bonfire thing. Iâm only in for the next four days, so join the carnival before it leaves town. Know what Iâm saying?â
âSure,â Lindsay said, excited to know she wouldnât be totally dependent on her parents for entertainment.
And thereâs always Mark .
She wanted to see him again. Something about him touched her. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed trapped, and she wanted to help. Maybe it was just his bod. She didnât know, but she hoped their first conversation wouldnât be the last.
âAdd another name to the VIP list,â Ev said, wrapping an arm around Lindsayâs shoulders. âGirlâs got a full-access pass.â
Lindsay smiled and leaned into Evâs hug.
This was going to be a very cool vacation after all.
6
At night we do the bonfire thing.
The bonfire was a tradition with Redlands Beach teens that went back generations. There on the beach, they built a cone of wood and lit it up, allowing the flames to illuminate their parties, giving each gathering a sense of celebration. Not that there was much to celebrate in Redlands Beach, not for teenagers anyway. Though most kids dreamed of getting out of town and leaving it all behind, few ever made it. Those that did often traded Redlands Beach for a town just like it. Against such a gloomy background, any star, even one as small as Ev, shined brightly.
The ocean roared on her right as Lindsaypicked her way over the sand toward the dancing flames in the distance. She didnât even know if this was the bonfire Ev meant, as she didnât get specific directions. In fact, Ev only said âYou totally canât miss us. Weâre like full-on tribal.â
Her parents were thrilled to hear that sheâd made friends already. Her mother gave her an I-told-you-so look, and her dad just looked pleased, like heâd introduced her to Ev and the other girls with fractured names. Whatever, Lindsay thought. She was happy, and they were happy, so it didnât really matter.
Or at least, she was mostly happy. Poor Mark. All cooped up in his room. Sheâd walked through the alley between the houses when she left, but his window was covered by a black shade, so she didnât see him. She thought about tapping lightly on the glass, maybe asking him to sneak out, but she didnât know him (or his guardians) well enough to try a stunt like that.
And of course, there was Kateâs party. Lindsay called to check in on Kate after dinner. She could hear how nervous her friend was, even though Kate tried to play it cool. Fortunately Trey was there, helping Kate set up, keeping her distracted with jokes.
For a minute Lindsay was pissed off at her parents again. Hearing Kate on the edge of panic hurt, because Lindsay was too far away to do anything about it. Plus, there was the party itself. All of the fun. All of her friends. She should have been there, not here on some beach with a bunch of strangers.
After another ten minutes, Lindsay found herself at the edge of the bonfireâs light. A stack of wood that came up to her waist burned and crackled. All around the flames, two dozen kids, boys and girls, sat in the sand. Some drank from beer cans, others upended bottles of cheap whiskey and vodka. A Shakira song blasted from a portable player, seemed to stoke the fire with a dense bass beat.
Evâs laugh, like a siren, drew Lindsay to the far side of the fire. The girl and her friends were all giggling wildly, rocking forward with the power of their own amusement. Around them, a group of boys, some in nice shorts and others in ragged cutoffs, sat listening and smiling.
âTotally!â Ev cried amid a splutter of shrill giggles. âHeâs like Rob Schneider, only creepier. And he was like trying to French me, like âeat mytongue,â ahhhhhh.â She waved her hands in the air as if fighting off the boy she was describing. Tears were filling her eyes, she found the moment so
âSure,â Lindsay said, excited to know she wouldnât be totally dependent on her parents for entertainment.
And thereâs always Mark .
She wanted to see him again. Something about him touched her. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed trapped, and she wanted to help. Maybe it was just his bod. She didnât know, but she hoped their first conversation wouldnât be the last.
âAdd another name to the VIP list,â Ev said, wrapping an arm around Lindsayâs shoulders. âGirlâs got a full-access pass.â
Lindsay smiled and leaned into Evâs hug.
This was going to be a very cool vacation after all.
6
At night we do the bonfire thing.
The bonfire was a tradition with Redlands Beach teens that went back generations. There on the beach, they built a cone of wood and lit it up, allowing the flames to illuminate their parties, giving each gathering a sense of celebration. Not that there was much to celebrate in Redlands Beach, not for teenagers anyway. Though most kids dreamed of getting out of town and leaving it all behind, few ever made it. Those that did often traded Redlands Beach for a town just like it. Against such a gloomy background, any star, even one as small as Ev, shined brightly.
The ocean roared on her right as Lindsaypicked her way over the sand toward the dancing flames in the distance. She didnât even know if this was the bonfire Ev meant, as she didnât get specific directions. In fact, Ev only said âYou totally canât miss us. Weâre like full-on tribal.â
Her parents were thrilled to hear that sheâd made friends already. Her mother gave her an I-told-you-so look, and her dad just looked pleased, like heâd introduced her to Ev and the other girls with fractured names. Whatever, Lindsay thought. She was happy, and they were happy, so it didnât really matter.
Or at least, she was mostly happy. Poor Mark. All cooped up in his room. Sheâd walked through the alley between the houses when she left, but his window was covered by a black shade, so she didnât see him. She thought about tapping lightly on the glass, maybe asking him to sneak out, but she didnât know him (or his guardians) well enough to try a stunt like that.
And of course, there was Kateâs party. Lindsay called to check in on Kate after dinner. She could hear how nervous her friend was, even though Kate tried to play it cool. Fortunately Trey was there, helping Kate set up, keeping her distracted with jokes.
For a minute Lindsay was pissed off at her parents again. Hearing Kate on the edge of panic hurt, because Lindsay was too far away to do anything about it. Plus, there was the party itself. All of the fun. All of her friends. She should have been there, not here on some beach with a bunch of strangers.
After another ten minutes, Lindsay found herself at the edge of the bonfireâs light. A stack of wood that came up to her waist burned and crackled. All around the flames, two dozen kids, boys and girls, sat in the sand. Some drank from beer cans, others upended bottles of cheap whiskey and vodka. A Shakira song blasted from a portable player, seemed to stoke the fire with a dense bass beat.
Evâs laugh, like a siren, drew Lindsay to the far side of the fire. The girl and her friends were all giggling wildly, rocking forward with the power of their own amusement. Around them, a group of boys, some in nice shorts and others in ragged cutoffs, sat listening and smiling.
âTotally!â Ev cried amid a splutter of shrill giggles. âHeâs like Rob Schneider, only creepier. And he was like trying to French me, like âeat mytongue,â ahhhhhh.â She waved her hands in the air as if fighting off the boy she was describing. Tears were filling her eyes, she found the moment so
Similar Books
