Read Online Detached by Christina Kilbourne - Free Book Online Page A

went to chat up Sam, and Gisele followed at her heels. I glanced over at Anna. She was staring intently at the fire and glowing in the firelight.
    Kyle was back quickly. He sat down beside me and handed Anna and me each a beer. Mariam and Gisele were drinking theirs already.
    â€œSo no trouble from your mom?” Kyle asked me.
    â€œIt was pretty easy, actually.”
    We did a cheers with our plastic cups to celebrate our success in deceiving my mother.
    â€œWicked bonfire, don’t you think?” Kyle leaned out past me and directed his question at Anna.
    She took a sip of her beer and smiled. “I love watching fires.”
    Kids kept arriving until they were standing three people deep around the fire. Off in the darkness of the forest, I could hear people stumbling around, talking and laughing. One girl screamed that she’d just peed on her foot and everyone howled. Most of the other kids were from Ray and Sam’s school, which was attached to Bachman by the cafeteria, so although I didn’t know them by name, I recognized most of them. There were also a lot of performance kids, but nobody from the visual arts stream. I watched one of the grade-twelve guys from Sam’s school head into the trees with one of the performance girls and a group of kids were dancing on the other side of the keg. One guy stumbled and tripped but two girls pulled him out of the way before he fell in the fire. When he was standing again they all hugged and laughed.
    â€œThis is so much fun,” I said to Kyle and Anna, then took a long drink of my beer.
    Kyle grabbed my glass and peered into Anna’s. “You need a refill yet?”
    Anna shook her head but I nodded and drained my cup, then handed it to Kyle. Anna watched him walk through the firelight to the keg.
    â€œI think I have to pee soon!” I giggled. “Do you want to come?”
    â€œI’m okay for a while,” she said.
    When I stood up I felt light-headed from the beer, but I stepped over the log anyway and headed toward the darkness.
    â€œIf I’m not back in five minutes come looking.”
    â€œWatch out for the river,” Anna said.
    Walking into the shadowy forest was disorienting and I stumbled over a branch. As soon as I got back up, I walked into a stump. I laughed to myself, then flicked on my flashlight to look around the pockets of darkness. I’d never peed in the forest in the middle of the night and it started to creep me out. I found a large tree and stepped into its shadow. I just wanted to get my business over and get back to the fire.
    Neither Kyle nor Anna was anywhere in sight when I got back. At first I was annoyed and then I thought maybe Kyle would find the courage to talk to her alone and he’d stop bugging me all the time. I went over to Mariam and Gisele.
    â€œAliya!” Sam draped his arm over my shoulder. It felt like a gorilla was hanging over me. “Looks like you need another beer.” He turned toward the keg and shouted: “Kyle, can you bring Aliya another one of those beers?”
    Kyle emerged from the shadows and handed me another red cup. I took a drink and looked around.
    â€œWhere’d Anna go?” I asked him.
    â€œI thought she went with you?”
    My heart tripped. “Mariam? Have you seen Anna?”
    Mariam shook her head and swayed to the music. “She probably just had to pee or something.”
    I suddenly remembered the last time I’d been at the forks. I’d been with Anna and her Granny. We’d spent a warm fall day tucked up between the rocks and trees, sketching detailed close-ups of leaves and flowers, bugs and butterflies. Anna had spent two hours at the very edge of the river drawing a series of the water lapping at the rocks. There was only one place that you could get right to the water, without having to scramble down the steep riverbank.
    I tugged on Kyle’s shirt until he was leaning by my face. “We better go