Page 13 of Wasted Memories
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Thankfully, it wasn’t too windy tonight, but that didn’t stop the cold from seeping through my clothes. I was glad we had the heat emanating from the fire as well as the alcohol to warm us up.
I’d already had three beers and a shot of vodka I was suckered into. Apparently, the new rule for bonfires was if you complained about the cold, you had to take a shot. I learned my lesson the hard way.
Stella came back with two more beers, holding one out to me. I took it from her after she sat down on the log next to me, huddling close for extra warmth.
“So, did Jett tell you I went on a date last night?” Stella asked.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why would Jett tell me- Oh my God! You and Brendt? Stella, you gave in!”
“I did.” She laughed, leaning her head on my shoulder. “We just got dinner, nothing happened. He talked a lot more when it was just the two of us. Maybe he’s just nervous around you and Jett. No one can compete with you guys.”
“Oh, stop. I’m sure he just feels like he can express his feelings when the guys aren’t around to make fun of him for it.”
She shrugged, taking a long pull of her beer. “Probably.”
“Besides, I don’t know if that’s true, that no one can compete with us. I feel like all Jett does nowadays is drink if he’s not at work. He hasn’t been himself recently.” I trailed my fingers over the condensation running down the neck of the bottle.
“Probably stress or something. Guys don’t know how to talk about their feelings, so they drink.”
I laughed. “You got that right.” I chugged the rest of my beer and threw the bottle over at the trash bin sitting ten feet from us, making it in. I stood up, grabbing Stella’s hand to drag her with me.
“I need to get moving or I’ll become an actual ice cube.”
She gave me her signature mischievous look and yelled, “We need a shot over here!”
I cursed as Jessica’s boyfriend, Todd, brought a bottle of vodka over, the group chanting “shot” over and over again.
Todd popped the lid off the bottle and held it up.
“No glass this time?” I eyed the bottle and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the burn down my throat.
“It’s your second fuck up, gotta take it like a champ. Open wide!” He positioned the bottle above my head, ready to pour.
I tilted my head back and opened my mouth, closing my eyes tight - I figured he probably didn’t have the best aim being intoxicated.
He tilted the bottle just enough, the liquid burning its way down my throat, warming my chest. My mouth was filled with vodka by the time he stopped pouring. I swallowed what was left, wincing at the taste.
Todd gave me a high five as I grabbed for Stella’s beer to use as a chaser, swishing the brown liquid around in my mouth. “I’d tell you not to slip up again, but I really don’t mind having to give you another shot.”
Jessica smacked him in the arm and he rubbed the spot, a huge grin pasted on his face.
A smile on my face, I shook my head as I grabbed Stella’s hand, pulling her over to the bag I brought with me. I pulled out a few sparklers and handed her a couple.
“Shall we?” I lit mine with the lighter in my pocket, then used my sparkler to light hers. The sparks flew out in all directions and I marveled at them.
We started this tradition of lighting sparklers at the beach every time we were here together a few months back after the Fourth of July.
Sparklers didn’t get the recognition they deserved. I didn’t understand why people really only used them around that time of year, or on New Years’. Life was too short to wait a whole year for just one day to do something that was fucking beautiful.
I’ve never had a moment where I wasn’t smiling when I had a sparkler in my hand. You can dance with them, write your name in the air, chase people around with the fear of getting hit by a spark. What’s not to love?
I was spinning in circles - which probably wasn’t helping the mixture of light and dark alcohol in my system - waving my sparkler around when I heard Stella yell, waving her sparklers in the air almost like she was trying to get someone’s attention.
I stopped spinning and looked in the direction she was facing. I quickly wished I hadn’t.
I tried to act like my heart hadn't stopped when Wesley’s truck pulled into the parking lot.
