Hello, Handsome

by H, Caity

  “Are you?” I asked, my words spoken through gritted teeth. She raised an eyebrow at my tone, like she didn’t realize how much I was against the idea of her dating Desmond. She should’ve known. I was pretty vocal about my dislike for the guy.

  “We’re not dating, Lex,” she said, finally after a silence that was too long. “We’re just friends.”

  “Do you like him as more than friends?” I asked, needing confirmation that her answer would again be no.

  She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. “Lex, why do you care so much?”

  “It’s Desmond.” That should’ve sufficed, but it looked like she wanted a better answer. I couldn’t think of a better answer than the one I’d given. “Date whoever you want, just not Desmond.”

  Honeybee smirked. “What would you do if I dated Desmond? Ground me?”

  “I think I could convince your mom to, yeah,” I replied, my stomach twisting. Why wouldn’t she just say no to the idea? Was it really a possible future for her? Something she wouldn’t hate to see happen?

  “I don’t know about that.” She shrugged. “My mom seems to like Desmond just fine. He practically spent all summer on my couch.” Her mother liked him? How could she like him? What was she thinking?

  “No, just no.” I shook my head. “That would be like dating the male equivalent of Cassy. He’ll cheat, lie, and break your heart.” I bit the inside of my lip. If he broke her heart I’d break his nose. Maybe a few other bones, too.

  She frowned. “Don’t you trust me to make the right decisions?”

  “The last guy you dated ending up dating your best friend,” I said. Maybe it wasn’t a betrayal, but it seemed like it should’ve been. Her best friend was dating her ex, and she was cooing about how cute they were. There was something wrong with that picture.

  She groaned and walked over to where I was, stopping right in front of me. “Lex, I know what I’m doing, okay? If you’ve ever had any faith in my ability to make good decisions than know that I’m going to continue to do so, or at least try to. Desmond is just a friend.”

  I wanted to fight the point, to make sure she really, really, knew that he’d better stay “just a friend”. But I had the feeling that she was getting tired of our current topic of discussion. “Fine,” I said. “But if you start liking a guy from school you can be sure that I will cut class and stalk him to make sure he’s good enough for you.”

  She smirked and patted my cheek like I was a child. “You would cut class for a pigeon.”

  With that she walked away, heading downstairs. She might’ve been heading home, having grown tired of me and the fact that I wouldn’t put any effort into packing. She might’ve been going to talk to my mom, either way I stayed put.

  I stared after her, biting my lip in thought. She was right, of course. I would cut class for any old reason, pigeons included. But she wasn’t just any old reason. She was Honeybee. She was the biggest reason, the most important reason I would ever cut class for.

  Four: Party Knight

  Desmond and his parties. Everything had to be over the top, loud and obnoxious. Just like him. I was a bit surprised that his parents ever let him have parties. Their house must’ve been a mess afterward.

  We had just pulled up, and the outside area looked trashed. Empty red cups, streamers and silly string littered the front yard. My parents would’ve killed me if I was ever the reason for our house looking the way Desmond’s did.

  “I’ve never actually been to a big party before,” Honeybee said from her place in the passenger seat.

  Honeybee and Bethany had no idea what they were getting themselves into. I was glad that Ryan was there. He’d keep Bethany out of danger, and I would do the same with Honeybee. After all, Desmond was probably pretty drunk already. I knew from past parties he liked alcohol.

  It was almost ten o’clock. We could hang out for a little while, and then I’d tell them we were going home. I’d been to enough parties in my four years of high school to know about what time things started to get out of hand. Nearing midnight was the worst time, especially when there were next door neighbors who wanted to go to bed at a somewhat decent hour. Desmond didn’t live in the middle of nowhere. They could’ve already received noise complaints.

  When we’d parked, I turned to the other people in my car. “Ryan, you are in charge of making sure your innocent girlfriend doesn’t partake in something she doesn’t want to.” I saw Bethany cross her arms and scoff. “Trust me. If they’ve been drinking, the partygoers will be more vocal and handsy. You don’t want to get caught in the middle of that.”

