It looked like most of Capeside High School had turned out for the party at
the golf course of the Yacht Club. Getting in wasn't all that hard, after
you scaled the fence. Ben and Andrew went over first and then helped the
girls down. Amy stumbled when her feet hit the ground on the other side,
and Ben jumped forward to catch her.
"Whoa there. You all right?" he asked, holding her in his arms a moment longer than was probably necessary.
"Yes, fine. Thank you." She smiled and felt a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. Andrew glared at them.
"Well, let's go see what this party has to offer."
The four of them joined their classmates in the middle of the fairway. Some kids had gotten hold of golf carts and were riding around, yelling like lunatics. The music was loud, the crowd upbeat, and from the looks of it, the alcohol free-flowing. Amy immediately headed over to the coolers and got a beer, which she began to chug.
"Hey. What's the matter?" Andrew asked from behind her.
"What do you mean?"
"You're going at that a little hard, aren't you? Besides, I've never known you to drink unless something has you upset. So spill it."
Amy eyed him over the top of her beer can. "Don't get holier-than-thou on me, Andy. I don't have the stomach for that tonight."
"You keep drinking like that, you're not going to have the stomach for anything in a few hours."
"Ha ha. You're so funny."
"Just be careful, all right? I don't want this to be a repeat of last Halloween."
Last Halloween, Amy had gotten good and drunk at Jessie's party and ended up puking all over herself and passing out in the front hallway. Andrew had carried her upstairs to Jessie's room and covered for her with Jack and Doug. He had also stayed with her until her stomach stopped doing somersaults and she fell asleep.
"Andy, I'm not in the mood, so why don't you just relax, enjoy yourself, and for once don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." Amy was sick of people who had her "best interest at heart" ruining all her fun.
Amy turned her back on him and went to join Ben, Jessie, and two of their other school friends.
A while later, Amy was drunk. She was only dimly aware of this fact, and since her stomach so far still seemed solid, she wasn't too worried about it. Andrew had disappeared into the crowd and hadn't spoken to her since they first arrived, but Ben hadn't left her side. When she reached for a fifth beer, he reached for her hand and pulled her back to look at him, distracting her.
"How're you feeling, kid?" he asked, searching her face.
"Fine. I'm having a good time."
"I think maybe you've had enough. You want to come over here and talk to me?"
Amy's heart skipped a beat, and she forgot about the beer. "Sure!"
The two of them walked away from the party until the noise was less deafening and they could hear each other talk, and then Amy plopped down on the ground. "I feel so good," she said, gazing up at the star-strewn sky and watching her breath come out in frosty plumes. The night was chilly, but in her beer-warmed state she hadn't noticed.
"Do you?" Ben asked. "I'd say you feel drunk."
"Maybe that's it." Amy laughed. "But right now, that's synonymous with 'good.'" She propped herself up on her elbows and looked up at Ben, smiling. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
He was still standing above her. "Well, for one thing, our good friend Andy."
Her smile started to fade. "What about him?"
"Why you two aren't together. As in together."
Amy looked surprised. "Because he's my friend! He's . he's like a brother. That would be weird. Wrong. Why would you ask me something like that, Ben?"
"Because I think you're overlooking something, and as your friend and as his friend, I thought maybe I could help you see it a little clearer." Ben kneeled on the ground next to her. "He loves you, Amy."
There was a moment of silence as Amy's fuzzy brain worked. Why were they sitting here talking about Andrew? Amy had been sure Ben was going to confess his own feelings for her, and yet he was for some reason harping on her best friend. What was this all about?
"I love him, too, Ben. I told you, he's like my brother."
Ben smiled and shook his head. "No, Lindley. That's not what I mean. He's in love with you. Don't you know that? Deep down, haven't you known that?"
"That's ridiculous. Let's not talk about Andy, Ben. Let's talk about us."
This time Ben looked surprised. "Us. I'm not following you here."
They looked at each other, Amy propped on her elbows, Ben kneeling next to her, his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. And then she leaned in and began to kiss him. Her lips opened on his, and she had time to think how wonderfully soft and strong they felt, and then he put his hands on her upper arms and pushed her firmly away from him.
"Oh, Amy. I, I don't. . . "
"What? What's the matter?"
