"Come on Micah! Why can't you just admit you've got the hots for her, and just move on." Pete whined, chucking his stuff in the bed of the truck.
"Who does Micah have the hots for Lattimer?" Claudia teased, jumping up onto his back. She cackled maniacally, "Ohhhh, The new exchange student?" She raised her eyebrows at Pete.
He nodded and together they both looked at me and said, "Ooooooooo! Micah's got a cru-ush!" I rolled my eyes and they piled into my truck, giggling too hard to breathe.
I shook my head and put the car into gear, "You two… Where are we going again? What's this big surprise you had planned for me?"
Claudia put a hand on my shoulder to pull herself between the front seats and leaned right in front of me, "Jus-just go left here, and pull a right onto the freeway. We'll lead you onward from there." She was so very comfortable with herself and I couldn't help but be grateful for it. Claud was the only reason Pete and I hadn't abandoned the fairer sex entirely.
"You do realize that I know this whole town like the back of my hand, right? Why can't you just tell me where we're going? I'll guess before we've gone too much further anyway." I pleaded, I hate surprises and this was a big one. With the four day weekend coming up and the bookstore closed for the one of three holidays it ever shut down for, Pete and Claud had made me promise to ditch everything to go on a little adventure thing with them. So here I am driving to my own surprise.
Pete rolled his eyes, "Just keep driving Mikes. We'll tell you when to get off."
My eyebrows jumped up to my hairline and I looked over at him, "Are you okay Pete?"
"Fine, now drive."
Claudia and Pete worked themselves into a tizzy by the time we finally pulled off the freeway. "Brighton? What the hell are we doing out here?" My voice cracked. This was not what I'd agreed to. A little bit of fun was fine, but this was a little far out for me to be comfortable. I'm out of my element.
"Just. Turn right there Mikes, we're almost there." He pointed and I almost swore. Right around the corner on the side of Barr Lake was one of the biggest parties I had ever seen. I'm not going to lie and say I'd seen many of them, but seriously? Most of the senior and junior year looked to be there. Even a couple of sophomores from the looks of them.
"Pete what the hell is this?"
Claudia put a hand over his mouth, "Park the car, you haven't gotten your surprise yet."
I raised my eyebrows at the girl. I was of half a mind to turn around. If this was what they thought I wanted to do with my first weekend without work in months then they had another thing coming. Laying in a drunken stupor with a bunch of assholes I don't know is not my idea of fun. "I'm not drinking. And neither are you, do you know how dead I would be if your brother found out I let you get drunk Claud?"
I pulled into the last remaining space on the street about 50 yards from the center of all the ruckus. "Come on party pooper, I'll keep an eye on the squirt." Pete assured me, shoving me at my door. I got out and felt a chill go down my spine. This isn't my thing. I don't go to parties. I'm not popular. The closest I've been to popular is getting put down by all the popular girls. A shiver of trepidation froze my guts into a twisted mess.
"You know what I'm going to just stay in the car.." I started to turn around and Claudia shoved her hands into my lower back and forced me to keep going towards the party. Pete grabbed my arm and between the two of them they dragged me to the brightly lit house.
People were milling around outside, the more anti-social ones that just came for the music or the free drinks or whatever. Even that is more my crowd than the crush just inside the door. Music pulsed through the lawn vibrating in my toes and I could only be impressed by the quality of their sound system. "Guys please tell me we're just gonna be here to like pick someone up before we go on our camping trip." Honestly that's what we usually did, is just a fun camping trip where no one slept and we just hiked all over the place. "I mean we've got more than enough food for all of that." I was babbling, trying to find some kind of escape.
Pete and Claud shoved me the last few feet and I crashed right into Helena Wells. Oh hell. There's beer and punch all over both of us, and Helena looked fit to be tied. She grabbed me by the collar and I couldn't help but wonder what was with all the dragging tonight as she threw me into the downstairs bathroom and locked the door behind herself, trapping me with the only girl in school that I couldn't stand, and had just alienated. If looks could kill.