12/05/2015

chapter fifteen ;

♡

December weather of California satisfied me. It was a nice change – and I had honestly believed that the weather would always be hot.

Tonight the temperature ranged from the mid-forties to fifty. It was Saturday – none of the teenagers had school, and the adults had no work. For a while my father had been planning on having a bonfire, so the Rodriguez family gathered in my backyard.

Upon Benny's suggestion, I invited all of the boys, Ivy, and Leah.

"When do you think Leah and Bertram are going to get together?" I asked, as Benny and I rested against the side of my house, watching my dad build the fire.

Benny shrugged. "I don't think they will."

"Why not?"

The boy glanced at me, hazel eyes twinkling and brightening with his smile. "You don't see it? Hmm. And I thought you were observant."

A frown pulled my features downward. "What?"

"I'm almost a hundred percent sure he likes Ivy now. Every time she comes around, he acts even dumber than he usually does – trying to make her laugh, I guess. And come on . . . Leah never really shows any sign that she likes him."

My brows rose, and I considered Benny's words for a moment. "Hm. You're right. Well, what about Ivy?"

Benny chuckled. "You're the girl – Shouldn't you know how she feels? She laughs at him a lot. That's all I got."

Before I could respond, faint voices caught my attention. Upon glancing over, I found both Ham and Smalls approaching us, grinning. In Ham's hand was a paper bag.

"What's in the bag?" Benny called.

A grin crossed Ham's face. "S'mores stuff."

As the minutes passed, there were more arrivals. Yeah-Yeah and Squints were the next to show up, followed by the Timmons brothers. And then Kenny, Bertram and Ivy made their presences known by sneaking up on all of us at the fire – Ham almost strangled Bertram for flickering a lighter beside his face.

"Now we're just waiting on Leah – "

"Nope," Bertram cut me off, plopping down onto the ground in front of me, back facing the fire. "I invited someone."

Kenny rolled his eyes, sitting beside Bertram – and when Ivy sat on the other side of Bertram, I couldn't help but to meet Benny's eyes. He winked.

"You're going to kill him," Kenny told me. "And if you don't, Benny definitely will."

"Oh, God, Bertram," I sighed. "What did you do?"

Bertram smirked. "Brought a little spice to this party."

"First of all, it's not a party – it's a bonfire," I corrected. "Second – it better not be Hannah or some stupid shit like that."

"It's definitely not Hannah," Bertram laughed. "She won't even look at you anymore. You think she'd really come to your family's bonfire? You'd throw her in the fire."

I rolled my eyes, but a chill ran down my spine. "Man . . . I came so close to smashing her face into the mirror. But I was afraid it would be like that scene in that Bloody Mary movie – where the girl hits her head on the mirror and moves away with a big chunk of glass in her head."

Ivy burst into a bit of laughter. "I could tell when you were hesitating. Respect. I don't know if I could have stopped myself."

"And I wouldn't have apologized," Ham spoke up. "She deserved all of that."

Smalls reached out to touch my knee. "I think it was cool that you apologized. Even if she's evil, you showed that you have good heart, and that's what counts."

A smile curled on my mouth. "Thanks, Smalls. I'm too merciful. Maybe it's a good thing."

"Yeah, it's a good thing," a new voice spoke. Ice coated my limbs –

Benny's jaw immediately clenched. He fixed Bertram with a black glare, not even having to glance at the newcomer. "You invited Phillips?"

I turned backward, and my eyes immediately connected with Jordan's. He strolled forward, hands in the pockets of his white jacket, not a care in the world. Surely he heard the malice in Benny's voice, but he didn't seem to care.

On the other end of the bonfire, the others sat in chairs, enveloped in a loud conversation filled with laughter. My dad had already drank a few beers; Lynn and my mom each sipped on bottles of Mike's Hard Blood Orange (alcoholic lemonade); Luke and Elizabeth chattered quietly, politely. And a smirk curled on my lips when I caught Luke pulling one of the Mike's bottles from the case.

When my focus returned to those around me, I noticed that Jordan sat beside Ivy. Benny gripped my hand tightly.

"Well . . ." Ham huffed. "Guess we better start making s'mores, before a fight breaks out. S'mores help every situation."

♡

Eventually the adults went inside, and Luke and Elizabeth moved to gather with the younger kids.

