I opened my eyes when the door to the poolhouse slammed closed. "My turn," Luke muttered, wearing his tuxedo. His eyes were still glazed with alcohol and his hair was unbrushed and wild.
"Shit, what time is it?" I asked. I had passed out where I had landed and that answering machine was blinking again.
"Late," Luke muttered but I was already on my feet. Luke was sprawled across the couch. I staggered slightly as I rushed into the bathroom to get my shower. It was already after eight. I couldn't believe that none of the Cohens had come in and woken me but they could've been too busy inside the main house.
I took a quick shower and got out. I could hear Kirsten talking to Luke in the poolhouse as I ran a hand through my hair and stepped out in my wife-beater and sweatpants.
"You're late," Kirsten scolded as I went to my closet.
"Sorry. I fell asleep," I replied.
Kirsten came to my side as I looked through the fully stocked closet for my tuxedo. "Is everything okay?" She asked quietly.
"Yeah. Everything's okay," I replied. Her face seemed to flash with concern for an instant.
"You've been drinking," She said.
"What? No…" I protested but she was in my face now.
"Ryan. Have you been drinking?"
"No, Kirsten, I swear…" I lied. This couldn't be a good thing. Not after the past couple of weeks I've had. "What are you talking about?"
Luke was watching us from the couch with a stricken expression on his face.
"Ryan, don't lie to me. have you been drinking today?"
"No, Kirsten," I repeated. She relented, an apologetic look on her face. I realized that I was going to burn in hell.
"I'm sorry, Ryan. It must be your shampoo or something. I didn't mean to accuse you…" She apologized.
"It's okay."
"No, it's not. You haven't done anything wrong and I shouldn't have accused you so I'm sorry," Kirsten started, clearly flustered.
"Kirsten. It's fine. You look nice," I added. She was decked out in a shiny red dress and her hair was curled tonight.
"Thank you. You guys are on the way, right?" She asked, turning and starting for the door.
"We just have to pick up Anna and then we'll be there," I answered. She stopped by the door.
"Anna? Seth's…friend?" Kirsten asked.
"Yeah. We saw her today and didn't want her to be stuck going with her parents," Luke answered so I didn't have to.
"Oh. That was very nice of you. I'll see you boys there," Kirsten said. She closed the door behind her.
The poolhouse was silent once she was gone.
"Damn, Ryan…" Luke started.
"Shut up. We're not talking about the eternal damnation that I just lied my way into . Can you call Anna and tell her we're running late?" I sighed as I finally found my tux and pulled it out of the closet. Luke's back was to me as I quickly changed my clothes as he called Anna.
Marissa and Theresa would both be expecting to talk to me tonight and now I had managed to have Kirsten worried about me as well. Damn, this was going to be a long night.
*****
Anna's parents had already left and she answered the door in a short, cute dress. Luke and I both commented that she looked beautiful but when she blushed, I saw Luke blush too and I laughed.
"Shit, come in. We're already late and I've been topping off my afternoon with a little cocktail," Anna grinned. What the hell had we started.
Luke made me a drink when he mixed his own and we sat down in Anna's expansive living room. These Newport houses all made me wonder where the plastic covers on the sofa were.
"So, Ryan. What ladies are you meeting with tonight?" Anna asked as she sat down beside me. She was giddy and drunk and put her arm around me. It was nice to have a female friend that wasn't trying to get into my pants for once. It was definitely a fresh thing for me. Because of Seth, Anna knew that I was 'off-limits' and that seemed to make us both pretty comfortable. I didn't resent her for asking anyway.
"Yeah, who are you meeting?" Luke echoed.
"Marissa wants to 'talk'," I started with a sigh. "And Theresa wants to hang out."
"What are you going to do?" Luke asked.
"I hope to avoid them both," I answered honestly.
"Why don't you just work it out with Marissa? I mean, you love her…don't you love her?" Luke asked.
"I…it's complicated," I started.
"She treated him like shit, Luke. She wouldn't listen to anything he said, she believed Oliver…" Anna interrupted.
"But she's sorry," Luke replied.
"Fuck sorry, it doesn't make everything okay," Anna muttered. "Marissa did him dirty and she deserves what she gets." It was getting tense and I hadn't even spoken.
"She's going through a rough time," Luke protested.
"She can take a damn number," Anna snapped. "We all go through rough times but we don't have to treat other people like they don't matter…like they don't have feelings…" She started to cry and Luke looked at me in surprise.
