by Jae Hood
“Ew!” Lucy gagged and shoved me off the stool.
I laughed just as the bell jangled over the door again. We straightened up and gave our new customers dazzling, innocent smiles. Brodie grinned at one of the slightly overweight teenagers, who blushed at his assessment. We all acted like the normal people we weren’t. I bagged cookies for the girls and Lucy rang up their order. They gave Brodie one last red-faced grin. They giggled to one another and vanished through the door. We all visibly relaxed in our own company.
“That’s what I need,” Brodie announced. “I need a thick girl. Thick girls are freaks in the sack. And you know that girl knows how to cook. I’ll be back.”
Brodie trotted out of the store. His smooth, masculine voice hollered out to the two girls down the sidewalk in the old downtown area where our family cake shop was located.
Business picked up somewhat after that. It was a Friday, after all, and one of the busiest days for cake pickups. I busied myself passing out cakes and bagging confections. Customers continued to pour in while the sun set outside.
Lucy kept grumbling and moaning that her creative spirit was crushed by her inability to decorate for a few more days. It was Nana’s idea to punish her for the birthday cake incident, and I was sure she’d learned her lesson for once.
We were closing shop when Josie trotted in from the back room with an evil grin. She grabbed me and pulled me into the bathroom while Lucy had her back turned.
“There’s a party tonight in Birchwood.” She waved her cell phone in indication.
“So? We’re not allowed in Birchwood.” I gave an exaggerated eye-roll and wondered why she was trying to keep this a secret from Lucy.
“Rue, those rules don’t apply anymore.” Josie crossed her arms. “You of all people should know that.”
I raised an eyebrow at her insinuation. “I know they don’t apply.” I tossed my hair over one shoulder, pissed she’d even brought that day up. “But that happened almost two years ago. And no one has seen a Montgomery in Mayhaw since your daddy caught Davis at our house. I’m willing to bet the rest of the Montgomerys don’t even know what went down that day. It’s as if it never even happened. If we cross that bridge and get caught, we’ll start a war.”
“We’re not gonna get caught,” Josie said. “Listen, we won’t tell anyone. It’s just Mandy and Cassie tonight.”
She beamed a toothy, white grin as she said our aliases.
“We’ll sneak out after Lucy goes to sleep. That way you won’t be stuck babysitting her crazy ass at another party,” Josie added. “Doesn’t that sound like fun, Rue? Let’s be someone else tonight. Please? Pretty please?”
Josie knew I’d cave. I always did when she used those sad, puppy dog eyes. With a heavy sigh, I agreed, and she squealed. She grabbed my hands and jumped up and down like a pogo stick. I joined her, looking like a moron, but suddenly extremely excited.
“There’s only one problem,” I whispered. “Lucy never sleeps.”
Josie gave me an evil grin. “Just leave that to me.”
She opened the door and peeked out. After she designated the coast was clear, we shuffled out of the bathroom and tried to avoid a suspicious-looking Lucy who was cleaning the glass display case.
“What’s up?” Lucy threw the damp cloth over one shoulder and propped a hand on her hip. “Why are y’all hiding out in the bathroom?”
“Oh, we weren’t hiding out,” Josie told her breezily as she slid past her. “Rue just had a wart-looking thing she wanted me to look at, for a second opinion and all.”
My face turned red. Lucy barked in laughter.
“Josie’s the one with the wart,” I whispered once Josie rounded the corner, out of earshot.
After an awkward shrug, I passed my sister and followed Josie into the back room. I removed my pink apron and tossed it in the washing machine, right after I smacked her on the back of her stupid, blonde head. Josie chuckled and threw her apron in as well. Nana disappeared through the back door of the bakery, tossing a halfhearted wave at our mutual goodbyes.
“Hey, Lucy. Rue and I were thinking about having a slumber party, like when we were kids. You, me, Rue, and Olivia. What do you think?” Josie asked, her voice loud enough to carry through the shop. She gave me a lopsided, evil grin. Her red lips stretched over her shiny white teeth.
Lucy let out an excited squeal, and she ran into the room and hopped around on the balls of her feet.
