But my night is ruined. Some of Alex’s friends show up. We’ve met most of them in passing and most of them are cool. The problem is Ben came too…and he is not cool. He brought Vanessa along, so maybe, just maybe, he won’t act like a freakin’ jerk for once.
Alex catches my eye, and shrugs. “Meg, I’m sorry. I didn’t think he would come.”
“Don’t trip. I’m good.”
We all continue to go about our business. I can’t let Ben consume me anymore. He’s done enough already with his big mouth. I have to let it go.
Josh and Jonathan start a hot dog eating contest. It’s pretty disgusting. They try to be like the professionals, soaking the bread in water first and forcing down the dogs, sometimes two at a time. When they finish, Josh flicks his head up for everyone to see he has a hot dog bun stuck up his nose. He looks real proud. He puts his index finger on the side of one of his nostrils and blows out hard, the bread flies out like a canon ball. Gross.
“That was bad ass, Josh,” Jonathan says as they slap hands. Jon still has pieces of hot dog on his face.
They give up after sucking down five. I don’t think they chewed. The contest gives us something to laugh about for awhile.
“Hey, it’s pretty late already. The time went by too fast,” Keesh informs us.
“Yeah, too fast. It’s time to go already. Darn,” I murmur, sarcastically.
We begin gathering our things to pack up. Damn, we brought a lot of junk. It seems like a never ending task since we brought so much crap with us. When we’re finally ready to go, we have to wait—Amy and Eric have disappeared.
“Where the hell did they go?” Keesh asks.
“Eric went to the bathroom like twenty minutes ago,” I explain, annoyed he’s still not back. I’m so ready to blow this taco stand.
“What about Amy?” Josh asks, sounding annoyed as well. “Alex, call her cell. She’s pretty stupid to go somewhere by herself at night.”
He tries to call her cell but she doesn’t answer.
“It’s about time,” Jonathan says, spotting Eric and Amy before any of the rest of us do.
“Where were you, Ames?” Alex asks. “I tried to call you and you didn’t answer.”
“Oh. Uh. My cell is in my bag. You packed it,” she lies. What the hell is she up to? I can see her cell in her pocket. Is Alex blind? “I went to the bathroom with Eric. You were packing all the stuff and I really had to go.”
“What the heck took you so long,” I complain. “We’ve been waiting here forever.”
Ben interrupts. “There was a…long line,” he says, nodding his head at Eric and Amy. What the hell is that all about? I didn’t realize he was here till he said something. Maybe my Ben Radar is finally going away.
“Whatever,” Keesh yells. “Can we just go? I’m freakin’ tired.”
We all concede and get in the van. Everyone is too tired to talk on the way home. We all pretty much fall asleep until Alex pulls off the freeway. There’s something about getting off the freeway that can wake you up no matter how deeply you’re sleeping. It’s like an alarm clock, signally you to get ready because you’re almost home.
I jump in the shower as soon as I get home. I need to wash away the ocean funk from my body and rid myself of sand…endless amounts of sand. I throw on something cozy to sleep in and jump into bed.
I fall asleep dreaming about Ben and everything that has happened with him throughout this school year: meeting him at the party, him telling me I had options other than Eric, the big reveal he had a girlfriend, him talking crap about me choosing second best, the powder puff game—ugh, that one was bad—when he said that crap about me and Alex, and today, “there was a long line.” But that doesn’t mean anything. At least he didn’t talk crap this time.
Chapter Twenty Eight
“Hey Mom, can I have everyone over tomorrow to swim and order pizza?” I ask her nicely, hugging her for an added touch. I really don’t need to do anything to butter her up. My mom is pretty cool about letting me have friends over.
“Sounds like fun, but my book club meets tomorrow and it’s my turn to host it.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Well, as long as you don’t care if there is a house full of women, it’s okay with me.”
“No. I don’t care,” I say, smiling. “Thanks, Mom. I’m gonna go call everyone.”
I practically skip to my room and take out my cell. I start to call Eric first and shut my phone. Instead, I start texting everyone. This method is so much faster.
