Blue Madness: (Blue Raspberry Series #3)

by D. K Lake

  "Really. It was just a one-time thing and it happened to be my first time."

  "Ok fine, but if you want to talk I'm here."

  "No you're not, you're leaving."

  "Funny, You know what I mean."

  I walk back to the bed and kick off my shoes and cuddle up under Nessie's fluffy throw and pull out my cell. I contemplate whether or not I should switch it on. I make the grave mistake of switching it on and within seconds it's buzzing with voicemails and messages. Most of them are from Mom but there a few from my Dad and I'm guessing she phoned him and told him I ran away or something. And last of all, there's one message from Paige that just reads: I HATE YOU.

  I let out a sigh and look up at the ceiling and stare at Kane Brown, wondering if he has any words of wisdom for me.

  "So that's it, I'm leaving. Moving to Prairie where I don't know anyone and the only three people I will know are my Mom who I can't stand and I'm pretty sure she wishes I had been a boy, and my sister who just hates me and wishes I was dead, and not forgetting Aunt Jane who I haven't seen since I was five and quite frankly all I know about her is that she was a pothead in college and she was the black sheep of the family so I don't get why Mom is talking to her and taking advice to move me to frickin' Nebraska." I say and let out a deep breath.

  I'm still waiting for Kane Brown to reply and say something helpful when there is a knock at the door and before I can get off the bed the door opens and Mitchel peeps around the corner and opens it wider.

  "You know, you probably shouldn't be in here. Nessie will most likely stroll through naked at any minute." I say jokingly but I know it's true.

  "I promise I won't look." Mitchel says, walking over to the bed.

  I scoot up the bed and lean against the headboard and Mitchel crawls onto the bed and lays down next to me, his head resting on my shoulder. I can tell he's upset.

  "Hey, what's wrong?" I ask and he turns toward me and cuddles up closer.

  "Just thinking about stuff."

  "What stuff?" Need I ask?

  There is a long pause.

  "Do you think you'll like it there?" he asks as he pulls on a loose thread on his hoodie.

  "Probably not. It will smell of cow crap and I'll be stranded in the middle of nowhere, literally."

  "I'll come and see you."

  "No you won't, it's too far."

  "Nah, it's just a long road trip. Boston can come too."

  "Yay." I snort.

  Mitchel goes quiet again and I nudge him.

  "I'm not looking forward to you leaving." he sighs.

  "Me neither."

  "Hey! What did I say about not talking about Kelsey leaving, huh?" Nessie strolls out of the bathroom in only a towel and Mitchel looks the other way to be polite but Nessie doesn't help the situation and dives on top of us and randomly hugs us both.

  "Enough of the sad eyes and soppy goodbyes. This weekend is about having fun. You look like your dog just died." Nessie says, looking at us both.

  "Ok, but just please put some clothes on." I beg as she catches her towel before it unravels.

  Nessie laughs and climbs off the bed.

  "I think I saw her boob." Mitchel blurts and we all laugh.

  "I need to get dressed, perv."

  Nessie sticks her tongue out at him and flings a random pair of knickers at him.

  "Ok. Ok. I'm going." Mitchel gets up off the bed and quickly leaves the room.

  "So what shall we do until tonight? We have like three hours to kill." I say.

  "Hmm...how about a few games of pool, some drinks, and nibbles."

  "You don't need any more to drink. Not after last night." I remind.

  "Just one." She smiles sweetly.

  I shake my head and try not to smile at her playful behavior. I am going to miss this girl so much.

  We spend the next few hours messing around in the games room. I let Mitchel give me a few pointers in pool even though I could probably beat his ass if I was blindfolded as I have been playing this game since I was old enough to hold a pool cue, but it's a good excuse to get close to him. Stephen stays out of our way but is constantly on his 'way to the kitchen' just to peek in on us every ten minutes.