"Luke." The message in my voice was clear to him. He smirked, and then lifted up his hands – he held three bottles of Mike's. I beckoned him with a finger.

The others were distracted with their own conversations and actions. Ham sort of set up a s'mores station – He tried to make Jordan pay for them, but Bertram scolded him.

When Luke reached me, he handed me one of the bottles. I popped the cap off, prepared to drink, but Benny whisper-yelled, "Makayla!"

"What?" I glanced at him, bottle nearing my lips.

"That's alcohol."

Holding in my giggle was impossible. "Only, like, five percent. And these are so good."

Benny spluttered, unable to produce an audible response. So I put the bottle to my lips, tipped my head back, and chugged.

The taste was overall wonderful – the alcohol did not overcome, and so it was quite easy for me to finish the drink. I didn't move the bottle to gasp for breath. In less than thirty seconds, the bottle was empty.

Luke laughed when I finished. It was then that I noticed that every pair of eyes was on me. The younger ones' eyes were wide with shock.

"Makayla!" Elizabeth scolded. "I thought you didn't like alcohol!"

"I don't. The alcohol isn't that noticeable with this, though."

"Oh, my gosh," Benny mumbled, shaking his head. "You're such a bad kid."

"I'm not a bad kid!" I insisted.

"Oh, please!" Bertram beamed. "Is there anything you can't do? You're like a bad girl on her own leash."

Ivy laughed. "Yeah, no one was fooled. You're no goody-goody."

I threw my hands in the air, a smile fighting to break onto my face. "I never claimed to be a goody-goody. I just try very hard not to be a bad kid, like Benny says I am, which I'm not."

"Are you drunk now?" Yeah-Yeah inquired.

"I don't get drunk."

Again Benny spluttered, attempting unsuccessfully to argue his point. He probably wanted to call me a hypocrite, but I wasn't lying. I'd never been full-on drunk, but from time to time I could allow myself a few shots.

"If Luke gave me another bottle, I might end up drunk," I shrugged, "but one is harmless. It's just lemonade, but . . . with a little alcohol."

Benny did not seem exactly angry, but he clearly disapproved. The thought forced a smile onto my mouth, sent butterflies to my stomach. Finally I'd managed to find someone good for me. A smart choice – someone who would not hurt me. It was an accomplishment.

"Lighten up, Benny man," Kenny voiced, a smile curving on his mouth. "It's not the end of the world."

And so the boy sighed in defeat. "All right. Fine. Five percent . . . I guess it's not that bad."

"Not bad at all. It's really good, in fact," I corrected. "You should have a sip."

"Okay, okay," Elizabeth moved behind us, to ruffle Benny's hair, "no corrupting my little brother. But . . . I'll admit, it really is good."

My eyes flickered to Jordan, who sat beside Ham at the fire, smiling. His eyes were focused on Elizabeth, but a second later, they fell to rest on me. I quickly averted my gaze.

Benny scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Come on!"

Kenny's laughter died a moment later, his eyes focusing on something behind us. Slightly afraid that I'd find some psychotic murderer barreling toward us in the night, it took me a moment to turn my head.

"Leah!" Her name left my mouth in a gasp. "I didn't think you were going to show up."

The edges of her lips tilted into a small smile, and her glasses reflected the firelight. "Sorry," she replied, hands shoved into her jacket. "I had an important call, and it lasted a lot longer than it was supposed to. Um . . . did I miss everything?"

The brunette came to a rest before me, and in my confusion, I smiled up at her. "No. All you missed was the crazy adults. You came at a good time."

"Actually, you missed Kayla chugging a beer in less than a minute," Squints spoke up, the excitement evident in his tone.

"Actually, no, you didn't," I rolled my eyes. "It was hard lemonade. There's a difference."

Leah's mouth fell. "You were drinking?"

"Yes," Benny confirmed, satisfied that someone else was surprised by the fact, "she was."

I laughed, shaking my head. "It was five percent alcohol. And I'm feeling it . . . Makes me warm. All of the coldness is gone."

"What?" Benny's cold hands disappeared beneath my jacket, traveling to curl around my waist. And I couldn't help but to shiver, which only caused him to smirk. "It's freezing. See – you just shivered."

