a song and watched the different people dancing while Darren chatted with his buddies. In the last two hours she’d polished off a few beers, shuffled from group to group at Darren’s side, and laughed with some new friends. It was going great until Darren stuck a joint in her face.
“Here try it. It’s good shit.” When Billie shook her head he brought it to his lips, inhaling a deep drag. He coughed after a second, blowing the smoke in Billie’s face.
The second Billie smelled the pot her stomach churned. She closed her eyes, willing the queasy feeling away. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Come on. I’ll take you out to the truck and we’ll sit. You’ll feel better in no time.” Darren smiled to his friends over her shoulder. “We’ll be right back.”
Ignoring the sounds around her, Billie concentrated on taking one step at a time. Darren supported her with one arm and drank his drink with the other, as they trudged along. The row of cars seemed endless to Billie, who was feeling worse by the minute, but they finally reached their destination.
“That’s better.” Leaning against his truck, she took in a deep breath of air. It was dark and from what she could tell, in her present frame of mind, they were alone. Being away from the crowd and loud music seemed to help settle her stomach, but when she closed her eyes it felt like the ground was moving. Lie down, she thought, lie down for just a minute and you’ll be all right.
When Darren brought his mouth down hard on hers, Billie shoved at his shoulders in surprise. He ignored her, lowering his lips to her throat, molding his body to hers. She tried to move away, but he had her pinned in. “Get away from me. Please. Don’t touch me.” She cried out, when it seemed he’d grown an extra set of hands, now groping her everywhere.
“There’s no need to play hard to get. I know you want it. I’m ready for you.” He rubbed himself against her thigh and pushed one hand up her blouse, the other held her firmly against him.
“Get off me. You’re making me sick.” Panic made her voice come out on a shaky sob. She shoved at him again, but he didn’t budge. The door handle bit uncomfortably in to her back and since he was pressed so tightly against her she couldn’t bring up her knee. Then she puked.
“Dammit!” Darren jumped back, giving her a slight shove. It only annoyed him further, when she lost her balance and crumpled to the ground. “Get the hell away from me.” Disgusted, he pulled off his soiled shirt.
After her crash landing, Billie rolled over on her hands and knees. Everything around her was a blur as she continued to empty her stomach. Words rose in anger and a loud crashing sound rang in her ears before she felt gentle hands on her shoulder. “No! Don’t touch me anymore.” She moaned.
Brody winced at her pitiful plea. “You are okay now, Billie. It’s Brody. I want to get you out of here. Can you stand up now?” Reaching under her shoulders, he helped pull her up. When she pushed her face into his chest and cried, he simply held her.
Brody lifted her up into his arms and carried her the short distance to his car. As they drove, she stayed silent. With eyes closed, she enjoyed the cool breeze from the open window blowing over her face. When the car came to a stop, she opened them slowly and looked out at the river. Brody pulled a blanket out of his trunk, helped her out of the car and they walked down to the small sandy beach area.
Flat on her back, Billie stared up at the zillions of stars shining brightly in the sky. Brody was stretched out next to her, his upper body supported by his elbows. Silently, he watched over her, making her feel safe. It was so quiet she could hear the breeze rustle through the trees and the water slapping against the shore.
A bitter taste still lingered in her mouth, but her stomach was completely empty. With a slight turn of her head, she looked up into his eyes.
“How do you feel?” He asked, breaking the silence. His nerves were taut, but his voice was deceptively calm. Only the sight of her pale face kept him from shaking her by the shoulders for going out with that creep.
“Like a moron with a bad headache. Other than that, it’s not too bad. What happened to Darren?”
“You mean the colossal asshole that had his hands all over you? He ran back to the party.” Brody wasn’t kidding either. The chicken shit took off after the first punch.
Sarcasm dripped from every word and Billie realized how angry he was. “You hit him, didn’t you? I remember hearing something. I can take care of myself, you know.”