  57

  We arrive at the fairground just after eight and I'm pleased to say we all arrived fully clothed and no one had thrown-up on each other on the way over. We were supposed to get here sooner but we had to stop for gas and there was an unexpected traffic holdup which involved a lot of police cars, a naked man in handcuffs wearing only a sock to cover himself, a woman in a mermaid costume holding one of those cats that have no hair, and an Elvis impersonator that looked rather wasted and was hurling up at the side of the road. Anyway, the fairground is located in a large field on the outside of the town, and when we arrive the adjoining field is already packed with vehicles and JT parks in a spot at the back. As I climb out I can hear the fairground is already buzzing and there are flashing lights everywhere. There's so much noise, music, sound effects, screaming, laughing, children squealing. JT pays for us all to enter and I stand at the side taking it all in.

  "You alright?" Mitchel puts his arm around me.

  "Yes, it's just sooo loud."

  He chuckles and leads me onto the walkway.

  "When was the last time you were at the fair?" he asks.

  "Um...when I was eight, my dad took Paige and me. The fair did come back again when I was twelve but I had a stomach bug that weekend and couldn't go."

  Nessie walks up beside me.

  "What do you wanna go on first?" she chirps with her hand in a bag of cotton candy and I wonder where she has picked it up from. I look around and see JT just tucking his wallet back into his pocket near the cotton candy stand.

  "Oh, I don't mind." I say, grabbing a handful of cotton candy before she scoffs the whole lot.

  "Ooooh the waltzer, I love the waltzer." She grins with her mouth full of cotton candy.

  "Sure you don't want to go on the teacups?" JT smirks.

  "No, it's for kids." Nessie gives him a look.

  "How 'bout the haunted house?" JT suggests.

  "Why? So you can grope me in the dark?" Nessie says and smiles at me before walking off and JT follows her.

  "Do we go with them?" I ask Mitchel, wrapping my arm around his waist to keep warm.

  He shrugs. "I think they'll be alright on their own. Anyway, I'm hungry." He looks around at the choice of food stands.

  "Again?" I tease.

  "Mmmm, burgers, c'mon." Mitchel pulls me the other way toward the food area.

  After Mitchel's filled up on his second burger of the day, we go looking for Nessie and JT and find them sitting in a teacup on the teacup ride. The ride is stationary and one of the fairground workers is asking them nicely to please vacate the teacups. There is a queue of small children pointing and giggling and parents looking on in disgust and horror as Nessie straddles JT with her tongue down his throat.

  I can't help myself and burst out laughing, earning more disgusted looks from a few of the moms.

  "Ness!" I call.

  JT finally stops the kiss, just long enough to pick Nessie up and carry her over to where Mitchel and I are standing.

  "Ok...enough. Put her down!" I tug on Nessie's arm and JT reluctantly sets her down on the ground.

  "Where to?" I ask.

  "Anywhere but near that wacky house, I saw people dressed up like clowns." Nessie whispers.

  "You don't like clowns?" Mitchel asks her.

  "It's not just Nessie, we both hate 'em." I reply and Nessie and I both shudder.

  "You tellin' me I have to fight off clowns as well now?" JT jokes.

  "I'm being serious. I really don't like them!" Nessie smacks him.

  "So that's a no to renting the It movie?" Mitchel chuckles.

  Nessie shakes her head vigorously.

  "Ok, ok! If I see a clown he's going down." JT laughs with his hands in his pockets and Nessie leans into him and slips her arm through his.
/>   It's so weird to see Nessie and JT behaving like this, but we're not in Radley and no one else knows us here which probably explains why Nessie is all over him. But it's also because she has a major thing for him, and I think he feels the same way. The way he tilts his head to look at her and the way he's not interested in looking at any of the other girls walking around that are all drooling over him.

  We spend the next two hours trying out all the rides because Nessie makes it her mission to go on every single ride, she even drags us onto the carousel. I have to admit that it is rather funny to see JT riding a horse with a beer in his hand. Bumper cars get a little aggressive, we share cars and I let Mitchel ride and JT drives the other car with Nessie and the boys chase each other up and down.

  Everything seems perfect, the perfect night, the way it should be. A group of ordinary teenagers having fun. Everyone is happy and joking around, and for a while, I completely forget about moving day on Monday.

  Almost.

