He choked on a laugh. “I think I can handle you.”
“Really? Because I recall you and Craig Warrens having a damn hard time trying to throw me into Sadie Turner’s pool freshman year. You two tried to pull me off their retaining wall for a solid five minutes—until you finally gave up.”
“I gave up because Sadie wanted to go make out in the basement.”
“A convenient excuse.”
We picked up Tabby and drove the short distance to the school. Once we parked and made our way through the ticket line, we found a place to sit on the bleachers and waited for the game to start. Garrett offered to get us some drinks and quickly disappeared into the horde of people near the concession stand.
Neither one of us mentioned what had happened that night.
I added it to the list of subjects I needed to brief Tabby on that weekend.
“There are so many people here.”
“Football is a way of life in this town, and, really, the better part of the state. People who don’t have kids in school come to watch the game. It’s their idea of a fun night out.”
“But not yours…”
“I feel this is more torture than anything.” And that night, it really was. Keeping up the facade of normalcy was more complicating and exhausting than ever.
“Thanks for humoring me.”
“That I did, and I would do it again, my fair Canadian.” I slapped my hand down on her knee and gave it a shake for effect, earning me a smile.
“You’re so weird. I love it.”
Tabby and I waited a solid ten minutes for Garrett to return. I tried my best to scan the crowd for anyone suspicious staring me down. But really, that could have happened for any number of reasons not related to the incident that night. By the time he got back, I already had to pee.
“But you haven’t even had anything to drink yet!” he exclaimed. Apparently, he’d forgotten about my tiny-bladder syndrome.
“I’ll be right back. Keep your pants on.”
He shot me a look that said Are you sure you should go alone? I gave him one that said I don’t think you can come with me.
I made my way down the metal seats to the sound of Tabby giggling at something Garrett had said. The girl had a laugh that forced you to smile, even in light of all that had happened. It was infectious. Loud and bordering on annoying, but infectious nonetheless.
By the time I reached the far end of the concession stand, where the bathroom facilities were, I was in full-on pee-dance mode. If I’d been five years old, the crotch grab would have been inevitable.
“Excuse me,” I said as I slid past the group of girls clogging up the small room trying to look in the mirrors. My good manners earned me some dirty looks—or maybe that was my day-after-regret reputation—but I didn’t care. I had to go too badly. Once I was locked away in my stall, they started talking again.
“So where did Kaleb go? Didn’t you come in with him?”
“Ugh … he’s talking to Jackson about something. Something too important for me to overhear, apparently.”
“He is like sooo ridiculous, Anna. You can’t let him treat you like that. He can’t keep shutting you out.”
“Oh, my God…” I mumbled under my breath. I needed to pee faster so I could escape the Mensa rejects playing dime-store psychologists. Listening to them made me question if feminism was really and truly dead, replaced by the arguments of girls who worshipped the Kardashians and thought they were the embodiment of girl power.
“We should just go sit somewhere else. Let him and his ‘bruh’ hang out for the night.”
“Yes. That sure will show him,” I said as the flushing toilet drowned out my words.
I opened the stall door to find the mob gone. With a sigh, I washed my hands and fixed my hair, then made my way out, heading back to my seat. I saw the two boys in question, Kaleb and Jackson, having a very close conversation while they stood under the edge of the bleachers. Judging by the way Jackson kept looking around like a paranoid addict, I couldn’t help but want to know what was so important that they had to pull themselves away from their harem.
I made my way to a small storage shed next to the end of the bleachers and pressed against the edge of it out of sight. It was a bit difficult to make out their conversation at first, but it wasn’t long before I heard a name that made my ears perk up.
“Dude. Seriously. I need to get hooked up with your girl’s doctor,” Kaleb said. I could hear him pause as if he were afraid someone was eavesdropping. Jackson choked on a laugh.
“Yeah. Good luck with that. Dr. Carle doesn’t take referrals from just anyone. You can’t get in with him unless he wants you to.”
“So how do I make that happen?” Kaleb asked.
I rounded the corner, then, startling them both. Jackson’s “girl” was Kaley Smelser, the soon-to-be valedictorian of our class. And, apparently, a patient of Dr. Carle’s.
“Yeah. I’d like to know the answer to that, too, because I’m dying to get in to see him,” I said.
Jackson looked me up and down once before his expression curled into a sneer.
“You? That’s never gonna happen, Danners.”
“Why not?” The two boys exchanged a look, then laughed at me. “Did I miss the punch line?”
“You are the punch line, Kylene. Let’s just say that you’re not really the right demographic for Dr. Carle.”
I stared at him, practically boring holes into his skull with my glare.
“Is he not into blondes, either? Dammit! I have the worst luck with men.…”
“Oh, I’m sure he likes blondes, but he likes green a whole lot more.” Jackson elbowed Kaleb in the arm, and the two walked away, looking back at me as they did. I had no doubt that they were talking all kinds of trash, but I couldn’t have cared less about that. I was too fixated on what Jackson had just divulged. Dr. Carle’s part-time work schedule—his referral-based practice—had nothing to do with his near-retirement age or his specialty. It had everything to do with money.