"That's because your hands are like ice," I retorted, curling my own fingers around his wrists. However, my attempts to pull his hands away failed – Benny wrapped me in a vice grip, pulling me into his lap and hugging me tightly to his body.

"Oh," Bertram groaned, "none of that. Please! You guys ruin everything with your lovey-dovey stuff."

"Yesterday was their five months," Ivy said, placing a hand on Bertram's arm. "Let them be lovey-dovey."

Bertram muttered under his breath. "So I'm the only one who still feels awkward when they do that?"

I shot Bertram a glare, but Yeah-Yeah was the next to speak. "Yeah, I think you are, Bertram."

Squints rolled his eyes. "It's natural, Bertram. You don't know what love is, so it bothers you. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Bertram sighed deeply, standing to his feet. "I'm going inside before I freeze to death. You guys basically burned this fire out with your cold hearts!"

Everyone laughed as Bertram made his way around to the front of the house. It was difficult to focus on anything, though, when Benny kept tracing his fingers along the bare skin of my back.

Luke was the next to stand. "Yeah – as much as I'm enjoying myself here, watching my little sister be lovey-dovey bothers me, too. But let me just say . . . that none of you know what real cold is like. This is tolerable."

"Very true," I agreed, resting my head in the crook of Benny's neck. Despite the cool air, he radiated with warmth. "But . . . it is pretty cold. I think I'm ready to go inside."

"Okay." Benny brushed his lips against my neck. "Let's go inside."

And then Benny stood – without letting me get up. He held me in his arms, as effortlessly as if he were holding a pillow.

"Benny – "

"Shh. You're not heavy."

A few others followed us inside, but Ham, Timmy, Tommy and Jordan remained outside.

♡

Yeah-Yeah's mischievous eyes landed upon me. "Makayla . . . Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Of course. Okay, then . . . Since you moved here, have you ever liked anyone besides Benny?"

A moment of thought passed, and I answered, "No."

Several pairs of eyes flickered to Jordan, and I wanted to smack all of them: Bertram, Ham, Yeah-Yeah, Squints, Smalls, and Luke. It was ridiculous – of course I'd never liked Jordan! Not really . . .

"That was a stupid question," I added, after a moment of silence. Benny sat behind me on the ground, arms wrapped around my waist, but I felt his muscles go rigid. "Um . . . I don't really know any dares or questions for anyone. Can we do something else?"

A grin spread across Squint's face, and he stood from his spot directly across from me. "You got a flashlight?" He moved toward my door in quick strides.

"Yeah, in my drawer – "

My voice died when Squints smacked the light switch downward, and we were drenched in complete darkness. Habitually I leaned back into Benny.

"Squints, what the hell are you doing?" Elizabeth demanded. Then we heard shuffling – someone was moving around. "You didn't even get the flashlight!"

All of a sudden, Luke made an odd noise, and a scream burst from Elizabeth's mouth, followed by a thump. A moment later, the lights flickered back on, and the all of the boys roared with laughter – including Benny.

Luke's arms were wound around Elizabeth's small waist, and she was on top of him – and they were both of the floor. The last time I'd looked at Luke, he had been sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Jesus," Luke laughed, releasing his grip on Elizabeth. She scrambled to her feet. "That was a higher fall than I thought."

"That's what you deserve, you prick!" Elizabeth huffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest – although, I could spot the faint amusement in her dark eyes, even from my spot on the floor.

"Hey, hey, hey – young ears!"

Elizabeth lightly kicked Luke in the leg. "I'm so done with you, Luke – you hurt me. You really hurt me."

Suddenly Luke's eyes went wide with panic, and he jumped to his feet. "I did?"

Finally the girl laughed. "Not literally, stupid." She lightly smacked Luke's chest, and his expression softened. "I'm going to see if there are any hotdogs left. Be back."

Luke followed her, and everyone shared glances. It seemed that everyone thought the same thing that I did.

"Anyone want to start a bet?" Ham called. "I bet they end up dating."

"I hope no one tries to bet against you," Ivy said. "You'd have to be pretty dumb."

Everyone nodded their agreement. Leah stared at the door longingly, and sighed sadly, "Yeah."

And now everyone's attention focused on Leah. My mouth dropped, but I could not hope to choke back my laughter. "You like Luke?"