  Mitchel hasn't brought it up once, and Nessie seems to have temporarily forgotten because JT hasn't stopped supplying her with alcohol which only adds to her hyper behavior. But every now and then I catch Mitchel looking at me, and I know what he's thinking. This is our last weekend together. For now anyways.

  I hope nothing changes, but I know realistically everything will change on Monday. I'll be in Prairie, Mitchel will be in Radley, we won't be in school together anymore. The only thing we can do is phone each other. But it won't be the same. I don't really expect him to drive all the way to Nebraska just to see me for a few hours. It's not practical for a start the amount of money he'd spend on gas.

  Nessie and I stand at the side watching the boys get all competitive over the ring toss game.

  "Is it possible to get whiplash from the bumper cars?" Nessie asks, rubbing the back of her neck. "And I think I put my back out." She rubs her back and stretches to the side.

  "I can fix your back for you later if you want?" JT offers, glancing at Nessie with a devilish grin on his face before going back to the game.

  "And what do you have in mind?" she says, hopping up onto the side next to him.

  "I think you know. It involves me, my bed-"

  "No thanks. I think I had enough of that last night. I didn't even like it." she says, frowning as she remembers the night before.

  I look around and hope no one is listening. The drink is affecting her volume as well.

  "That's only 'cause he didn't know what to do with you." JT responds in a clipped tone before throwing a ring and it bounces off the side and Mitchel laughs.

  "What was that?" Mitchel says, grabbing another ring.

  "Kelsey?" a familiar voice calls my name, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  I stay still, hidden behind the safety of Mitchel's hoodie with the hood up. Maybe I imagined it.

  "Kelsey Moon!" the voice says louder, angrier.

  Please no. This can't be happening.

  The look Nessie is giving me suggests I didn't imagine it and that my dad is, in fact, standing right behind me. Nessie quickly discards her beer bottle and I catch Mitchel's concerned eyes as I turn around.

  I don't say anything and just stare at my dad like he's a stranger. I give him the quick once-over, he's dressed in clean sneakers, scruffy jeans, a black motorcycle t-shirt, and he's wearing a black cap with wisps of dark brown hair sticking out at the sides and the last time I checked my dad had gone gray years ago. It takes me a moment to recognize him. He normally wears polo shirts and clean fitting pants. This person looks as though they're trying too hard. I see Aubrey standing just behind him with a bucket of chicken wings. She has the same orange hair like her sister and has it tied up in a French braid and she's wearing a black mini skirt with sandals and a tight-fitting pink top that shows off her ridiculous large belly. She looks so pregnant it looks unhealthy.

  I take one more look at my dad and realize this new look is obviously her doing. They look so weird together, he looks too old but is trying to dress younger and she looks too young anyway so she looks more like his daughter.

  "Did you hear me?" Dad says, his gray eyes studying me.

  "What?" I tear my eyes away from fat Aubrey to look at my dad.

  "I said, your mother has been worried sick about you. Where have you been?"

  I almost laugh. Almost. Worried sick, yeah right!

  "Vanessa." my dad greets Nessie.

  "Hi...Mr. Moon." She slides off the edge of the wooden rail and loses her balance but JT manages to save her before she hits the ground.

  "Have you been drinking?" Dad accuses, looking at Nessie as she tries to stand up and then straight back at me. I say nothing and his eyes shift to Mitchel who is standing beside me, also saying nothing.

  Before I can say anything (or nothing) we hear a gasp from somewhere behind Aubrey and a second later Dad turns around and I see Amber standing next to Aubrey with her phone in her hand, totally in shock, staring at JT.

  Seriously, could this day get any worse?

  Amber turns to her sister and whispers something and then Aubrey turns back to glare at us and mainly just to scowl at JT.

  "You!" Aubrey spits at JT.

  "What's wrong?" Dad asks.

  "This is the boy that destroyed my sister's reputation!" Aubrey snarls.

  "Actually, I think she did that all on her own." Nessie blurts and Aubrey gasps.

  "How dare you! You little skank!" Aubrey starts to come at Nessie but my Dad stops her.

  "Is this true?" Dad asks JT.