“That was obvious. Is that your big plan? You’ll just puke on all your dates that get out of hand.” A slight smile curved his lips.
Billie had to laugh at the image. “I got him good, didn’t I?” Her shoulders shuttered in revulsion. “God, what a creep he is. What were you doing there, anyway?”
“I called you. When your dad said that you had left on a date, I called Kel for the details. When I found out who you were with, I came to get you. That prick is notorious for bragging about all the girls he’s bagged.”
“You’ve bagged a few yourself, Romeo.”
“Maybe, but I don’t kiss and tell. Not all girls have to be forced. They brag, too.” He smiled, but his eyes were serious and his voice held distaste.
“You must feel so violated.” Billie rolled her eyes before pulling herself up and walking to the shoreline. She turned around, flashed a grin, and fell back with a loud splash. The cool water was a luxury and she stayed under as long as her lungs would allow.
“I feel like a whole new person. This is just the place I needed to go. Thanks.” Dripping wet, she walked back to the blanket and plopped down placing her wet head on his stomach. It was hard and firm, but somehow comfortable. “How come you guys don’t hassle Sierra when she goes out?”
“It’s different. For one thing she’s not a virgin. And she’s not hopelessly naïve.”
Billie’s eyes widened at that bit of information, and it amused him that she had no idea. “Come on. She didn’t tell you? It happened two summers ago at the rock. She wanted to practice on Trent. It’s too bad that he took it a little more seriously than she did.” Brody ignored her grunt of outrage and pulled his hand through her wet curls. “What the hell did you do to your hair, brat?”
Ignoring his last comment, she turned her head to see his face more clearly. “No way! We’re like brothers and sisters.” She crossed her fingers to make her point. “It’s not something you just do for fun.” When he just raised a brow, she felt stupid. “You know what I mean. I’m sure you’ve never thought,” she blushed and paused, “we’re friends. I don’t understand how they can be so casual about it? I don’t know, maybe I’m just being trivial.”
“We’re very close, but definitely not related. I’m sure they had a very good time and I doubt Trent was feeling brotherly.” When she didn’t smile, Brody tipped her chin in his hands and made her look at him. “You and Sierra are two different people. Don’t ever be embarrassed about the way you feel. It makes you special, not stupid. Don’t let this go to your head, but you’re funny, cute, and have this irritating quality that makes you unforgettable.” Dropping her chin, he sat up abruptly.
/> At some point in his lecture, he’d become increasingly aware of her close proximity and the fact that they were completely alone. The irony didn’t go unnoticed. While he told her there was nothing wrong with keeping her pants on, he was thinking what it would be like to take them off and she didn’t have a clue. She was naïve all right. Feeling ill at ease with his thoughts, Brody stood up. “Come on. It’s time to get you home.” Wanting to put some distance between them, he strolled to the car ahead of her.
“Hey, wait up.” She caught up with him and climbed in the car. “It will feel good to get out of these wet clothes, but I have a bad feeling I won’t feel so hot in the morning.”
Keeping his eyes on the road, Brody chuckled. “Yeah, you’ll have a serious hangover, no doubt about that. Just drink a big glass of water and take some aspirin before you hit the sack. It’ll take off some of the edge.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry for being such a pain.” Billie reached over to turn on the radio. “I guess I messed up your night.”
Still feeling the ache of his arousal, Brody muttered, “You have no idea.”
CHAPTER 5
After grabbing a bag of chips and a soda, Billie headed out into the warm night air to meet her friends at the Rock. They should all be up there; except for Brad who was working at his dad’s liquor store. She had pitched in a couple of bucks for the beer that Brad would sneak out of the store, leaving the money for it in his dad’s register, but she had no intention of joining in. Her stomach still wasn’t up to par after her drinking fiasco the night before. No doubt she would be the butt of many jokes tonight.
