by Gina Finley
I choose a spot on the grass, well off to the side and away from most everyone else. I sit down and pull the small plastic container out of my backpack. I pop off the lid. A sandwich, some nuts, and some grapes. Pretty exciting.
I pop a couple of the grapes into my mouth and watch the ocean out in the distance. The sun is high in the blue sky and there’s a cool breeze coming up the bluffs. There are worse places to eat lunch and if I have to eat lunch alone here every day for the whole school year, the view will definitely help.
“You should be careful,” a voice behind me says.
I turn around and recognize the girl from history class. Short dark hair, pretty. I think one of Dash’s friends was teasing her before I walked into class, but I’m not sure.
“Careful?” I ask.
She drops her bag and sits down on the grass next to me. “With Dash. With all of them.”
“Why? They can’t take what they give out?”
She shakes her head. “No, they just don’t allow it.”
“Allow it?”
“You know how every school sort of has those guys that sort of run things?” she says. “The ones that get away with everything? The ones that plan the parties? The ones that win at everything?”
“Sure.”
“They’re more than that here,” she says. “Way more than that.” She gives me a tight smile. “I’m Lucy, by the way.”
“Cara. What do you mean by more than that?”
“They don’t fuck around,” she explains. “People mess with those guys and they get hurt. Like, beat up and shit. It’s not great. There’s lots of rumors and they sort of thrive on it. But they can do what they want.”
“How does that happen?”
She laughs. “Because they let it happen. Their parents are on the school board and donate huge money to the school. Teachers let them get away with everything. It’s been that way for years.”
“That’s gross,” I say.
She nods. “It is. So it was kind of shocking to see you talk shit to Fox. That doesn’t happen around here. And I’m afraid it might’ve made you a target for them.”
I take a bite of my sandwich and shrug. “Oh well. Nothing I can do now.”
“I just wanted to warn you,” she says. “That’s all. Being on their bad side sucks ass.”
“I take it you know from experience?”
She nods. “Yep. Dated Fox. Big mistake. Because it wasn’t really dating. It was having sex and getting cheated on. That was about the extent of it.”
“That’s gross, too.”
She nods again. “Yep, but girls line up for them. I mean...line up. For all four of them. If they’re not here at school, they’re down at the beach. And, look, I’m not gonna lie. They’re all incredible looking. You saw them.”
I nod.
“Here’s the rundown,” she says. “The guy with the shaved head? That’s Shane. I’ve never heard him say a single word. Not ever. He’s sort of the bouncer of their crew. He’s never lost a fight. Tyler was the one across from Fox. The black hair, the great smile? He’s sort of the wild card. He’s funny, but just...out there. Fox was the one you tore up. He’s super smart, but rarely shows it. Prefers to play the tough guy who doesn’t give a shit. And you met Dash. He’s the leader. They do what he says. And they’re into everything. Drugs. Sex. Fighting. Surfing. You name it, they’ve got a hand in it.” She laughs. “I know it sounds crazy because I’m saying it and it sounds crazy, but it’s true. They all have money, they all have great looks, and they learned early on what those things could do for them.”
“Awesome,” I say, shaking my head.
“And they just use their looks and their sheer will to do whatever the fuck they want,” she says. “They rule the ocean down there, too. You better have their permission if you want to come surf that break otherwise...it ends badly. People trip over themselves to stay on their good sides. Because they’ll make your life miserable if you don’t.”
Great. Several hours in and I’ve already managed to fuck things up.
Smooth, Cara.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy says. “I don’t mean to be laying all of this on you, but watching you make fun of Fox was awesome, so I’m totally here for that. I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks,” I say. “Can I ask you another question?”
She takes a sip from her water bottle and nods.
“What is the deal with Whitney Dixon?”
She makes a face like she’s about to vomit. “The deal is that she is quite possibly the biggest bitch walking the face of the planet.”
I laugh. “At least I pegged her right.”
“Seriously,” she says. “She’s the worst. Just your cliched rich bitch who lives to make everyone else’s life difficult. She and Dash have had an on again, off again thing for awhile.” She pauses. “That was the other reason I wanted to warn you.”
“Why?” I say, not understanding.
“You got Dash’s attention in class,” she says. “That’s not easy to do. And I hate to tell you, but that was his version of flirting. She saw that. She most definitely will not like that.”
I shake my head. “I haven’t even made it to the end of the day and I have enemies. Amazing.”
“For what it’s worth, it was awesome,” she says.
“What was?”
“Watching you get the better of Fox,” she says. “No one ever gets the better of them, so it was fucking awesome to see him taken down a peg, even if it was temporary. But they won’t forget it.”
I look at the rest of my sandwich, but I’m not hungry any longer. “Yay me.”
“That’s why I wanted you to know,” she says. “I didn’t mean to ruin your lunch.”
“Thanks,” I tell her. “Seriously. It’s good to know all of that. I appreciate you telling me.”
“You’re welcome,” she says. “And you should come tonight?”