Leah's head shot to the right, so that she faced me. "Wha–What?" she spluttered. "No! Why would you ask me that?"

"It wasn't really a question," I smirked devilishly. "It was a statement of realization."

"Hm." Kenny nodded his approval of my choice of words. "Poetic."

Jordan, who had been sitting in the corner, moved to sit beside me and Benny. His eyes landed briefly on me, and then scanned the circle of kids.

"Squints – get the lights again. I have a scary story to tell."

In moments, we learned that Jordan was a great story-teller. The only source of light was the flashlight of his phone, illuminating below his face, casting a large shadow on the ceiling. Everyone – even Benny – listened intently.

"There was a girl named . . . Carly," Jordan began. "It was Halloween night, and at sixteen, her parents said that she was too old to go trick-or-treating. While her parents took her younger sister out, Carly handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

"Eventually, she ran out of candy, so she turned off the porch lights and waited in the living room for her parents to get back home. She was on her phone, not really paying attention to anything, until . . . she heard a low, deep growl. An animal's growl . . . A beast.

"She searched every inch of the lower story of her house, but she found nothing. So she decided that either it was just her imagination, because she was tired, or there were some kids trying to scare her. So she went back to the couch, continued messing on her phone.

"And then . . . she heard the growl again . . . closer this time. Louder. It was at that very moment that her phone died. So, really getting freaked out now, she started toward the stairs, to get to her room and her phone charger.

"Before she could even make it up the first step, though . . . she heard the growl again. And this time . . . it came from right behind her. She felt its hot breath brush her neck. She was so scared that she went as still as a statue, but she managed to turn around really slowly."

As he told the story, I was washed with a strong sense of déjà vu. This story was very familiar.

Jordan paused, enjoying the tense air, the lack of breathing from most of the listeners. "And finally . . . she saw it. It had the face and body of a woman, with stringy brown hair, a wide, razor-sharp smile, and, worst of all . . . black and red skin, like the person had been burned alive. It smiled at Carly, and before she could do anything, it attacked her – She didn't know how. All she remembered was this thing closing in on her, and after the blow, everything went black.

"When Carly opened her eyes again . . . she was lying on the couch. Her parents had just gotten home, and they were asking her how her night had gone."

"Oh, no!" Squints groaned. "This is one of those stories? All of that was fake?"

I shushed Squints, because now I definitely recognized this story. My narrowed eyes remained trained on Jordan, on the smirk that curved his lips.

"Carly realized that it was a nightmare," Jordan continued, as if no one had spoken. "She must have fallen asleep when she was on her phone. There were no scratches on her, nothing to prove that she had been attacked.

"Her parents told her to go lay in her bed, and so she did. Her phone really had died, so after plugging it into the charger, she got into bed, crawled under her covers, and turned off her lamp. She was alone in the darkness . . .

"At least . . . that's what she thought. But then she heard a low, deep growl from right beside her. Carly turned over, only to be faced with the creature she saw before, with its black flesh and razor smile."

Jordan's voice did not pick up again. His eyes flickered between everyone sitting in the circle on the floor. Some seemed scared to death – especially Tommy Timmons – and ready to flee. But everyone awaited his next words . . . except for me.

"Well?" Yeah-Yeah urged. "What happened next?"

"Use your imagination," Jordan grinned.

"What?" Ham cried. "That's the end of the story?"

"You're just going to end it like that?" Bertram demanded. "That's not even an ending!"

Jordan laughed. "Hey, don't blame me. The rights of that story belong to Makayla. She's the one who wrote it."

Everyone's eyes landed on me, including Jordan's. My narrowed eyes popped wide with confusion.

"I knew it," Leah said. "I recognized it pretty quickly, but I didn't want to say anything."

"How d'you know that story? I wrote it for Halloween in Creative Writing," I frowned – slightly impressed that he managed to tell the entire story without fault.

Jordan's lips quirked, dark eyes boring into mine. Shadowed by the light, I couldn't tell if he was smirking or smiling – either way, he was slightly intimidating.

"I have a friend from that class," he explained. "Someone I've started talking to again. He talks about you a lot, and all of your stories." Jordan's eyes flickered to Benny. "Not in that way. It's just that Makayla is apparently a really good writer."

"She is," Leah confirmed.