by Alex Duval
He took a shaky breath, trying to get a hold of his whirling thoughts. “You go. I’m going to be too busy getting seriously drunk.”
Adam hesitated.
“It’s okay. I’ll catch up with you later,” Jason told him.
Adam nodded and disappeared down the stairs. “Vodka and tonic,” Jason told the bartender. With the amount of consumption he intended, he didn’t think it would be smart to start mixing his drinks. He’d been such an ass. Brad was clearly right about Sienna. And why wouldn’t he be right? He was her boyfriend. He should know her.
The bartender handed him the drink, and Jason drained it in one long swallow. “One more,” he said.
The bartender raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. He was probably well paid to keep quiet about what kids were drinking at parties like this. Jason took the second drink downstairs. He figured he might as well find out if the stuff was truly better down there.
But he didn’t have the chance. Erin Henry met him at the bottom of the stairs. “New boy. You are going to dance with me,” she said, sounding emphatic and slightly drunk. Those were the first words she’d ever said to him. Or wait, maybe she’d once asked to borrow a pen in history.
“Fine,” he told her. He slapped his glass down—after sucking it dry—and let Erin take his hand and tug him over to the little dance floor.
Erin wrapped her arms around him, pushing her body right up against his, but somehow Jason still couldn’t keep his mind off Sienna.
“You like the party?” Erin murmured, smiling up at him.
“I guess,” Jason replied. But it was a lie. For him, the magical atmosphere of the yacht had become toxic. What was the deal with Sienna and Brad? How could they both cheat on each other so casually?
“You’re supposed to actually move your body when you dance,” Erin teased.
Jason jumped, and realized he’d just been standing still, gazing off into space. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to space.”
“A little tipsy, new boy?” Erin asked, her green eyes sparkling. She did a little shimmy down his body and back up again.
“A little,” he agreed. And what’s wrong with that? he asked himself. After all, it was a party, he didn’t have to drive, he could just crash somewhere, and everybody else was drunk too. Why shouldn’t he have fun? Sienna and Brad and their relationship was just none of his business.
The music changed to a slower song, and Erin twined her arms around his neck. Jason slid his hands down her back. The sheer summer dress she wore felt silky under his fingers. Feeling bold—and drunk—he moved on down to her butt and squeezed.
He almost expected her to slap him, but she didn’t. Instead, she just lifted her eyebrows with a smile and grabbed his butt right back.
Jason was so surprised that he just laughed.
Erin laughed too, then moved in and began kissing his neck. Jason closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Her lips against his skin sent little tingles up and down his spine. Now she was nibbling on his earlobe like it was chocolate. Did she have a thing for him? Maybe she had some wild crush on him like he had on Sienna. True, she hardly knew him. But then, Jason hardly knew Sienna either.
I’m not thinking about that right now, he told himself. He kissed Erin’s eyelid, her nose, her cheek, until she gave up her lips, her tongue. He gave a half groan as her mouth moved off his mouth and down onto his throat, warm and wet. Jason felt his body go liquid. He couldn’t tell where he stopped and Erin started. He felt he could stay in the moment forever and never want anything more.
The song changed again, got faster, but they didn’t break apart. They swayed together, ignoring the new tempo for a minute or so. But then Erin’s hips began to move faster, and she stepped away a little, her body going with the music. Soon she was dancing again, their entwined hands her only contact with Jason. He felt a little cold without her body pressed against him, but then the beat of the music seemed to seep into him and he found himself dancing. He barely even noticed when Erin let go of his hand. He closed his eyes and let his body move with the pulsing rhythm.
“I’m going to get another drink. You want?” Erin shouted over the loud music.
Jason opened his eyes and saw her already moving away. “No thanks,” he called back.
She gave him a little wave and boogied off the dance floor. Jason wandered over to the sofa and dropped down onto it. His head was—ha!—it was swimming. He was a swimmer and his head was swimming, even though there wasn’t any water! Or maybe there was some water in his head. Not too much, because water on the brain sounded like something bad. But you had to stay hydrated to keep your neuronians firing. Neuronians? Neu-somethings. Jason chuckled. Neuronians sounded like the name of some alien species on Star Trek. Star Trek was for nerds.