“Tonight? To what?”
“First night of school,” she says. “It’s an annual thing. Massive bash down at the beach. It’s fun.”
“Not sure I wanna risk that after the mess I’m making of my day,” I tell her.
“Look, there are more people in this school who have been on the wrong side of Dash and his crew than not,” she says. “Don’t let it get you down. You know now, so you can do with it what you want. The party will be fun. Do you have a phone?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Sorry, that sounded lame,” she says. “Can I see your phone?”
I pull it out and hand it to her. She takes it and starts tapping on the screen. “I’m putting my number in here. If you decide to come tonight, text me. I’ll meet you so you don’t have to be there by yourself.”
After feeling hopeless, I’m not overwhelmed by gratitude. “You’re being awfully nice to the new kid who has already made the wrong kind of name for herself.”
She hands me my phone back. “Been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.” She stands up. “Come tonight. It’ll be fun and you can end a bad day on a good note.”
“I’ll think about it,” I tell her.
I watch her walk away.
I’m grateful she came to talk to me. For a bunch of reasons. And I really appreciate the invite to the party tonight. Even if I’m not planning on going, it’s nice that she included me.
But I’m not sure I’m up for a night of being stared at after enduring a day of it.
Welcome to life as the new kid.
Again.
FOUR
Dash
“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Tyler asks.
School is over and I’m driving the Escalade. He and Fox are in the back seat, Shane’s riding shotgun.
“We’ll make an appearance,” I tell him, glancing in the rearview mirror. “We’ll dip out for a bit, do our thing, then come back. Everything goes according to plan, shouldn’t be a problem. So don’t fuck anything up.”
Shane gives a micro nod.
“And that means no drinking beforehand,” I say, eyeing Fox in the mirror. “After we get back, do what you want. But nothing before.”
Fox scowls. “Come on, man. First night of school. We gotta go dry now?”
“For the first half of the night, yeah,” I say. “We don’t make mistakes and the easiest way to make mistakes is to get sloppy. You can find someone to suck your dick without a bottle of Jack. At least, I hope you can. If you can’t, we might need to find a new fourth.”
“Fuck off,” he mutters.
I laugh.
“Shouldn’t take us more than forty minutes max,” Tyler says. “And people will see us before and after at the party. If there’s any bullshit.”
“There won’t be,” I say. “We do our thing, we’ll be good. But, yeah. Good to have that for backup.”
I turn the corner and glance to my right. A girl is walking. Jeans. Light blue sweater. Long black hair.
I smile and zoom past her, then pull to the curb.
“The fuck are you doing?” Fox asks.
“Chill for a minute,” I say, pushing my door open. “Gonna go talk to your new friend.”
He whips around in the seat. “Oh, that fucking bitch.”
I walk around the front of the car and meet her as she’s walking toward me. She glances up at first, confused, then makes a face.
She pulls out an earbud. “What are you doing?”
“Need a ride?”
“No.”
“You’re walking. Looks like you do.”
“I’ll give her a ride,” Fox yells from the backseat of the car, the window now down.
I laugh. “You’re popular, Cara.”
“Get out of my way,” she says, trying to sidestep me.
I slide to block her path. “Just trying to be friendly.”
“No, you’re not,” she says. “You’re being an asshole. Just like you were in class.”
“You love name-calling,” I say. “Kind of rude.”
“Get out of my way.”
I chuckle and shove my hands in my pockets. “I’m here to offer you a little friendly advice, Cara.”
“I don’t need it or want it.”
“Not sure you know what you need or want,” I tell her. “So you’re going to listen to me.”
She looks at me.
She really is kind of hot.
“It would be a bad idea to pick fights with my friends,” I say. “You’ll lose every time.”
“So you insinuated earlier,” she says. “I spent all afternoon afraid and shaking. I don’t even know how I’m walking.”
Such a smart mouth.
Definitely not afraid.
Going to need to change that.
“You understand that I could pick you up right now, carry you to the car, and do whatever I want to you, right?” I say, smiling. “Look around. You see anyone else who might help you? Because I don’t.” I step closer to her. “So maybe that’s what I should do.” I put my hand on her cheek. “Just put you in the back of my car and make you mine. How does that sound?”
The brave facade cracks a little and she can’t help herself from glancing around.
I smile. “Told you. Just us right now.”
“Get out of my way,” she says again, but a little bit of the forcefulness is gone.
“I will,” I tell her. “In just a second. Look at me.”
She hesitates, then meets my eyes with hers.
“You’ll lose every time,” I tell her. “Every single time. And it’ll hurt. Trust me. It’ll hurt. So think before you open your mouth from now on. We clear?”
She licks her lips. “I’m leaving now.” She steps around me and starts walking again.
I turn around.
Great ass, too. Girl has the whole package.
I’m intrigued.
Then she stops and turns around. “Hey, Dash.”
“Love hearing my name come out of those lips,” I say.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” she says. “I think I’m clear on what you told me.”
“Good girl,” I say, nodding.
