the couch, elbowing Rachel and Becca in the progress, and stole his phone back. “We broke up last week. She’s just trying to get me back.” Looking at me he said, “Seriously, there’s nothing going on between us.”
I nodded, but Jenna sho t me an angry glare.
Brad circled around the sofa and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Let’s go to the beach. Maybe do a little skinny dipping? What do you say?”
“ Umm …”
“No! The answer is no, Kels!” Jen na yelled from across the room.
“Come on, it will be fun. Just for a little while.”
I looked to Jenna who was giving me her serious face. She did not want to go. “Let me talk to Jenna for a sec,” I said, unwinding myself from his arms.
As soon as I was free from his grip, Jenna grabbed my shoulder and marched me to the half-bath down the hallway. Once the door was closed, she let me have it.
“He’s an asshole. I gave you one night and he proved me right. We made a deal. It’s time for you to forget about him. Plus, we’ve been drinking.”
I sat on the closed toilet seat and said, “You’re barely even tipsy. And the night’s not over. We still have one hour. Plus, the beach will be fun. We haven’t been at night in a long time.”
“We can go tomorrow night, the two of us.”
“ It’s just an hour.”
“Kels, I don’t get it. What is it with this guy?”
I groaned because I didn’t want to tell her the truth. I rarely kept anything from Jenna, but I knew she’d be against this plan. Sitting in the bathroom with her, trying to stand up for a guy who viewed relationships very differently from her wasn’t going to get me anywhere, though. I had to tell her the truth. It was my only option. “Sheila is on some kind of committee with his mom and she talks about what a wonderful boy he is and how I could never land a boyfriend like him.”
“So we’re doing this to spite your stepmom who you hate?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “As long as we’re clear on the motive. So what exactly is your plan?”
“Make him think I’m the type of girl he wants so he comes over to the house a few times when Sheila’s there.”
“Promise me you won’t sleep with him.”
I crinkle up my nose. “ Probably not.”
Shaking her head, s he grabs my hands and pulls me up from the toilet. “Why didn’t you just tell me this from the beginning?”
“ Because I knew you’d try to talk me out of it.”
“Any chance I can do still do that?”
I smiled and shook my head, knowing that I had gotten my way. We returned to the party and after everyone finished their drinks, we all headed to the beach. Jenna and I went alone in her Miata.
We were last in the line of four cars as we traveled the windy roads of the country club, but lost everyone else as soon as we got to the exit. Jenna took our usual short cut to the 405 that runs along lesser used country roads and we assumed everyone else took the more common route. Despite not wanting to go, I could tell she was enjoying herself. We put the top down and blasted the radio while our hair whipped in the breeze. Then our favorite song came on. We belted out the lyrics and danced in our seats.
Right as the chorus started, my bag fell to the floor. I leaned over to grab it, but when I sat back up, there were two bright lights headed straight towards us.
“Jenna!” I screamed. She was looking in the rearview mirror at something. “Jenna! Car!”
I grabbed the steering wheel and yanked as hard as I could. We swerved to the right, flew off the embankment, skidded sideways, and rammed into a tree.
I don’t know how much time passed or what exactly happened, but my next memory is standing over Jenna’s body on the pavement. It was twenty feet from the mangled wreckage. The tips of her blond hair were crimson and my first thought was she had a really bad dye job. I smiled and imagined we’d
I nodded, but Jenna sho t me an angry glare.
Brad circled around the sofa and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Let’s go to the beach. Maybe do a little skinny dipping? What do you say?”
“ Umm …”
“No! The answer is no, Kels!” Jen na yelled from across the room.
“Come on, it will be fun. Just for a little while.”
I looked to Jenna who was giving me her serious face. She did not want to go. “Let me talk to Jenna for a sec,” I said, unwinding myself from his arms.
As soon as I was free from his grip, Jenna grabbed my shoulder and marched me to the half-bath down the hallway. Once the door was closed, she let me have it.
“He’s an asshole. I gave you one night and he proved me right. We made a deal. It’s time for you to forget about him. Plus, we’ve been drinking.”
I sat on the closed toilet seat and said, “You’re barely even tipsy. And the night’s not over. We still have one hour. Plus, the beach will be fun. We haven’t been at night in a long time.”
“We can go tomorrow night, the two of us.”
“ It’s just an hour.”
“Kels, I don’t get it. What is it with this guy?”
I groaned because I didn’t want to tell her the truth. I rarely kept anything from Jenna, but I knew she’d be against this plan. Sitting in the bathroom with her, trying to stand up for a guy who viewed relationships very differently from her wasn’t going to get me anywhere, though. I had to tell her the truth. It was my only option. “Sheila is on some kind of committee with his mom and she talks about what a wonderful boy he is and how I could never land a boyfriend like him.”
“So we’re doing this to spite your stepmom who you hate?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “As long as we’re clear on the motive. So what exactly is your plan?”
“Make him think I’m the type of girl he wants so he comes over to the house a few times when Sheila’s there.”
“Promise me you won’t sleep with him.”
I crinkle up my nose. “ Probably not.”
Shaking her head, s he grabs my hands and pulls me up from the toilet. “Why didn’t you just tell me this from the beginning?”
“ Because I knew you’d try to talk me out of it.”
“Any chance I can do still do that?”
I smiled and shook my head, knowing that I had gotten my way. We returned to the party and after everyone finished their drinks, we all headed to the beach. Jenna and I went alone in her Miata.
We were last in the line of four cars as we traveled the windy roads of the country club, but lost everyone else as soon as we got to the exit. Jenna took our usual short cut to the 405 that runs along lesser used country roads and we assumed everyone else took the more common route. Despite not wanting to go, I could tell she was enjoying herself. We put the top down and blasted the radio while our hair whipped in the breeze. Then our favorite song came on. We belted out the lyrics and danced in our seats.
Right as the chorus started, my bag fell to the floor. I leaned over to grab it, but when I sat back up, there were two bright lights headed straight towards us.
“Jenna!” I screamed. She was looking in the rearview mirror at something. “Jenna! Car!”
I grabbed the steering wheel and yanked as hard as I could. We swerved to the right, flew off the embankment, skidded sideways, and rammed into a tree.
I don’t know how much time passed or what exactly happened, but my next memory is standing over Jenna’s body on the pavement. It was twenty feet from the mangled wreckage. The tips of her blond hair were crimson and my first thought was she had a really bad dye job. I smiled and imagined we’d
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