by Allie Gail
“You know…you have never looked more beautiful to me than you do right now,” he said softly.
That could be true. I’d never felt more beautiful.
16
It wasn’t difficult to find the cabin. Colin had sent out a Google map to everyone he’d invited, and since it was right on the river it wouldn’t have been hard to locate even without it. Once we heard the loud bass thumping of music and drove past the yard littered with dozens of vehicles, it was apparent that we’d arrived. The only place we could find to park was on the side of the road.
There was no point in ringing the doorbell, not only because the sound would’ve been drowned out by the blaring of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax, but also because the front door was already standing wide open. The living room was wall to wall people, some dancing suggestively and some just standing around talking, many of them in Halloween costumes and most of them feeling no pain. If I’d had any concerns about whether Rob would want to keep our relationship a secret from everyone at school, they were dispelled when he put a protective arm around my waist.
“Robbie! Omigod everybody, look who’s here - it’s Robbie!” I wanted to stick a finger down my throat when Staci bounced her way over to us, scantily clad as a sexy bunny complete with whiskers, long ears and stiletto heels. Funny, I wasn’t aware that rabbits were in the habit of wearing stripper shoes with fishnet stockings. Wouldn’t that make it hard to escape predators in the wild? Her propped-up-and-on-display tits were practically falling over the top of her skimpy outfit. “You guys wanna drinkie-poo?” she cooed in a shrill voice, shaking the cup in her hand enough to slosh some of the contents onto the hardwood floor.
“You want a drink?” Rob looked down at me.
“No thanks, I’m good.” I wondered if he intended to hang around for a while. In my faded jeans and hoodie, I felt underdressed and distinctly out of place.
“Howdy, y’all!” We turned our heads in the direction of the voice that had snuck up behind us and I burst out laughing when I saw Doug. He was wearing a cowboy hat, bandanna and vest, and yes, the infamous leather chaps with only a g-string underneath. Melanie Walker was beside him in a cute spotted cow costume, and she raised her hand in a shy greeting.
“I gotta say, you are one brave chick to let yourself be seen in public with this fruitcake,” I told her, still in hysterics.
“I know, right!” She shook her head in mock exasperation. “It’s so embarrassing.”
“What, you don’t like my costume?” Doug baited us with a sly grin. “Wanna see the back?”
“NO!” Rob and I both yelled at the same time.
“Once you shee that shit, it can’t never be unsheen,” Colin warned us, staggering up beside Staci. “I’m so fuckin’ glad you guys’re here! We were juss ’bout to do s’more keg stands out in the shicken…chicken…ah, y’know what the fuck I mean…”
“Kitchen,” Staci giggled.
“He’s drunk off his ass,” Doug needlessly announced, taking a sip from the plastic cup in his hand.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious. You got any idea where Trent is?” Rob was scanning the crowd, but there was no sign of either Trent or Dana.
“I think they went upstairs to the loft a little while ago,” Melanie offered helpfully. “I don’t know if they’re still there though.”
“So whass up with this…?” Staci demanded, suddenly taking notice of Rob’s arm around me. “Are you two like, boyfriend-girlfriend now?”
“That’s right.” Lowering his head to mine, he told me, “I’m gonna go find Trent. You stay here with Melanie, all right?”
“Okay.” I watched him ascend the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. God, he was gorgeous. And he’d just claimed me as his girlfriend. Sweet.
“I coulda told you that shit was gonna happen,” Doug informed me, smirking.
“What shit?” I gave him a coy smile even though I knew exactly what he meant.
“You and Rob. I saw that comin’ a mile away.”
“He tappin’ that ass?” Colin looked way more interested than he should have. For that matter, so did Staci. More fodder for the rumor mill.
“Man…shut your drunk ass up.” Doug gave him a shove and Colin, in his inebriated state, lost his balance and wound up sprawled across the floor. Staci doubled over, shrieking with high-pitched laughter while several other people who’d witnessed him fall on his backside joined in.