Billie followed the trail made easy enough by the light of the full moon. When she walked through the clearing, her friends became silent. Large rocks had been formed around in a circle filled with branches and a small fire illuminated the area. Billie could make out all their faces clearly as they turned at her approach.
“Billie! I’m so glad you’re here. Look guys. Here is our best friend in the whole world.” Trent squealed in perfect imitation of her performance the night before, causing everyone to laugh. “I hear you got a little sick.” His tone turned sympathetic, but a wide grin showed off his chipped tooth and humor shone in his blue eyes.
“I thought you didn’t kiss and tell.” Billie sent a wry look to Brody who was squatted down by the fire. The flame mirrored in his dark eyes as he returned her look with a slight smirk.
“I wasn’t the one doing the kissing. Can’t say I’d like to, either. Spewing your guts out is hardly a turn on.”
“I can’t believe I missed all the excitement. Brody gave him a big shiner,” gushed Kelly, who was sitting next to Brody Indian style. The look she sent him was close to hero worship.
“Yeah, Bro. That was solid.” Trent reached behind Kelly, almost spilling the beer resting on his knee, and punched Brody on the shoulder. “Remind me to never piss you off. The right side of his face looked like road kill.”
“You’re my hero.” Billie rolled her eyes. When Sierra opened her mouth to add her two cents, Billie pointed at her. “Don’t say a word.”
“Hey, let’s start the party. I’m here now.” Brad interrupted, carrying a case of beer into the clearing. He emptied it into the ice chest by the rock and preened like a rooster when he pulled one open. It made him feel cool being able to supply the suds. Strolling over to Billie, he waved the beer under her nose. When she cringed, he laughed. “What’s the matter? I thought you loved to drink. What? No hug this time.”
“Ha, ha.” Pushing off the rock she was leaning on, Billie moved away to the fire.
“It’s about time, party boy, my lips are chapped. Hey dude, cool duds,” Trent said, who was wearing the same black sweats and school shirt with a devil smiling wickedly as he threw a flaming football. “But I got to say it, Bro, they look better on me.”
“I never see you contributing to the beer fund, Running Man. In fact, I think that’s how you got to run so fast, running from the thought of paying for anything.” Brad tossed him a beer and placed a hand on his hip. Thrusting his hip out, he mocked in a high voice. “Oh honey, you do look fine, but I think your butt is a little big.”
“Come now, boys, play nice. I want to kick back, relax, and have some fun,” purred Sierra. Pretending a slight shiver, she moved closer to Brody. When she placed her hand on his knee, he gave her a slight frown but didn’t move away.
When his leg tensed slightly under her touch, Sierra smiled. Brody didn’t know it yet, but she was about to add a whole new dimension to their friendship. In fact, if all went as planned, in a few years she would be Mrs. Brody Mack. After all, Brody was the perfect catch, she thought smugly. His father was out of town looking for a house up in the mountains to retire in. Brody would inherit the ranch after graduating from college. Not to mention the fact that he was totally gorgeous. She would have to move quickly though, since he would be leaving for college in a little over three months. Maybe she would just have to give him something to remember her by.
For the next hour, Billie watched Sierra drape herself all over Brody. Sierra was acting buzzed when she’d only polished off one beer. When Brody walked over to the trees to get some more branches, Sierra followed close behind. As soon as they were out of earshot, Billie fluttered her eyes. “Oh, Brody, you’re so big and strong. Will you keep me warm?” Her impression of Sierra drew a laugh from everyone but Trent, who looked in that direction with a frown. “Has she lost her mind?”
“Maybe some bubble headed alien from an inferior planet took over her bod,” offered Brad.
Brody had returned shortly with Sierra stuck to his side and added a few branches to the fire now burning low and hot. A few hours later, everyone was huddled around it, leaning forward to feel the heat. Billie pulled her knees up under her extra-large sweatshirt, to warm her bare legs. Most of the beer was gone and the mood was relaxed.
“This is almost the last time we’ll have Brody with us,” Kelly said to the group, “since he is going off to college. It won’t be the same without him.”
