"Cora. About the other night." I turned as she lifted her hand.
"No. It's good. I came onto you and overstepped our friendship boundaries. It's okay. Really. It's better that we're just friends. Sleeping together and me breaking your heart after a good night of fucking would leave the rest of the summer a shitty mess." She smiled as if she were good—right as rain.
"You breaking my heart?" I reached out and took her hand before lifting it to my face and kissing her palm. "Actually...that's probably exactly what would have happened."
She pulled her hand back slowly. "Then we'll just have a good time acting like fools while the rest of our friends pretend to have found everlasting love."
I glanced over at the rest of the group who had split off into couples. Couples that looked happy. Thrilled, even.
"I didn't take you to bed because I wanted to be the good guy for once. That shit blew up in my face. It won't happen again." I licked at my lips and bent down, picking up the sticks for the weenie roast.
"You won't be the good guy with another woman?" She moved closer and pulled out the hot dogs.
"No, I won't be the good guy with you again if I get another chance." I pulled a few more things out of the bags before turning to glance up at her. "I just didn't want you to think I was another Brandon, or whatever dude's name was."
"But you are." She smirked and took a few sticks from me before walking toward our friends. "Get over here, you weenies, and claim your...weenie?"
I stood up, ignoring her comment and trying to figure out how the fuck I was going to get fully back into her good graces. My emotions were all over the place and I felt like I might need meds to keep myself on an even-kilter. The warring desire to grab her and force her to acknowledge that the tension between us was still very much there was almost overwhelming. I wanted to be the good guy, and yet... I wasn't sure I could.
"Claim your weenie? Sounds like a fun game we could play in the water later tonight." Dedra laughed as she walked up and took a stick from Cora. Her eyes moved toward me, and I gave her a smile.
"You look very pretty tonight, Dee." I walked around the fire and took a stick from Cora before offering everyone a hot dog and helping thread them onto the sticks for Cindy and Dee.
"You think so?" She turned around in a circle showing off her long legs and shapely arms.
"Absolutely. Do you play ball?" I asked and moved up next to Cora as we started to roast the hot dogs.
"I do. I'm captain of the team back at Arizona State." She smiled.
"No, you're not. How could I have missed that?" I lifted my eyebrow, trying to think through if I'd seen her before. I mostly stuck to the soccer fields with Clay, but I'd been to a few girls’ basketball games over the years.
"She looks a tad bit different with her hair back and all sweaty in her jersey." Cindy laughed and moved closer to Derek.
It was once again odd being the only one around the circle without a girl tucked up to my side. I was almost grateful that Daniel was too much of a puss to move closer to Dee. Otherwise it would have been incredibly uncomfortable.
"She's the best of the best." Cora pulled her stick back from the fire and blew on her hot dog.
"I like the way you blow on that weenie." I couldn't help myself.
Everyone chuckled, including her.
She glanced over at me and smirked. "Well, enjoy yourself. It's the only weenie you'll be seeing me blow."
The group laughed louder.
"Maybe. We'll see." I let my smile falter a little as the image of her on her knees in front of me blasted through me, promising to cripple me.
"You guys are too much." Clay shook his head. "Who wants to tell the first ghost story?"
"I think instead of ghost stories, we should tell stories on each other. I'll go first." Derek smiled and glanced over at me.
"Oh shit...why am I suddenly terrified?" I laughed as he continued.
"So a couple of years ago, Brody here decided that he wanted to try and steal the panties from the president of the Sigmas. It was a feat no man had yet taken on and come out victorious, but this bastard just knew he could do it."
"Hey...let's be fair now." Daniel cut in. "No man had done it before because Danielle didn't wear panties. Every
one knew that."