Author's Note/Disclaimer:
See other chapters.
Okay, this chapter has mention of nudity and other generally bad things. It really doesn't get graphic, but if you don't like it then skip over it. This sounds like such a blah chapter to me and will probably go through some serious chapter therapy, but I couldn't wait to put it up, so please read!
Bleezie- Thanks so much! Yes, Ace was giving her "the eye". Doesn't it make you wonder what they're going to do about it? I don't… oh yeah, I'm the writer. I knew that!
Megan a.k.a. Claire- No I haven't seen Chicago. But you haven't seen all of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, so nah! Just kidding. When you come over we can watch that and The Breakfast Club. It's exciting.
MisguidedWhisperer- Thank you! I will keep up the updates.

Chapter Six

The week flew by fast and before any of us knew it, it was the weekend. I had been accepted into Jez's group. To seal the deal on this we decided to camp out in the field next to my house. Already I was coming to think of it as my house and it scared me a little.

It didn't take a lot to convince Aunt Carolyn to let us camp out. She didn't really want me in the house anyway. I was just on more person to listen to anyway. Eyeball was gone too, but I didn't think anything of it. He was always leaving when he felt like it.

Saturday night started out like a lamb before it became a ravaging, wild lion…

"It's hot." Cassandra whined in my ear.

We were lying in our tents, with the front flaps wide open to welcome what little cool air there was into them. It was getting really hot and everyone's whining was beginning to make me frustrated. At least Cassandra had the end. I was stuck between her and Lizzie.

"I have an idea." Lizzie said, sitting up.

"What now?" Danni called from the tent across from us.

"We should go swimming in the lake."

"Are you crazy? None of us brought swimming suits!" Bell whispered furiously, sticking her head out from the tent she was sharing with Danni.

"Live a little. Do you really think anyone's up right now? We could, you know, go in the nude." Lizzie grinned. I could tell, even in the dark.

It became very quiet. Each of us was thinking over the consequences of getting caught by the police. Finally even Cassandra broke down.

"Let's just do it." She said.

The five of us quietly snuck out of the tents, none of us bothering with towels because Lizzie brought enough for everyone. Each girl bringing along a backpack with a comb and to stash her clothes and towel in. She admitted later that she was planning on going swimming one way or another.

We all piled into Danni's little Mustang. Hoping we weren't making too much noise we drove down to the lake.

I thought the water had never looked so inviting. The moon lit up the lake perfectly and I could even see the other shore.

Feeling a little more daring I stripped and dived in, remembering what I had learned from my Dad over the summer. He loved swimming so much. But it hurt to think about him.

"Oh that's so cool." Cassandra said as she slipped in.

I glanced at the dock where we left our clothes in a gigantic pile. Danni's car was parked among the trees, hidden from anyone's view.

"Hey Jov, think fast!" Lizzie called, spitting water in my face. I motioned for her to be quiet as I slithered over to where Bell was sitting and talking to Danni and Cassandra. I slipped under the surface and pulled her foot, taking her down with me.

I resurfaced and laughed as she splashed water at me. Feeling a lot happier, I swam out as far as I felt I could go before coming back. Deep water scared me.

"This isn't half bad." Cassandra called, leaping off the dock.

"Not at all." Lizzie agreed. She was swimming laps between the shores. The lake wasn't that big either and she was as good at swimming as I was at running.

We goofed around for a good ten minutes before we saw two pairs of headlights pull up a few inches from the dock. I held my breath, frozen in my obvious spot next to the dock.

"Son of a bitch, who do we have here?"

I let go of my breath and jerked my head, signaling the others to come over.

"Jovanna? What the hell are you doing here?" Eyeball asked.

"I could ask you the same question." I said as I lowered myself under the water. All of a sudden I was Ms. Self Conscious again.

"We came out here to get wasted." Charlie snorted.

"Shut up Charlie." Ace ordered and Charlie fell silent. Ace crouched down and stared at me. My eyes met his and I shivered a little.

"Let me help you out of there." He offered his hand. An idea came over me and I gave him my hand.

"Uh… Jov?" Lizzie asked, gaping. I winked at her right before I pulled him in.

