Page 26 of The Pact

“I see you already said hi to the guys.” Bode returns to my side, interrupting the moment between me and his best friend.

His smile is still as relaxed as before, I notice, relieved that seeing me hug his friends doesn’t bother him.

“Are you hungry? Come on, let’s get some hotdogs to roast on the fire and some stuff to make s’mores after.”

I follow him to the folding table and we begin to fill our plates with the simple foods on display. It’s mostly chips, salads and stuff that can be roasted on a live fire.

“Would you like a beer?” Kelley offers me one of the two red solo cups he just filled at the keg and I hesitate.

It goes without saying that in my parents’ house I wasn’t allowed any booze. I had a drink or two on the few occasions I went out with Mc and every time the alcohol went straight to my head. I don’t know if tonight I should be drinking or keeping my wits about me. Not that I think Bode or Kelley would ever try to take advantage of me if I did.

“If you don’t like beer there’s wine coolers or something stronger,” Kelley offers, but Bode must pick up on my hesitation.

“Or if you prefer a can of soda, we have some of that too.”

I nod, opening my mouth to thank him, ignoring the annoyance evident on Kelley’s features when a familiar voice makes me freeze like a deer in front of headlights.

“I’ll take that beer, Kel, if your friend doesn’t want it.”

Lynda Greggs saunters by the table in a neon pink bikini top and jean cut-offs.

Her eyes barely skim over me and I hold my breath, sure that she’ll say something that will give away who I am. Not that the guys should care, as they didn’t really know me back at school, no one did. But I liked having a clean slate, being liked for me, not always being associated with my father’s church. And yeah, fuck, Kelley’s reaction earlier on tells me that he probably wouldn’t want to hang out with me if he knew.

My heart is beating fast against my rib cage as I’m frantically trying to come up with an explanation of why I didn’t tell them immediately that we actually went to school together for almost four years.

“Whatever.” Kelley shrugs passing her the cup.

“You promised you’d teach me how to play soccer, are you coming?” Lynda whines, pulling on Kelley’s arm and dragging him away without sparing me another look.

A wave of relief washes over me at the thought that she might’ve not recognized me and again, I have mixed feelings about it.

I know that if the guys changed their minds about hanging out with me because of my father, that would mean that they aren’t really my friends but I’m not ready to find out. Not yet.

9.

On Fire

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