says epic, I'm going to scream.
“I don't know, it's gonna be so late, and I -” she began to make excuses.
“Of course, if you're scared , don't go. It's dark up there. Dangerous. Wouldn't want you running off, getting lost.”
He'd said it to ruffle her feathers, and it worked. She stared down the length of her nose at him, like he was a bug she wanted to squash. She wasn't scared of anything, least of all some stupid party in the woods. And definitely not Con Masters.
No, I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified .
“I'll go. But it better be pretty fucking epic.”
He smiled again.
“Oh, it will be.”
*
His smile unnerved her more than just about anything. Con had picked up on that a long time ago, and he almost laughed when she turned and hurried away the moment he showed some teeth. She went back behind the counter and pretended to be busy with washing cups.
“You really gonna go tonight?”
Con turned back to the table. He'd almost forgotten he and Dulcie weren't alone. Bryce, a third string player he'd barely spent any time with, was smiling eagerly at him. A blonde thing sat at his side, a girl Con didn't recognize at all.
It was Jared who'd spoken to him. Jared had played on the team with him, was varsity, but they'd never been close. Hadn't really been in the same circles. They'd been to a couple parties together, and of course a lot of stays at away games, but that was the extent of their friendship.
“Yeah, why not. For old times' sake,” Con replied. The couple laughed and turned to chatter excitably about the upcoming night. Jared smiled and clapped him on the back.
“That's awesome. I gotta ask, though … this isn't weird, is it?”
“What?” Con was confused.
“This … y'know. Dulcie and me. Dulcie and you. You two had a thing, right?” Jared asked.
Con had to stop himself from replying with “ there is no 'Dulcie and you', so why would it be weird? ”
“No,” he cleared his throat, stopping the other words from coming out. “Not weird. It was just one kiss, one night. Dulcie and I were never ' a thing '.”
No, we were almost everything .
9
Dulcie felt uneasy from the moment she got out of the car. Not because of the dark, or the woods in front of them, or the thought of being in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of drunk teenagers. No, it was something else.
Something bad was going to happen that night.
“Do we have to do this?” she asked as they trekked up a hillside. Jared laughed and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together.
“It'll be fun, I promise,” he said, then leaned down and kissed the side of her head.
She frowned.
It was actually a decent hike, taking them almost twenty minutes. Dulcie wondered how anyone made it back out after they were drunk or high. She was sober and she was pretty sure she couldn't find her way back to the car if she needed to get to it.
There was a huge bonfire raging in front of the mine shaft, with a couple kegs just inside the entrance. People were scattered about and someone had set up a bunch of wireless speakers. The woods were filled with the sounds of the top hits.
Dulcie wasn't a big drinker, she'd seen what substance abuse did to the people in her family. She'd never met her real dad, but she'd heard some pretty awful stories about him, and of course her mother and Matt were daily reminders of why she shouldn't drink. So when Jared got her a beer, she took it and smiled, but she barely sipped at it.
“Could you imagine being here this time last year?” Anna squealed. Dulcie glanced at her.
“No, I honestly can't,” she agreed. November of last year, she would've been sitting at home, pining away for Constantine.
Now she was in the middle of a party, and she was still pining.
“Can I ask you something?” Anna asked in a soft voice the moment the boys wandered off.
“Sure.”
“So that picture ...”
Good god, the picture of her and Con kissing was going to haunt Dulcie for the rest
“I don't know, it's gonna be so late, and I -” she began to make excuses.
“Of course, if you're scared , don't go. It's dark up there. Dangerous. Wouldn't want you running off, getting lost.”
He'd said it to ruffle her feathers, and it worked. She stared down the length of her nose at him, like he was a bug she wanted to squash. She wasn't scared of anything, least of all some stupid party in the woods. And definitely not Con Masters.
No, I'm not scared of him. I'm terrified .
“I'll go. But it better be pretty fucking epic.”
He smiled again.
“Oh, it will be.”
*
His smile unnerved her more than just about anything. Con had picked up on that a long time ago, and he almost laughed when she turned and hurried away the moment he showed some teeth. She went back behind the counter and pretended to be busy with washing cups.
“You really gonna go tonight?”
Con turned back to the table. He'd almost forgotten he and Dulcie weren't alone. Bryce, a third string player he'd barely spent any time with, was smiling eagerly at him. A blonde thing sat at his side, a girl Con didn't recognize at all.
It was Jared who'd spoken to him. Jared had played on the team with him, was varsity, but they'd never been close. Hadn't really been in the same circles. They'd been to a couple parties together, and of course a lot of stays at away games, but that was the extent of their friendship.
“Yeah, why not. For old times' sake,” Con replied. The couple laughed and turned to chatter excitably about the upcoming night. Jared smiled and clapped him on the back.
“That's awesome. I gotta ask, though … this isn't weird, is it?”
“What?” Con was confused.
“This … y'know. Dulcie and me. Dulcie and you. You two had a thing, right?” Jared asked.
Con had to stop himself from replying with “ there is no 'Dulcie and you', so why would it be weird? ”
“No,” he cleared his throat, stopping the other words from coming out. “Not weird. It was just one kiss, one night. Dulcie and I were never ' a thing '.”
No, we were almost everything .
9
Dulcie felt uneasy from the moment she got out of the car. Not because of the dark, or the woods in front of them, or the thought of being in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of drunk teenagers. No, it was something else.
Something bad was going to happen that night.
“Do we have to do this?” she asked as they trekked up a hillside. Jared laughed and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together.
“It'll be fun, I promise,” he said, then leaned down and kissed the side of her head.
She frowned.
It was actually a decent hike, taking them almost twenty minutes. Dulcie wondered how anyone made it back out after they were drunk or high. She was sober and she was pretty sure she couldn't find her way back to the car if she needed to get to it.
There was a huge bonfire raging in front of the mine shaft, with a couple kegs just inside the entrance. People were scattered about and someone had set up a bunch of wireless speakers. The woods were filled with the sounds of the top hits.
Dulcie wasn't a big drinker, she'd seen what substance abuse did to the people in her family. She'd never met her real dad, but she'd heard some pretty awful stories about him, and of course her mother and Matt were daily reminders of why she shouldn't drink. So when Jared got her a beer, she took it and smiled, but she barely sipped at it.
“Could you imagine being here this time last year?” Anna squealed. Dulcie glanced at her.
“No, I honestly can't,” she agreed. November of last year, she would've been sitting at home, pining away for Constantine.
Now she was in the middle of a party, and she was still pining.
“Can I ask you something?” Anna asked in a soft voice the moment the boys wandered off.
“Sure.”
“So that picture ...”
Good god, the picture of her and Con kissing was going to haunt Dulcie for the rest
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