"Anna, don't cry, don't get upset," Luke stammered. I put my arms around her and she cried into my shoulder. Her defense of me had somehow turned against her and brought up the memory of her failed relationship.
"Anna, I'm sorry about Seth…" I started.
"What's wrong with me…is there something wrong with me?" Anna sniffled.
"No, Anna, there's nothing wrong with you, you're a great girl…but Seth's been in love with Summer…forever. He likes you a lot, he really likes you but he's fucking obsessed with that chick," I tried. She nodded sadly.
"He's stupid, Anna. Guys are stupid. You haven't figured that out yet? I mean, look how I treated Marissa…" Luke said.
"And I don't have the best history of making good relationship decisions, either. Luke's right. We're stupid," I agreed.
"What? Chino has a checkered romantic history where he's not always saving the damsel in distress?" Luke teased. "Spill."
"Fuck you," I half-laughed. He was right. My reputation in Newport was definitely skewed. I had never had a defined 'reputation' in Chino and in Newport, I'd been labeled as things that would floor my old friends.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to go with Luke on this one. I want to know when you were stupid," Anna laughed.
"Yeah, what'd you do? Cheat on a girl?"
I laughed. They really knew nothing about me. I could lie and tell them anything. But I didn't want to do that. "I cheated on every girl I ever went out with before Marissa." Anna was laughing in surprise and Luke was staring.
"But in my defense, I've never had a long term relationship, like a serious one, before Marissa either," I added.
"Dude, I went out with Marissa for years and you've only been here a few months…that's long term?" Luke asked.
"I think he meant with feelings involved," Anna said quietly.
"Yeah. That's what I meant. But I still punched guys that cheated on girls I know," I said.
Luke laughed. His cell phone rang as Anna got up to fix her makeup.
"Yeah?" Luke answered. He looked at me. "Hang on." He handed me the phone.
"Yeah?"
"Dude. You are so late. Mom's looking for you and Dad's been at Luke's Mom's table all night but the weirdest thing is Julie Cooper just asked me about Anna and…" Seth rambled.
I glanced at Luke but the alcohol didn't dull the effect of Seth's words. "Seth."
"Where are you?" Seth asked.
"Hang on, Seth." I lowered the phone and nudged Luke. He sat down, unsteady. "Can you drive?"
"No. Sorry. I was about to ask you," Luke replied after a beat. I heard something crash in the bathroom. Anna and I were definitely out.
"Seth?" I lifted the phone back to my ear.
"Yeah. Still here. What's going on?"
"Can you do me a huge favor and not ask any questions?"
"Sure," Seth answered. He only paused a second.
"Send a cab for us to Anna's address," I said. I was hoping that Seth would come through for me. I didn't know what would happen if Sandy or Kirsten found out about my impromptu binge.
"Oh. Okay. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Luke's having some truck trouble and I didn't know we were this late."
"Is that it?" Seth asked.
"Yeah. I don't know the address or the cab's phone number and I'm up to my elbows trying to fix Luke's truck," I lied. Luke was shaking his head at me. I was lying. I sat down. I was lying left and right. This was not who I wanted to be.
"Ryan…I'll send the cab but…you'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah. Of course. I'll see you there." I flipped the phone closed and passed it back to Luke.
"Ryan. You don't want Seth to know you've been drinking?"
"Not tonight. I lied to his mom and…God…I'm drunk…" I admitted.
"I'm drunk, too," Anna announced. "And something happened while I was getting beautiful again. What's up?" She stumbled as she stepped toward the couch and started to fall but Luke and I leaned forward and caught her. She was sprawled across us on the couch.
"Taxi. That's what you missed," I said.
"Good call. Your truck is all up on my curb," Anna laughed to Luke.
"I need to talk to you, Luke. Before the party."
"Yeah? What's up?" Luke asked.
"Someone was asking about stuff possibly related to you," I said slowly.
"Does anybody else want a cigarette?" Anna asked. "I'm going to go raid my dad's secret stash and you guys can talk."
Luke didn't protest, he was confused but Anna didn't seem mad as she stumbled from the room to give us privacy.
"Dude, Julie asked Seth about Anna. And I don't know the context but…think about it," I said to Luke. I didn't know why, but it seemed important to me.
"I told Mrs. Cooper that we were coming with Anna tonight. She wanted me to meet her after…" Luke muttered.
"You call her 'Mrs. Cooper'?" I asked. I couldn't stop the laugh from breaking through. Luke was so startled that he laughed, too.
"Fuck you," He said.
"I've got bigger problems," I laughed.