“But I should be clear about one other thing.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I want to make sure you’re clear on what I mean when I say this,” she says. “Are you listening?”
“Sure.”
“Go. Fuck. Yourself.”
She turns and starts walking again.
I think for a moment about going after her.
But I don’t.
I’ll wait.
For tonight.
That will be better anyway.
I told her it would hurt.
And it always hurts so much more when it’s in front of people.
“Yo,” Tyler says, leaning out of the window. “We should get going.”
I watch Cara keep walking.
“Yep,” I say, heading back for the car. “We should get going. Tonight’s gonna be a blast.”
FIVE
Cara
I’m rattled when I get home.
Having Dash accost me on the street walking home sucked. I didn’t want it to bother me, but it does. I didn’t want him to intimidate me, but he did.
I throw my bag on the floor and collapse on the sofa. I look around the living room. This place still doesn’t feel like home, but it’s the first house we’ve had in awhile. It’s been apartments for the last few years, but my dad was able to arrange for us to rent this place through his job. It’s a small bungalow, with a nice big front room, a big kitchen, and two bedrooms, each with it’s own bathroom. I haven’t had my own bathroom in years. There’s a small backyard and a garage. So compared to where we’ve been living, it feels huge. It’s nothing compared to most of the houses in Diamond Cove, though. I think we live on the one older street in the entire town. I’m not sure any other street has homes that are less than five thousand square feet.
But as nice as it is, it still doesn’t feel like home. Probably because nowhere ever really feels like home. Maybe if we’re here for a while, it’ll feel different. But for now?
It’s just a place we live.
I pick up my bag and take it to my room. It’s the biggest bedroom I’ve had maybe ever. I’ve got a double sized bed, a desk, my dresser, and a huge walk-in closet. I don’t even have enough stuff to fill the room.
I collapse on the bed, already dreading going to school tomorrow.
And the next day.
My phone vibrates next to me and I pick it up. I see Lucy’s name on the screen. I hesitate, then slide my finger over the screen. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” she says. “Lucy.”
“Hi.”
“Hi. I know I probably sound like I’m bugging you, but I wanted to know if you were going to come tonight. And I probably should’ve texted because calling is weird, but I guess I’m kinda weird.”
I laugh. “It’s not weird. It’s fine. I just don’t think I’m really up for it.”
“Why not?”
“I mean, you know why,” I explain. “I don’t want any fights or anything. I just want to do my senior, graduate, and go be an outcast somewhere else.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be like that,” she says. “Are you seriously gonna hide all year?”
“Maybe?”
“You can’t do that.”
“Uh, I think I can.”
“You know I mean,” she says. “It’s your senior year. You can’t be a hermit.”
“Again...”
“Okay. Do you want to be a hermit?”
“If it keeps me from being the subject of ridicule, yes.”
She sighs into the phone. “Okay. Let me put it this way. If anyone is going to give you shit, they’re going to do it at school anyway, right? You have to go to class. You can’t avoid that. So if you have to do that, why not also try and have a little fun?”
I don’t have an immediate response for this because it makes too much sense.
“
I mean, if they’re going to make it miserable for you, maybe try to have some fun, too?” she says.
“I don’t like this,” I say.
“Don’t like what?”
“You making sense and me thinking about going now.”
She laughs. “Good. It’s working. Just come for a little bit. If it sucks or you hate it, you can leave. And you might meet some other people who don’t suck as hard as others.”
“It’s just a chill thing? Just people hanging out?”
“Yep,” she says. “Bonfires. There’ll be food. Alcohol, if you’re into that. Other stuff, if you’re not. It’s just a big hangout. Usually, someone does something super stupid and people will be talking about it for the next week, so you really don’t want to miss out on that.”
“Unless it’s me.”
“It won’t be you,” she says. “Just come.”
I sigh. “I’ll check with my dad, but if he’s cool with it, I’ll come.”
“Awesome!”
“Can I meet you somewhere? Or do I just wander around aimlessly until I find you?”
“It’s on the beach directly below the bluffs on campus,” she says. “If you take the steps down from the campus lawn, that’ll get you there. There’s a giant rock off to the right. You can’t miss it. I’ll meet you there. Like around nine?”
“Okay,” I tell her. “If my dad nixes it, I’ll text you.”
“Cool. I’ll see you tonight hopefully.”
We hang up and I drop my phone onto the comforter. I take a deep breath and try to relax. Maybe it will be fun. I can’t imagine my dad will say no, given that he already feels a bit guilty for dropping me into another new place, especially if I tell him it’s an opportunity to meet new people.
If I can hang with Lucy and stay out of everyone else’s way, maybe it’ll be a good night and I won’t dread more days at school.
Maybe.
SIX
Dash
“Where’s Fox?” I ask.
Tyler laughs, his face lit by the fire. “He found a junior. Down the beach a bit. You can use your imagination for the rest.”
“No thanks,” I tell him. I run a hand through my wet hair. “We leave in thirty minutes.”
