Helena looked at me expectantly as I scurried out of the house and plopped down in an empty chair next to her. The fire was now blazing and towering 2 feet high, crackling loudly and shooting flaming embers into the atmosphere. Alina and Kellie had now arrived, sitting opposite of Helena and I. I noticed the pale, thin girl with fiery red hair that I saw at Colton's sitting with them too. I decided to ignore Helena's inquisitive gaze and instead whisper: "Who is that?"
"That's my sister. So what happened?" she quickly changed the subject.
"That's your sister?!" I stayed on topic. The young girl was the complete opposite of Helena: she had such pale skin that her blue veins were visible underneath the surface, she wore a fully black outfit complete with spikes and silver chains, her eyeshadow was a dark shade of purple, a band of thick winged eyeliner ran across the edge of her eyelid. She was strikingly beautiful, as was Helena, but their beauty differed in two completely opposite ways.
Helena got the hint and stopped pushing: "Yes, that's my sister, Allison. She's younger than me, a year younger than you, but she's wise beyond her years. She usually keeps to herself, but sometimes she comes around," she shrugged.
"She looks intimidating," I remarked.
"Oh, I know, she's definitely rough around the edges. But she has the funniest dry humor. Once you get to know her, you'll love her," Helena gushed sweetly. Our conversation was interrupted by the door to the house opening, Brendan and Eddie emerging in conversation. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Colton approach them with a smirk.
"Colton!" I called to him, breaking his stride and hopefully preventing whatever smart ass remark he would have made about Brendan. I waved him over with my hand. He walked over to me curiously. "Uh… are there any drinks here?" he raised an eyebrow, annoyed that I had asked him when it wasn't even his place.
He shrugged: "Probably. I dunno, ask your man." My face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Sorry?" I questioned, hoping I heard him wrong.
"Your man, Eddie," he smirked, nodding his head in Eddie's direction. I stayed silently confused: we had never been affectionate in front of anyone. Had Eddie said something to Colton? What did he say? Was it bad? Colton clearly read the panicked confusion in my eyes, and said, "Oh, come on. I see the way you look at him. Like every other girl down here."
"Shut up Colton," Helena saved me. "Your jealousy is showing. It's kind of pathetic." Colton was now the one who flushed red, completely humbled by Helena's abrasive statement.
"I'm not jealous," he defended himself like a toddler. "Everyone down here is weird anyway… no offense," he stated, looking in my direction and quickly disappearing into the shed. For once, I wasn't offended by an insult. I had no respect for Colton, and thus, his words had no merit. I did, however, know his dirty little secret about being gay, or at least seeking out men on a gay dating app, and I wasn't afraid to use it if I needed to.
Brendan came and sat down next to Helena: "Can we get fucking hammered tonight?" he asked, pulling a dark, frosted liquor bottle from his sweatshirt pocket. Helena grinned widely and took it from him, taking a swig, and then shuddering in disgust. I looked at Brendan, attempting to read the expression on his face. He didn't look bothered or upset, but his question about getting hammered made me wonder if he was angry with me for what he saw. I knew I couldn't address it publicly, so I tucked the questions away in my brain to address later.
Helena handed me the bottle of dark brown liquid. It was the opposite of appealing. "What is this?" I questioned, debating if I should drink it.
"Rum," Brendan replied casually. "I like it, but I have no soul, so take my assessment with a grain of salt." I looked to Helena for reassurance.
"It's fucking nasty, girl," Helena spoke. "See if Eddie has any chasers." Like clockwork, Eddie and I locked eyes across the glowing fire.
"Got any chasers?" I asked him, my voice echoing loudly across the lake and making me cringe inside. He nodded his head, went into the shed, and emerged with two red cans. He sat in the empty seat next to me as he handed me one. I smiled softly, took a swig of the rum and immediately chased it with the Coke all in one swift motion, and… nothing. No gagging, no reaction, it tasted good!
"Wow, I actually really like that," I sighed in relief. Eddie reached for the bottle and I handed it to him. I watched him wrap his soft lips around the bottle, his adam's apple moving up and down underneath his skin as he swallowed the liquid. He sipped it effortlessly - no recoil, no chaser, it was as if he just drank water. He reached over me, his warm forearm bushing against my stomach, handing the bottle back to Brendan.
We sat and passed the bottle around for a little while, until Allison rose from her seat across the fire and sauntered over. She stood in front of Eddie, who was now holding the bottle, and held out her hand. He gave her a goofy grin and obliged, handing her the bottle. "You know rum is my favorite," she stated simply, sipping the bottle long and slow, even more effortlessly than Eddie.
"You better watch yourself, Allison," Helena cautioned, alarmed at the amount of rum she just swallowed in one sip.
"Coming from you," Allison scoffed, handing the bottle back to Eddie. "You remember Memorial Day Weekend, yeah?" I watched Helena's face contort into a defeated expression. "Maybe you don't, ya know, because you were so drunk?" Helena rolled her eyes while Allison smiled satisfyingly. Wow, I finally found the one person who could actually get under Helena's skin, I thought amusedly.
"Yeah, that was a bad weekend, not gonna lie," Brendan concurred.
"Tell me more," I asked Allison. Helena nudged me in annoyance.
"Helena thought she could take a bottle of vodka to the face without repercussions," Allison stated simply. "Let's just say she slept next to the toilet bowl that night."
"In my defense, I had just started a new medication," Helena responded hastily. "I think it was just a bad reaction. Nothing more." Allison nodded sarcastically and shrugged, simply retreating back to her seat across the fire.
"Can you come help me grab more wood?" Eddie asked me.
"Me?" I responded confusedly. "I'm not an Eagle Scout, I dunno if I'll be of much help." He smiled amusedly and stood without another word. Like clockwork, I followed him into the shed. He grabbed my hand as we entered, pulling my body closer to his. He began to kiss me, which I enjoyed momentarily, but suddenly pushed away. "Is this all I'm good for?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, both hurt and amused at the same time.
"No, of course not… but I surely enjoy it," he smirked, our bodies still pressed close together, our breathing in sync.
"Well, yeah, me too," I responded as if it was obvious. "But I dunno, it's just… a lot for me. I'm innocent, remember?" I asked, feeling vulnerable yet playful at the same time.
"Yes, you are," he growled against my lips, but then suddenly pulled away and leaned back against the fridge, arms crossed and gazing at me amusedly. "Okay, fine, I hear you. What are you doing next weekend?" he asked.
"Erm, I'll be down here?" I responded confusedly.
"Wonderful. Clear your schedule Friday night, I'm taking you out," he smiled smugly. My stomach erupted with butterflies, my face flushing red.
"Okay," I giggled, perhaps too excitedly. "Where are we going?" I asked. He shrugged.
"You'll just have to wait and see."