Page 13 of Never Too Late

“Hey, Mom. I thought I heard the door.” I made my way down the stairs and looked at the other people.

“Hey, Lilly. Happy birthday, girl. Come give me a hug.” I smiled then. A real smile that pulled at my heart, and I moved into his arms.

Even though it only lasted a second, I felt a tension there that I hadn’t felt before. When he pulled back, I thought I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen in them, and it had me blushing at his attention.

“Hey now, let me get a picture of the two of you. You’re so beautiful, Margot.” My mom looked at me with tears in her eyes.

Jake and I posed for a few photos, and then the doorbell was ringing again before I had a chance to say anything to him without my mom around.

Jake opened the front door and let in my date. Jared matched his tux to my dress just like he said he would after I told him I wanted to wear gray. His vest and tie were the same shade, and the flowers that he held in his hand were colored to match as well.

His eyes shone as he looked at me, and I wished that I were attracted to the other boy.

He was blond with blue eyes and a dimple in his cheek when he smiled. Still, standing next to Jake, he just looked like a pale comparison, and there was nothing he or I could do about it.

I smiled at him, hoping that he didn’t see the reluctance in my eyes.

“Hey, Jared. You look great,” I said, moving to hug him.

“Me? You’re stunning, Margot. Seriously.” He let his hands rest on my hips after the hug, and then he kissed my cheek.

After posing for more photos and saying goodbye to my mom and Jake, the two of us left. I hadn’t told Jared it was my birthday, and I couldn’t explain why.

Prom was fun, I guess.

We danced and sang along with music that was both cheesy and hilarious at the same time. I got to see some of my best friends again, and we took a ton of pictures throughout the night. When Jared asked me to go to an after-party, I didn’t think twice about it before saying yes.

It was out in the woods, at a camp. As we were driving down the road, I started to lose cell reception, so before I chickened out, I typed out a quick text and hit send.

Margot

Hey, I’m going to an after-party up at Jared’s family camp. Would you come get me in an hour and take me home? I don’t want to worry Mom.

It was after midnight already, and I knew that everyone was going to be drinking, and I didn’t want to stay too long. No answering text came through, but I knew that Jake wouldn’t let me down. He never did.

The party was already started when we pulled into the lot, with ten or more trucks parked around the gravel driveway. Jared helped me out of the car, and I immediately regretted not changing into other clothes. When we each had a drink in our hands, he moved to the bonfire that someone had started, leaving me on my own, because we weren’t anything more than friends. As I wandered around, I felt a tingling suspicion that someone was watching me, but there was no one there.

The old wood camp was one that I spent a lot of time at while I was growing up. The walls were sturdy and made from wood that Jared’s grandparents had cut themselves. The shingles on the roof were old as well, and there wasn’t any electricity to the building. It didn’t change the fact that everyone would come here to hang out and party. As I made my way to the outhouse to relieve myself, I thought I saw something in the woods.

“Hello, is anyone there?” I called, hoping that it was nothing. Someone started walking out of the woods, and my breath caught in my throat.

“You know, legally I should be reporting this and getting it shut down. Underage drinking isn’t anything to joke about.” He said the words, but I knew that he didn’t want to do anything about it. Not with the way his eyes were on me.

“You came.” I smiled.

“And you’ve been drinking,” he answered back smarmily. “Why am I not surprised, Lilly-girl.”

“I have to pee. Hold my beer for a minute. Wait, can I use your flashlight?” He handed it to me, and I turned it on before sticking it in my mouth and closing the door to the outhouse. After I finished using the toilet, I turned it off and closed the door behind me.

“Thanks,” he said. “I can’t believe you just stuck this in your mouth.” He wiped it off on my dress before putting it back in his holster. “I really do have to call this in, Margot. Do you want to come sit in my cruiser?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to go.” I followed him back through the woods, holding my dress so that it didn’t get caught on anything.

He led me to his cruiser, and when I crawled into the front seat, he called in the party. On some level, I knew that he would. After he was done, he slid into the driver’s seat.

“Okay, we’re gonna hang out here for a few minutes until Brian can get someone else out here, then I’ll take you home. Thanks for texting me.”

Why doesn’t he see me?

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