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Jon laughed, seeming to know my meaning. He waved his hand through the air, trying to bat away the smoke that was coming from Juni and Teddy. “Yeah, I bet he is. Come on.” He and Chance steered me away from Juni to the opposite corner of the yard. There was a plastic table with matching white chairs. Jon eased me into the seat, taking one across from me, and Chance stood to the side, looking down at his phone.
I took a drink and winced. The alcohol seemed stronger in this one.
“So, I guess that answers that question for me.” Jon relaxed back as much as the flimsy chair would allow.
“What are you talking about?” I pushed my hair out of my face.
“Whether or not you two are dating,” Jon said, and I looked up at him.
I rolled my eyes and set the cup down on the table. “Alex already told you that we aren’t dating.”
“No. He just avoids the question every time. It’s never, ‘No, we aren’t dating.’ It’s always a change of topic.”
“Well, maybe it’s an annoying question.”?
Jon laughed. “Oh, so there is some bite in you.”
I didn’t have any bite in me. I was just reeling from what I’d witnessed, my stupid brain putting myself into a situation that I wasn’t even in.
Not anymore.??
Never again.??
I looked down at my drink again and wished it was water. Jon seemed to read my expression and stood.
“Chance, you should have gotten her water, you idiot.”
“How the fuck was I supposed to know what to get her? We are at a party,” he said, as if that explained everything.
Jon smacked the back of his head, and Chance whined.
“I’ll get you a bottle of water. Be right back.” Jon shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off.
I watched him until he disappeared through the door. Chance was now sitting in the chair across from me.
“So, you’re the girl Alex has been hanging out with now.”
“That’s me.” I stated, not sure how else to respond to him. I wished Jon hadn’t left me with this guy. I didn’t know him. I brought the drink back to my lips. I looked into my cup, I could smell the strength of the liquor, but the sips came easier now. I couldn’t taste the alcohol, only the sweetness of the punch. It pushed the memory away, let me feel like I wasn’t in my abused body anymore.
It never happened to this Wren.??
Chance tucked his phone away. “What grade are you in?”
“I’ll be a senior this year.”
“Interesting.” He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. “We’re in the same grade, but I hadn’t noticed you before.”
I held back the urge to roll my eyes.
“Why’d you freak out in there? Having a bad trip or something?”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, dropping my head between my shoulders. The cool air felt good on my clammy skin. “There were just too many bodies in there,” I answered. I didn’t know this guy, but I didn’t want him to think I was weird, and I really didn’t want this to get back to Alex.
I wanted to move on and live a normal teenage life. This was something normal kids my age had done. Parties were normal. I had half a mind to go over to Juni and try the weed she was smoking.
But I would never try drugs.
My dad used them to lessen his pain, and I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.
