Page 20 of Playing with the Heartbreaker

Maybe it’s just my optimism, but this lemon sports drink tastes even sweeter today than usual. I smile into my cup like a complete fool and sit down on a free hay bale near the bonfire.

The sun is already setting and spreading its watercolor of pink and orange across the golden corn fields. For this moment, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I wasn’t planning on coming to Lucas’s annual back to school bonfire. I would have been happy to skip it and spend my Saturday night playing video games instead, or even a pickup game at The Field.

But something told me I needed to come tonight, that I deserved a reprieve from my recent self-pity. Lo-and-behold, that little voice in the back of my head was right.

Popular hip hop booms from the Bluetooth speaker, and despite myself, my head bobs to the beat.

Jake plops down next to me and pulls Piper onto his lap. These two only started dating at the end of summer, but already they’ve cemented themselves as one of my favorite couples ever, PDA notwithstanding. But I can overlook it for them, especially tonight.

“Why are you smiling into your cup like you’re about to profess your undying love to it?” Jake asks.

I look up and laugh, a carefree kind I haven’t heard come out of my mouth in a while. “You know, I just might.”

“What are you drinking, anyway?” he continues. “And can I have some? Because this is the most relaxed I’ve seen you in months.”

I shrug.

Piper stage whispers, “I think he’s drunk on love.” To me, she says, “I heard you had a moment with Chloe at school yesterday.”

I nod. “I had a feeling we might be overheard. But I don’t even care about that, to be honest. What I do care about is that I made a move. And it went well.”

“Finally!” Jake smacks me on the shoulder hard enough that my drink slops over the edge. I could have just left it in the plastic bottle, but I didn’t feel like fielding questions about why I’m not drinking alcohol tonight, and it seemed safer just to pretend like I am, hence the red Solo cup that overflowed onto the grass.

“Dude,” Jake says. “That’s amazing. So, when are you taking her out?”

“I’m not. Not exactly. Not yet. I need to lay some groundwork first, let her see that the guy she thinks I am has been a fake persona.”

“Okaaaay,” Jake says. “Explain.”

I tell them all about running into Chloe in the music wing and the deal that we’ve made. Jake sighs. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t just go for it and ask her to be your girlfriend.”

But Piper nods. Her eyes crackle with the reflection of the fire, her red hair absorbing the glow and shining even brighter than usual. “I think that’s smart.” She takes a swig from her water bottle.

Lucas bounds out his back door, which is at least a soccer field’s length away, carrying metal pokers and a giant bag. For all Lucas’s complaining about his parents being uptight, they do let him throw an annual bonfire every fall to welcome in the new school year. If they know about the alcohol someone always sneaks in, they look the other way.

His parents are both lawyers, and his two older brothers are both in law school, on track to joining the family firm. They’ve always been way more serious than my friend.

“Happy bonfire,” I say, cheersing Lucas in the air with my drink when he makes it to the fire. He stops and his jaw drops. He hands the stuff to Jake and Piper, then makes a big show of rubbing his eyes and staring at me like I might disappear.

“Am I seeing things?” he asks Jake. “Or is Rhoads Simpson really at this bonfire and acting social?”

I smirk despite myself. I definitely deserve the ragging. “Eh, I had nothing better to do tonight. Figured I’d make an appearance.”

Lucas nods, closes his mouth, then his eyes spark to life, which is always a bit terrifying. Lucas is definitely the wild sheep of his family, and he loves to let loose and have a good time. “Now it’s officially a party!” he shouts. “Rhoads Simpson is in the house tonight, everyone!”

“Dude,” I whisper. “Chill.”

He stalks over to me and shakes the blond hair out of his eyes. “I will do no such thing. This calls for games.” He thrusts his pointed finger into the air and gestures to a few of the guys who had been huddling near the fire. They go with him to the shed and return with a six-foot table, which they unfold. Then Lucas takes out a stack of plastic cups and arranges them in triangles at either end of the table.

“In honor of my friend’s reappearance into society, we are having a pong tournament!” he shouts.

Cheers ring out across the field. Lucas’s family’s property is over five acres of mowed grass and cornfields. His house sits toward the front, but we’re all hanging out at the very back, disguised somewhat by trees. Even though we’re being loud, there’s nobody around to complain. His closest neighbors are about a quarter-mile away.

People line up and pour water into the cups and make sure their drinks are full. Lucas tosses two ping-pong balls to the first set of competitors, then he stands and beams at me as if I’ve single-handedly made this party successful just by existing.

“This is kind of ridiculous,” I mutter to Piper and Jake.

Jake tilts his head. His voice is low and calm. “We’ve all just missed you, you know?”