"This is insane," Beth said as she looked over a stack of documents.
"What is?" Christy asked as she entered the kitchen.
"These briefs I need to read by ten o'clock," Beth told her daughter.
"You always tell me to never wait until the last minute," Christy commented.
"I'm better at giving advice than I am at following it," Beth replied.
"Yeah, me too," Christy admitted. "That's why you need to sign this," she said holding out a note from her school.
"What is this about?" Beth questioned as she adjusted her glasses to get a better look at the note.
"Well, the dress code is a little unclear," Christy mumbled.
"Right, so you thought it was within the guidelines to wear a shirt with holes in inappropriate places," Beth said quoting the note.
"Yes, well no," Christy replied as she tried to think of an excuse. Any excuse would do, but she couldn't not think of a simple my other clothes were dirty.
"Never again," Beth warned as she signed the note, "And I am going to tell your father." She had a feeling that this was somehow Sarah's doing indirectly or not.
"No," Christy pleaded.
"After the party," Beth said.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Christy told her mother before going back upstairs.
Beth just shook her head an went back to her legal briefs. Christy stuffed the note into her pocket and marched back upstairs.
"What do you think?" Christy asked Sarah and her two best friends, Amy and Laura that afternoon. She was modeling different outfits for them.
"I like the pink skirt better," Amy told her.
"Me too," Laura said.
"Sarah?" Christy questioned trying to get her opinion.
"They all look the same to me," Sarah commented as she picked at a thread on Christy's bedspread.
"Sarah, come on. Is this what people wear at parties?" Christy demanded.
"It depends where the party is. I'm sure what your wearing is fine here in Happy-Dappy Land," Sarah explained.
"What do you wear for parties in the city? Christy asked eagerly. She never could get enough of Sarah's street knowledge.
"You're starting to annoy me," Sarah said as she stood up. Realizing she had been slightly harsh, she gave her younger cousin some advice, "Just be yourself, and it won't matter what you wear."
Sarah walked downstairs and went out into the backyard. It was warm, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Sarah spotted the hammock swinging back and forth as if it was teasing her to get in. She gave in.
"Hey, are you homeless?" a voice broke into Christy dream. It had been a good one too. She opened her eyes and found a face 10 inches above her own.
"Who are you?" Sarah demanded.
"Nick," he told her. Sarah sat up to get a better look at him. "I know who you are."
Sarah rolled her eyes. Boys could be dumb sometimes. They try to pretend they aren't flirting with you.
"Are you one of Michael's friends?" she questioned.
"Maybe," Nick replied.
"Well then maybe I'll see you later at the party," Sarah told him as she slid out of the hammock.
Inside the house Beth was searching for Sarah. "Christy, have you seen Sarah?" Beth asked her daughter.
"Not since early this afternoon," Christy said.
As soon as Sarah stepped onto the deck Michael approached her.
"What were you and Nick doing?" Michael asked.
"We were just sitting in the hammock," Sarah explained.
"Sarah, Nick isn't a nice guy," Michael told her.
"I realize that he is a jerk, but we were just talking," Sarah replied. She riffled through the coolers until she found a can of Sprite. She pulled the tab and watched foam spill on to the can's top. She slurped the excess soda up. "What?" she demanded.
"My mom was looking for you," he said looking down at his feet.
"Okay," Sarah responded as she set her Sprite down on the picnic table and went to find her aunt.
"Is everything all right?" Beth asked.
"Yes," Sarah answered in confusion, "Should something wrong?"
"No, I just hadn't seen you around. I was concerned," Beth explained.
"Well, I'm fine so if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going back outside," Sarah told her.
Sarah saw Nick sitting in the hammock alone.
"Waiting for someone?" she called to him.
"Just you, Juliet," Nick told her.
"Right so why don't you be upfront with me and tell me what you want," Sarah requested.
"I want to get to know you better then maybe we can go out sometime," he said.
"All right," she nodded. "So you're a senior?"
"Junior," Nick answered.
"How do you know Michael?" she questioned.
"We used to be in the same grade. I took a year off to work some things out," he explained.
"Like what?" Sarah asked skeptically.
"I beat a kid up," Nick told her.
Sarah did not press that issue anymore, and she and Nick seemed to hit it off. They spent the evening talking in the hammock. Nick had a lot of interesting stories about all the people he had met traveling with his dad during the summer.
Sarah leaned back and resting her head on Nick's stomach. He was half through a story about and old priest when Sarah drifted to sleep. Nick did not realize he had lost his audience until the end of his story. He decided not to wake her. He liked the way he could feel her shallow breathes and the soft wheezing noise she made when she exhaled.
Most of the guests had gone home, and Michael was scanning the yard for his parents before he smoked a joint. He spotted to figures resting in the hammock.
"What in the hell?" he said to himself.
He approached the figures from behind trying to make out the forms. When he was close enough, he saw the one on top was Sarah. He did not need to see the other person's face.
"What are you doing?" Michael demanded.
Sarah turned around to face her cousin and said, "Nothing. If we were, that would still be none of your business."
"Yeah, what is that?" Michael asked spotting a few cans of beer on the grass next to the hammock.
"Michael, go away," Sarah told him.
"Not until you go inside or Nick leaves," Michael replied.
"Fine I'll leave," Nick said.
"No you don't have to leave, Michael does," Sarah explained.
"Sarah, I'll call you so we can meet up somewhere where your crazy cousin isn't," Nick told her before he took off.
Sarah shoved Michael after Nick was out of sight. "Stay out of my life," she yelled.
"Laura, where's Michael?" JJ asked.
"He's out," she stared to say before pausing.
"Out where?" JJ questioned.
"In the backyard," Laura offered.
JJ had a near collision with Sarah at the backdoor.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Fabulous," Sarah replied dryly.
She was gone before he could pursue with any further questions. Sarah ran up the stairs and jumped face first onto her bed. She felt her tears dampen the pillow as she screamed into it.
"This may sound strange, but did you drink any of the beers that were in the garage?" JJ asked Beth when she stepped out on the deck to help clean up.
"No," Beth answered. "Didn't you lock the refrigerator in the garage?" she questioned.
"Yes, but I seem to be missing a few," he explained.
"If it was Michael again, he isn't leaving his room again until he turns 18," Beth stated.
"I wouldn't go that far, but he will have to face some serious consequences," JJ said.
JJ found Michael watching TV later that night.
"We need to talk," JJ told his son.
"Sarah and her new friend, Nick, took your beer," Michael said before JJ had a chance to ask the question.
"Are you sure?" JJ asked.
"Positive," Michael told him.
JJ knocked on Sarah's door. She told him to come in.
"What are you doing?" JJ asked his niece.
"Nothing," Sarah answered coolly.
"Good so you have time to talk with me," he said.
"I guess," she replied.
"How many did the two of you drink?" JJ questioned.
Sarah stood for a moment too shocked to think of a response. A pained look came over Sarah's face.
JJ felt a little sympathy for her. She was probably just trying to impress an older guy.
"Who wanted to drink you or Nick?" he asked.
"Both of us wanted to. I would never do anything I didn't want to do," Sarah told him.
"You aren't to be alone with Nick anymore. There needs to be a responsible adult in the house, and that is this house no going over to Nick's. And Michael doesn't count," he explained.
"No, that's not fair. Just ground me or something," Sarah pleaded.
Thanks for sticking with me, and my sincerest apologies about the long wait. College means busy. Anyway thanks a million for the reviews, you guys rock. As always keep the reviews coming.