Page 14 of Owen Gardner is Losing It

“Okay. So, you know John Mayer?”

My smile involuntarily vanished–I already didn’t like where this was going. She never got the opportunity to name the song, though, because somebody tossed a cup full of liquor on the fire, which caused the flames to shoot up a few feet. The sudden roar of the fire was so loud, everyone jumped back, and a few people screamed. Startled, Beth grabbed my elbow, and I gently placed my hand on her back. “Are you okay?”

She giggled to cover her fear. “I’m fine.”

I silently thanked the person who threw their drink on the fire for bringing Beth and me closer together. But just as I was getting comfortable with my hand on her back, Xander swooped in on her other side and bent over to pick something up from the ground. “This yours?”

The unfinished dandelion crown Abigail had been working on dangled from his pointer finger. He must not have seen her sitting on the ground making it earlier, and neither had Beth, who said, “No, but that’s adorable.”

Xander stepped forward, draping the dandelion chain over Beth’s head like a headband. The two of them made eye contactthe entire time, and Beth breathed out a soft giggle. “It’s yours now,” Xander said, not taking his eyes off of her.

I removed my hand from Beth’s back and shot a glare in Xander’s direction, but he was too entranced by Beth to notice. He didn’t see Abigail approach him from the other side, either. I watched her eyes travel from Beth’s flower headband to Xander’s face, a crease forming between her brows. “Hey, Xan, do you have a longer extension cord somewhere?”

He turned to her, narrowing his eyes. “What for?”

“We can barely hear the music out here. I want to move my speaker closer.”

“There’s probably a decent one in my grandpa’s work shed.”

Abigail looked over her shoulder in the direction of the little shed, which was beyond the chicken coop and past all the cars lining the drive, barely visible in the dark. “Oh. It’s pretty dark out there.” She turned to Xander with wide, sparkling eyes. “I’m a little scared.”

A second passed. And then another. And another. I was practically screaming at Xander in my mind to take Abigail by the hand and walk her down there, but instead, that idiot smiled and said, “Scared of what, the chickens?”

Frustrated, I tipped my cup back and drank the last of my beer before saying. “I’ll go with you.” I put my cup down and nodded for her to follow me. And, making sure Xander could see, I put my hand on Abigail’s back just as I had with Beth, ushering her into the darkness.

I pulled my hand away once we made it out of everyone’s line of sight. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re totally fine, Owen. I understand exactly why you did that.”

“He’s really pissing me off.”

“I can tell.”

“I don’t get it.” I pulled out my phone and used the screen to illuminate the gravel in front of us as we walked, which wasn’t as effective as I’d hoped. You’d think Apple would have thought to add a built-in flashlight by now. “Why is he acting like this when he likes you?”

“But he doesn’t.”

“Like hell he doesn’t. He’s obsessed with you, Abigail. For some reason he wants to act like he’s not, but he is, and he always has been. He wanted to be the guy you lost your virginity to. He’d kill me for telling you that, but right now, I don’t care.”

We had reached the metal shed, but Abigail paused and turned to me before lifting the latch. “When did he say that?”

“Today. At Boomer’s.”

“Well, he’s got a really weird way of showing it,” she said, turning the latch and pulling the heavy metal door of the shed open.

I pulled down on the chain above to turn on the light. A single bulb flickered on, illuminating Xander’s grandpa's workspace. The area was cluttered with piles of wood and half-finished projects, and a sturdy workbench held an assortment of saws and blueprints.

I’d talked to Xander’s grandpa a couple of times. He was a gentle, quiet man, and it was near impossible to understand his mumblings sometimes. Ever since Xander was little, he’d been walking from his house down the hill to his grandparents’ to hang out here in this shed.

In one corner, there was a large army cot covered in a red flannel blanket. Abigail was staring at it with a grin, likely remembering one of her many childhood make-out sessions with Xander. But her smile gradually faded, and she sucked in a deep breath.

“I hate how much I like Xander.”

“I just hate Xander.”

“No you don’t,” she said, spinning around to scan the room for an extension cord. “Neither of us can ever quit him.”

“I just can’t believe he’s trying to steal Beth out from under me.”

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