Page 6 of Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

TWO

SKYLER

The graveyard was old, housing large, cracked tombstones with faded letters that were impossible to make out. It had an eeriness about it, something ominous that was palpable in the air. The surrounding forest seemed darker, with spindly trees and branches that reminded me of fanged devils and all things horror. A crow could be heard in the distance, where it sat perched on top of the church’s awning, scrubbing the underside of its feathered wing with its dark beak. It cawed again, and I took another swig of beer while staring up at it.

All around me, students talked. The entire football team was here to remember Nate. It was tasteless to drink alcohol and smoke weed at his gravesite, but whatever. Who was I to judge? After all, I was just here to show face.

We sat toward the back of the graveyard, where they kept the newer plots. As I lowered the bottle, swallowing a mouthful of lukewarm beer, it dawned on me that I would be buried here someday too, unless I managed to leave this town first. What a depressing fucking thought.

Seated on my right, Evelyn sang along to whatever pop song was playing on the boombox someone had brought with them.

Dustin was lying beside me on his back with an arm behind his head and his knees drawn up. He had his red cap over his face as if asleep, but I knew he was just stoned from the joint he’d just finished.

Lily dropped down in front of me and held out her palm. On top lay a small white pill with a wolf motif. I flicked my gaze up to hers, arching a brow. “Drugs?”

“Kevin brought a bag of them.”

“Screw it. I could do with a hit.” Evelyn snatched it up, and I watched as she swallowed it down with her beer without a second thought.

When I looked back at Lily, another pill took its place in her palm. I knew it was a bad idea, but I reached forward anyway, ready to do just about anything not to feel tonight.

Accepting it, I placed it on my tongue and took a sip while keeping my eyes on Lily.

She wore a black knitted hat with two white bobbles, a leather-lined coat, and light-blue jeans muddied at the knees.

Reaching into her pocket, she fished out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up, the ember sparking orange. Her jade eyes found mine again, sparkling with humor as she blew smoke out to the side, nudging her head toward Dustin on the ground. The boy in question tapped his right Adidas Gazelle in time to the music.

I knew she wanted me to talk to him. To put him out of his misery, like she used to say. I stuck my tongue out at her and then took another sip of beer. The fizz had diminished. Now it was lukewarm and flat and tasted like shit.

“I can’t believe he’s been gone a year,” Max said, lowering himself beside Lily. Lewis joined us too, pulling Harper down onto his lap.

A cloud of sickly perfume announced Alice’s arrival. She looked like she had dressed for summer in a short denim skirt. The skin on her tanned thighs—courtesy of the top-of-the-range sunbed she liked to boast about—was riddled with goosebumps.

She was cold, but she would sooner freeze to death than dress up warm like the rest of us. The only exception to this was the black puffer jacket she pulled tighter as she looked around our little group.

Her wispy fake lashes, decorated with gems, brushed her cheeks every time she blinked, and her mauve lipstick accentuated her plump lips. She was beautiful but shallow. Not that it mattered when she came from a rich family and was a star athlete. Maybe a great personality would benefit her twenty years from now, but no one gave a shit about that in high school. Not if she proved beneficial on the social ladder.

Alice was the one all the boys wanted to fuck, and all the girls wanted to be. Though I was sure some girls secretly wanted to fuck her, too.

“I can’t believe they still haven’t caught the person who did it,” she muttered, stretching her long legs out in front of her as she shifted sideways. “The fucking scum is still out there somewhere.”

“I bet it was someone passing through,” Lewis replied, peppering kisses over the slender curve of Harper’s neck. “Maybe even one of the truckers that passes through.”

Alice rolled her eyes, her long brown hair moving in the gentle, cold breeze. “Or maybe it was someone jealous of him.”

“Like a crazy ex?” Lewis teased, but then his eyes fell on Nate’s gravestone behind Alice, and he sobered up. Their friend was gone, his life cut short.

“He had so much potential. Dad always said he would go far.” Lewis took a sip of his beer in thought and raked a hand through his brown mop of hair.

Tasting bile in my mouth, I raised the bottle to my mouth for another sip, only to realize it was empty. Typical. My head started spinning, the blood in my veins coursing faster as the drug took effect. Euphoria slowly eased my worries. I breathed a relieved sigh and flopped onto my back beside Dustin, who lifted his cap.

A smirk touched his lips, his eyes sparkling.

I stared up at the cloudy sky, watching a crow fly in circles overhead. The chatter continued around me, a pleasant buzz mixing with the music I didn’t care for. But while the drug was adding color to my gray existence, I found myself enjoying the latest hit song. It had a catchy beat and repetitive lyrics.

Round and round, the crow flew. Beside me, Dustin had shifted onto his stomach and discarded his red cap. He stared at my side profile with his arms beneath his cheek until I rolled my head to look at him. “How are you feeling?”

The fresh cut on my arm stung deliciously. I was hyperaware of it now. “Amazing.”

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