  “If it was anyone but Desmond,” Bethany muttered, glaring at her lap. I knew what she was thinking. If anyone besides Desmond had invited them, they wouldn’t have gone.

  “Yes, well, he’s our friend. Besides, I’m sure it will all be fine. Right, Lex?” Honeybee asked. I met her gaze, again struck by how different she looked without her glasses on.

  She almost always wore them, so much that I didn’t even process it anymore. But when she didn’t wear them it felt like a blow to the gut.

  “Yeah,” I answered, still distracted by how her eyes looked when glasses weren’t in front of them. “Um, hopefully.” I shook myself mentally. “Just don’t go anywhere alone, don’t accept anything from guys you don’t know, and stay away from the upstairs.” Far too many things went on upstairs that neither of them would want to see.

  Honeybee grimaced and opened her door. “And suddenly I remember why I never went to big parties.”

  “I always thought it was because you weren’t invited,” I said, laughing at the way she rolled her eyes.

  I dropped my keys into my pocket started walking toward the house. The other three followed behind me. Honeybee was soon at my side, matching her pace to mine.

  “Why no glasses tonight?” I asked, glancing over at her.

  Her hand went up to her eyes, almost like she’d forgotten that she didn’t have them on. “If I’m going to get my groove on, I thought it’d be best not to have glasses. I can’t afford to buy new ones if they got broken. I have college to think about.”

  “Such studios reasons for wearing contacts,” I chuckled, sliding my hands into the pockets of my shorts.

  The weather was perfect. It was warm, but just cool enough that it wasn’t hot. The skies were clear and the moon shone brightly against all the reflective surfaces. Car windows, broken glass, Honeybee’s eyes; they all sparkled in the moonlight. It was a good night for a party, and I almost wished I hadn’t offered to drive. Ryan could’ve driven us over, he was a law abiding citizen and wouldn’t want to drink anyway.

  When we made it to the lawn the generic party music was overpowering. There were people out front, talking and laughing. From the looks of it they were still relatively sober. The drunker crowds might’ve congregated inside.

  “Don’t lose sight of me or Ryan,” I told the girls as we walked in. Honeybee moved closer, sliding her arm through mine.

  We walked inside and instantly the temperature rose, too many bodies in too small a space. We’d never make it through the crowd if we walked side-by-side. I grabbed Honeybee’s hand and pulled us through the throngs of people, searching for Desmond. As the host, he could’ve been anywhere. But I was hoping for the kitchen or backyard, maybe the makeshift dance floor that was likely to be somewhere in the house.

  As we squished through the crowds, I realized that I’d never actually been in Desmond’s house before. I had no idea where anything was. Frowning, I turned to Honeybee who bumped into me. I steadied her with a hand on her waist. “Do you know your way around the house?” I asked, ducking my head lower so I could hear her response.

  “Yeah,” she answered. “Where do you want to go?” I stood taller, confirming that Bethany and Ryan were still behind us. Ryan raised an eyebrow expectantly.

  “Living room or kitchen,” I said, moving back so she could take the lead. I held onto her hand, refusing
to be separated by the crowd. We soon found ourselves in the kitchen. A game of beer pong was taking place, but Desmond was nowhere to be found. At least, not that I could tell. I leaned in close to Honeybee again. “Living room?”

  She nodded and led us there easily enough. The dance floor was packed.

  “I’m gonna look for him. Stay here.” I didn’t need her moving through the dance floor trying to find him. Odds were someone would decide they wanted a dance and she would be too polite to say no. We really needed to work on her ability to say no.

  Confident that they wouldn’t move, I pushed through the dancers. Most of them ignored me when I shoved them, a few shot me glares and muttered kind words about me under their breaths.

  I found Desmond in the middle, surrounded by girls and a few guys. “Des!” I yelled, moving closer to shove him when he didn’t seem to hear me.

