Page 26 of Fun at Parties
When I lie on the bed (which has clean-looking sheets, thankfully), I stretch out my limbs, taking up all the space I couldn’t when I was jammed in the car next to Nate. The air eases out of my lungs, and it feels like the first breath I’ve taken all day. My eyes fight to close, but I’m overdue for a check-in with Bailey.
All this time I’m spending with Nate reminds me of how close I came to blowing my friendship with Bailey on my first weekend in Seapoint, when he invited me to First Cove for a late-night swim after the pizza vandalism incident.
The camp wasn’t far from Bailey’s house, just another couple blocks inland from the beach. Nate had a key and the alarm code. There was a brick building with an indoor pool visible through a set of big windows, but we went through a gate to the outdoor pool, which was Olympic-sized and gleamed in the moonlight.
“They’re closing it for the season next week,” Nate said.
Bailey and I had spent the afternoon at the beach, and I was still wearing my bathing suit under my shorts and new hoodie. Nate’s eyes tracked the path of my clothes as I peeled them off, and his attention to my exposed skin made me woozy. When he noticed I’d caught him, he blinked rapidly and turned away to shuck his T-shirt. That meant I got to freely drink in the ripple of his backmuscles and the dimples at the base of his spine until he spun around and dove in. I followed his lead.
The water was cold, but after a few minutes I couldn’t feel it. We treaded water and looked at each other. Nate seemed different with his hair wet and slicked back, his eyes like a summer storm. Eventually, he said, “My dad tried to pay someone to take my SATs so I’d get into Princeton.”
“What?”
“His alma mater. I had no idea until he got caught and it made the news. Not, like,The New York Times,but my dad is a pretty well-known real estate developer around here, so the local papers covered it. That’s why I decided not to go to college.”
I gasped. “That’s horrible. Bailey said you’re super smart. You could’ve gotten into a good school on your own.”
He tipped his head back to rewet his hair. “Yeah, well. He obviously thought I was missing something. And now that it’s out there, even if I get in somewhere on my own, people will wonder if I earned it. That makes me sick.”
How shitty, to decide your child isn’t enough, that you need to cheat the system to turn them into the person you want them to be. “That sucks,” I said. “Our parents really screwed us over. I get your whole ‘mopey boy who doesn’t want anyone to see him’ thing now.”
His mouth turned down at the corner, and I wasn’t sure if I’d gone too far, but then he laughed. Helaughed,and for once the rest of his face went as soft as his eyes. He tried to hide it, ducking his chin and covering hismouth, but I saw enough. “Ouch. I thought my emotional wounds were on the inside.” He shook his head. “I get your whole thing too.”
I kicked my legs harder, straightening my spine. “What’s my whole thing?”
He didn’t answer. We were closer together than we’d been at the start, and I couldn’t breathe even though the long runs I’d taken all summer should’ve been enough for me to handle a few minutes of treading water. My heart thudded like a battering ram in my chest. His eyes went to my mouth, and his foot brushed mine.
Giana’s words came back to me.It’s so annoying when girls come to our parties just to try to hook up with the guys.
A droplet of water clung to the skin above his lip. I wanted to taste it so badly. He pushed a strand of wet hair off my face.
I needed Bailey to be my friend.
Before I could think twice, I dropped below the surface, sinking down as far as I could go. When I came up for air, Nate was on the other side of the pool. He never made a move on me again.
As I got closer to the Seapoint crew over the years—joining the group chat, hanging out with them when we were in the same cities—Bailey knew Nate and I were friends. But she doesn’t know about the moment in the pool, or how our month in L.A. ended. I can’t tell her the truth now, when our friendship is so off-kilter.
Guess where I am, I text her.
OMG ARE YOU HERE?she responds immediately, at the same time I quickly typeNOT your house.
She says:You got my hopes up, but honestly it’s for the best. I did one of those foot peels last night and I’m shedding like a snake today. My feet are being reborn before my very eyes.
Ew, I reply, but it’s a good sign for our friendship that she’s telling me something this gross.Please let me feel the final results when I get there.
So not Tahoe anymore? Too many paparazzi chasing you around?Bailey asks.
I snap a photo of myself grinning with theWelcome to Las Vegaspamphlet I find on the desk.
Bailey:How did Logan convince you to do this?!
I fill her in as much as I can, omitting the awkwardness between Nate and me, and Nate’s reason for chasing Logan. I don’t know how widely he’s sharing his camp dreams yet. It doesn’t feel like my news to spread.
Bailey:So it’ll be like a live-action Where’s Waldo, except everyone in the picture will be drinking Red Bull vodkas and trying to grind on you?
Quinn:Lol. Yes. But once we find him, it’s going to be a really fun night!
The hum of the air conditioning is powerful, and I’m starting to drift off when Bailey fires off one more excellent question.What happens if you don’t find him?
