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“In case you haven’t noticed, CH isn’t exactly a center of academic excellence.” Jay winked at me, taking a long pull on his beer and wrapping Lilly closer to him. I envied them. Their closeness. I missed that. Even though it had been built on lies and ended in devastation, I missed feeling like the center of someone’s world.
“Earth to Becca, you want a smoke?” Scarlett held out the joint, and I stared at it. Smoking wasn’t my thing. In fact, I hated the smell, but I’d watched the guys get high. They always seemed so chilled… so relaxed. I was strung so tight I felt like I might implode at any second.
“Becca, you don’t have to,” Lilly whispered, but I found myself nodding as I slipped my fingers around the end.
“I just inhale?”
Scarlett nodded back. “Don’t take too much though.”
I brought the joint to my lips, pausing for a second to give myself time to back out.
I didn’t.
Closing my mouth, I inhaled. A bitter taste filled my mouth as the smoke hit the back of my throat, and I started choking and spluttering everywhere. Scarlett rolled her eyes in amusement, taking the joint from me while the guys found my inexperience hysterical.
“Maybe stick to beer, Becca, huh?” Jay handed me a bottle, and I unscrewed it, taking a long pull to try to wash away the god-awful taste.
I tried not to watch as Jay whispered in Lilly’s ear, running his hand along the inside of her thigh. She giggled, turning her face to him and then he helped her to her feet. “We’ll be back in a bit. If the room is a rocking, don’t come a knocking.”
“Jay.” She batted him in the stomach, her cheeks working a serious blush. “Seriously?”
“All I’m saying…”
“Well, don’t.” She stormed off with him hot on her heels. Scarlett kicked her feet up on the bumper car and leaned back, taking a long drag on her joint. “Don’t look so surprised.”
“I’m not, I mean, I wasn’t…”
“You really need to lighten up,” Scarlett said harshly. I’d learned now that it was her way. She didn’t mean anything by it. She just didn’t sugarcoat things. “If you want to survive CH, you need to toughen up. Kids get drunk. They get high. They fuck in dark corners of clubs or in the back seat of their cars. I don’t know what you were doing in the school you went to before, but out here, kids do whatever they can to forget their shitty existences.”
She made it sound so sad. I knew all about wanting to forget. About wishing you could change things. But it hadn’t led me to do any of those things.Yet.Well, if you discounted my lame attempt at getting high.
“I’m available, ladies,” Vin piped up, stretching his arms behind his head. “Just saying.”
“I wouldn’t touch that”—she swept a hand down—“in a hazmat suit.”
“Geez, I’m not that bad.” He looked genuinely offended.
“Vin, I hate to break it to you, buddy, but you’re one of the worst.”
He jumped up and rubbed his hands down his jeans. “I’m going to take a piss.”
“Wait up, I’ll walk with you, I need to get something from my car.” Scarlett jumped up and went after him.
“Scarlett,” I called, glancing at Malachi as he sat on the edge of the track.
She waved me off. “I’ll be right back. Drink more. Today is a good day for drinking and getting high and…” She paused, rubbing her stomach. “Food, I need food.”
“They’re not…” I looked at Malachi.
“Scarlett and Vin?” He laughed. “No way.”
“Oh, okay.” Not that it mattered. I wasn’t interested in Vin, so the two of them could do whatever they wanted, but I couldn’t imagine a stranger couple.
“It was rough, what Kendall did. She doesn't like outsiders.”
“So I’ve heard.” I sighed, mentally recalling all the times I’d heard that.
“She’ll back off eventually. Get bored and move on. You just have to ride it out.”
