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“Sorry, mate,” Liam interrupted, “but I’ve got a pounding headache. Mind if we sit down and talk all this out later? How about sandwiches at Earl’s in an hour?”
“I already ate at the diner, but I’ll meet you at Earl’s,” Jack said. “That’s better than staring out my window at the guest house and wondering what Alyssa is up to.”
“Good stuff. Sorry again for the confusion this morning. I owe you a beer. And Mateo owes you a fancy mixed drink from his bar.”
“With the good Cuban rum,” Mateo chimed in. “From the top shelf.”
“The kind you never let us white boys drink?” Jack asked.
“For you? I will make an exception,” Mateo said.
There were more bro-hugs, and then the door shut. I counted to ten, then slowly emerged from the bathroom. Mateo and Liam were both standing out there, looking awkward.
“So,” I said. “It was Jack who carried me out of the burning house.”
28
Alyssa
2016
“Are you sure we’re invited?” I asked Brandi as we walked up to the front door.
“Kyle said that Jack said that everyone in our class can come,” she replied.
“Just because we’re invited doesn’t mean we’re welcome,” I pointed out. “What if it’s awkward?”
Brandi rolled her eyes. “Stop worrying! This will be fun. And if it’s not, we can go home. But I think you’ll like seeing all the students from our graduating class one last time. Everyone leaves for college in a couple of weeks. This will be the last time we ever see some of these people.” She elbowed me and added, “Might be a good chance to pop your cherry before going to Clemson.”
I ignored the last part and said, “You’re assuming I want to see these people. What if it’s a prank? What if Jack made sure we heard about the invitation so he could kick us out in front of everyone?”
“I don’t know why you still have this weird impression of Jack Franco,” Brandi insisted, knocking on the door. “He’s not the same little boy who picked on you when we were younger. He’s matured.”
The door opened, and Jack was there in the flesh. And so much of his flesh was on display: he wore a pair of tight blue swim trunks with little red sharks on them, with his tree-trunk thighs practically tearing the fabric. The only other thing he wore was a matching pair of blue sunglasses.
He’s matured all right. Emotionally and physically.
“Brandi. Alyssa. You came.” He removed the sunglasses and smiled at me. “Everyone’s out back by the pool. There’s a keg in the kitchen, and cans of beer in the garage fridge. Make yourselves at home.”
I tried not to admire his bare upper body as we followed him into the kitchen. Someone called for him, and he went off down a hallway. Brandi and I got in line at the keg, filling red solo cups with brown beer. It smelled yeasty and terrible.
“I see Kyle over by the grill,” Brandi said. “Are you going to be okay if I leave you?”
“You don’t have to babysit me,” I said with a laugh. “Besides, I’m the older sister.”
“Only by ten minutes! Hey, quick favor. Make sure I don’t do anything stupid?”
I smirked. “Like I’ve ever been able to stop you from doing that.”
“Come on, you know what I mean. Just check in if you don’t see me for a while. Make sure I’m not puking by myself in the bathroom. I really want to make things work with Kyle, and I don’t want him to see me get wild, you know?”
“I promise to babysit you,” I said.
“Love you, Alyssa!” Brandi hurried over to her boyfriend, hugging him from behind. The two of them were cute, although they probably wouldn’t last once they both left for college. Long distance relationships never worked, no matter how perfect they seemed.
I walked around saying hi to my classmates. The sun was hot overhead, and the pool in Jack’s backyard was clear and inviting. A few guys were playing Marco Polo while a cluster of girls sat with their feet in the pool, egging them on and giving hints as to where everyone was.
I found an open pool chair and settled in. The beer was cold, but tasted awful. It was only the second time I’d ever had alcohol before, and I was not a fan. But our mother had been extra difficult lately, and it felt good to rebel. Besides, I would be going to Clemson next month. It was probably a good idea to get used to the taste of beer now.