Pool Prty n Pza @ my house 2mro @ 2. Whos in?
Within seconds, all but Amy text back to let me know they’ll be here. I know she’ll come, she’s just being Amy.
Most of us haven’t gotten together since we went to the beach. I’ve spent some time with Eric. He came over to watch movies one night and we went out for ice cream on another. Things have been much better with us since he gave up on the sex thing. I’m enjoying being around him again. But not much else has happened. Spring break turned out to be pretty relaxing. I thought we were going to be going non-stop.
The weather is nice out—hot with a little breeze so it’s tolerable. I was actually worried it’d be chilly. When you think of Spring Break, you always think of sunshine, the beach, and crazy parties. But in reality, you never know what you’re gonna get. Dang, I sounded very “Forest Gump.” But I’m happy the weather is nice enough to be outside and swim. Although, the guys are wild enough they’d swim in a freakin’ hail storm anyway.
Everyone arrives right on time. I set up some chips and fruit on a table outside. Since it’s so hot, I figure some strawberries will be refreshing. My mom got us some bottles of water, Gatorade, and sodas. I also throw some extra towels outside just in case anyone forgets their own.
Jonathan and Josh are the first to jump in, with giant cannon balls practically emptying the pool. Eric and Alex follow them. Amy takes her time—I knew she’d show up—taking off her clothes to reveal her new bathing suit. She is totally putting on a show, sliding her shorts off slowly, seductively down her hips inch by inch, over her knees, and bending over, holding it for a sec to take them off completely. She pulls off her shirt in the same way, and tosses her hair about as it comes over her head. It’s like she did it in slow motion. Sad thing is, the guys are goofing around and don’t even notice her charade. This time she wears a one-piece but it shows enough skin to be considered lingerie.
Keesh just watches the striptease with a glare. She yells, “Hey Amy, what happened to your red suit?” She laughs, and turns away, not even waiting for a response from her.
She says it loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone chuckles until Amy flashes us a devilish look. She continues her show by slicking herself up in sun tan oil and lying down on her back to toast.
Keesh just flips off her clothes and sits in a chair next to her. No show. No oils. No flashy bathing suit. Keesha is wearing a regular normal-looking suit today. It’s nice to see at least one of my friends still shows respect for their elders. Come on, does Amy really have to wear this suit in front of my parents?
Eric walks up dripping and gets a towel. He dries himself off a bit before saying, “Hey, Meg, can we get some drinks?”
“Sure.” I jump up out of my chair. “Wanna help me get some?”
He follows me inside to find a table full of women—my mom’s book club friends. Actually, they’re all her college buddies, but they use the book club as a way to stay connected.
“Oh. Hi, ladies.” I smile. “Nice to see you all again.”
“Hi, Megan,” one of them says, looking from me to Eric.
“Oh…everyone, this is my boyfriend, Eric.” I gesture to him. “And Eric, this is Teri, Shazia, Sarah, Stephanie, Ellen, Andrea, Edita, and Sylvie.” He shakes each one of their hands to greet them. He is so polite, it only makes him cuter.
“There’s gonna be a test later,” Sylvie jokes.
“Well, I’m sure I won’t forget you.” He win
ks at her. Is my boyfriend flirting with one of my mom’s friends?
“Come on.” I push him into the kitchen. “See ya later, ladies.”
We get out of earshot before Eric says, “Damn, those ladies are fine. I expected to see a bunch of old women with gray hair or something. Your mom’s got some hot friends.”
“Chill, Eric. Don’t get too excited.” I punch him in the arm. “Were you seriously flirting back there?”
He just laughs and kisses me on the cheek. We grab the drinks and stroll outside. The rest of the guys have gotten out of the pool. Josh jogs over to Keesh and Amy before shaking out his hair and body, like a shaggy dog, trying to get them wet. Keesh thinks it’s funny but Amy shoots him one of her evil glares.
“You guys gotta go in there and check out Meg’s mom’s friends.” Oh my gosh…he’s still on this kick. “There has to be like ten MILFs in there right now.”
I stop him. “Calm down, Stiffler, before I punch you again.”
