Mistakes

by A. M. Hayward

  As we neared the end of the bridge, I was a bundle of nerves. On the one hand, I was so excited about finally doing something wild, and I knew I wouldn’t get out of hand. On the other, I was scared to death of what to expect. Even though Aimee would be with me, she had a bad habit of leaving when she found something more interesting, like a guy.

  The most exciting part of the week had to be that I would get to spend time with Jack. I hoped that our relationship would continue to grow as we got to know each other more.

  Yes, I was completely ready to take South Padre by storm.

  My giddy confidence was short-lived. I was not prepared at all for what I viewed out my window as we drove down the road to the condo. College students were everywhere. It was all chaos and disorder with most of them wearing bathing suits and carrying red plastic drinking cups. There were even a few girls running around topless. I was a little shocked. Did they have no dignity?

  Thankfully, Aimee was driving because I would have been too distracted. I looked at the speedometer, and it registered that she was only going about five miles an hour. I could have walked faster, but people kept darting out in front of our car.

  Aimee rolled down her window and flirted with a guy on the street. “Hey, good-looking, we’ll be back to pick you up later.”

  At one point, a really cute guy brought us over two cups, which looked to have beer in it.”Looks like you guys might be here a while. Thought you might need these.”

  Aimee thanked him and turned up the radio. She didn’t blink and sipped from the cup. She passed me the other cup, but I was too excited to drink. There was just too much to see.

  People were everywhere. Toilet paper was being thrown through the air like streamers. Empty beer cans, bottles of liquor, and more red cups littered the ground. The crowd had gotten so bad we weren’t even moving anymore. A couple of people actually sat on the hood of our car and drank. Aimee was livid, and honked to get them to move, but the crowd just settled in around us.

  Finally, a large group of boys came to our car and asked where we were trying to go. Aimee rattled off the address, and they laughed.

  “Oh, yeah, we know the place. You sure you want to go there?” one guy said and whispered something to one of his friends.

  “Of course we do,” Aimee retorted. “We didn’t come this whole damn way to sit in our car and watch the rest of you have a good time, but we’re never going to get there at this rate.”

  “I think we might be able to help with that,” he said with obvious amusement in his tone. “You aren’t that far away.”

  I watched in awe as they moved the crowd away from our car by forming a line with their bodies and arms as if they were large walls and parted the sea of people. With their help, we were able to slowly drive toward our final destination.

  By the time we got to our condo, the boys had moved on to save the next damsels in distress.

  Grabbing my bag from the trunk, I joked, “I guess we won’t be using the car much while we’re here.”

  Aimee chuckled and said, “Don’t leave anything. It might not be here when you get back.”

  We gathered up all our gear and walked to the front of the condo. Once again, I noticed all of the beer cans, bottles, and cups littering the front lawn. There were several people already passed-out in the bushes, and there was a definite smell of vomit and urine in the air.

  I stepped over what I could while trying not to fall and whispered, “Good Lord.”

  By the time we made it to the door, I began to wonder if I’d made a mistake. This might just be too much for me. I’d never seen this type of thing before, except in movies. I had once thought that Hollywood merely fabricated a stereotype, but now I realized those teen movies were more like documentaries.

  Suddenly, I heard, “You’re finally here. I was beginning to think you backed out at the last minute.” I looked up to see Jack smiling at us.

  Aimee huffed and handed him her bag. “It’s not like it wasn’t a long-ass drive or anything. Plus, the drunks in the front yard wouldn’t get the hell out of the way.”

  Jack said, “You’re just mad ‘cause they’re having fun and you’re not.”

  Aimee shrugged. “You know, you have a good point there. Where can we put our shit? It’s about time we started ‘wasting away again in Margaritaville.’ ”

  Jack showed us to the room we’d be sharing. It was nice, but apparently he hadn’t been able to keep some of the other house guests out of our personal space because there were three condom wrappers on the floor.