Jason closed his eyes and leaned his head back, thinking it over. Although thinking wasn’t really the word for it. He felt more as if he were floating. The room spun around him, but pleasantly, like a carousel. The music seeped into his muscles and he felt himself relax.
Then the sofa cushions shifted under his body. He cracked open his eyelids and found Sienna sitting next to him. Beautiful Sienna. He smiled at her.
“Nice moves out there on the dance floor,” she commented. She took a sip of her drink. “You ever considered working with a pole? You’d be a natural, and I hear the tips are good.”
Jason took her drink and finished it, then grimaced. “What was that?”
“O.G.B., Original Gangsta Bull.” She took her empty glass back. “Bull, gin, and o.j.”
“I was drinking vodka,” Jason complained.
“Sorry, I was actually planning on drinking my drink myself,” Sienna teased, like nothing had changed, like she was still…Jason couldn’t find the word.
The music changed again. Jason could feel it pulsing through him. He laughed.
“What?” Sienna asked.
“I just like this song. It feels good,” he answered.
“Well, good,” Sienna said. Her long hair swayed with the music. He wanted to touch it. He wanted to wrap his hands in it and let the silken strands slide through his fingers. “Want to dance?” he asked. “Experience my moves for yourself?”
Sienna smiled. “Tempting,” she said. “But I should go see what Brad’s up to.”
“He’s up to no good. Just like you,” Jason told her, feeling insanely happy. “I saw you up there with Kyle. Dirty!”
“Dirty?” Sienna frowned. “I’m sorry. Have you ever even said hello to Erin before today?”
“No. But I don’t have a boyfriend.” Wait. Something was wrong with that sentence. Oh. He laughed again. “I mean girlfriend. You’re the one with the boyfriend.” He reached out and touched Sienna’s face. “Did you want me to wait for you? I wanted it to be you, but I didn’t know if you’d have time to get to everybody. Every body.” Jason chuckled. He was so witty.
Sienna pushed him away and jumped to her feet. Her eyes were cold as she stared down at him. Ice cold. He hadn’t known dark eyes could look so cold. Then she turned and stalked away from him.
The music slid out of Jason’s body as he realized that he’d just kind of called Sienna a whore. Or, at least, a slut. He had to go after her. Try to explain. He shoved himself to his feet, but all the bones in his legs had gone…somewhere. He wobbled, then slid down onto the floor, missing the couch. He’d totally fallen on his ass!
Somebody nearby began laughing at him, and Jason laughed along. The soft vibrations from the yacht’s motor tickled him, and the music slithered back into his boneless body. Jason couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before—so…ecstatic!
The yacht was a fantasy world again, and this was the best party ever. Jason just kept laughing as the fantasy world spun around him.
Eight
“He lives!” Dani commented when Jason staggered into the living room the next afternoon. “You should be very happy that Mom and Dad went to go look at wallpaper all day.”
“You lectur
ing me, miss…miss liar?” He sat down, grabbed the box of Cocoa Puffs off the coffee table, and shook some into his mouth. “These things are loud,” he said as he chewed.
“Not so much if you use milk,” Danielle said, taking a bite of cereal. She looked as spent as he felt. And, judging by the cereal on the table at three in the afternoon, she’d slept pretty late herself. “The spoon actually feels heavy,” she complained.
“After last weekend, I thought you’d be smart enough to cut back on the drinks,” Jason commented.
“All I had was o.j.—all night.” Dani yawned. “Do you think somebody could have slipped me something?”
“Maybe a bartender. At your request,” Jason suggested. “You didn’t really go the whole night with no alcohol?”
“Yeah, I did,” Dani countered. “And you should be glad I did. Because it meant I was sober enough to drive you home!”
“You don’t have a license,” Jason reminded her.