I frowned at her enthusiasm and began to close the shop, deadbolting the back door. We walked to the front and flipped off lights. The light pink walls became coated in darkness.
“Yay. I love slumber parties! Oh, let me text Liv right now,” Lucy sang in an annoyingly peppy voice.
I pulled the glass door behind us, dug out my keys, and locked it in place. Lucy tapped away at her phone, furiously texting. The three of us leaned against my Jeep while Lucy talked to Olivia. Streetlights popped on, casting storefront after storefront in a yellow glow.
Downtown Mayhaw was filled with buildings constructed in the early nineteen hundreds. They all were brick, some different colors than others. Most of them were adjoined, but some, like Monroe’s Sweet Confections, had an alley that ran alongside it, which helped with loading cakes into the shop van when deliveries needed to be made.
“Okay, she’s on her way.” Lucy danced in place, swinging her hips. “We need some party refreshments, and I’m not talking about chips and dip, girls.”
“I’ll take care of that.” Josie grinned. “I’ll meet y’all at your house in about an hour. Okay?” Josie directed the last question to me, and I nodded.
We parted ways with Josie. She pulled herself into her maroon pickup truck. A sticker of a buck was spread across the back glass, making it look more fit for a man than a ninety-eight-pound girl. She fired it up, pulled out of her parking space, and peeled down the road.
Lucy and I jumped into the Jeep and drove home. She bounced the entire time, and I twirled a lock of hair around one finger.
After we arrived home, Lucy ran around like crazy. She pulled out bags of chips and flipped through our movie and CD collection. It was sad how excited she was at the prospect of a slumber party, and I wondered how Josie planned on getting us out of this whole mess.
Olivia showed up a few minutes later. She was the same age as Lucy but resembled me more than my own sister did with her waist-length red hair and deep, sea-green eyes. Liv always held a bored expression on her face, making people think she was completely uninterested in the things they said to her. The truth was she was simply high all the time. And that night was no exception.
“What’s up, party people?” Liv yawned and flopped on the couch.
Lucy fluttered around her, ignoring the way Liv halfway glared at her cousin.
“Get off your fat ass and help me pick out a movie.” Lucy grabbed her arm and yanked her from the couch.
Olivia fell off the couch onto her ass, moaning as her bony bottom hit the floor.
“Help me find my nail polish. Let’s paint our nails,” Lucy squealed.
Lucy continued to pull Olivia’s arm, forcing her up the stairway. Josie arrived while they were gone. The pink Monroe’s Sweet Confections shirt had been replaced with a sparkly silver tank. She wore dark-wash skinny jeans and brown leather ankle boots. Her face was a sexy, smoky mess with her long lashes curled and blood-red lipstick perfectly painted on.
“I come bearing gifts,” she whispered.
Josie pulled a baggie from her tank where it had been tucked neatly in her bra. The rolled-up bag unraveled as she held it up. I stared incredulously at the weed.
“Is that Purp?” I asked, shaking my head in shock at the purple-tinged weed.
She grinned and shrugged. “Why, yes, yes it is. A few hits of this and Lucy will pass smooth out. Olivia too, at least after the initial effects wear off. You want some?”
“Uh, negative. I wanna have a good time, not die. I’ll stick with Reggie,” I said. “That stuff’s not gonna hurt
Lucy or Olivia, is it?”
“Marijuana never killed anyone.” Josie laughed. “Besides, Lucy and Olivia can eat ten pounds of rat poison apiece and it won’t faze them. Sit your simple ass over there, hit the dro, and leave the grown folks’ stuff to me.”
She lowered herself in front of the coffee table, crossing her legs underneath her as she began rolling a fatty. I sat beside her and removed my own blunt from the King Edward box hidden in a drawer under the table. I lit up and took a deep drag, closing my eyes as I held it in.
I’d turned into a recreational pothead from the very first day Lucy encouraged me to smoke, breaking one of many promises I’d made to myself over the years. It helped me relax and forget things, even if just for a little while. I smoked the entire thing before Lucy and Olivia even made it downstairs.
