Page 154 of Finding Delaware

“What?”

You’re beautiful.

“Nothing,” I reply instead, resting my cheek in my palm. “Just waiting for you to freak out.”

His eyes drop down to where my teeth sink into my bottom lip. “Why would I freak out? I’ve done this before, remember?”

“With caps?”

“No,” he frowns. “What’s the difference?”

“Oooh, boy,” Matt laughs, shaking his head. “You’re in for a wild night, man.”

Logan’s eyes jump around nervously. “What, why?”

Xed rolls his eyes. “There’s a mass theory that the shroom caps are more potent than the stems, but it’s all bullshit, in my opinion. It’s all the same.”

“Agree to disagree.” Christian pulls Arya onto his lap. “Stems just make me chill. Caps make me contemplate life and the existence of outer space and shit.”

“It’s all in your head, dude.”

Salem puts a hand on Logan’s erratically bouncing knee. “Don’t get anxious. You’ll have a bad trip if you’re anxious.”

“I’m not,” he says quickly, glancing down at where she’s touching him, and Arya giggles.

“I have an idea,” she announces, shooting a glare at Xed and me as we groan simultaneously. “Who wants to make this night even more fun?”

“We arenothaving an orgy, Arya,” Xed grumbles, scrubbing his face. “Not everyone wants to see you naked.”

Christian grins widely, nuzzling his face into his girlfriend’s neck. “Well, they should. I love showing her off.”

“That’s not what I meant,” she protests, and I scoff as I lean back in my seat.

“Been there, done that. Literally. Hard pass.”

There’s a brief silence while everyone gapes at me before Arya jumps angrily off Christian’s lap. “You guys are such fucking dicks!”

She hops the log fence and makes for the trees, disappearing into the dark before anyone can stop her.

Salem throws me a deadly look as she takes off, too. “Nice going, asshole.”

“Hey! Salem, get back here,” Xed shouts as Christian shakes his head at me and rises from his seat as well.

“Not cool, Tay.”

Ah, fuck.

He goes after the girls, and just when I think things can’t get any worse, Matty hops to his feet and runs in the complete opposite direction as everyone else.

“Every man for himself,” he hollers, laughing maniacally when I call after him to stay put. “Catch me if you can, fuckers!”

“Goddammit.” Xed sprints after him in a heartbeat, barely tossing me a glance.

Before I know it, I’m alone with Huck and Logan, both gazing at me wide-eyed. One look at their pupils tells me the shrooms have started to hit.

Fucking great.

“You two stay here,” I growl firmly, heading toward where Christian, Salem, and Arya disappeared. “I mean it. Holdhands, sit on each other’s laps, whatever you gotta do to stay in your damn seats. Do not go anywhere, or I swear to fuck, you’ll be sorry.”

---