TWENTY-THREE
With an evil grin on my face, I rounded the bleachers, ready to brave the cacophony of fans. As I made my way up, I bumped into my football-loving boss, Luke. Literally.
“Well, don’t you look pleased with yourself,” he said, smiling down at me. “I thought you didn’t like football. What did you call it … ‘Satan’s favorite pastime’?”
“I did indeed,” I replied with a laugh. “But my friends—and the rest of the town—seem to disagree with me, so here I am. Go Badgers. The more pressing question is, why are you here? Don’t you live in Wilton? Shouldn’t you be at their game tonight?”
He gave me an ambivalent shrug.
“Our team is terrible. Yours, however, is headed for the state championship if they keep it up. Seems like an easy decision.”
“Wow, you really take this seriously.”
“And you couldn’t possibly look more underwhelmed.”
“Oh, no. I could. I just don’t know you well enough to show you the depths of my despair at this moment.”
“You’re quick on your feet, Kylene. You ever thought about being a lawyer?”
Yeah. Every time I picked up the transcripts from my father’s case.
“Did Meg put you up to that? She asked me the same thing last night at work.”
“It’s a fair question.”
“I’d be thrown out for contempt of court on my first case. It seems I’m not very good at keeping my mouth shut. Or following the rules. Or waiting my turn…”
“Okay. Point made, counselor. See you at the office next week?”
“Yep. Sure will.”
“Can’t wait.”
“You’ll probably want to take that sentiment back once you know me better.”
“Hey, don’t let this nice-guy front of mine fool you. I’m just buttering you up so you don’t spit in my coffee when I work you like a dog.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He shook h
is head as he laughed at me. I had a feeling Luke could dish it out just as well as he took it. It promised to keep my time at the firm interesting, to say the least.
“See you around, Kylene.”
I gave him a wave, then turned to head over to where Garrett and Tabby sat. She was cheering like a maniac while he just stared over at her, clearly uncertain what to do with her. It was good to know that I wasn’t the only one who could leave Garrett Higgins speechless.
* * *
The game was a complete shutout. The other team didn’t stand a chance against our defensive line. Donovan hit the opponent’s QB so hard at one point that I wasn’t certain the kid was going to get back up. It was a healthy reminder that I didn’t want to get into a fistfight with him.
Not even with a full set of pads on.
“That was really fun!” Tabby said as we exited the stadium area. “They played so well. And AJ … geez, that kid’s got an arm on him!”
“Among other things,” I muttered under my breath.
“Are we going to go to the bonfire, too?”
“Bonfire…” The word felt like poison on my tongue. Judging by Tabby’s reaction to my reply, it must have sounded like it, too.
“Yeah. I heard there’s some big party afterward. I don’t know where, but—”
“McIntosh’s Farm,” Garrett and I replied in unison. We’d both been there before. We knew the bonfire routine.
“Great! So you know where we’re going.”
Garrett looked at me and shrugged.
“I’m game if you are. It’s your call, Ky.”
“Ugggh … now I’m going to be the bad guy if I say no.” Tabby looked so earnest—so certain that it was going to be a blast—that it felt like kicking a puppy if I told her no. I needed some of her guilting ability. “Fine. Let’s go.”
“It’ll be so much fun! I promise.” Tabby’s enthusiasm was admirable, but clearly misdirected. Maybe they didn’t have bonfires in Canada or something, but she was in for a world of disappointment when she realized it was basically a big fire with drunk people hanging out around it.
Or maybe that was how they partied in Canada and she enjoyed it.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Ginger McHappypants. And you’re riding in the back. It’s your penance for encouraging this ridiculous idea.” Without argument, Tabby ran ahead to the truck and hopped into the back seat. “I’m seriously rethinking our friendship right now. I want you to know that,” I yelled at her.
“Oh, stop. You love me.”
“Clearly, because only that or a lobotomy would make me do this.”
Garrett walked beside me slowly while Tabby waited for us in the truck.
“You sure you’re good with this?” he asked, doing little to hide his concern.
“Honestly, the game was a great distraction. I forgot about earlier for a while, and that’s something I can live with.”
He gave me a smile before jogging toward his truck and climbing in.
Just as I got in he fired up the beast, and we rolled out of the parking lot, headed to the south side of town, where McIntosh’s Farm was. It had a lower clearing that was perfect for holding illegal parties. McIntosh hadn’t actually farmed on the property for years, and he was senile at best back in my freshman year. There was no way that he was aware of what was going on at the clearing. The downside to the place was the terrain. If you had a car like mine and the weather had been even remotely inclement for a day or two prior, you weren’t going to be able to get where you needed to go.
Garrett’s truck, however, could get through anything. It was a tank.
It didn’t take long to reach the property. We took the worn-out road for a mile or two before we reached our destination. Judging by the roaring fire, we arrived later than most.
“Behold the ninth wonder of Jasperville!”
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” Tabby exclaimed, leaning forward between the front seats.
“She is a bit too keen on this, isn’t she?” Garrett asked me. I simply nodded in response.
“Are you two drinking tonight?” Her question caught me off guard.