“Wow, thanks for waiting on us.” Lucy huffed sarcastically, depositing her large makeup bag on the coffee table. “I thought we’d give each other makeovers.”
Olivia landed beside her and groaned at Lucy’s enthusiasm. Josie lit her blunt, and they passed it around. Josie took very small drags and did her best to avoid bringing attention to that fact.
“This is the good stuff, man.” Olivia blew smoke rings in the air.
Josie and Lucy murmured in approval. I leaned back on the floor against the couch and relished the wonderful feeling of falling backward even though I was completely stationary. The familiar sensation of my blood buzzing through my veins took over my body, and I smiled at the calmness that surrounded me.
Josie was right; after about an hour of Lucy’s constant ramblings and manis and pedis, Lucy and Olivia passed out on the floor. Drool dripped from Lucy’s upturned lips and pooled under her mouth. I crawled over to where she lay and checked her pulse. Yup. She was still alive. I fell over on the floor next to my snoring sister and laughed while Josie chuckled and shook her head.
“Come on, you dirty slut.” Josie pulled me to a sitting position. “It’s time to party, Mandy.”
She escorted me upstairs, dug through my closet, and tossed various items over her shoulder onto my messy bed. I was uncaring about what I wore, too fixated on my buzz to give a crap even though I usually enjoyed dressing up and looking girly. I never left the house without makeup on, something I inherited from Nana Monroe. Hell, everyone stared at us all the time anyway. As much as I hated the stares, I figured I might as well give them something nice to look at.
I yanked on some skin-tight black pants, a sleeveless black shirt with ruffles down the front, and a pair of knee-high black boots too hot for the weather outside, but too cute not to wear. I pulled a belt on above my waist, just below my boobs. The mirror threw back my reflection and I grinned at the hot girl who stared back.
Josie dug around inside an overflowing, monogrammed bag and removed two wigs. After tucking away my hair, I quickly threw on some makeup. Josie assured me I looked great, and we walked right out the front door. Lucy and Liv were passed out on the living room floor, their saw-like snores cutting through the night air.
As Josie’s truck topped the bridge separating Mayhaw and Birchwood, she grasped my hand. The lights from the barges were glowing softly below. Suddenly I felt free; it was a dangerous, foreign, yet addictive feeling, sort of like the first time I’d smoked weed. It was a feeling I could only get when I’d done something bad, dangerous, but utterly satisfying at the same time.
As we crossed that bridge, something deep within me told me everything was about to change and nothing would ever be the same again.
Chapter 4
The navigation in Josie’s ostentatious truck spoke to us in a feminine, robotic voice, instructing which roads to take to our destination. I stared through the windows, excited for the brief glimpses of Birchwood. After all these years of wondering what it looked like, I was surprised to find it wasn’t so different from Mayhaw.
We sped through the unfamiliar town and hit an access road that ran alongside the river. Josie and I exchanged nervous smiles, following the navigation down several winding side roads. Each house near the river grew bigger and bigger the farther we drove. We pulled down a meandering driveway in the middle of nowhere, which was surrounded by trees and drunk teenagers stumbling around. A massive red brick house with white columns stood on a tall hill, the river serving as a backdrop.
Josie backed up and parked her truck on the side of the road far enough from the house that we wouldn’t be blocked in. Apprehension seeped into my system. I peered through the window at the unfamiliar faces of the kids gathered on the lawn. I fingered the synthetic strands of the blonde wig, wondering if it was enough to hide my true identity. If not, would it get back to the Montgomerys? To my family?
Josie cut the engine and shot me a reassuring smile. “Just pretend like it’s any other party we’ve been to, okay?”
“Okay.”
We walked arm in arm down the long driveway and grinned at the appreciative whistles and smiles of males we passed along the way. Their ogling helped alleviate my worries a bit. By the time I made it inside the mansion, I was in my element as Mandy.
Inside the fancy house was a throng of sweaty teenage bodies. Kids danced provocatively against one another amidst the thick, swirling fog of cigarette and weed smoke. “Outlaw Women” boomed from the speakers, the beat of the music shaking the walls and causing several oil paintings to vibrate and hang unevenly.
Our weed buzz began to waver, so Josie went in search of a new distraction.