  “Gross!” Aimee shrieked. “What the hell? If I have to lie in a wet spot, it had better be one I helped create. That shit just isn’t flying with me.”

  Jack laughed and leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, causing my stomach to do somersaults. “I’m glad you finally made it. When you get settled, would you like to go with me for a walk on the beach? It’s only about ten yards out the back door.”

  It was already just like my fantasy. I could hardly form a complete sentence, but I managed to nod and mumble, “That would be great.”

  Aimee came to my rescue again. “Yeah, we’ll change into something cute, and then let’s find us a good party to crash. We’ll be right down.”

  Once we were alone, I quickly called my parents and did some more lying. Then we changed as fast as we could. Aimee told me that a sundress and flip-flops would be the best attire for tonight, butI was a bit skeptical. On the way in, I didn’t see one sundress in the crowd, but there was no way I was going out for the first time in my bathing suit, so I didn’t say anything.

  Once she was satisfied we were party worthy, we made our way downstairs where a large crowd of boys chanted, “Drink! Drink! Drink!”

  It took me a minute to see that they were yelling at a boy who was hung upside-down with a long tube in his mouth. The tube had a funnel on the end that someone poured beer into.

  I didn’t know how he kept from spitting it out everywhere, but when he finished the second can, they lifted him back up. He was smiling, but I noticed his eyes had yet to focus on anything. Without preamble, he fell back onto the couch and was out like a light.

  “Fucking lightweight!” Jack yelled and came bounding over to us.

  “So are you two ready for an adventure of a lifetime?” he asked as he pulled me into a hug.

  Aimee pointed to the group of boys that were turning yet another fool over to drink from the funnel. “Yes! Anything to get away from these dumb asses.”

  Being outside with Jack helped calm my nerves. He seemed to know most of the partygoers.

  Aimee already had a cup of beer in her hand, and she asked if I was ready for one. I declined. I really wanted to stay sober tonight, at least long enough to see everything. I had been to a few parties before, but nothing like this. I figured I would keep a cool head, and Aimee could have some fun.

  We walked for a while until we made it to a brightly lit bar. On the front of the building was a sign stating that today was “foam party” night. I didn’t really know what that was, but the line to get in went around the building.

  Aimee squealed, “Oh, God! We have to get in there. Maddy needs to play in the foam. Come on Jack, let’s see if we can work the door.”

  I followed along as the two of them walked to the front of the line. As we cut in, I kept my eyes down so that I wouldn’t have to face any of the people. As it was, I heard many loud grumbles and a few curses thrown at us as Jack stepped up to a large man and whispered something in his ear. The man was wearing dark shades, but he tilted his head down so he could look at us over the top of the rims, heavily checking out Aimee and me. It was making me uncomfortable, and I tried to pull Aimee’s arm as a signal that I was ready to leave. She turned back and motioned for me to wait a minute.

  Then Jack palmed a folded bill and gave the
bouncer a stiff handshake. Like magic, we were in. I must admit, I was impressed. It felt good to be one of the insiders for once. Normally, I would be one of those pissed-off people left standing in line.

  I grinned like an idiot as I leaned into Jack and whispered, “That was cool. Thanks.” He laughed at me and asked if I was ready for a beer yet. I shook my head, and he left to go get one for himself and Aimee.

  Aimee was already dancing to the beat of the song blaring over the speakers, as she yelled, “Isn’t this great! We’re finally here. Come on! Let’s get on the floor and get ready for the next round of foam.”

  She grabbed my hand and led me out on the crowded dance floor. It was so hot. We were a mix of sweaty bodies and booze, but I was having a blast. We’d been dancing for a while when I realized we hadn’t seen Jack for some time. I started to worry that he’d gotten lost, or maybe thought we’d left him.

  “Hey, Aimee, I’m going to find Jack. He might be looking for us,” I yelled in her ear.

  “I wouldn’t worry. Dogs always find their way home,” she retorted.