The boys laugh and Amy asks, “Who’s Stiffler and what’s a MILF?”
“Oh my God, Amy, you’re whack,” Josh laughs at her.
Alex asks, surprised, “Haven’t you ever seen any of the American Pie movies?”
She shakes her head. Where in the hell has she been?
Keesh giggles. “Stiffler’s like this sex crazed idiot who never gets any and a MILF is a…,” she holds up her fingers to make quotes, “mother I’d like to…you know…use your imagination,” she explains.
The boys laugh hysterically, slapping hands, thrusting their hips, making humping gestures. Even Alex joins in this demonstration which makes it even funnier.
“You guys are sick.” I punch Eric again, this time in the gut, and push Josh on my way to the pool. I would have socked them all if they were in reach. I take off my shirt, leave my shorts on, and sit at the edge of the pool with my feet in the water. Keesh and Amy stay put in their chairs, while the guys keep getting in and out of the water, taking turns going inside to get a look at the MILFs. Jerks.
I get sick of sitting there by myself. There are only so many crazy dives the guys can do before they all look the same. Boring. I get up and walk over to convince Keesh to keep me company.
“You know I just think it’s a little too much of a coincidence, Amy,” I hear Keesh say as I get closer.
“What’s a coincidence?” I ask.
“Uhh. Nothing.” Keesh looks startled. She gets up and walks toward the pool. “I was just gonna go sit with you.”
“Oh. Okay.” I follow her back to the water. Uh-oh. What did Amy do to piss her off now?
“Heeeyyyy! I’m heeeere so let the partaaaay begin!” I know that voice anywhere. I turn my head quickly to see Dominic stripping off his shirt, throwing it to the ground, and running to a flying leap into the pool. Well…I don’t need to jump in the pool now. Dominic soaks both Keesh and I with his ginormous cannon ball. He was so quick, there wasn’t anything we could do to get away.
We all start busting up laughing. It’s hilarious. We must look like wet cats. It’s a good thing Amy wasn’t sitting with us ‘cause she would’ve gone apeshit on his ass for getting her wet.
“What are you guys doing here?” I squeal. “I thought you weren’t getting back till tomorrow.”
“Our parents decided to leave early to beat the traffic…I called you but you didn’t answer your cell so I called your house. Your mom told me you were all here, so we thought we’d surprise you…Surprise!” she yells.
“Cool.” Steph kicks off her flip flops and sits next to me. “So how did it go? Did you impress Dominic with your riding skills?”
“She means with your bike, Steph.” Keesh giggles, jokingly.
“Good one, Keesh,” Steph chuckles. “We had a good time. It was kind of weird being around our families, especially my dad. What dad wants to see some guy hugging on his daughter? But he was pretty cool. We rode all day, had campfires, and we went for walks at night. It was sooooo fun.”
“So what did you do on those walks? Huuuhh Steeephhhh?” Keesh pushes.
“We held hands, cuddled in the sand, and watched the stars,” she says, all girly.
I can totally picture it. “Awww, how romantic.”
“That’s a bunch of crap,” Keesh tells her. “Dish all the dirty details. Come on, Stephie.”
“Dang, Keesha. You’re as bad as my boys over here,” Dominic jokes, as he swims over.
“Yeah, and like you didn’t spill your guts just now.” She rolls her eyes at him.
“Nope. Not a word,” he stands up, shakes out his hair, gives Steph a quick peck, then settles with his back to her. She repositions herself to let him rest his back against her, with her arms over his shoulders and on his chest. He smiles and turns his head back to kiss her on the cheek. They’re so cute together.
I look for Eric, wanting to cuddle, of course, after seeing Dominic and Steph, but he is sitting down next to Amy on the deck. Seriously…are they like BFFs now or what? I stare at them for awhile, trying not to lose track of the conversation with everyone else. I notice Alex is watching me stare at Amy and Eric.
He swims over to me. “So what’s up, Meg?” Alex asks, wiping the water from his face.
I lean toward him so only he can hear me. “Since when did your girlfriend and my boyfriend become best friends?”