“Will you be okay alone for a while?” Josie had already spotted her special someone for the night and was in full abandonment mode. I nodded, and she said, “Good. I’m gonna go get me some head.”
I burst into laughter and shook my head in mirth. Josie strolled over to a keg, leaving me behind. She laughed and giggled as a guy poured her a drink in a red Solo cup. He seemed enthralled, watching her flip her fake hair. She shot me a secret grin before she and the guy disappeared.
Shaking my head in amusement, I hoisted myself up on the bar that overlooked the massive living room. Behind me sat multi-colored gelatin shots: red, green, purple, blue, and orange.
I slammed a couple of the shots, humming at the candy-like taste of sugar and vodka. Once finished, I crumbled the tiny plastic cups and tossed them in the direction of an open garbage can.
The crowd thickened as the night wore on. I swayed on the bar, comfortable in my solitude, scanning the room and unintentionally catching the eye of several guys. A couple brave ones approached and asked for a dance, but I politely turned them down and promised them one later. It was a lie. The alcohol and weed put me in my own zone and I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was content sitting and people-watching.
The mood shifted, and at first I thought it was from the new beat that flowed from the speakers or possibly the change in lighting, making the room almost completely dark. The only lights in the room were from the flashing strobe that had been propped up in one corner of the room.
But the strange shift in mood had nothing to do with the music or the lighting. It had everything to do with the three guys who walked into the living room from outside. Kids stopped dancing as the three of them cut through the room. Some of the boys did that stupid fist bumping thing, while others stared at them in awe.
Those three guys … they were somebody, at least to the people in that room. They each walked with a swagger only someone confident in their own skin could possess. The first two held cocky grins on their faces, weaving through the party and bypassing a horde of girls who practically drooled in their presence.
They made their way to a couch near one wall. The occupants of the couch stared up at them in wide-eyed wonder before hopping up and darting off. One of the guys sat down on the couch with a small, lopsided grin on his face as he spoke to a babbling blonde who stood nearby. The swarm of dancing bodies blocked my view of him from time to time, but I couldn’t drop my gaze from him for very long.
He was too pretty, with a mop of midnight-colo
red hair and the butterscotch brown of a summer tan. His lips were curved in a sexy grin. Ink ran up his right, inner forearm, but he was too far away for me to tell what the scroll read. The fact that he had ink caused me to ponder his age, though it shouldn’t. My body held ink as well and had since I’d turned seventeen.
The guy was sexy as hell wearing a tight black tee with the words “Mama Tried” written in white and a pair of dark jeans and boots. The shirt held the title one of my favorite Merle Haggard songs, but his clothes instantly reminded me of Johnny Cash, not that he looked anything like him. No, this guy was far too beautiful. He reminded me of Cash because of his “man in black” attire.
Feeling like a total stalker, I dropped my attention from the stranger, reached behind me, and grabbed another Jell-O shot. A strange, yet hauntingly familiar prickling sensation crept up the back of my arms like spider legs. Goose bumps quickly shot across my flesh.
Trying to shake the weird feeling, I brought the cup to my mouth, cocking an eyebrow as a random guy popped up in front of me. Practically planting himself between my legs, he gave me a lazy grin and sipped his beer.
He introduced himself with a name I forgot as soon as he spoke it, and I internally groaned as he ogled my breasts. The guy looked like a complete tool in his baby-blue polo shirt, jeans, and with his hair too long, too shaggy, hanging over his forehead like an English Sheepdog.
With the plastic shot cup pressed against my lips, I stared over his shoulder in boredom. My body grew rigid when I met the even gaze of the guy across the room. Cash. The plastic cup froze, still pressed against my lips. The strange prickling sensation coursed through my body in overdrive.
The guy in front of me began to ramble, unaware of the uneven strum of my heart inside my chest, his words never taking residence inside my head. Across the room, Cash licked his lips, causing me to swallow dryly. A slight smile twisted on one corner of his mouth. A slinky redhead walked up to him and briefly blocked my view, extinguishing our connection. She eased down on the couch beside him and pressed her body against his tall, lanky frame.
