Page 72 of The Sun
“It’s better this way.” I told myself that at least once a day, but I had yet to believe it.
“Whatever you say, dude.”
Judah stumbled over, dragging the cooler behind him. “You two fart-knockers gonna do the Jell-O wrestling?” He thumbed over his shoulder where two underclassmen were busy carting a plastic baby pool across the lawn.
“Whose genius idea was that?” I asked.
Judah grinned. “Mine.”
“Of course, it would be.”
“Dude, think about it.” He hooked an arm around my shoulders. “Girls covered in sticky goodness. Epic.”
“What girl is going to roll around in that crap?”
“Ah, by midnight, someone will be in that pool.”
Jenny’s hyena-like laugh floated over the music. Judah grinned. “Like Jenny Smith. Speaking of which, I heard you hooked up with her at Radcliffe’s party?”
“I didn’t touch her at Radcliffe’s party.” I glanced back to the bonfire, watching the tiny orange embers intertwine with the smoke. I regretted letting Sunny believe anything happened between Jenny and me, but I did stupid things when I was hurt. And Sunny had already annihilated me by that point. My initial reaction was to hit right back, and I figured Jenny would be an obvious blow to Sunny’s ego.
“Dude, why didn’t you bang the bottom outta her?”
I glared at my brother. He didn’t get it. He couldn’t. He’d never loved anyone. “Because I have standards.”
“Like McClure’s girl?” Judah smirked, and I pulled my arm back like I would hit him, then I dropped it.
Someone changed the music. The song started off low enough that I couldn’t help but make out Sunny’s boisterous laugh. She threw her head back, nearly toppling off Brandon’s lap. He caught her, and it was too much.
I snagged a beer from the cooler and crossed the yard, wedging myself between a group of girls who had been staring at me and giggling. If she could pretend she hadn’t lost anything, so could I.
By eleven thestereo had been converted into a karaoke machine, and Ben’s backyard was trashed. Someone had taken a piss in the rose bushes, the back-porch swing had collapsed after fifteen girls climbed on it to have their picture taken, and the garden gnome by the back gate had been decapitated.
I stood a few feet away from the baby pool, watching a drunk girl flail around, screaming she that she was making a snow angel. I nudged Judah with my elbow. “Is that what you guys had in mind?”
“Not exactly.”
I jumped when someone grabbed hold of my shoulder. “Hey,” Atlas said. “I was out at the car, and Sunny came up asking me for weed.”
My heart pounded. “Please tell me you didn’t fucking sell her any?”
“She’s the sheriff’s daughter! I’m not touching that.”
I quickly glanced around the yard, but couldn’t place my eyes on her see-through shirt. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know, man. She was by McClure’s truck. It looked like they were leaving.”
Judah leaned in, face all serious. “You don’t think she’s gonna snitch on us to her dad?”
“No.” I half rolled my eyes. “Stop smoking so much. You’re paranoid.” He shoved me, and I pushed him right back. “Don’t fucking start with me!” I warned. I stared off at the smoldering bonfire, wondering what the hell had gotten into Sunny. Maybe that good guy I thought she was better off with hadn’t been so good for her after all.
“Give me a smoke.” I wiggled my fingers, feeling the itch for a hit of nicotine.
Judah reluctantly pulled a pack of Marlboros from his back pocket, placing a single cigarette along with a red lighter in my waiting palm. “Those aren’t cheap, dildo.”
Lighting it, I took a seat on the porch steps, puffing and puffing and thinking. I had the thing smoked down to the filter by the time the door to the upstairs porch creaked open.
“Where did Brandon go?” Daisy asked.