“Do you know where the bathroom is?” I asked Melanie, figuring I might as well make use of it while I was here. There was no telling if we were going straight home. With Trent along for the ride, we were all likely to wind up somewhere in Delaware.
She pointed. “Down that hall, first door on the right.”
“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” Skirting through the crowd, I made my way to the bathroom where I rapped on the closed door. “Hello? Anyone in there?” It was impossible to hear any response over the loud music and voices trying to talk over one another, so I tried the door. Discovering it unlocked, I went on in to find some girl in a French maid costume hunched over the toilet, head practically shoved all the way inside.
“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here.” I started to leave but then I caught a glimpse of some distinctly familiar red hair.
“Jordan?” Closing the door behind me, I locked it so no one else could come in. She was making godawful retching noises, and I had to clench my teeth to keep from gagging just from the gross sound. Rubbing her heaving back, I asked sympathetically, “Are you all right?”
“Nuhhh…” she moaned, in a perfect imitation of someone who was welcoming death with open arms.
I found a clean washcloth and wet it with cold water, then squeezed it out and folded it across the back of her neck. “Can I get you anything?”
She reached up to flush the toilet, lifting her head just enough to gaze at me with glassy green eyes. There were tears running down her cheeks. “Oh. Hey. I know you.”
“Yeah, sweetie, you know me. It’s Sara.” Poor thing was even more shitfaced than Colin, if that was possible. “You gonna be okay now?”
“Not gonna be okay. S’never gonna be okay.” She rubbed her nose and sniffled.
“Can I get you a glass of water? Maybe some ice chips?”
“No…you don’t know. You don’t know, see…it’s not okay.”
“Listen, I promise, you’ll be fine in just a -”
“No. You listen to me. He’ll break your heart. He’ll use you, then he’ll break your heart.”
I froze, staring down at her, startled by the uncanny timing of her prediction. “What? Who? Who are you talking about?”
Her hand grasped the charm necklace that still hung around her neck, rubbing the “R” between her thumb and index finger. “You’ll find out. He’s got his eye on you next. I know it.”
Did she mean Riley? I quickly reached out to catch the washcloth just before it fell to the tile floor and used it to gently wipe the corners of her mouth. “Believe me, I’m not interested. And you should just forget about him too. Trust me, you can do a lot better.”
“Love is a rebellious bird that none can tame, and you call him quite in vain if it suits him not to come…” She was gazing past me, and I had no idea what she was seeing or, for that matter, what she was rambling on about. Crap, maybe she had something more potent than just alcohol in her system.
“Jordan, sweetie, you’re starting to freak me out. Should I go get someone?”
Her eyes shifted to me for a moment, then she dropped them with a despondent sigh. “No. I’m all right.”
“You sure? Do you have a ride home?”
“Uh-huh.” She struggled to stand up and I grabbed her by the elbow to steady her. “It’s all good. I’m okay.”
“Are you done throwing up?”
“Um. I think so.”
“Okay. Why don’t we get out of here before someone else needs to come in.”
“No, not yet. I just…I need a couple
minutes. Please.”
“Will you be okay alone?”
“Yes, I’m all right now. I’m feeling a little better.”
“Promise me you won’t try and drive home like this.”
“I’m not.” She pressed a shaky hand against her forehead. “Whew…no more tequila shots for me. I didn’t even think I had that much.”
“Snuck up on you, didn’t it?” I gave her a compassionate smile.
“Ugh.” She shuddered as if the very thought made her want to be sick again.
“Well…if you’re sure you’re okay I’m gonna go now.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Sara.”
“No problem. Take it easy on the tequila.” I slipped out of the bathroom and decided to take a different route this time, in case Trent and Dana were down here somewhere. Wandering along in the opposite direction while navigating my way through the mob, I found my way to an open door that led to a huge screened-in back porch. I was scanning the crowd for a certain Alice in Wonderland when a pair of hands snaked around my waist from behind. Smiling, I turned around, expecting to see Rob but instead I got the booby prize.