We both watch Amy and Eric sunbathing next to one another. They aren’t talking or anything, they’re just there, together.
“It’s no big deal.” He shrugs, his eyes never leaving them. “We actually hang out and talk more than they do.”
Yeah, but it’s different, kinda. The more I think about Alex and I, the more I think I might have something to worry about with Amy and Eric. There is definitely a piece of my heart still feeling something for Alex. I won’t act on it or even admit it out loud but the feeling is definitely still there. Eric is much too nice for Amy, though. Well, so is Alex.
Ugh. Who cares? I’m probably making something out of nothing.
There is a big unexpected splash. Amy and Eric just jumped in the water. Everyone else joins them but I’m fine sitting with my feet in the water.
“Hey, let’s do a chicken fight,” Keesh yells.
“Yeah. I bet Meg and I could whoop all your asses,” Eric looks over at me, nodding his head.
“Nah. I’m good.” I’d probably snap his neck trying to get my big ass on his shoulders. “I’ve gotta go to the restroom. You guys play without me.”
I pull my feet out of the water and stand. I don’t have to go to the restroom but I need to act the part. I go inside and watch them from the window. Keesh and Jonathan have Alex and Amy beat every time. Amy has a fierce attitude, but physically, she’s weak. She probably doesn’t want to screw up her manicure. When they finally settle down, I casually walk back outside.
“Wanna play now?” Eric asks as soon as he sees me.
“No thanks. I’m gonna work on my tan over here.” I quickly make up an excuse.
I look around for Amy’s suntan oil and see it peeking out of her bag. I go over to pull it out and see a brown paper bag. Is that the brown paper bag, her lunch? OMG. I look around and no one is watching so I open the bag.
OMG. She’s had lunch. Like really haaad lunch.
Oh crap. She’s having sex with Alex. No wonder he doesn’t care about Eric, he has Amy. He is having Amy a lot by the looks of it. There are less than half the condoms we started with. We both got the same amount and I know exactly how many I have and there is definitely some missing from Amy’s bag.
I close Amy’s lunch, her bag, and plop myself down in my chair. Thankfully, she doesn’t notice me in her stuff. I spray the oil all over my body. I’m practically dripping by the time I realize what I’m doing. I stop spraying and try to rub in as much as possible. Screw it. I grab a towel and start wiping the shit off. I stop suddenly and just observe my friends in the pool. I study Amy and Alex.
Seriously. My best friend had sex with Alex.
/> I spring to my feet and make a mad dash for the flower bed.
There, I toss my cookies. I throw up my breakfast, my Gatorade, my chips, and I yak up…my heart.
Chapter Twenty Nine
I miss all the parties the last weekend of Spring Break. After puking my guts out at my own pool party, I can’t show my face. Actually, I don’t know if it’s the fact I vomited chewed up strawberries and chips in front of my friends or that I don’t want to be around Amy and Alex. I don’t want to be around Eric either. I feel so guilty the whole sex thing bothers me so much. I can’t believe I have a sweetheart for a boyfriend and I’m trippin’ over some other guy. And not just any guy…my best friend’s boyfriend.
Getting back to school is exactly what I need to take my mind off things. All the teachers are going nuts trying to cram in review before state testing. As if it matters, there are few students who pay attention to these stupid tests anyway.
Most of the time, we don’t even find out how we score or what the scores really mean. My dad thinks it’s a conspiracy. He believes politicians are making money off the testing companies, so as long as this high-stakes testing crap is around, the politicians will just get richer. It doesn’t help he’s a math guy either. He’s always going on about how not all kids can pass if they’re scored on a bell curve. I get that part. Come on now, I’m in Algebra two. Any lame-o can figure out half of the students have to score below average and half have to score above on a bell curve. I’m only in ninth grade for crying out loud, why can’t the people who make up these dumb laws figure this out?
The only test I care about is the high school exit exam, but I don’t have to take it till next year. Testing has even taken over ASB. They have us sharpening pencils like crazy. I guess our school leaders are not aware of the fundamental rule of test taking: use a dull pencil. It takes less time to fill in the bubble that way.
So I'm A Double Threat Page 17