"And they both end with 'eh-sa', don't they?" Anna asked as she reentered with a pack of cigarettes. She waved them enticingly.
"Yeah. Okay. It'll cover the liquor," I decided as I finished my glass in a long gulp and stood up. "Come on. Let's go outside and wait for the taxi," I said to Luke. Anna grabbed her purse and we walked out to wait for our ride.
*****
The cigarettes did nothing for our shaky sobriety. Seth was waiting for us at the side entrance of the hotel where tonight's event was being held.
I stepped out first and helped Anna out as Luke climbed out of the opposite side. Anna and Luke, both dressed up, looked rumpled. Luke's hair was flattened against his head and Anna had to grab my arm to steady herself as she stood up completely.
"Hey," Seth said. I could tell he was worried and bursting with questions.
"Hey," I nodded.
Anna and Luke looked at me sympathetically but walked past us. Seth took my arm and kept me outside on the sidewalk.
"Ryan. What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" I replied evenly.
Seth was staring me down. His brown eyes were searching my face. The bastard really seemed to care and I was lying to him, I wasn't giving him a chance. But if I gave him a chance then I had to forgive Marissa and…
"Ryan. I'm sorry. You know that. Give me a reason why I shouldn't go tell Mom that you guys were too drunk to drive three miles from Anna's house," Seth said urgently. "Give me something, here."
I opened my mouth to answer but he wasn't done.
"You won't talk to me, you aren't talking to my dad but you're hanging out with Luke and Anna…"
"Damn, Seth, I needed a break. I just…I needed to be with people that aren't weighing me down with apologies and questions at every turn," I said. I stopped myself. I'd said too much because Seth was staring at me, stricken.
"Dude…"
"Seth, you really helped me out, tonight. Thank you."
"Ryan, what am I supposed to do to fix this…" Seth started.
"Just stop," I sighed and stepped back. I was too drunk, too rattled to do this now. "I'm not mad at you. Upset, sure, but not mad. I just need some time to get my head back together."
Seth nodded but I could tell he was upset. "I won't say anything about tonight."
"Thank you."
"And we're cool…"
"Yeah," I said. I meant it when I said it. I couldn't punish Seth when he was trying this hard to apologize. Maybe he meant it. Of course, my mom, my dad, my brother, all my girlfriends, they had always meant it, too. At least they meant it when they said it.
"Ry?" I was glad that he broke into my thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"You don't look so good," Seth said.
"Really?" I asked. I straightened my jacket but Seth finally stepped closer and fixed my tie and tousled my uncombed hair so it looked presentable. I assumed it looked presentable, anyway.
"Better," He nodded.
"Good enough for your mom?"
"You're two hours late so nothing's going to be good enough," Seth said seriously.
"Can't I plead the fifth?" I laughed. I didn't like Seth like this. He was usually happy and sarcastic but his face was drawn with tension now.
"Consult your attorney, Ryan," Seth smiled slightly as he patted me on the back.
*****
The event was in full swing when I found Kirsten and Sandy sitting at Luke's Mom's table. They all looked up at me in surprise when I tapped Sandy on the shoulder.
"You made it! What happened?" Sandy asked immediately.
"Truck trouble…" I started.
"God, Ryan, did you even look in a mirror?" Kirsten whispered.
"I was trying to work on his truck and not get dirty," I lied. She seemed to accept my excuse.
"Ryan. Do you know anything about this new girl that Luke's been seeing?" Mrs. Ward asked me suddenly. This was bad. I didn't react externally, this was too important.
"He's seeing someone?" I asked after a beat. Sandy knew I was lying because of the glance he shot my way.
"I thought so. He's been acting really strange lately and I'm worried about him," Mrs. Ward admitted.
"I think he's okay. I'll talk to him," I offered. Kirsten smiled at me and I turned to leave the table. More lies but that went better than I expected.
"Ryan. Hang on," Sandy was right beside me and I jumped when he spoke to me.
"Yeah?"
"What's going on?" He asked, pulling me aside.
"Nothing. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I asked. It was a valid question.
"Because you look…you don't look like yourself," Sandy said. He wasn't angry, he really seemed concerned. I still didn't know what I should say.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sick? Do you feel okay?" Sandy asked.