  I just rolled my eyes and pushed my way off the floor. I tried to make my way back to the area we had left him, but it was almost impossible to move through the crowd.

  How on Earth was this not against fire code?

  Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the restrooms, and I figured that as long as I was here, I might as well go.

  The ladies room was a very interesting experience. Two girls were dry-heaving into the same toilet, while another lay passed-out on the floor. All the girls were trying to fix up their makeup and wearing obscenely short dresses while talking about all the cute guys they’d seen or hooked up with. True to form, I tried to fade into the background. Instead of going to the bathroom, which looked gross, I opted to use one of the open sinks to put some cool water on my face.

  As I stood there, a dark-haired girl was pushing her breasts up in her bikini top in an attempt to make them look larger as she said, “I saw Jack here again. He may have left with Laura last night, but tonight his ass is mine.”

  I felt sick as I splashed water in my face. Maybe it was a different Jack.

  “Honey, Jack Duvalt has no need for the likes of you,” a bleached-blonde spoke up. “He may like to slum it when he’s partying, but he would never stoop so low to fuck trash.”

  I’d heard enough. I needed to find Aimee and get out of here. I could already feel the tears pooling in my eyes. As I rushed out the door, I ran smack into a hard, warm body.

  “I thought I saw you go in here. Where have you been?” Jack asked as he wrapped an arm around me.

  Was it strange that every time I fled a bathroom full of catty women, I literally ran into Jack?

  I wanted to be angry, but his body felt so good. I wanted the protection and warmth he provided me and leaned into him as the other girls exited the bathroom.

  Bleach-blonde saw us and exclaimed, “See, Grace, doesn’t look like you’ll be leaving with him after all.”

  I looked up at Jack with a pained expression, and he kissed my forehead tenderly. “Don’t listen to those bitches. I have the only girl I need right here in my arms.”

  As I melted into him, I knew I shouldn’t have, but I wanted to believe him. In the back of my mind, I thought he would change for me.

  We finally found Aimee on the dance floor just as the foam started. Before long, we were all covered with bubbles. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time, and we were all having a wonderful time. As the last of the foam pumped out of the tubes, Aimee let me know she was dying of thirst, and we all headed to the bar area.

  Jack stopped us and said, “Hey, I know this party that’s going on down the beach. We could get our drinks there.”

  I looked at Aimee hopeful but half-expecting her to say that she would stay here. I wasn’t quite ready to be with Jack alone yet. It felt different being here. I was nervous, and I prayed that she’d come with us.

  She seemed to read my mind. “Sure. Let’s go.” When Jack turned around, I mouthed, “Thank you,” and she nodded.

  Once again, we were surrounded on the beach by partygoers. Although it was still crowded, it was good to be out in the fresh air. I was beginning to feel more at ease, but I still held onto Jack’s hand as if it were a lifeline. We paused for a moment as Aimee and Jack went up to a keg and filled three cups with beer. Aimee brought one back for me, and I started to turn it down again.

  I looked back toward the keg, wondering what Jack was doing. He seemed to be having a very intense conversation with a Hispanic man. Jack stood very close to the man’s chest and looked very angry. The man looked over at Aimee and me for a brief moment, and then pushed Jack out of his space. They continued to argue a while longer. Jack gestured toward us, and the man would shake his head. Finally, Jack returned.

  “What was that all about?” I asked.

  “Oh, nothing. That guy’s just a dick. He thinks y’all are too young to be drinking. I told him to mind his own business and go catch some of the other millions of underage drinkers out here tonight.”

  Jack was tense and upset. I placed my hand on his arm to help calm him down.

  “It’s really okay. I’m not much of a drinker anyway,” I offered.

  Aimee didn’t hesitate. “Like I care what he says. Who is he anyway?” she slurred and tilted the cup back. It was clear she’d had enough already.

  Jack grabbed the second cup from her and handed it to me. “I went through a lot of trouble to get this for you. You don’t want to disappoint me, do you, Maddy?”