“Are you?” I replied. I looked over my shoulder to find her shrugging at me.
“Why not? I’m eighteen. That’s the legal drinking age where I’m from.”
“You do know it’s twenty-one down below the forty-ninth parallel, right?”
She shot me a scathing look.
“I’m well aware of that. We make fun of you guys for that all the time. You’re old enough to decide the fate of your nation either by defending your country or going to the polls, but you can’t drink. Seems awfully backward to me.”
“The Canuck makes a valid argument,” Garrett said, parking the truck among the sea of 4x4s already peppering the field.
“One that I’m sure your dad will take into consideration if she ever gets caught.”
I shot him a sideward glance, and he stiffened at the subtext.
“You sweat the small stuff too much,” she said, jumping out the side door. “Let’s go!”
“Why do I get the sinking feeling that I’m going to be babysitting tonight?” I muttered to myself.
“I’ve babysat you for years. Turnabout is fair play, Danners.”
I groaned at the truth to Garrett’s statement; I wished he’d babysat me a little more that night our freshman year.
I followed Tabby’s lead and got out of the truck. Garrett joined us, and together we all made our way toward the massive crowd of people gathered around the fire. The football players had yet to arrive, but that was normal. I knew they’d be there soon enough, which meant I’d have the pleasure of being surrounded by The Six all evening. Scooter and Eric would leer at me. Jaime would avoid me like the plague. Mark would look indifferent, and Donovan, if provoked, would likely try to throw me into the fire and burn me like the witch they all thought I was. At least then I wouldn’t have had to deal with AJ.
Maybe third-degree burns would be worth it.
Garrett and I watched as Tabby practically skipped toward the crowd, delighted at the prospect of a fun-filled night. There was a part of me that remembered what it was like to enjoy those things—to get caught up in the carefree vibe of everyone there. But I’d done that once and paid the price for it. I hadn’t had a drink since then. I didn’t think I’d be starting tonight.
“I’m going to go rein her in before she gets carried away,” Garrett said, pausing before he fought his way through the crowd to retrieve the fun-loving redhead. “You sure you’re going to be okay with this?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m not the one about to shotgun a beer,” I replied, pointing at Tabby, who already had a can of some cheap beer in her hand.
“I’ll be right back.” He stormed off, grumbling to himself about the new girl being a pain in the ass like me. It made me laugh. There was a time when he was that pain in the ass, too. He was so the pot calling the kettle black.
I felt a bit naked without Garrett and Tabby at my side, and my anxiety from earlier that night started to amp up again. It was like all eyes were on me when they walked away. Like the vultures had all found their prey. My shield of invisibility seemed to disappear in their absence, leaving me vulnerable.
But not paralyzed.
Instead of cowering away, I took a cleansing breath and lifted my chin a bit higher before I navigated my way through the mob of high schoolers. It took about five seconds before I was wearing someone’s beer, a nasty side effect of lightweights wearing high heels in a grassy field. I wanted to be a bitch about it—my nerves were frayed enough already—but the girl started puking right after, so I was just thankful I didn’t end up with that all over me.
Though it would have been a fabulous reason to leave early.
By the time I made it into the interior of the circle, I was starting to rethink my no-drinking policy. I was going to need a good buzz if I was going to be forced to tolerate these peopl
e and their judgment-filled stares. I spotted Garrett with Tabby on the other side of the fire. They were laughing at the kid next to them, who tried to crush a can against his forehead and failed terribly in his attempt. I could see the red ring on his forehead from where I stood. I couldn’t help but chuckle myself.
I started to walk around the fire to get to them, but I got derailed by a name in conversation: Dr. Carle. Two girls in the senior class were standing close together, whispering to one another. Kaley Smelser—the girlfriend of Jackson and topic of his shady conversation under the bleachers that night—leaned in and handed the other girl a tiny package of something. It could have been nothing, but my suspicion of Dr. Carle and the discretion used in the handoff made me wonder.…
Wanting to eavesdrop, I made my way over to them, doing my best not to be obvious. I could hear them talking as I slowly passed by them.
“They’ll keep you up for days if you take enough. And your mind is so clear.”
“Can I get more?”
“I have an unlimited supply of them. I’m not supposed to share, but I will for you.”
Interesting …
I kept walking, not wanting to linger nearby. Instead, I went and got a beer that I had no intention of drinking, then headed back toward them. By the time I got there, only the future valedictorian was there. She caught me looking at her and shot me a dirty look before disappearing into the swarm of kids around her.
“Is that a beer in your hands?” Tabby asked as she and Garrett approached me.
“Holy crap! How did that get there?”
“That’s a good question,” Garrett said, plucking it from my hand. “I think I’ll hold on to that for safekeeping.”
I gaped at him, feigning shock.
“So Captain Canada gets a beer and I don’t? I call shenanigans.”
“Beer is like the fifth food group up north. Her parents probably put it in her bottle when she was a baby. I’m not too worried about her.”
Tabby nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s true. I’m virtually immune to its effects. Besides, this is American beer. It’s basically water.”
Dare You to Lie Page 17