Dani lifted her hands up and down like she was weighing something. “Sober and no license, or wasted with license? Hmm…”
She had a point. “Thanks. I guess,” Jason managed. He ate another mouthful of Cocoa Puffs, then decided the CRUNCH, CRUNCH wasn’t worth it. “Great party, huh?”
“The best. I’m wiped, but I felt really blissed out, even without the drinking,” Dani answered, smiling happily.
“Me too. No wonder everyone wants to do the DeVere Heights parties.”
“Who wants to look at the new hall wallpaper we picked out?” their mother called as she and their dad came into the house.
Jason and Dani both groaned.
“You go,” Jason said. “You owe me for not ratting you out.”
“Well, you owe me for the…” Dani made a steering motion. But she stood up. “Coming,” she called.
Jason stretched out on the living room floor and stared up at the ceiling. The room made a slow rotation. The position felt familiar. An image of Sienna ripped through his mind. Sienna walking away from him. His stomach turned over, and a sick feeling flooded his body as another image exploded in his brain: Sienna looking at him coldly. Like she hated him.
Why? Jason couldn’t remember. He ran his hands briskly through his hair, trying to think. The sensation brought up another memory: other hands in his hair—gentle fingers sliding though it—and a wet mouth on his throat. Erin. Dancing with Erin. Sliding his hands over her ass.
Jason sat up suddenly, hot bolts of pain stabbing into him. Shards of memory from the night before came flooding back. Kyle running his hands over Sienna’s body. And Jason himself calling Sienna a whore! Did that really happen? He climbed slowly to his feet. He had to get some air. He had to figure out what he’d actually done—what he’d done to turn Sienna into an ice queen.
An hour and two bottles of Evian later, he was jogging along the top of the bluffs overlooking the ocean. He was so tired that each step felt like swimming through quicksand, but he didn’t allow himself to stop. He needed to sweat out the alcohol. How much had he drunk last night? Too much, that’s all he knew for sure.
His legs felt like they were made of rubber. Really heavy rubber. But he pushed himself to go faster, to outrun the disturbing, insistent images of Sienna. And yet they kept pace with him. He saw her walking away with every step, saw her face with every breath. Miles and miles later, Jason allowed himself to slow down, to rest.
Jason climbed down a pathway from the bluff to the beach. He pulled off his sneakers and walked into the surf up to his calves, letting the cold water of the Pacific ease the strain on his muscles. Running usually invigorated him, but he still couldn’t shake his exhaustion from the night before. Slowly, he walked toward home, ignoring the cries of the seagulls and the laughter of beachgoers drifting over the dunes. The sun hung low in the sky now, making his shadow stretch out a long way to his left.
As he neared the stretch of beach near Brad’s house, Jason spotted the last thing he wanted to see: a group of people from school. More specifically, a group of girls from DeVere Heights, spread out on blankets and beach towels. He’d bet Sienna was one of them. And maybe Erin. Jason slowed down, squinting into the sun to get a better look at who was there. Did he want to see Sienna? Or Erin, for that matter? It would be awkward with either one of them.
He hesitated, wondering if he should climb back up the bluff so he wouldn’t have to walk right by them. But then it occurred to him that if he could see them, they could see him. And he didn’t want them to see him scurry off like a puppy with his tail between his legs.
So Jason kept walking. His heart began to pound when he got close enough to actually pick Sienna out of the crowd. She and the others had begun packing up picnic stuff, a volleyball net, and some surfboards. They were clearly leaving. Maybe she’d just go….
But, no, she came heading right toward him. Obviously the potential for awkwardness didn’t bother her. Maybe she wanted to yell at him.
Jason sucked in a deep breath and walked over to meet her. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” Her voice was flat and emotionless, giving him nothing. Well, he deserved that.
He glanced at the boards. “I didn’t know you surfed,” he said.
“You don’t really know that much about me at all,” Sienna countered.
“True,” Jason acknowledged. He wanted to reach out and touch her, just to break through the barrier he could feel between them. But he knew that would be a bad idea.
“Sienna, come on. We’re heading up,” Belle called.
“I’m going to walk home,” Sienna shouted back. “Stow my stuff for me, okay?”