  Desmond spun wildly, knocking into a few people. He offered apologetic smiles before turning to me. “Lex!” he cheered, moving forward and crushing me to his chest. I coughed and pushed him away. Being drunk was probably the only reason he’d ever hug me.

  “Honeybee and Bethany are here, they wanted to say hi!” I told him, ignoring the glares that the group around him sent me. They would have him back soon enough and then they could continue dancing.

  “Great!” He called and started forward, dropping a hand on my shoulder to pull me along. I slapped his hand away and walked after him. At least I had been subtle about pushing people out of the way. Desmond just full on shoved the dancers out of his ways, arms wide open when he saw the other three waiting outside the dance floor. “My people!” he stumbled forward, placing a sloppy kiss on Honeybee’s cheek. I had to stop myself from hitting him.

  “Desmond!” Honeybee said, laughing as she hugged him around the waist.

  Ryan shot me a glance over the top of the two huggers, eyebrow raised in question. He lifted his hand to his mouth, tipping it back like he was drinking something. I rolled my eyes and nodded. The fact Desmond had been drinking should’ve been obvious.

  I walked over and stopped beside them. Desmond was animatedly talking about what had gone on before we’d arrived. Apparently someone had passed out on the staircase, their punishment being a Sharpie to the face. This was my generation, and I worried for the future.

  “Did you guys get something to drink?” Desmond asked, his voice somehow carrying over the crowd and above the music. Everyone turned toward him, some raising their cups to show that they had indeed found something to drink.

  “They don’t really drink,” I said. Desmond turned, jaw dropped in shock. “I know.”

  “Come on, guys! It’ll be fun!” he grabbed Honeybee’s hand and pulled her through the crowd. She glanced back, eyes wide. Now would’ve been the perfect time for her to employ the use of the word no.

  “You should probably go after her,” Bethany said, sliding closer to Ryan.

  “I know,” I muttered, glaring as I walked after the two of them.

  I found him in the kitchen, handing a drink to Honeybee who looked so lost. He cheered absentmindedly for the game going on behind him. The group in the kitchen looked like they’d been in their all night.

  Desmond picked up a drink of his own and clinked it against Honeybee’s, throwing it up to his lips and swallowing. When she followed suit and took several long, I couldn’t believe it. This was Honeybee. Olivia Rayne Martin. She was the good kid, and she was drinking something that Desmond had handed her, a red Solo cup, the contents of which could be anything. There were bottles of alcohol all over the counter and there was no telling what had found its way into the cup my dear neighbor currently had pressed against her lips.

  I was a little too happy when she started to cough against the liquid. She looked up at Desmond, only to realize that he was engaged in a very close conversation with one of the girls who happened to be in the room. She frowned, holding the cup close to her chest like it was her only protection.

  As I walked over, I wondered what would’ve happened if she’d gone alone. I shuddered to think about the possibilities. Desmond was clearly unaware of how innocent she was to the party scene.

  “What did I say about going places alone?” I asked as I stopped in front of her. The light returned to her eyes. “And Desmond doesn’t count since he’s drunk.” I took the cup from her hands, raising an eyebrow at her. “Didn’t I tell you not to accept anything?”

  “From guys I didn’t know,” she corrected, wrinkling her nose. “You never said anything about accepting things from Desmond.” She sighed. “Besides, he said it was coke.

  I lifted the drink to my nose, grimacing at the strong scent. “And rum, probably.” I set it down on the counter and took her hand. Desmond was preoccupied with the female in front of him and didn’t notice our exit.

  We made our way back to where we’d left Ryan and Bethany. I tried not to curse when I realized that they weren’t there anymore. I’d been so hopeful that our adventure to Desmond’s was over now that Honeybee had said hello and tasted her first alcohol. But that would be too simple. The other people in our group had to up and disappear. Maybe they’d gone outside.

  “Come on,” I mumbled, pulling Honeybee along behind me. If we didn’t find them soon I’d have her call Bethany. More than likely they’d left the makeshift dance area so they could breathe. They weren’t party people, either.