“You made it after all!” Riley jubilantly gathered me up into an awkwardly close hug. “Good to see you.”
“Yeah…” I squirmed my way out of his clutches. “Actually we’re just here to pick up Dana and Trent. You seen either of them around?”
He didn’t catch the “we” I’d thrown at him. “No, last time I saw them was about…oh, I’d say half an hour ago. What’s your hurry? Stay and hang out for a while.”
At least he didn’t appear to be completely wasted, unlike just about everyone else here. Although I did smell liquor on his breath. Instead of some outlandish costume, he was dressed in cargo pants and a turquoise Polo shirt. Had to keep up that preppy image, apparently. “I think you oughta go check on Jordan,” I told him. “She was just in the bathroom puking her guts up.”
He shook his head with a derisive snort. “That bitch is not my problem anymore. Enough is enough. I’ve had it - I’m done with her and her asinine head games.”
“At least go talk to her! She was in there crying. From what she was saying, it’s obvious she’s not over you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, princess. She doesn’t give a damn about me.”
Princess? Oh, gag me. “She still wears your necklace. Or haven’t you noticed?”
“What necklace?”
“The silver chain with your initial on it. Didn’t you give her that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never gave her any necklace.”
“You didn’t?” His puzzled expression seemed genuine enough. So maybe she’d bought the charm herself. Or it could be I was wrong about this whole thing and her “R” was someone else entirely.
“No, I didn’t.” He draped both arms over my shoulders and brought his head close to mine while I made a futile attempt to back away. “Why don’t we take a walk down to the dock? We can find a nice romantic spot by the river. It’s too loud in here, princess. I’m starting to get a headache.”
“You’ll be feeling a lot more than a headache if you don’t take your hands off her,” warned a familiar sultry voice.
Oh, perfect. Why was I cursed with such unbelievably lousy timing? It figured that Rob would materialize beside me at that exact moment. His eyes were piercing through Riley like steel daggers. I hoped he didn’t think I was out here flirting with him.
Riley dropped his arms but not without meeting Rob’s glare with a defiant scowl of his own. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t see your name on her anywhere.”
“Look a little harder. It’s there.” Rob positioned himself in front of me, so close to him their pecs were almost touching. Next to him, Trent crossed his arms and lifted his chin in one of those macho displays of I-got-your-back. Although, dressed in hospital scrubs and a stethoscope he looked a little silly. Dana caught my eye and bit her lip to suppress a grin.
“Is that right?” Riley didn’t seem all too eager to back down. “Since when?”
“Since right the fuck now.”
“Right now, huh?”
“Did I stutter?”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. This ridiculousness was getting out of hand. “Can we please just go home now?” I pleaded, tugging on Rob’s arm. “I’m so over this.”
He looked down at me and his stony expression softened a little. With one last glance at Riley, he put a hand on my back and ushered me through the house while shielding me from the jostling crowd. Trent and Dana followed on our heels, with Trent pausing to shout, “Later, man!” across the room to Doug.
Once we were outside in the night air, Dana threw an arm around me with a giggle. “I thought for a minute they were gonna tie up back there!”
“Woulda mopped the floor with his punk ass,” Trent boasted in a slurred voice. “Serious ass kickage, man.” As unsteady as he was on his feet, I doubted he could have done more than fall on his own face.
“He wasn’t really doing anything,” I felt I should point out.
“He was all over you.” Rob slipped his hand into mine and I curled my fingers around his. “I told you before, I don’t trust him. Something shady about that guy. He reminds me of a crooked politician trying to hide behind a phony image.”
I decided to just let it go. Nothing involving Riley Murphy held any importance to me. Instead I told Dana, “You better sober up before we get back, Alice. Your dad’ll freak and there won’t be any more Mad Hatter parties for you for a very long time.”