“No way, carry it yourself,” Belle said, tossing her a towel with a grin. “Lazy girl!”
Sienna smiled back at her, but the smile never reached her eyes. She was not happy. Without a glance at Jason, Sienna started to walk away. Again.
“Can I walk with you?” Jason asked.
Sienna shrugged. “If you want,” she replied.
The sun was sinking as they made their way across the velvety sand in silence. Jason suddenly realized they were only about a hundred feet from Sienna’s house. He didn’t have much time left. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“For what?”
“I said some horrible things last night,” Jason answered. He couldn’t remember exactly what he’d said, but he knew he’d hurt her.
“The word I’d use is ‘dirty,’ ” Sienna corrected. She stopped and turned to face him. “I’d call them dirty things.”
I saw you up there with Kyle. Dirty! The words sliced into Jason’s brain. Suddenly, he could hear himself saying them to Sienna. But the words brought back something else: the memory of Sienna and Kyle together on that couch, Kyle’s hands sliding over her curves. Jealousy crashed over Jason, like one of those waves that knock you to the ocean floor.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” he told Sienna.
“But you meant it. You still feel that way. I can see it on your face,” Sienna accused, her eyes darkening until they were almost black. “As if you weren’t doing exactly the same thing with Erin.”
“Yeah, okay. But I wasn’t cheating on anyone,” Jason said.
“Right,” Sienna snapped back. “So when you saw me with Kyle, you were thinking about Brad? How I was treating Brad so badly?” she inquired, wrapping her arms around herself.
“No,” Jason admitted with a sigh. “No, I wasn’t thinking about Brad at all. And what I said…it was because…” But he couldn’t continue. How could he tell her that he’d said what he had because the sight of another guy’s hands on her had made him insane with jealousy? Jason knew that Sienna was right: He really didn’t know her. Yeah, she was beautiful. But so was Belle. So was Erin. Malibu was filled with beautiful girls. What made Sienna so different? It was like she could reach into his chest and touch his heart. “I was an idiot,” he said helplessly.
“Yeah, you were,” Sienna agreed, but she smiled and took a step closer to Jason. “You wanted so
me time with me last night. You’ve got time now. Are you finished?”
She stood so close, he could smell that apple-ocean-vanilla scent of her. “No,” he murmured. “No, I’m not finished.” He reached out, wanting to touch her face. But hesitated, his fingers inches away from her, close enough to feel the heat of her skin.
Sienna turned her head slightly, closing the distance between his hand and her cheek.
He was touching her. That was all the invitation Jason needed. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, tasting her, taking her in. Sienna’s mouth responded to his, and she ran her hands up his chest to lace them around his neck.
And then…Jason forced himself to pull away. They stared at each other for a long moment before Sienna wordlessly turned toward her house on the cliff above them. Jason watched her climb the steep stairs cut into the bluff. Then he turned and raced down the beach, his body alive with heat and passion and hope.
He veered toward the water, picking up speed, needing it, needing the motion to channel all the emotion and energy those few minutes with Sienna had created. Fast, faster. His arms pumping, his heart pounding with the rhythm of his feet on the wet sand. Spray from the ocean hit his face as he ran along the shoreline. It cooled his skin, which still burned with the memory of Sienna’s touch. Now he was sprinting, running flat out—so fast that he had no chance to stop when he saw it.
Jason’s bare foot hit the chilly flesh and sent him sprawling onto the cold, wet sand. His mind spun, shock filling his body. What had he tripped over? It couldn’t have been…
He scrambled up and turned around, praying he’d been wrong about what he’d seen. But the girl’s body still lay there. Facedown. Her flesh cold and blue.
CPR, Jason thought frantically.
He dropped to his knees next to the girl and tried to roll her onto her back, but she felt heavy, water-logged. A wave splashed onto the shore, its undertow pulling her out of his grasp. Jason felt the setting sun hot upon the back of his neck as he reached for her cold arm again.
He waited for the next wave and used the thrust of the water to help him roll her over. Carrie Smith’s blank eyes stared up at him.
