Somebody Else's Sky (Something in the Way 2)

I startled when the Hacky sack hit my calf. I set down my shoes to pick it up, catching sight of the friendship bracelet around my ankle. I’d made it for Manning with love, and he didn’t even want it. What was I holding on to it for? I loosened it to work it off my foot.

“You’re supposed to send it back,” Corbin called.

I glanced up. The three of them waited. I abandoned the anklet and kicked the Hacky sack in their direction, but it landed in the fire.

“Lake,” the three of them cried.

“Sorry. I’m sorry.”

Corbin shook his head like I was the most adorable thing. He trudged over to where I stood, creaked open the lid of the blue cooler, and held out a beer. “You might as well since I can’t,” he said.

“Why can’t you?” I asked.

“Jesus, Lake. I’m driving you home. When have I ever taken a sip of anything with you in my car?”

Corbin. Why did he have to be such a gentleman, even when my mind was so wrapped up in someone else? I owed him more than I gave him. “Go ahead,” I told him. “I’ll drive us.”

“Then you should definitely drink. It’ll be an improvement.”

Val laughed, but I wasn’t in the mood to even force a polite smile. I didn’t feel like drinking. Didn’t feel like being here. I wanted to be back where Manning was, even if being around him was like sticking a finger in an open wound.

Corbin kissed my temple. “I’m sorry. I was only kidding. I’m sure it’s totally normal to sideswipe stationary objects two out of two lessons.”

It was true, but only because Corbin had done something to make me laugh. “You were distracting me.”

“Was I?” He slid his hand over my backside and squeezed. Just like prom night, my knees buckled, my breath caught. “It’s like pressing a button,” he whispered in my ear.

I hated how my body reacted to him, but at least I knew my pleasure wouldn’t always be bound to a man I couldn’t have.

“Why don’t you two just get married already?” Vickie asked.

Corbin dropped to one knee, looking up at me. “Marry me, Kaplan. Would you? I promise to make you real happy. At least twice a night.”

Everyone laughed. I even smiled. God, if anyone could pull me out of a funk, it was Corbin. If only love was as easy as that.

But it wasn’t. I looked over Corbin’s head at some movement in the distance, squinting into the dark at the big, shadowy figure headed our way from the parking lot. Manning. The man who, hours earlier, had joked with me about guest plates and then stood silently by while my heart broke. Everything that’d happened the last couple hours sat dangerously close to the surface. I didn’t know how I’d say all the things I needed to, but I’d never be able to stand here with him and pretend everything was normal.

I went around Corbin to meet Manning, to stop him from coming over here and making me look even more stupid. My nose tingled, words like betrayal and how could you and stop this bubbling up my throat as I pushed a few steps through the sand . . . and stopped where I was. Tiffany was on his back, waving at us. He touched her, carried her, kissed her, committed to a life with her and left nothing for me. It should’ve been me. I wanted it to be me so badly. Their playfulness shattered something in me, and I hiccupped, jolting some tears onto my cheeks.

A hand on my elbow pulled at me. “Lake,” Val said, tugging me back. “Come on, Lake.”

“No.”

“Come on. Come here.”

My body shook, my chest rattling. Val pulled me hard, away from the fire, away from everyone. “What . . . is it?” I couldn’t speak. It took everything I had not to burst into tears. “What do you want?”

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Val asked. “He’s the one. Your sister’s boyfriend.”

I shook my head hard. “No. He’s not.”

She wrapped me in a hug and squeezed me so hard, some of my tears splashed onto her shoulder. “I see it so clearly now. You should’ve told me.”

“You would’ve thought I was awful.”

“No way.” She swayed us back and forth. “You’re my best friend. My right to judge you was automatically revoked when you earned that title.”

Relief filtered through me. Finally, somebody knew, and not just somebody—a real friend. “I saw him first. I knew him first.” My silent tears became quiet, snotty sobs. “I loved him first.”

“Does he know?”

I nodded into her neck.

She pulled me away by my shoulders. Her eyes were bloodshot but deadly serious. “He does? And how does he feel about you?”

I shrugged pathetically. “I thought I knew . . . I thought we . . . but he’s going to marry her.”