"Yeah, Sandy. I swear, I'm fine…"
"I don't believe you but I'll let it go for now," Sandy replied. He lowered his voice. "Luke's mom is really worried. I thought you said that he wasn't getting along with his parents and she says that everything is fine, she just never sees Luke…"
"Isn't that between Luke and his Mom?" I asked after a pause. I glimpsed Luke and Anna across the room talking to Marissa. I wondered what that's all about. Summer and Seth were watching the conversation from a few feet away. So was Julie Cooper who was behind a potted plant within hearing distance of the crowd.
"Luke's been staying at our house, Ryan, so his Mom was asking if we knew anything…" Sandy replied. He followed my gaze across the room. "What?"
"Nothing," I answered.
"Marissa?"
"What do you think she's talking to them about?" I asked out loud. Sandy glanced at me before returning his attention across the room to the small crowd.
"Are you sure everything's okay?" Sandy asked slowly.
"I guess I'll find out soon enough," I muttered. He let me walk away. Before I could reach the other side of the room, Theresa stopped in front of me.
"Hey, man."
"Hey," I smiled. I accepted her hug. Kiwi.
"You…" She laughed suddenly. "You're fucking wasted."
"Shh," I grinned.
"Can I come to the after party?"
"I doubt we'll last that long," I replied honestly. "I'm surprised I made it here."
"Do you have a second to talk?" Theresa grinned at me. God, she was more beautiful now than ever. I remembered when I knew every detail of her flesh. "Ryan?"
"Sorry. Yeah, sure," I said. She took my arm and we sat down at a vacant table beside us.
"What's up? I thought you were all reformed now," Theresa teased.
It was disorienting to be sitting here with her, with someone that knew all about my life when things had changed so much. In Chino, I was always drinking, it was a normal thing, but here, I rarely touched the stuff.
"Had a slight relapse," I replied.
Theresa tilted her head at me. Or maybe I tilted. She smirked at me. "You're too wasted for me to play with tonight."
I raised my eyebrows. I really missed her. "Really? Too wasted? I don't believe that." Before I could stop her she leaned over and kissed me deeply. She didn't taste the same. She tasted like heat and lust. Her tongue was probing my mouth and I vaguely registered her hands on the back of my head as if she thought I'd pull away. I should pull away. I shouldn't be doing this. Not here. Not now.
"Theresa…" I managed as I got a breath. "Stop…"
"I don't want to…" She said as I pulled away. "Ryan…"
"We have to," I said as I got to my feet. I walked away from her and the air was cool on my flushed face. I was dizzy and before I could get my bearings, Anna was in front of me and I couldn't stop. I knocked her to the floor and she collapsed in laughter as the room's loud drone paused for an instant. People were staring at us but
"I'm sorry, Anna," I apologized but she didn't stop laughing.
"You should see your face…" She said. We helped each other up off the floor.
"What's up?" I asked as we were upright again.
"Everybody just saw you sucking face with that girl. I take it that's Theresa?" Anna asked.
"Yeah."
"Marissa saw it, too. She ran off, crying. She was already crying, though. I kind of snapped on her," Anna admitted.
"Really? What happened?"
"She accused me of sleeping with Luke, I don't know what that was all about, but I went off…Seth said I had a rage blackout, whatever that means…" Anna continued. She paused. "Do you want to get out of here?"
"Hell yeah. Where's Luke?" I asked.
"Marissa's mom pulled him outside. Everything's weird in here tonight and I'm too drunk to even try and understand it," Anna said.
"Can you wait for me right here? I'll get Luke and try to come up with an excuse for our parents," I said. This night was getting worse and worse. I was getting a headache after all the liquor and feigning sobriety had started to wear me out.
"Yeah. I can't come with?" She asked.
"Uh…"
"Okay. I don't want to know. Go get Luke," She nodded.
"Thanks, Anna." I couldn't believe she wasn't going to nag at me for information but I appreciated it. I gave her a quick hug before making my way to the exit.
I could hear Julie Cooper's voice, wracked with tears when I walked out. Luke had his arms around her and they were in the shadows of the stairs.
"Hey," I said quietly. They both jumped in surprise. "You shouldn't be doing that here."
Julie gave me a strange look but Luke was clearly relieved. He flushed with embarrassment. Luke wasn't stupid but the alcohol had impaired him enough that he was in public with his arms around Julie Cooper.
"Hey, man. what's up?" Luke asked.
"You ready to get out of here?" I replied.
"Hell yes," Luke replied. Julie was blissfully silent. This was new. The dragon lady couldn't actually have feelings for Luke but the way she was wiping her smeared mascara said something different.
"Anna's waiting for us inside. Let's bounce," I said. We had to get out of here. After the night that we'd had so far, we all needed to get out of here.
*****