  I took the cup and looked at it dubiously. “I’m not sure. I would really just like to enjoy the evening.” I remembered what Aimee had said in the car about not accepting drinks from strangers, but Jack had gotten them. Surely, we could trust him. Aimee was downing hers, so she didn’t have a problem, drinking it.

  Hoping he would understand, I looked at Jack and said, “I think I’ll just wait until tomorrow.” I tried to hand him back the cup, but he put a hand on my wrist.

  “Come on, Maddy. Just one? For me? It will help you to relax. You seem pretty uptight.”

  Oh, God! Does he think I’m too uptight? Am I blowing this already? If I don’t liven up, he’ll find one of those other girls who’d be more than willing to be with him tonight.

  Aimee must have seen my internal freak-out, because she said, “Nah, she’s not uptight. She just likes to hang loose. Don’t you, Maddy?”

  “Yeah, hang loose,” I repeated not too convincingly, but I did take a long swallow of beer. Then just as I pulled the cup down, Jack placed his hand on the bottom of it.

  “No, no, no, you don’t. Drink the whole thing, or I won’t be happy.”

  I was lost as I looked into his beautiful eyes. I wanted to make him happy, and I didn’t want him to think I was uptight, so I drained all the beer in one big gulp.

  “That’s a good girl. Now we’re talking,” he teased.

  I looked at Aimee as she rolled her eyes, and before I knew it, I had another beer in my hand.

  We continued walking and drinking for quite a while. Jack kept saying that the party was just up ahead, but I couldn’t tell one from another. I’d also lost track of how many beers I’d consumed. There seemed to be an endless supply. Everyone was all too happy to share their alcohol, and Jack was very happy about getting me drunk. If it was this easy, I wondered why he fought so hard with that other guy.

  As we neared the beach, I was getting dizzy and could feel my heart rate increasing. It felt like I was having a panic attack, but the rest of me was just too relaxed to care.

  “I think I need to sit down,” I slurred. “I’m not feeling so good.”

  Aimee was beside me. “Yeah, me too. It usually doesn’t hit me this hard, but those beers really got to me. I guess I should have eate
n before we came down here.”

  When I looked at Jack, I noticed that he had a look of determination on his face as he continued to drag me along by my elbow. Despite encouraging me to drink, he seemed stone-cold sober.”Just a little farther. I know this great place where we can sit and look at the ocean.”

  That sounded nice and romantic. My thoughts began to drift to the picture in my mind. I could feel myself moving forward, but I no longer had control over my feet. I must have stumbled a few times, because all at once, I was no longer walking.

  “Am I flying?” I asked to no one in particular.

  As the world went black, I heard a voice say, “Yes you are, baby girl. Yes you are. And I’m going to take good care of you.”

  My head was pounding, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was sick, or from the constant screaming. It was hard to concentrate. I didn’t even want to move. My head felt so heavy, but that screaming made me crazy.

  As I thought more about it, I was getting really annoyed at Dad. I bet he left that damn T.V. on again, and some stupid horror movie was playing as he slept on the sofa. I decided I had to get up and turn it off, or I would lose my mind. I opened my eyes to blackness. For a moment, I began to think I’d gone blind. I felt like I was suffocating. Why couldn’t I see?

  I tried to rub my eyes, but couldn’t move my hands. My body hurt everywhere. What had happened?

  Panic surged. I tried to yell, but something was stuffed down my throat. The only part of my body that still seemed to be working was my hearing. The screams were coming from a woman near me. The noise was making my ears ring! What was going on?

  I started to hyperventilate because I couldn’t get enough air. I was gasping for breath, but the gag in my mouth wouldn’t allow me to pull enough air into my lungs. On top of that, I was also crying hysterically, which caused my nose to clog up.

  A male voice yelled, “!ayudar a su¡” and my body went limp with fear. What is he yelling? Where am I? What is happening? I can’t breathe. I…I…