by Blair, E. K.
“Hey, Ady.” He nods to her before asking, “You two surf?”
“Kate does,” Trent answers for me. I hadn’t noticed that he rejoined us.
“Hey, I’m Caleb.”
“Trent,” he responds.
“Enough gabbing, time is money, my friend,” Van says, and then he and Caleb head out into the water.
I bite my lip to hide my smile when Caleb gives me a quick look from over his shoulder before laying on his board and paddling out. Trent laughs when we all notice Caleb’s rookie form.
“Dude, who’s the nipplecake?”
Ady laughs, but I roll my eyes. “You were a beginner at one point too.”
“Yeah, when I was, like, eight.”
“You working on your tan?” Micah shouts at Trent from the water.
Trent grabs his board. “You coming out?”
“In a bit,” I tell him. I watch as he jogs off and mutter, “His ego is annoying.”
Ady drops her sunglasses over her eyes and smirks. “I don’t think that was his ego talking.”
“You’re delusional,” I tell her, reading between the lines of her statement.
We go back to watching the guys. It’s apparent that Caleb is a total newb, but he’s hot, so that makes up for all his embarrassing flubs. After a while, I grab my board and join the guys while Ady lies out and bakes under the sun.
I keep my distance from Caleb as Van teaches him the basics. It only takes him about an hour to tire out and swim back in.
“Poor guy can’t hang,” Trent says, and I shake my head.
“Hey, isn’t that your bunny over there?” I tease, pointing to the chick he was hitting on earlier who’s now posing on her knees like some wannabe model while her friend takes pictures.
He and Micah laugh and high-five each other.
“Don’t be a hater, Kate,” he says.
I maneuver on to my belly, and before I start paddling in, I say, “She probably reeks of Bath and Body Works. Girls use that shit to cover the smell of desperation.”
As I dig my hands into the water, I hear Micah busting up.
“I can tell you haven’t gotten laid in a while,” Trent calls out. “You’re becoming crotchetier by the day.”
I flip him the middle finger.
When I drop my board next to my bag, Ady doesn’t even flinch.
“Hey?”
“I’m trying to sleep,” she garbles.
I glance over to Caleb, who is sitting off by himself, and he gives me an inviting nod to come over to him.
“Was this your first day on a board?” I ask when I’m close enough for him to hear me without my having to shout.
“Did I look that bad?”
I smile and sit next to him. “Not too bad.”
“Even for a Midwestern guy?”
“Everyone has to start somewhere.”
“And, it’s actually my second day on the board.”
I nod before asking, “So, where in the Midwest are you from?”
“Chicago,” he says.
“You go to UM?”
He nods. “Junior. You?”
“Freshman.”
“You from around here?”
“West Palm Beach.”
His lips break into a smile. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“Why you look so good out there,” he responds, tilting his head toward the water.
My cheeks flush, and I smile as I take in his well-defined jaw, which is covered in stubble and has me wondering what his style is when he isn’t at the beach.
“How long have you been surfing?” he asks.
“My whole life.”
“Well, it’s a lot cooler than golfing.”
“Golf?” I question. “That sounds like such a boring sport, if you can even call it that.”
“Ouch!” he jokes, causing me to laugh.
“Don’t you have to break a sweat for it to be considered a sport?”
“I do break a sweat playing golf.”
“That’s because you’re just standing around in the sun. I mean, like an actual sweat from exertion,” I tease, still laughing.
“You’re a hard girl to impress.”
I hang onto my smile for longer than I should before I force it away and sink my toes into the warm sand. “You’re trying to impress me?”
“Apparently, I’m failing.”
A hint of an awkward laugh slips out of me as I pretend to fuss over the sand that’s sticking to my legs. “I wouldn’t necessarily say you’re failing,” I timidly admit.
“So, would it be too forward to ask for your number? That is, if you aren’t seeing anyone.”
“No.”
“No?” he questions, and I realize the misunderstanding.
“I mean, no, I’m not seeing anyone.”
His smile grows, and, bashfully, mine does too.
KATE
It’s been two days since Caleb and I exchanged numbers and he has yet to call or text. I could just as easily reach out to him, but nerves keep me from doing so.
While I shovel a spoonful of cereal into my mouth, I consider sucking it up and shooting him a message. As I chew, a text lights up my phone, and excitement plasters a smile on my face, but I lose it when I see the text isn’t from Caleb.
Trent: Impromptu party at the condo tonight. Your ass better be there.
Me: What’s the occasion?
Trent: Do we need one?
I’m distracted by my phone when I hear the lock on the door click, and when Piper walks in, I give her a suspicious grin.
“Where have you been all night?”
She tosses her purse next to me on the bar and grabs the box of Fruit Loops before shoving her hand into it and pulling out a fistful. “I spent the night at the sorority house.”
She’s constantly at the sorority house and sleeps there several nights a week. I miss having her around, but I haven’t said anything because I know she’s having fun with her new friends, and the last thing I want to be is a drag. It’s just that I wish we could hang out more like we used to.