"I can't do that. No. That's not." He floundered for words as her eyes welled up with stinging tears.
"I thought you wanted me to," Amy said, her voice coming out thin and hurt. Then the tears began to fall.
"What's going on here?"
Ben and Amy both looked up to see Andrew standing there staring at them. The set way he was standing, his clenched jaw, and the absolute coldness in his eyes told them that he had seen the kiss. At the moment, Amy didn't care. All she knew was that she had to get away. She had to get away from Ben before he could hurt her anymore. In a flash, she was up, darting past Andy and across the grass. She could feel one of them, maybe both, running after her, but she didn't look back. She ran until she was at the fence, where she hurtled herself to the top at a breakneck pace and proceeded to fall to the ground on the other side. A flaring pain shot up from her ankle, and the tears that were already falling came harder.
"Amy! Amy, please wait!"
It wasn't the boys; it was Jessie. She ran to the fence and began to climb, more carefully than her friend had.
"What the hell happened?" Jessie demanded. "Why are Ben and Andrew fighting? Why are you crying? What's going on?"
Amy was crying too hard to answer. Jessie jumped down next to her and accidentally jarred Amy's ankle. She let out a cry of pain.
"Are you hurt? Let me see." Jessie held her friend's leg out and examined the already swelling ankle. "Oh no. It looks bad. We need to find someone with a car." She glanced around as if hoping to see a handy car and driver somewhere nearby. "Here. Stand up, lean on me."
"I have to get away, Jess," Amy managed through her sobs. "I have to get away. I can't see him. I can't see him!"
"Who? Ben? Oh, Lord, girl, you've got to tell me what happened."
"I kissed him," Amy wept. "I kissed him, Jess, and he shoved me away."
"Oh, Amy." Jessie knelt down and put her arms around her heartbroken friend. Then she gasped, suddenly making a connection. "Did Andrew see it? Did he see you guys kissing?"
Amy only nodded, her whole body shaking from the force of her sobs. She had yet to attach any importance to that fact. So what, Andy had seen her kissing guys before. She had had a boyfriend before.
When the crying slowed down a bit, Jessie helped Amy up and they began making slow, limping progress toward town, hoping to find someone they knew who could give them a ride. That someone found them first.
"Whoa there. You all right?" he asked, holding her in his arms a moment longer than was probably necessary.
"Yes, fine. Thank you." She smiled and felt a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. Andrew glared at them.
"Well, let's go see what this party has to offer."
The four of them joined their classmates in the middle of the fairway. Some kids had gotten hold of golf carts and were riding around, yelling like lunatics. The music was loud, the crowd upbeat, and from the looks of it, the alcohol free-flowing. Amy immediately headed over to the coolers and got a beer, which she began to chug.
"Hey. What's the matter?" Andrew asked from behind her.
"What do you mean?"
"You're going at that a little hard, aren't you? Besides, I've never known you to drink unless something has you upset. So spill it."
Amy eyed him over the top of her beer can. "Don't get holier-than-thou on me, Andy. I don't have the stomach for that tonight."
"You keep drinking like that, you're not going to have the stomach for anything in a few hours."
"Ha ha. You're so funny."
"Just be careful, all right? I don't want this to be a repeat of last Halloween."
Last Halloween, Amy had gotten good and drunk at Jessie's party and ended up puking all over herself and passing out in the front hallway. Andrew had carried her upstairs to Jessie's room and covered for her with Jack and Doug. He had also stayed with her until her stomach stopped doing somersaults and she fell asleep.
"Andy, I'm not in the mood, so why don't you just relax, enjoy yourself, and for once don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." Amy was sick of people who had her "best interest at heart" ruining all her fun.
Amy turned her back on him and went to join Ben, Jessie, and two of their other school friends.
A while later, Amy was drunk. She was only dimly aware of this fact, and since her stomach so far still seemed solid, she wasn't too worried about it. Andrew had disappeared into the crowd and hadn't spoken to her since they first arrived, but Ben hadn't left her side. When she reached for a fifth beer, he reached for her hand and pulled her back to look at him, distracting her.
"How're you feeling, kid?" he asked, searching her face.
"Fine. I'm having a good time."