She lifted up her white pinafore and sniffed it. “Can you smell it on me?”
“Not too bad, but a breath mint probably wouldn’t hurt. Actually, maybe coffee would be a better idea.”
“We’ll stop by McDonald’s,” Rob suggested, unlocking the doors with the keyless remote. “And if anyone starts feeling sick, you better let me know so I can pull over. I’ll be damned if I’m cleaning your nasty puke outta this car.” As soon as we were all in the Tahoe, Trent and Dana immediately started making out in the back. I got the distinct impression neither of them felt sick. Rob turned up the radio so we didn’t have to listen to them slurping on one another’s faces. Thankfully Seether drowned them out.
They stopped playing tonsil hockey long enough to throw back some coffee once we hit up the drive thru, and I took the opportunity to tell Dana about my encounter with Jordan in the bathroom. She agreed that it was bizarre.
“I hate to agree with Ridley - um, Riley - but she really has been actin’ all spaced out lately. I heard her grades have been slippin’ so much she prob’ly won’t even be valum…uh, va-le-dic-tor-i-an after all.” Still a little tipsy, she enunciated the word carefully. “Plus she gave up her spot on the yearbook staff.”
I raised my eyebrows, forgetting for the moment about Jordan’s problems. “I hope for your sake neither of your parental units are still up. I definitely wouldn’t advise trying to talk to them!”
“Do I sound that bad?” she asked, discouraged.
“Dead giveaway. If you say a word you’re gonna get busted. Not to mention, your eyes are bloodshot. Better not turn on any lights.”
“Oh, fuck me - I am so dead,” she lamented.
“You ain’t dead, canary head,” Trent sang, cheerfully producing a small bottle of eye drops from the pocket of his scrubs. “I always come prepared.”
“You’re a lifesaver, baby!” Gratefully she tipped her head back and squeezed some drops into each eye.
“You could text them and say you’re spending the night with me,” I reluctantly suggested. To be perfectly honest, all I wanted right now was to be alone again with Rob. But I didn’t want my best friend to wind up grounded for eternity either.
“My dad’s not gonna fall for that one.”
She was probably right. As a cop, he was privy to all the schemes teenagers used to avoid getting caught. It really must suck having the chief of police for a father. “Well, maybe you’ll get lucky and th
ey’ll already be asleep.”
“If not, just tell ’em you’re tired and haul ass to bed,” Trent advised. I wondered how he intended to conceal his own obvious intoxication, then decided that was his problem. I got the feeling that by now the party animal was a pro at manipulating his way out of trouble.
We dropped Dana off first after I made her promise to let me know what went down. Just as we were pulling up in front of Trent’s house, I got the message: All clear! :P Everyone’s asleep.
Relieved, I texted her back: Good deal!! TTYL, boozer. Smoochies.
Finally rid of our passengers, Rob heaved a sigh and turned down the radio. With an uneasy glance my way, he said, “You’re not pissed off at me, are you?”
“Why would I be?”
“I don’t know. For jumping down Riley’s throat.”
“No…of course I’m not mad at you.”
“I just don’t want that sonofabitch touching you.”
The corners of my mouth tugged upward at the notion that he was actually jealous. “Believe me, you have nothing to worry about there.”
“You tell me if he bothers you again.”
“Why, so you can get yourself suspended for fighting? I can handle myself,” I assured him.
“Sara, tonight you gave me the most precious thing you had to give. In my book, that makes me responsible for you now. I don’t want some self-entitled asshole thinking he can manhandle you. If he ever did anything to hurt you I don’t think I could control myself.”
My hidden smile broke through. “You’re either a certifiable lunatic, or the most romantic, chivalrous man in the whole entire world.”
“I’m both,” he admitted with a wicked grin. “Give it time and you’ll find out.”
I leaned against the headrest and gazed at him, my beautiful white knight, my protector. “I’ll give you all the time you want.”