“There’s a party tonight that I’m going to. You should totally come with.” I really want her to say she will, but she hesitates just long enough for me to know she won’t.
“I wish I could, but I already have plans with the girls.”
It’s the same excuse as always.
“I have to hop in the shower,” she says before she scoops out another handful of cereal. “My last midterm is in a couple of hours.”
When the door to her bedroom closes. I pick up my cell.
Me: I’ll be there.
I also have my last midterm in a few hours, so after I gulp down the sugary milk from my bowl, I lock myself away in my room and, while I’m reviewing my notes, I hear Piper as she leaves.
I spend the next hour studying alone in my room, but grow tired after a while and give up. When Trent texts me again, I feel like he’s reading my mind.
Trent: Just finished my last exam. You free for lunch?
Still full from breakfast, I go ahead and jump on his invite because I’m getting restless.
Me: Yeah. Where at?
Trent: Joe’s Old School?
Me: Perfect.
When I arrive at the pizza joint, Trent is already sitting at a table. He gives me a smile as I walk over.
“I already ordered,” he says. “I hope you like mushrooms.”
“Gross. No. Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Dude, I have been, but I’m starving.”
Knowing that I didn’t waste any time leaving my condo, I eye him and ask, “When did you get here?”
“About five minutes ago.”
“Are you serious?” I huff. “Five minutes?”
He smirks, and I know he did that just to get a reaction out of me.
“Whatever. I’ll just pick them off.” The waiter stops by and drops off the soda Trent also took the liberty of ordering for me. It’s diet. I
hate diet. But I don’t give him the satisfaction of calling him out as I take a sip and pretend that it doesn’t taste like straight armpit. “So, what’s up with the party tonight?”
“Just a last-minute get together.”
“Get together?”
“I’ve yet to christen the condo with a proper party. It’s long overdue.”
“Whatever you say. So, how did your exam go today?”
Our waiter returns with a huge pizza, piled high with veggies that she sets in the center of the table.
Trent is quick to grab a slice and take a bite. “Shit’s good,” he says with a mouthful of food, and I laugh at his lack of manners.
“The exam?” I question again as I start digging my fingers into the gooey cheese and plucking the mushrooms off my own slice.
“All I have to say is that I’m ready to be done with this macroeconomics crap.”
“What about micro? Will you have to take that too?”
“I fucking hope not.” He reaches for my pile of mushrooms, grabs a few, and drops them in his mouth. “What about you?”
“Yeah, I have to take it. It’s required for my major.”
“I still have no clue what I’m doing.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll figure it out.”
He’s unconvinced as he shrugs.
“Are you in a rush?” I ask before picking up my now mutilated slice and taking a bite.
“Feels like I should be. Everyone around me is already declared.”
“Well, what are you good at? What classes do you enjoy?”
“Nope.”
“Nope?”
He takes a gulp of his soda, shaking his head at me as he does. He’s flustered, and I find it endearing to finally see a crack of insecurity from him when he’s always so cocky.
“Just say it.”
He crunches down on a piece of ice. “You’ll make fun of me.”
“Probably, but I still want to know.”
“It’s nerdy.”
“Doubtful. I don’t think there’s a single person that could peg you as a nerd,” I tell him. “Come on, I won’t tell anyone . . . promise.”
He hesitates while he rolls his straw wrapper between his fingers, his eyes staying focused on the tiny ball when he reveals, “I kind of geek out when it comes to math.”
“You’re right,” I tell him teasingly. “That’s incredibly nerdy.”
He flicks the paper wad at me.
“I’m kidding. I mean, if it comes easily to you and you like it, there’s a lot you can do with that.”
Again, another unconvincing shrug.
“Have you even seriously looked into the different majors?”
“Not really.”
“Maybe you should do that this summer, you know, between your busy bunny chasing schedule.”
“It’s a time-consuming job, man, but I’ll try and squeeze it in,” he jokes. “What about you? You got anything good going down this summer?”
“Not really.”
“You going home?”
“No, I’ll be staying in Miami.”
“Me too,” he says.
“You aren’t going back to Tampa?”
“No, I will, but for the most part I’ll be here, so I guess you’re stuck with me.”
I smile. “I guess so.”
When my time runs out and I have to get up to campus for my midterm, I tell him I’ll see him later and head out. As I make my way up to the university, I call Ady to let her know I’ll be at the condo tonight, but it goes straight to voice mail, which doesn’t really surprise me. There are times she goes off the grid anywhere from a day to several; it’s something I’ve kind of gotten used to.
My exam goes well, and around ten, I make the short drive over to Trent’s. When the elevator doors slide open on his floor, the hall echoes with the thumping music coming from the other side of his door.
The place is already packed, and everyone is drinking. I quickly spot Brody from across the room, but before I can make my way over to him, Trent jumps in front of me.
“You made it.”
“Who are all these people?” I shout over the music.
He leans in close to my ear, saying, “Fuck if I know.” I laugh, and he hands me his cup full of beer. “Here, you’re behind.”