"I think maybe you've had enough. You want to come over here and talk to me?"
Amy's heart skipped a beat, and she forgot about the beer. "Sure!"
The two of them walked away from the party until the noise was less deafening and they could hear each other talk, and then Amy plopped down on the ground. "I feel so good," she said, gazing up at the star-strewn sky and watching her breath come out in frosty plumes. The night was chilly, but in her beer-warmed state she hadn't noticed.
"Do you?" Ben asked. "I'd say you feel drunk."
"Maybe that's it." Amy laughed. "But right now, that's synonymous with 'good.'" She propped herself up on her elbows and looked up at Ben, smiling. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
He was still standing above her. "Well, for one thing, our good friend Andy."
Her smile started to fade. "What about him?"
"Why you two aren't together. As in together."
Amy looked surprised. "Because he's my friend! He's . he's like a brother. That would be weird. Wrong. Why would you ask me something like that, Ben?"
"Because I think you're overlooking something, and as your friend and as his friend, I thought maybe I could help you see it a little clearer." Ben kneeled on the ground next to her. "He loves you, Amy."
There was a moment of silence as Amy's fuzzy brain worked. Why were they sitting here talking about Andrew? Amy had been sure Ben was going to confess his own feelings for her, and yet he was for some reason harping on her best friend. What was this all about?
"I love him, too, Ben. I told you, he's like my brother."
Ben smiled and shook his head. "No, Lindley. That's not what I mean. He's in love with you. Don't you know that? Deep down, haven't you known that?"
"That's ridiculous. Let's not talk about Andy, Ben. Let's talk about us."
This time Ben looked surprised. "Us. I'm not following you here."
They looked at each other, Amy propped on her elbows, Ben kneeling next to her, his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. And then she leaned in and began to kiss him. Her lips opened on his, and she had time to think how wonderfully soft and strong they felt, and then he put his hands on her upper arms and pushed her firmly away from him.
"Oh, Amy. I, I don't. . . "
"What? What's the matter?"
"I can't do that. No. That's not." He floundered for words as her eyes welled up with stinging tears.
"I thought you wanted me to," Amy said, her voice coming out thin and hurt. Then the tears began to fall.
"What's going on here?"
Ben and Amy both looked up to see Andrew standing there staring at them. The set way he was standing, his clenched jaw, and the absolute coldness in his eyes told them that he had seen the kiss. At the moment, Amy didn't care. All she knew was that she had to get away. She had to get away from Ben before he could hurt her anymore. In a flash, she was up, darting past Andy and across the grass. She could feel one of them, maybe both, running after her, but she didn't look back. She ran until she was at the fence, where she hurtled herself to the top at a breakneck pace and proceeded to fall to the ground on the other side. A flaring pain shot up from her ankle, and the tears that were already falling came harder.
"Amy! Amy, please wait!"
It wasn't the boys; it was Jessie. She ran to the fence and began to climb, more carefully than her friend had.
"What the hell happened?" Jessie demanded. "Why are Ben and Andrew fighting? Why are you crying? What's going on?"
Amy was crying too hard to answer. Jessie jumped down next to her and accidentally jarred Amy's ankle. She let out a cry of pain.
"Are you hurt? Let me see." Jessie held her friend's leg out and examined the already swelling ankle. "Oh no. It looks bad. We need to find someone with a car." She glanced around as if hoping to see a handy car and driver somewhere nearby. "Here. Stand up, lean on me."
"I have to get away, Jess," Amy managed through her sobs. "I have to get away. I can't see him. I can't see him!"
"Who? Ben? Oh, Lord, girl, you've got to tell me what happened."
"I kissed him," Amy wept. "I kissed him, Jess, and he shoved me away."
"Oh, Amy." Jessie knelt down and put her arms around her heartbroken friend. Then she gasped, suddenly making a connection. "Did Andrew see it? Did he see you guys kissing?"
Amy only nodded, her whole body shaking from the force of her sobs. She had yet to attach any importance to that fact. So what, Andy had seen her kissing guys before. She had had a boyfriend before.
When the crying slowed down a bit, Jessie helped Amy up and they began making slow, limping progress toward town, hoping to find someone they knew who could give them a ride. That someone found them first.