  Normally, I would’ve acted like Desmond. I would’ve let myself drink a little too much, become a little too friendly with a girl, but with Honeybee under the same roof I wouldn’t dare. Not because I was afraid of what she’d think of me, but because I’d be too worried about what she was doing to really enjoy myself. The parties weren’t for the inexperienced, and Honeybee was the very definition of that word. Freshmen probably knew more than she did.

  “Lex,” Honeybee called from behind me, her hand clasping tighter to mine. I glanced over my shoulder. “I feel dizzy.” She stumbled into me, her arms wrapping around my back as she tried to keep herself up. Her falling made me bump into someone else, their cups contents sloshing all over the floor. They didn’t seem to care, so I turned away.

  “How much did you drink?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. It had looked like she’d only taken one or two drinks at most. Turning, I slid my arm around her waist to keep her standing.

  “Not very much,” she answered, blinking a lot like she was trying to clear her vision. I sighed and rolled my eyes. It had probably been the Dynamite Concoction, our school’s code for a tiny bit of soda and a lot of everything and anything else. A few sips was all it took. And Desmond had handed her an entire cup.

  “Give me your phone,” I said, half pulling, half carrying her over toward the door. I scrolled through her contacts until I found Bethany’s number.

  When she picked up, it didn’t take long for us to find each other. Mostly because I was already outside and heading toward the car with Honeybee. Once we were all back together, and I’d explained what had happened and why it wasn’t my fault Honeybee was so sluggish and loopy, I made the executive choice that our party fun was over.

  Since I would be blamed, again, if we brought Honeybee home in her current condition, Bethany had volunteered her house.

  “Are you sure your mom is asleep?” I whispered as the three of us traipsed into Bethany’s house and up to her room. Honeybee was in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder. Each breath tickled my neck. She was awake, but just barely.

  Bethany nodded, opening her door. “But shut up. It won’t look good if she finds me sneaking into my own room.” She moved out of the way and let us inside.

  I’d never seen her room, but it was exactly what I’d expected. Clean, simple colors, and a bookshelf full of romantic comedies, both in book and movie forms.

  I gently laid Honeybee down on the bed and stepped back. Her hand caught mine. “Lex.” Her voice came to me through a curtain of hair. Reaching forward I brushed it off. “Thanks for being my knight in shining arm
or,” she murmured, a soft smile on her lips.

  “Anytime, Bee.” I draped a blanket over her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” She nodded and curled into the blanket, eyelids closing.

  Turning, I rolled my eyes at the public displays of affection currently transpiring between Ryan and Bethany. “Come on, we gotta go,” I whispered. “Her mom would probably hate it even more to see you two smooching in the bedroom.” Ryan shot an arm out to hit me, but I dodged it and made my way downstairs and back outside. Unlocking the car I slid into the driver’s seat and turned it on. I sighed, letting the radio drown out my thoughts.

  It wasn’t long before Ryan came outside as well, shutting the door behind him. He walked over and got into the car, pulling his seatbelt on. Once in place, I put the car and gear and pulled away from the curb.

  “You’ll have to direct me to your house,” I said, killing any notion he might’ve had about crashing at my place.

  He nodded. “It’s not too far. Maybe fifteen minutes, I live in the Grove neighborhood.” I knew where that was. There had been a few parties over the years hosted in that area.

  The silence didn’t last long.

  “So, Lex, you excited about school?” Ryan asked, glancing in my direction. I kept my eyes on the road, nodding in answer to his question. “What are you going to school for, I don’t think Olivia mentioned it.” Why had they been talking about me at all?

  Without the pressures from my father to do what I was supposed to, I probably would’ve ended up at a community college for a few years, given myself some time to figure it all out. As it ended up, I had panicked and went with the career choice I thought fit me most. “Physical therapist, specializing in sports injuries.”

  “That’s cool,” he said, tapping his fingers against the armrest. “Olivia is going for journalism, right?”

  “As far as I know,” I answered, holding back a sigh.