I raise the drink in appreciation before chugging a few gulps. No need to take it slow and warm up when the party is in full-effect and Trent is clearly already drunk.
He slings his arm around my shoulders and leads me through the crowd where I run into Kylie.
She squeals and gives me a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming,” she says, tapping her cup against mine.
While she takes a long drink, I ask Trent. “Is Ady here?”
“Nah, I haven’t seen her or Micah all night,” he tells me. “Give me a sec, okay. I need to grab another drink.”
Trent starts shoving his way through the crowd of people, and I turn my attention back to Kylie.
“I was meaning to call you today,” she says.
“What for?”
“Jenna and I are going to check out this new hot yoga studio that just opened. There’s an evening class next Tuesday we’re going to go to. You should totally come with.”
Clearly, Jenna hasn’t mentioned anything to Kylie. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Kylie gives me a perplexed look. “Why?”
“She’s pissed at me.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing,” I tell her. “You remember that guy she hooked up with, the one you showed me the picture of?”
“Yeah.”
I quickly scan the room and find Trent off with a crowd of people and point. “That’s him; the guy I was just with. This is his place.”
“So?”
“So, we’re friends, and I think she assumes it’s something more,” I explain. “The three of us have a class together, and Trent and I sit next to each other. I tried telling her that nothing was going on with us, but she doesn’t talk to me anymore.”
“Wow, I had no idea. She’s never said anything.”
“Kate,” Brody calls out as he walks over to me, cutting off my conversation with Kylie. “Refill?” He has a drink in each of his hands, and when I hold mine up, he dumps the beer from one of the cups into my empty one.
“When did you get here?”
“A while ago,” I tell him before downing the alcohol.
When I hold my cup back up for more, he laughs. “Here, just take it,” he says as he slips the half-full cup down into my, once again, empty one.
He then grabs my hand, and I tell Kylie, “I’ll talk to you later,” before he gives me a spin and we start dancing. Talk is short and benign as we bounce around to the beat. One song bleeds into another, which takes over another. Someone passes Brody another beer, which I happily pluck out of his hand.
“Greedy,” he jokes as I take a sip and then give it back to him.
Tossing my hands into the air, I do a little turn and then spot Ady walking in.
Excitedly, I call her name, and when she sees me, she heads my direction. “Where have you been?”
I don’t even let her answer when I grab her hand and pull her through the people to get her a drink.
“Look who decided to show up,” Trent hollers, holding out a cup for her.
“I’m good,” she declines.
“You in recovery now?” he teases and then turns to me. “I should tell you about the night I got this girl drunk for the first time. It was hysterical.”
I laugh, take the cup from Trent, and shove it into her hand. “Come on. You totally need to have some fun.”
Her reaction isn’t what I expect as she stares into the cup and locks up. “I’ll be right back,” she mumbles before she makes an abrupt beeline to the back of the condo.
“Ady,” I call out, but she’s pushed herself too deep into the horde of people.
Not a second later, Micah goes chasing
after her.
“What’s going on?” I ask Trent.
“Who knows? The two of them have some weird thing going on,” he says and then grabs my hand. “Come with me.”
Trailing behind him, I let him lead me to his room, closing the door behind us.
“I got something I want you to try.”
He pulls open the drawer to his nightstand and starts cracking up when he stumbles over his own feet, which causes me to laugh too.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Enough to where I can barely feel my fucking legs.” He laughs as he walks back over to me with a joint. “I picked this up from the dispensary earlier today.”
I snicker when he holds it out for me. “What is this hippy shit?”
“Who’re you calling a hippy?”
“You,” I tease. “Who the hell smokes joints?”
“Oh, you think you’re funny? I didn’t know you Palm Beach girls were so posh about your dope.”
I snatch it out of his fingers and correct, “West Palm Beach.”
“Same thing.”
“Completely different.”
“Whatever,” he mumbles as he flicks the top of the lighter and brings the flame to life.
I slip the joint into the fire before tucking it between my lips and inhaling. I don’t even get a decent pull before the burning flower incinerates my throat and I begin hacking.
“Dude!”
Trent busts out in a fit of laughter as I choke, and when my coughing subsides, I smack his arm. “Like I told you before, I only vape or do edibles. I don’t smoke.”
“Try again, but pull a little weaker than how you would with a pen.”
He watches with a lopsided grin as I take a hit. While I’m holding it in, he steps closer and takes the joint from me. From one unidentifiable second to another, my brain turns to mush, and I shuffle my feet until I’m backed against the wall.
“Good shit, right?”
I nod and exhale, already stoned as I watch Trent take a hit. Everything outside the two of us swims out of focus in complete disillusion.
“Don’t waste this,” he says when he leans in closer and braces his hands on the wall that’s keeping me propped up.
He then opens his mouth and blows the smoke so close to my mouth that I’m able to get a second hit, but he doesn’t even give me a chance to finish inhaling before his lips touch mine.