With a careless smile, Brody responded lightly. “Are you going miss me, honey? Maybe you can encourage me to stay.” He stood with his hands in his pockets and leaned against a rock. His knee protruded where his jeans had been worn thin. Kelly’s face turned a bright red as she giggled.
“All of us will be going our separate ways eventually. Maybe we should make a pact. No matter what we’re doing, we will all meet back here on the first day of summer in the year two thousand. We can look back on these days and laugh.” Billie looked to everyone for their response.
“What if something happens to one of us before then?” Kelly asked, warming to the idea.
“Then we’ll all get together, drink some beer and remember something good about that person.”
“What if there isn’t anything good to say?” Brody asked, smiling at Billie as if his question was referring to her. She gave him the finger and smiled back sweetly.
“Then we’ll drink a toast in silence,” said Brad. “Let’s do it!”
“I’ll bring the beer.” Trent grinned, causing everyone to laugh. “I say we take it one step further.” He pulled a pocket knife out of his shorts. With a sharp clicking sound, the blade popped out. The metal glinted eerily in the firelight. “We need a blood pact to symbolize our friendship. Not a prissy one on the tip of our fingers. A real one to prove we mean it.” Moving quickly, he sliced a two inch cut in the palm of his hand. Ignoring the pain and the blood now dripping down his hand into the dirt, he handed the knife to Sierra.
A strange silence settled over them, as one by one they cut their palms and took turns joining their hands together. Fingers entwined and eyes met over the firelight as their blood mingled together. Afterwards, Billie grabbed the last beer so they could make a toast.
“In fifteen years, I’m going to be a vet.” After taking a sip of beer and almost gagging, Billie offered it to Trent.
“I’ll be a football legend. Make sure yo
u bring paper to the reunion so I can give you poor sods an autograph. What about you, Kel?” Trent asked, handing her the beer.
“I’ll have a bunch of kids and a husband that adores me.” She took a dainty sip and pulled her long sleeve back down to cover her palm.
“I want it all. No one will ever forget Sierra Lock. Oh, and no kids. They ruin your figure. I’d die before I let that happen.” Sierra shot Trent a cocky little smile and flipped her long black tresses over her shoulder. “Brad?”
“I’m going to be a construction big wig. After I graduate, my uncle said he’d hire me on his crew. How far I go is up to me. I plan on working my ass off and moving up the ladder real quick.”
Brody squatted by the fire, leaving Sierra standing over him, and took the beer from Brad. “I’m going to give breeding horses a shot, marry the woman I love, and fill the house up with snotty noses and skinned knees. With any luck, I’ll be around to watch my kids have kids.”
“If I die, I want my spirit to live here forever.” Sierra crouched down, placing her hand back on Brody’s knee to balance herself. “I have gypsy blood, you know. My mom told me that my great grandmother came back as a coyote and ate the poodle of her husband’s new wife.” When everyone snickered, Sierra became serious. “It’s true. You’ll have to put a cross up here, so my spirit will rest here. This is our special place. I want to be remembered here.”
“Our very own mourning place,” Trent said, “I’d rather come here than some creepy cemetery. That idea’s happening. Make me a cross up here, too.”
“Would you do that for me, Brody? Mourn me?” Sierra asked in a breathy voice, leaning slightly over to give him a better view of her cleavage.
Brody just smiled down at her. He was slightly amused at her obvious advances, but mostly he just wondered how she could be comfortable in those tight jeans. “Oh I forgot to tell you guys,” he said, suddenly remembering the conversation he had with his dad earlier. “My old man’s getting married next month to the real estate lady that showed him around in Brisco Lake.” The news hadn’t really surprised him. In fact, he had surprised his dad when he jumped up to give him a bear hug. “Evidently, I’m getting a new stepsister in the bargain. Since I’m going to college, I was hoping you might take her in a little. She’s a junior.”