Ten.

Dawn

I was sitting in a lawn chair, staring at the ocean, a plate of Mary Anne's potato salad in my lap. Occasionally I pick at it, but I'm not hungry.

Goddamn Stacey.

It really hurt, what she had said to me. What had hurt even more is that she had been right. I had spent the rest of the trip trying not to cry, and had been so bottled up by the time we got there I had simply needed a release. I had marched into my room, put my bags down, dug it out of my purse, and I did one line. Just one. That's not much. Not enough to send me on a frenzy. Just enough to make me forget how much I wanted it... but it wore of long ago. Now I really want it.

So I've just been sitting here, watching the party, not really talking to anyone.

Weak weak weak.

I was watching Mary Anne, mostly. She'd been standing ahead and to the left of me with that Trent guy for about forty-five minutes. She was drunk. It's not incredibly obvious, but Trent had a bottle of something sitting on the ground by his feet and was prompting her to drink from it every few minutes. She was starting to touch him, be a little flirty, and that's how I know she's drunk.

Mary Anne suddenly turned away from Trent and came toward me, stumbling a bit on the first step. When she go to me she grabbed my hand and yanked me out of the chair. "Bathroom!"

I had no choice but to follow, she wouldn't let go of my hand. She took me to our house. "I don't wanna go in the boys bathroom. Yuck." She said with a slight slur. She barreled into the bathroom and sat on the toilet without shutting the door.

I stood against the doorframe and looked at the wall. "So you like that guy, huh?"

"Dawn... he's SO hot. No guy that looked like that ever liked me before." I heard the toilet flush and gave her a moment before I looked at her again. She was standing at the mirror, adjusting her bikini top. She looked at me. "What do you think of him?"

"Oh, he's cute, that's for sure. Just don't do anything too rash."

She pursed her lips, thoughtful. "Can I be honest?"

"Of course."

"I kind of want to sleep with him. Just do it, you know? have a fling while I'm here. Get it over with. Maybe that's the best thing I can to to forget about..." She trailed off.

I hate drunk logic. "Well," I said carefully, "maybe not. Your first time is going to be very emotional for you, Mary Anne. I think you should be with someone you truly care about."

"Yeah, but if I do it while I'm drunk, I'll forget all that and just have fun."

In a very, very screwed up way, that makes sense. "You have to think about tomorrow." I pointed out. It was a very un-me thing to say.

Mary Anne caught that. Her face turned serious. "I know you did it today."

Damn.

"I can tell, Dawn. Were you thinking about tomorrow?"

I hung my head. "No."

Mary Anne smiled and hugged me. "Don't worry," She said, "I'm not going to lecture you or anything while I'm drunk. In fact, I'm going to forget it happened. Poof! Gone."

I hugged her back tightly. "Thanks, Mary Anne. I'm not going to lecture you, either. You know what?" I said as she pulled away. "We're here to have fun. Let's make a promise to eachother that we're not going to dwell on stupid mistakes for the next two weeks. And if one of us does, the other gets to slap her."

Mary Anne giggled. "I promise. Do you?"

"I promise."

She giggled again and hooked her arm through mine as we headed outside. "Aren't we, like, the best sisters ever?"

"Of course we are. We're--"

Mary Anne stopped walking suddenly. I followed her gaze.

Trent was standing in the same spot. Standing on tippy-toe and whispering in his ear was Stacey McGill.

Mary Anne's grip on my arm tightened. "Dawn... she's been doing that all day. She knows I like him, Dawn, she fucking knows it..."

I was taken aback. She doesn't use that word often. A half a second later and I forgot, feeling only white-hot anger toward Stacey. Stacey could have any guy she wanted. Why did she have to go after the one my sister likes?

"Okay... okay." I said though gritted teeth. "I have a plan. Let's go. Act casual."

Mary Anne followed me.

"When we get to them, go to his other side and put your arm around his waist." Stacey was done whispering, and was now simply giggling and standing too close. "If she doesn't get the hint, ask Trent for another drink. After you drink it... are you ready to be bold?"

Mary Anne nodded. She was pissed.

"Okay, you're going to whisper in Trent's ear that you want to kiss him. I can tell he's into you, so he'll do it..."

"Dawn?" She muttered. We were only five feet away.

"Yeah?"

"Are you insane?"

I almost laughed. "Just do it. Remember how mad you are. Imagine how mad she's going to be." I said quietly.

We arrived. "Hi Stacey!" I said in an overly sweet voice.

Mary Anne smiled big at Trent and slipped her arm around his waist. Stacey noticed this and back away, but only about an inch. Mary Anne would have to go for gold.

"So Stace, isn't it just awesome here?" I asked her as Mary Anne whispered something to Trent. He picked up the bottle.

