“
Sounds like a plan,” he says, adjusting himself. Way to be discreet with your chub, Alex. “I can use a dip in the cold water.”
The boys chuckle, while us girls roll our eyes.
They make their way down to the water, boogie boards in hand, kicking sand and pushing each other. Not much has changed since ninth grade. Mom says boys rarely grow up before they’re forty. I’m starting to believe her.
Andi and I get comfortable on some beach chairs while Keesh and Steph get cozy on a blanket.
“
You got some perky little titties, Andi,” Keesh teases. “Everything about you is so petite.”
Andi crosses her arms over her chest, and I give Keesh a sneer.
“
What? I meant it as a compliment. You’re adorable. And I don’t think I’m the only one who’s noticing.”
Her cheeks flush first. The pink color spreads over Andi’s entire body. “He doesn’t like me. Dude, have you seen the other girls he’s gone out with? I look like a little boy compared to them.” For being so fun and full of energy, she sure lacks confidence.
“
Give me a break.” Steph waves a hand in her direction. “He doesn’t like any of those girls. He’s just having fun. Plus, he’s not the kinda guy to be so shallow. I think he digs you. Did you guys hear how many times he said
dude
?”
I crack up every time I hear him say it so I know exactly what she’s talking about. “Hey, have you been talking to Travis on the phone or something?”
“
Almost every day,” she says.
I look to Keesh. “Do
you
talk to Travis on the phone?” She shakes her head. “How about you, Steph?”
“
No. I sure don’t,” she answers.
“
Me neither,” I say. “So if he’s not interested in you, then why is he talking to you every day? And why is he starting to sound like you?”
“
Dude, everyone says
dude
. It’s not like I copyrighted the term.” Oh my gosh. I can’t help but laugh at her. She is too funny. She doesn’t even realize she has a
dude
saying problem.
“
Okay, well, you keep talking and see what happens. I have a feeling it’s going to be good whatever it is.” I think he really likes her. Even if she’s not ready to believe it. Even if he’s keeping his feelings quiet. Things will eventually work themselves out.
Later on, we’re all sitting around the fire pit, wire hangers in hand, roasting marshmallows. Keesh is sitting comfortably in between Jon’s legs, and the two take turns taking bites from the same S’more. It’s very cute. She’s in love all over again, and while I’m happy he’s here, I’m also afraid of what it will be like for her when he leaves again.
“
So how’s the ultimate single ladies year going?” Jon asks, looking directly at me.
“
It’s going great. So great I may stay single for the rest of my life.” They all laugh, but I’m not joking. Dating sucks ass.
“
How about you, Steph? Find anyone yet to make you forget about the big guy?”
“
Yeah, Steph. Find anyone yet?” Dom nudges her with his knee, and she sticks an elbow in his ribs.
“
Too many to count,” she replies.
“
I’m being serious. I don’t know why you gotta lie. It’s not like we don’t know what you’ve been doing.” Jon has a point. They know all about our plan, even though we tried to keep it quiet for so long.
“
They can’t hide shit,” Josh says. “Steph’s been doing the best. She got the football player for a while. He liked her. Then she went out with one of my cousins. He liked her too. Keesh hasn’t had much luck. I think Meg’s best date was with Quinn. I heard she had a good time.”
“
Good time, my ass.” Keesh raises her voice. “That guy was a dick. He …”
I reach my leg as far as I can and kick her. I have no interest in talking to the guys about what an asshole Quinn turned out to be.
“
What happened, Meg?” Alex shakes my ponytail.
I give him a look, letting him know I don’t want to have this conversation. “I thought we said we weren’t going to talk about stuff like this.”
“
We weren’t, but if some guy was a dick to you, I wanna know about it.”
“
So do I,” Josh adds.
“
Me too,” Ben says. “We all do. What happened?”
I sneak a peek at Keesh and Steph, eyeballing them, trying to tell them telepathically not to spill the beans about Quinn getting aggressive on our date.
Keesh looks up at Jon. “She went out with some guy named Quinn. They went skating. He was romantic and sweet until he took her home.”
Travis leans in closer, his elbows on his knees. “Then what happened?”
“
Keesha, don’t. It’s none of their business.” I really don’t want them to know. Nothing good can come of it.
Steph reaches out and squeezes my hand. “When he brought her home, he got a little grabby.”
Alex puts his hand on my shoulder, and I look up at him. “What does grabby mean, Meg? Did he hurt you?”
“
Omigod, no. He didn’t hurt me.” I knew they were going to make this something it’s not.
“
He didn’t hurt her,” Keesh tells them. “He just scared the hell out of her. He grabbed her tit, and when she tried to push him away, he wouldn’t let her go at first. Then he cussed at her, and she cussed him out. It’s all good. Just not the great date Josh heard about.”
“
I’m gonna kick his ass,” Ben grunts out.
“
That makes two of us,” Alex says, kneading my shoulders with both hands. “That fucking little prick.”
“
You guys can’t do shit,” Josh tell them. “I’ll handle it.”
“
Bullshit, Josh.” Ben stares him down.
“
I hear ya,” Travis says. “Dude, you guys can’t do anything. You’re over eighteen. You can get arrested for assaulting a minor. Josh and I got it covered.”
Twenty Seven
Spring break is quickly coming to an end, and Jon is only a day away from jumping back on a plane for Texas. Instead of chilling at home, staring at him all night, we decided to go to a party at Eric’s house. His brother is having another soiree and there’s gonna be people from school there along with a bunch of grads. It’ll be cool because we can kick back with our friends, and Alex, Ben, and Dominic can see theirs too.
“
Hey, girls,” I yelp. “Check it out.” I point to a group of guys as we walk up the street to the party. “The water polo team is here.” Along with a lot of other people. The street is packed with cars.
