When we pulled into the parking lot I spotted Jen’s car. Her and Hastings, along with Megan and Greg were outside sitting on one of the bright yellow picnic tables scarfing down combos, Jennifer’s ever-present chocolate shake sitting in front of her.
“She’s got her milkshake, Mikey,” Coop quipped.
“Should I tell her I get my dick sucked whenever I want now?”
“Yeah, right,” he scolded. “Only if you want the last time to bethelast time.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
I parked next to Jennifer’s car and we hopped out, heading toward their table. Hastings and Jen were wrapped up in each other like two pretzels. I was actually happy for them. Hastings had been good for Jen and didn’t take any of her shit. Jen would never admit it, but I think she secretly liked not being the boss and controlling everything.
“You go ahead and grab a seat, Coop. I’ll grab our fries and a coupla McChickens,” I said, “Hey, I see they’re buy one get one. Want two each?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?” he asked.
“Not if the bear’s in a zoo,” I replied, dusting off an oldie but a goodie.
I stood in line, got our food, and headed back outside. While I’d been inside, Cammie Swenson and her girlfriend Josie had shown up and were sitting at the table with the group. I’m positive Iturned as white as a sheet at a Klan rally when I noticed her. Cammie was the classmate that had egged Cooper on the day he died. Other kids had said she’d teased him so much he’d finally given in and attempted to cross the lake, thus drowning because he was a weak swimmer.
There was no way in this parallel universe that Cammie could possibly know that I hated her fucking guts. In fact before Coop had drowned, I’d liked her and her bold choice to live out and proud as a lesbian in Idaho. Particularly because she was as feminine as they came and could’ve hidden the fact had she wanted to. With that said though, she also spoke like a goddamn trucker.
After the funeral I got in her face and said some horrible things to her. Most of our classmates had witnessed us and things went south for her after that. In fact, Cammie never returned from college. I hadn’t seen her in more than a decade, and here she was sitting right in front of me with no clue about what had happened. Hell, for that matter none of them did. I paused and took a deep breath.She doesn’t know, Mike. She doesn’t know. Nothing has happened. Calm the fuck down.
“Hey, Mike,” she said, patting the space beside her. “Youhaveto join us tomorrow, dude.”
“For?” I asked, ice running through my veins.
She didn’t need to tell me. I’d already been expecting this.
My pulse quickened as dread filled my body to the point where I could have puked. Today’s date was August 29th.Tomorrow was the 30th. Thedayand thereasonI was here in their universe.
“We’re all heading out to Campbell Lake and Coop said he’s in so I figured you’d be coming along,” Cammie said, updating me. “Unless you’re a chicken shit,” she added. She was pretty but she was a piece of work.
“Yeah, hardly,” I stated. “I’m working. Coop and I can’t go.”
“When did you become his boss?” she asked, turning to Jennifer. “Jeez, girl. You dodged a bullet with this chauvinist pig.”
Jennifer laughed out loud, pumping her fist in the air.
Yeah, I still hated Cammie. “He won’t go without me,” I casually said. “We like hanging out together as much as we can. Sorry though.”
“You hear that, Cooper? Daddy says you can’t go,” she said so everyone could hear. Cammie loved to stir the shit. Funny how I’d forgotten that fact. “Sounds to me like someone’s been neutered.”
I’d heard enough. “Do me a favor, Cammie, and fuck off. How about that?”
“Ouch,” she half-seriously spoke. “That hurts, Mike,” she added, making a pouty face and touching her chest.
“Doesn’t matter because I’m actually going,” Coop stated. “With or without you.”
“I don’t think so,” I corrected. “Maybe another time.”
By then Hastings and Greg decided to share their two cents worth. “Jesus, Hill. Lighten the fuck up,” Greg said, high fiving Cammie.
“Fuck Hill, Cooper,” Hastings interjected. “I mean, I assume you are fuckin’ him and shit, but you can ride with me and Jen. I gotcha, bruh.”
I’m sure I had to be red with rage by then but had no reasonable way to explain my behavior. I was tempted to pop some heads then grab Coop and go the fuck home.
“We aren’t going,” I stated emphatically. “Zero chance. Nada. None.”