"Yeah... it's great. Just like I remember it." Stacey was looking at me like I was insane.

"I think it's even better." Mary Anne was whispering in Trents ear again. I kept Stacey focused on me. "So what are you doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know--" She said as Trent turned to Mary Anne and layed one on her.

"Oh, hmmm." I said to Stacey in a low voice. "I think we should leave these two alone."

Stacey glanced over and her eyes nearly fell out of her head. The look on her face was priceless. She looked back at me.

I put a serious look on my face. "Say what you want to me, but don't even mess with my sister." I said in a low voice.

Stacey's face held a range of emotion, from shock to fury to hurt. She simply walked away. I watched her as she ended up next to Mallory.

In front of me, Trent and Mary Anne were still at it. Apparently she forgot it was all an act.

Shaking my head, I returned to my lawn chair, only to find it occupied by one of the guys from the house. I checked him out before he noticed me. He was staring at the ocean, but his hands were drumming on his knees. He eyes were large and glassy.

You can always spot them.

Before I could stop myself, I approached him and put a flirty smile on my face. "You stole my seat," I said.

Four hours, a blur of speed and alcohol, and an insane makeout session later, I stumbled through the front door of our house. As I passed the kitchen I noticed Claudia sitting at the table with Kristy. They were eating Oreo's. I turned into the kitchen. "Hey guys!" I said brightly. "You're up late!"

"It's only midnight, Dawn..." Kristy looked me over. I must be a mess. "Where have you been?"

I giggled and sat down. "That guy I was talking to... I think his name is Mike. Anyway he invited me in to watch a movie with him."

"Uh huh. Among other things, right?"

"Right!" I laughed. There was no point in hiding it from Kristy. She knew damn well what I'd been up to. And Claudia is cool. "I had fun."

"Well I suppose that's what counts..." Kristy trailed off.

"We are on vacation. I think we should leave Dawn alone." Claudia put in. See? Cool.

Kristy nodded. "Just be careful, okay? If I notice you gone for too long I'm coming after you."

Claudia gave Kristy a funny look but didn't ask her to elaborate. I got the hint. Sometimes when you're on speed you can disappear for days at a time. Kristy wouldn't let me. That's a good thing. "I'm being careful, I'm being good." I said with another grin. I jumped up. "Where is everyone? It's, like, early."

"Alan's in the shower, Stacey and Mallory both took off in Stacey's car like three hours ago, and I haven't seen your sister for a while either. Last I saw she was attached to Trent at the lips." Kristy informed me.

Oh, no. I'd forgotten about Mary Anne. "Shit!" I said. "I need your phone, I've got to call her."

"She'll be okay, Dawn." Claudia reassured me.

"Please? I just have to check on her, okay?"

Claudia handed me her phone and I dialed Mary Anne. On the fouth ring she answered, sounding asleep.

"Mary Anne! Is everything okay?"

"Mmmhmmm." She replied sleepily.

"Did you..." I looked at Claudia and Kristy and decided to be discreet. "Did you do what we talked about?"

"Mmmm mmm."

"No?" I couldn't be sure.

"No..." She managed to croak.

"Oh... good. Are you coming home?"

Mary Anne inhaled and exhaled loudly. "Don't wanna get up." She replied, sounding slightly more coherent. Then she giggled. "Trent's naked."

God. She must still be drunk. I don't think Mary Anne would ever find that funny sober. "Why!" I exclaimed. "You said--"

"I didn't. I think... I think he was stripping or something. I don't know, I don't remember." I heard a thump and Mary Anne drew a sharp breath. "Ow... let me just find my top and I'll come home."

"Your top--" I said, alarmed. But she had already hung up. Kristy and Claudia stared at me like dogs staring at a steak.

"What about her top?" Kristy asked, both aghast and excited.

"She couldn't find it. She's coming home right now, we'll see."

Kristy jumped up. "I'm going to smoke!" She called. Claudia followed her eagerly. I did, too. If Mary Anne was going to come home topless, I had to see.

Kristy lit her cigarette and I spotted Mary Anne coming out the front door. We could see her clearly in the moonlight, and she was wearing a large white shirt. Probably Trents.

She grinned as she approached us, and when she started up the steps, stumbled and fell. She burst out laughing. We all did. Claudia helped her up and we all observed the same thing at once. She was holing her bikini top in her hands.

"I see you found your top. Where was it?" Kristy asked, never discreet.

"Under Trent's bed. I didn't do anything, I swear I didn't." Mary Anne was turning beet red. She may be drunk but she still knows what shy is.

"Obviously her top fell off without her knowing." Came a voice from the doorway. Mary Anne looked at Alan and burst out laughing.

"Yes," She said, "That is exactly what happened."