“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
I sent Tim a text. He responded with one saying there were about thirty people at the lake and to bring more beer.
I sent him one back that I couldn’t get away. Of course, that wasn’t true; I wanted some time to think about what Grace had said. How did you balance fun with responsibility?
I had Manaia drop me off at home and gave him his orders. He was to buy several cases of beer, then stop at a drive-through and pick up a bunch of cheap burgers before going to the lake. I told him I planned to stay in tonight, so he could take off after that.
◊◊◊
At dinner, my parents were shocked that I didn’t plan to go out partying. I told them I had to fine-tune my speech for tomorrow. I ended up vegging out and watching some TV. It was sad that I found this so enjoyable. I always seemed to be on the go, and some alone time with my hound was exactly what I needed.
My phone buzzed with a text from Destiny, wanting to know where I was. When she’d announced her party at the assembly, the prospect of going to Destiny’s was about as alluring as sausage from a leper’s pocket.
I looked at my buddy Duke.
“Screw it. Like Grace said, I’ll become an adult after tomorrow. I could use a drink.”
He agreed with a wag of his tail.
“Come on. Let’s go to the house.”
Being a Lab, he was a social dog and didn’t like being stuck in the apartment if there were people around. I’d done that a couple of times, and he’d barked until someone came to get him. He’d finally trained me to do what he wanted.
I let him in the house and told my dad I was going to Destiny’s party.
“If you drink, don’t drive,” he said as his parting remarks.
◊◊◊
When I got to Destiny’s house, I wondered where all the cars were. I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Destiny opened the door and stared at me, so I stared back.
“Do you want to come in?”
“No, I’d prefer to stand out on the stoop like some religious zealot,” I said.
“Get in here. The party’s out back,” Destiny said.
We walked through the house, and I heard music coming from the backyard. When we stepped through the sliding glass door, I decided all those hours watching The Twilight Zone had prepared me for this exact moment. I could even hear the theme song in my head. I had definitely entered a warped reality.
Destiny’s backyard had been transformed. There was a table with food that looked tempting. The yard was surrounded by a privacy fence that had been covered in white Christmas lights. It must have cost a fortune to buy them all. They gave off enough light that everyone could get around without a problem but weren’t so bright as to discourage a little fun.
It was that word ‘everyone’ that put this party into The Twilight Zone. ‘Everyone’ turned out to be me, Destiny, a DJ, and a bartender. If it weren’t sad somehow, it would’ve been funny. Even her own brother wasn’t here. He must be at the lake with the other baseball players.
“I need a drink,” I decided.
If I had to deal with this, it would be better with some alcohol in me. I stepped over to the bar and saw they were fully stocked. I debated about getting a scotch and sipping it. Then I spotted what I wanted.
“Absolut Citron on the rocks.”
“Straight?” Destiny asked.
I should have known she would follow me.
The bartender handed me the drink. I swirled the glass until the vodka was cold and then took a sip.
“Ooh, Fun David is going to make an appearance,” Destiny said with a honeyed smile full of stings.
“You’re falling behind,” I pointed out.
“I’ll try what he’s having,” she decided.
She tried it and smiled.
“This isn’t half bad,” she admitted as she finished her first one.
“Careful, they’re strong,” I warned her.
“I get it. It’s straight vodka. I can handle my liquor.”
I seriously doubted that but kept my thoughts to myself.
“Want me to get more people here?” I asked.
“The hell with ’em. If they don’t want to come to my party, they can rot for all I care.”
“Just because you’ve got a flat tire doesn’t mean you go slash the other three,” I said.
“What does that even mean? Is that one of the country sayings you have here?” she asked.
“Quit being a brat, and I’ll fill this place up,” I suggested.
She didn’t say anything, so I sent Tim and Wolf a text.
D:/ Destiny’s party has food, music, hard liquor, and brewskis
T:/ Ur at her party?!?
D:/ Call some women
T:/ This sausage party is done
D:/ Did anyone buy Wolf a pretzel?
T:/ ROFL
W:/ FU sideways
“Okay, done,” I announced.
I suddenly found her arms around my neck, and her mouth claimed mine. Destiny kissed me furiously. Heat and sparks were flying like a storm, bursting with lightning, followed shortly by thunder.
For a moment, I forgot who I was kissing and just let it happen. Then I remembered it was Destiny, Brook’s frenemy.
“Slow down. What’s this all about?” I asked as I pulled back.
She rolled her eyes.
“Are you really a ‘stupid boy,’ David?”
I held my hands up to fend her off.
“Apparently, I am. Why don’t you spell it out for me?”
“You really don’t get it?”
“Pretend I’m a totally clueless guy, and you need to use small words to explain it,” I suggested.
“You’re a big star. What girl wouldn’t want you?” she asked.
“Well, what about Damion?”
“What about him? He’s going to some JC to play ball,” she said, scrunching her nose like she smelled a dead rat.
I laughed.
“What?” Destiny asked.
“He’ll be in the NFL someday. The kid has mad skills,” I told her.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” I assured her.
“I need to call him,” she said, leaving me alone.
I needed another drink. This was weird, even by my standards.
◊◊◊
The guys showed up, and I was happy to hear that Roc, Johan, and Milo had driven them all here in their pickup trucks. The downside of being a Mennonite was being the perennial designated driver since Mennonites don’t drink.
I made the mistake of introducing the guys to Absolut Citron shots. I say ‘mistake’ because they polished off the bottle. The bartender suggested I switch to Grey Goose vodka with some lemon added. After my first few shots, I couldn’t really tell the difference.
Wolf had contacted Gina, and she got the word out to all the senior girls. They began to show up.
“Where are all the guys?” Gina asked, accosting me as I was trying to decide if I should eat something, go dance, or get serious about drinking.
“What?”
“It’s just the baseball team and like fifty girls,” she complained.
“Destiny invited them all at the assembly,” I said to defend myself.
“Plus, I like the odds,” Wolf added.
She stormed off.
“That’s it, I’m done,” he decided.
“Finally!” “Thank God!” Tim and I said at the same time.
The rest of the evening became a blur. I learned a valuable lesson. Well, two, actually: vodka was evil, and I’d become a total lightweight. I did have a really good time because I remember dancing with a lot of girls, doing shots, and making out with someone.
My last coherent memory was the body I’d been in control of my whole life suddenly acted on its own. It ignored the messages my brain tried to send, like a petulant Coby when he defied the rules. I leaned against the house and slid to the ground.
◊◊◊
“Dude, wake up,” I heard Wolf say as someone nudged me with their toe.
As I sat up, my entire body rebelled.
“Jesus Harold Christ,” I muttered through sock-coated teeth.