The music in the house stops abruptly, but it;s hard to focus on anything except the sparkling sky. The sliding glass door opens and a booming voice startles me, making me jump out of my skin.
“Put your hands up!”
I know that voice. I lurch to my feet, staggering as I raise my hands in the air and turn around. A flashlight is roving the backyard and I squint as it moves over my face. It trails down to my feet and lands on the red cup.
I can see red and blue lights flashing from the front of the house and spot an officer in the kitchen through the window.
I don’t know where Raquel is. I don’t know what to do. Running will get me in trouble but staying rooted in place will surely get me in even more.
“Thea,” I hear. It’s the same voice, only softer and my stomach drops.
It’s not just any cop.
It’s Charlie.
He walks toward me and grips my forearms, steadying me as I sway.
“Hey, Charlie,” I mutter, meeting his intense blue eyes for a moment before looking down at my feet. They’re like Beth’s in that sense, an icy blue, sharp enough to cut, and it’s like he can see straight through me.
My alcohol-induced buzz withers under his scrutiny.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he hisses.
I shrug.
“Walk a straight line,” he says as he releases my arms. He nods toward the grass.
I do as he says, or at least, I attempt to. I giggle as I teeter on the grass.
“Thea,” he repeats. “Come on.” He reaches for me and twists my arms behind my back.
“Am I going to jail?” I ask.
“No, you’re going to your aunt.”
A chill runs down my spine. I don’t know which option is worse.
“Listen to me,” he says, his voice low. “I’m going to take you to my squad car and then I’m taking you to Beth Ann.”
Charlie leads me around the front of the house, passing another officer and party-goer.
“I’ll be back,” he says as he leads me to his squad car. He opens the back door for me to get in. Wordlessly, I fumble with the buckle as Charlie shuts the door on me and walks around to the driver’s side.
“Beth Ann isn’t going to like this,” he says as he catches my eyes in the rear view mirror.
“I know,” I mumble. It was cute at first to hear him call her Beth Ann, but now it’s just annoying. I settle my gaze on the yard in front of me, watching officers lead out more underage drinkers. I blink my eyes in time with the flash of the lights on their cars to focus.
The ride home is quiet. There’s no music playing through the car and Charlie has his radio turned down low. I can hear a few more calls go out but I can’t make out what they say.
Charlie doesn’t speak to me as he drives, and I know he’s disappointed in me.
We arrive at Beth’s cottage and he kills the engine.
“Well,” he says, “might as well get this over with.”
Whether it’s delivering me or seeing Beth’s reaction, I’m not sure.
He gets out of the car and comes around to open my door. He slams it shut behind me and we trudge up the porch steps. I fumble with my keys but Charlie bangs on the door with his fist before I can find the right one.
