She rolls her eyes. “I meant outside of school, bitch. You’ve been so busy. I miss you.”
I look up and see Dylan standing awkwardly at the threshold. He hasn’t been in my apartment since the night I rejected his advances.
“Come on in, guys.”
They both step inside and make themselves comfortable on the couch.
“So what’s the plan?” I ask. “I can see what movies are playing if you want.”
Bree releases her lyrical laugh. “Oh, Kitty. Why would we want to sit in a movie for two hours and not be able to talk? The whole point of meeting up tonight was so we could all catch up and have fun. It’s been like a month!”
“So what do you want to do?”
Dylan holds up a large paper sack. “We’re going old-school tonight, babe. Beach, fire, and liquor.”
Okay, that actually sounds pretty incredible. I know what you’re thinking…who the hell goes to the beach at night in the middle of winter? Well, when you’re a teenager in this town with not much else to do, that’s what you do. Besides, in the northwest, the weather at the beach stays pretty much the same all year long with the exception of late summer. And by the same, I mean you’ll be wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. As long as it’s not raining, it’s a good day for it.
“That sounds great,” I say. “Our usual spot?”
“Well, yeah!” Bree pumps her fist in the air.
My apartment may be a piece of shit, but it’s centrally located. It’s only a five block walk from public beach access which is definitely convenient when you’re drinking. Bree and I grab the tequila and blankets while Dylan hauls the firewood he brought. We make our way to the sand and sit back while the flames get going. The alcohol and conversation are flowing as my friends pass a joint between them. At least they give me the courtesy of sitting across the fire while they smoke. I don’t realize how drunk I am until I get up to pee behind a big log. Now if you’ve ever tried digging a hole and squatting over it, you know how difficult it is to coordinate that. Adding drinks to the mix is just asking for trouble, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. I sway as I try positioning myself just right so I don’t soak my clothes. I realize it’s a lost cause as my bare ass hits the sand.
“Bree!” I shout. “I need your help!”
Bree stumbles over to me and starts laughing hysterically once she sees the pickle I’m in. “Oh, man, I’ve got to get a picture of this.”
I point my finger at her. “Don’t you dare! I swear to God I will break your phone if you try.”
“Fine,” she says grumpily.
“Just get over here and help me hold still.”
Bree giggles as she does her best to help hold me up while I pee in the sand and drip dry since I don’t have any toilet paper handy.
“What are you guys doing over there?” Dylan shouts in the distance.
“Kat needed help peeing!” Bree screams in my ear.
“Ow!” I hold my hand up to my ear as I pull my pants up with the other hand. “Do you have to be so loud?”
I have sand in unmentionable places. I try shaking it loose to no avail. Bree sees this and starts giggling again until she’s gasping for air.
Dylan joins us and hands me the bottle of Cuervo. I wrap my lips around it and take a big swig. I shiver as it goes down and then I wipe my mouth.
“You cold, Kitty?” he asks.
Now that I think about it, I am. Being away from the fire pit makes a huge difference.
“A little bit, yeah.”
Dylan pulls me into a side hug and says, “C’mon, babe. I’ll keep you warm.”
WHY IN THE HELL IS SOMEONE USING A CHANSAW in the middle of the night? Not a chainsaw, I think as I open my eyes. It’s still dark out but there’s enough moonlight filtering in to see that I’m not in bed alone. When did Gavin get here? And since when does he snore? I sit up and rub my head, trying to recall the events of last night before I passed out. The last thing I remember is sitting by the fire drinking. Damn tequila gets me every time.
As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I look over to Gavin. He rolls toward me and his face catches in the moonlight. Oh, shit! Not Gavin. What the fuck is Dylan doing here? In my bed? I start to panic as I take inventory of our clothing. I’m wearing my t-shirt from last night and a pair of panties. I’m not going to risk waking him, but I can see that Dylan’s chest is bare. My God, what did I do? Please, please, please let him be wearing pants!
Ding dong.