Travis raises the side of his lip in a sneer. “Watch out for them, Alex.”
“
Still bitter about that, baby?” Josh catches up with him, jabbing him in the gut.
“
No, dumb ass. Just giving the man a head’s up.”
Alex sticks out his fist, and the boys smack knuckles. “Thanks, dude.” The use of the trigger word makes us all chuckle.
We must look like a small tribe, walking up the street. Four girls mixed in with six guys, who all seem to be getting taller by the minute. Ben and Alex have always been tall, and Dominic always towered over all of us. But the younger ones are catching up, with Trav in the lead.
“
Hey, look who else is here,” Travis says, tipping his chin in the direction of a group of guys leaning against a truck.
Oh shit. Josh and Travis meet eyes, taking deep breaths. Josh holds out his arms to both sides, halting the crew. “Keep the girls back,” he mutters.
“
Just stop. This is so not necessary.” I grab Josh’s arm and try to get him to stop. Alex takes my hand, not letting me go any farther. I whip around to try and talk sense into him. “Really? You’re gonna let those two get into a fight?”
“
Jonathan, get your ass back over here,” Keesh yells as he breaks into a jog to catch up with the other boys. Steph stands with her hands on her hips, shaking her head, Dom’s hand on her back. Andi looks like she’s gonna chew not only her fingernails, but her entire fingertips off. Her poor little eyes are filled with worry.
“
This is bullshit,” I tell them, breaking out of Alex’s grasp. I take a step only to be held back by Ben this time. “You guys suck. Don’t let them do this.”
I hate being ignored. Keesh tucks her hand in mine. “They’ll be fine. Plus, that asshole deserves what’s coming to him.”
Steph hooks her arms with me. “I agree. I’d do it myself if they let me.” She reaches out and tugs Andi closer to her. “Don’t worry, girl. Our boys got this.”
The girls and I squeeze closer together as the boys reach Quinn and his friends. Josh shakes hands with some of the guys—a few are his teammates—then, in a flash of movement, he pushes Quinn, causing him to slam loudly against the truck.
“
What the fuck?” he yells, his voice carrying all the way to us. Josh pulls his fist back to swing, but Jon stops him.
Thank you. Someone is thinking here.
Or not. Jon punches Quinn straight in the face. His head whips back and Jon knocks his fist into him again. Some of the guys start to rush in, but Josh and Travis hold them off. When Quinn falls to the ground, Jon leans down, pulls him back up, and hits him one more time. Son of a bitch. He needs to stop. A crowd gathers to watch the show.
“
If you ever,” Jon screams, jabbing a finger in Quinn’s face, “come near Meg or the rest of the girls again, it’s going to be worse next time. When a girl says no or pushes you away, you just dig your hands into your pockets and step the fuck back. Got it?” Quinn nods. “Good.”
Jon drops him and backs away. Josh smacks hands again with his friends and the boys head back our way. “Just a head’s up, ladies. Quinn doesn’t know how to keep his hands to himself. You might want to think twice before you go out with him,” Travis yells to the crowd. People start to back off, looking disgusted.
When the boys reach us, Jon ruffles my hair. “That was fun, Meggie.” He then plants a kiss on Keesh’s cheek. “You guys promised me a party, so what are we waiting for?”
My stomach is in knots as we make our way to Eric’s backyard. Quinn’s a total dickhead, but seeing Jon kick his ass was not at all fun to watch.
The guys are behind us, chatting about it, letting Jon know what a freaking hero he is.
“
I can’t believe you’re so stupid, Josh. How’re you gonna swing with your pitching arm? You could’ve broke your hand, dumb ass,” Jon scolds him. Aha. That’s why he held him back.
“
Thanks for looking out,” Josh says. The guy is all hyped, bouncing around. “Wanna dance, girls?”
Jon’s gone. Again. He came flying in and out of town with just enough time to create a mess for me and to leave Keesh in a foul mood. He did take care of the problem he started for me when he kicked Quinn’s ass. Even so, I’m still not happy about it or thrilled the boys know what happened. One good thing about the whole ordeal is I doubt Quinn’s gonna get grabby with anyone else from now on. My dear friend, however, is not taken care of. She’s a complete mess all over again.
She and Josh took Jon to the airport on their own this time. We didn’t make a giant deal out of him leaving, thinking it would make it easier for him and for us, but Keesh is still taking his absence pretty hard. It’s only been a few days and the girl is downright moody, the slightest things setting her off. Josh joking around, Steph using her hair clip, and Alex squeezing my hand. She’s either tearing people’s heads off or crying her eyeballs out.
“
Do we need to have another chocolate coma-burn the Crocs-get over my old boyfriend slumber party?” I ask Keesh. When Jon left over a year ago, she was one step away from drowning in her own tears and about five steps beyond complete fashion disaster.
Now, along with committing several clothing crimes, I’m not so sure she’s even brushing her teeth. The girl’s breath is kicking. She yawns, exhaling another swell of toxic air. “Meggie, don’t mess with me, okay? You don’t have the slightest clue what I’m dealing with.”
I grab her by the arm and lead her outside the door of the ASB classroom and around the corner, searching for some privacy. Steph picked the worse day ever to stay home sick. If Keesh is about to drop a baby bombshell on me, I don’t know if I can handle it alone. “Are you pregnant?” I ask, not knowing how to sugar coat this conversation.
“
What the hell are you talking about? No, I’m not pregnant.” Just saying the words, her face scrunches up taking offense to my blunt question.
“
What’s wrong with you then? You’re worse than the first time Jon Jon left. You can’t let it consume you.”
“
You’re one to talk. Like you haven’t sulked and thrown yourself a pity party every time Alex goes home.” She throws the words at me like a slap to the face.