Everyone broke into laughter when he resurfaced, gasping for breath with his hair plastered to his head. I smiled, grabbed my bag off the dock, and made my way to the woods to get dressed again.

Cassandra, Lizzie, and Danni followed, but Bell stayed behind to talk to Billy. We were all pretty much done when she finally came back.

"Billy says that they want us to stay and party with 'em. I told him if you guys agreed we would, but if you don't want to I understand." Jez said.

"No objections here." Danni said, pulling up her skirt.

"I'm not bothered." I agreed.

"It's beats staying in those hot tents all night." Lizzie added.

I looked at Cassandra, wondering what she would say. There was no way I would leave Cassie out, but I wanted to stay and have a wild night before my Mom arrived.

"Why not?" Cassandra wondered. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and we finished getting ready.

"Took you long enough." Vince commented when we finally emerged from the woods.

"Bite. Me." Lizzie said with a giant grin on her face. She glanced at Eyeball, who winked, curiously for a minute and then looked away, shaking her head.

Ace was sitting on the trunk of his car. He had dried a little and fixed his hair. I stood close to Cassandra, watching the "Cobras" like a watchdog.

"Okay ladies, we have Wild Irish Rose and Coca-Cola, stuff for Purple Jesuses, and last but not least, a six-pack." Jack said, rummaging through Vince's trunk. I glared at the ugly pink Studebaker. I really hated that car.

"I hawked two bottles of wine from my old man." Fuzzy boasted.

Ace and Eyeball stared at him.

"Why," Eyeball raised his eyebrow, "Didn't you tell us that before Fuzzy?"

Fuzzy shrugged. "You didn't ask."

"Doesn't matter. We've got everything we need. Let's get started." Vince said rubbing his hands together.

"Tunes anyone?" Jack turned the radio in Ace's car on.

Bell was sitting on Billy's lap, a beer can in Billy's hand as they began wildly making out. I shook my head and turned away from the scene. This was so not me.

"Jov, you're actually going to drink?" Eyeball asked when I leaned against Ace's car and took a Coke and Whiskey from Jack.

"Yes." I said, taking a drink. When it entered my mouth I thought I was going to gag. I could barely taste the Coke at all and the Whiskey burned my throat.

"You've never done this before have you?" Ace asked. He had a trace of a smile on his face.

"Of course I have." I lied before lowering my head and staring at my feet. "No."

"Didn't think so. It's okay though. You'll get use to it."

I looked around to see what everyone was doing. Danni was sipping on a beer and chatting away with Charlie Hogan. Lizzie was downing shots with Eyeball and they looked like they were getting bored with that. I shuddered a little. My precious, little Cassie was trying a Purple Jesus while being encouraged by Fuzzy. I was alone.

I took a big drink. It was easier when I held my breath while drinking and breathing through my mouth once or twice when I finished. I didn't taste it as much.

"You're okay kid." Ace said. We were sitting next to each other on the hood of his car.

"I'm not a kid." I shot back defensively. "I'm sixteen."

"Right. You're still a kid."

"You go right ahead thinking that." I said, turning to the side and staring at the stars. The radio was blaring an Elvis song and Danni was dancing wildly with Charlie. Danni was piss ass drunk and Charlie was well on his way.

"Shit." Lizzie giggled as she dropped her beer on Eyeball. He laughed too and I couldn't control myself. I burst out with giggles and laughed even harder when Ace just stared at me.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I feel a little light headed, but I don't think I'm drunk." I said seriously.

Suddenly, Ace was leaning in and kissing me. I didn't push him away or make any motion to pull away. I was enjoying it. Something about it just didn't feel right and pulled back fast.

"Ace," I breathed. "Are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, you and Claire…"

"Claire? You're worried about Claire?" He laughed. That was the only time I'd ever hear him laugh and it made me shiver.

"No, but you two are on and off. Wouldn't it be like cheating?"

"You don't think she's with some other guy right now?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, feeling cool towards him. I hopped off the hood and went to the trunk to get some of the wine that Fuzzy brought. Now that stuff I could drink.

"Wine?" Ace asked. He had taken the drink out of my hand and sniffed it.

"Yes." I replied, hopping back on.

"Now," he asked leaning in again. "Where were we?"