  "I didn't do anything she didn't want me to. She was practically gagging for it." JT says casually as though he's ordering pizza with extra toppings.

  Aubrey gasps again. Shock horror. I find it hard to believe she didn't already know her sister is a massive skank.

  "You're disgusting! I hate you! All of you!!" Amber screams and darts off into the crowd and Aubrey quickly shrugs off my dad and hurries after her.

  "I need another beer." JT says and starts to walk away but my dad steps in front of him.

  "Where do you think you're going?"

  "Excuse me?" JT says.

  "Do you have any idea what she's been through after what you did to her?"

  "As I said before, I didn't do anything she didn't ask me to which is what I told the police and there was a video to back this up. Have you seen it?" JT asks with a slight smile.

  "I know exactly what you are, preying on young girls."

  "Dad," I say, grabbing his arm.

  "I think the police will have something to say about you supplying alcohol to minors. Do your parents know you're here with this monster, who he is?" Dad looks at Nessie who is standing to the side watching quietly.

  "Dad, stop!" I say and gently push JT back a step before he does something crazy.

  Nessie quickly grabs his hand and pulls him away, but she looks back at my dad one last time.

  "I think you should go and take care of your girlfriend before her blood pressure rises. Oh, and you might wanna keep an eye on that slapper sister of hers before she opens her legs again and accuses someone else of rape."

  OMG. Nessie and alcohol are the worst combos. JT laughs out loud as Nessie pulls him away and I stand there like a lemon.

  "Kelsey, you're coming home with me. We're leaving right now." Dad orders, trying to reach for me.

  "What? No!" I take a step back and bump into someone.

  "I will not have one of my daughters associating with such lowlifes."

  "Lowlifes?" Mitchel laughs behind me but it isn't friendly. I had almost forgotten he was here as well, he was being so quiet before.

  "Are you kidding me? You're the one that left your wife and kids to run off with some gold-digger."

  Dad's eyes grow big and nearly pop out of his head.

  "How dare you speak about my future wife in such a way."

  "Why not? It's true." I blurt and my dad frowns at me.

  "Is that what you think?" Dad asks in a voice tha
t is both hurt and dismayed at the same time.

  "I think you stopped being my dad when you cheated on Mom. You ruined everything, and now Mom's unhappy and hates her life so much that she's taking it out on me by making us move."

  "She's only doing what she thinks is best."

  "Well, she's wrong. She has no idea what is best for me."

  "We'll talk about this when we get home." Dad reaches for me again but Mitchel is lightning fast and pulls me away and puts his arm in front of me to stop Dad from getting to me.

  "Kelsey, I won't allow this! Now, you are coming home with me!"

  "I don't care what you won't allow! I'm eighteen, I legally don't have to listen to you anymore!" I scream, holding onto the back of Mitchel's hoodie.

  "You heard her." Mitchel says in a low tone.

  "Kelsey!" Dad growls and tries to reach around Mitchel to get to me.

  "Get off!" I yell, moving away and yanking Mitchel with me because I'm afraid he might actually hit my dad and we don't need any more drama today.

  "Is there a problem here?" a security guard asks, shining a flashlight in our faces.

  "Yes, this man is harassing me and my girl." Mitchel deadpans. I love that he calls me, my girl.

  "I am her father." My dad turns to the security guard to explain.

  "Is this true, Miss?" the security guard asks.

  "I've never seen this man before in my life." I say, crossing my arms and Mitchel puts his arm around me.

  The security guard takes another look at my dad, trying to decide who is telling the truth.

  "This boy has been giving my daughter alcohol and she's not old enough to drink."

  I shake my head and let out a breath and Mitchel coolly says, "We haven't touched any alcohol tonight. I'm driving so I'm not likely to risk my girl's safety by drinking." I smile as he says my girl again.

  The security guard studies us both.

  "They don't look intoxicated."

  "Still, this is my daughter and we're leaving." Dad says getting frustrated.

  "Not with you." I spit.

  The security guard's walkie-talkie starts talking and a male voice says he needs help with a group of drunk teenagers on the other side of the fairground.

  "I am needed somewhere else. Is there going to be a problem here?" he asks, looking between us.