“And trying to get lucky.” I laugh, nodding to the other girls.
Prue rolls her eyes, lifting the bottle to her lips. She takes a gulp, and I try not to laugh when her face twists in disgust from the burn.
“Why do people drink this stuff?”
“To have fun. You should try it,” Cameron replies. “Have a few more sips and try to make some new friends. Ben and I are going to go try to make some of our own, okay?”
“Please don’t abandon me,” Prue pleads softly.
“I’m not abandoning you. I will be around. Relax and try to have a good time, okay? I won’t be far.”
She nods, taking another sip.
I follow Cameron as he ducks around a few people toward the girls by the stairs.
“Sorry about her. She’s had a rough couple of months. I’m just trying to show her life can be fun, you know?”
“Yeah.” I nod, ignoring the part of me that would like to show her how fun I could be.
The call of chaos is one I’ve learned to ignore after Janet. No girl is ever worth the trouble. Least of all some stuck-up girl with a bruise under her eye.
TWO
Cameronand I chat up different girls. Eventually we bump into Oscar, who has a girl hanging onto his arm. I continue to drink myself stupid as the idea of leaving with any of the girls seems unnecessary when there are plenty of empty rooms.
I sneak off with two different girls throughout the night.
I fuck one in a tub big enough for the both of us. She will surely brag to her friends about the job I did with limited room. I let her put her number in my phone even though I have no plans of ever calling her. I made it clear it was just a hookup, but some girls never heed my warnings.
I fuck the second one in a bedroom upstairs.
We leave the blankets disheveled, not bothering to make up the bed when we are done. I toss my used condom in a drawer on the side table as she fixes her makeup using the mirror on the dresser. This isn’t my house, nor am I responsible for renting the place, so the mess is the least of my concerns.
She invites me back to her place for round two, but I know that will just lead to her wanting to have breakfast with me. Thatis not something I want to deal with, so I politely decline and join back up with Cameron and Oscar.
Cameron silently tracks some girl throughout the night. He is trying to play it off, but I’ve seen that look far too many times. The way the eyes zero in on someone. It’s a dead giveaway that a guy has the hots for a girl.
I have no idea who she is to him, but he watches with fascination as she dances with other guys, while drinking like a fish. I don’t bother pointing it out. We aren’t friends, though if we were, I’d tell him not to waste his time.
That girl is wild, and he is trying to make it big. He does not need her getting in the way of his dreams.
His sister, Prue, comes up to us from time to time. Asking how much longer he plans on staying. He suggests she gets herself a ride home, but she always says no. I guess sticking around to bug her brother is more fun than going home alone.
It’s mildly annoying, but I don’t address it. Whatever hard time she is having has apparently earned her the right to interfere in Cameron’s fun. I don’t know their family dynamics well enough to know if that’s fair or not. Being an only child has gifted me the ability to never have to care about someone else.
Of course, over the years Wes has become more like a brother to me than a friend. I’m pretty sure my parents liked him more than me. He did a better job of comforting my mother after my father died than I did. I’m pretty sure he talks to her more often too. I know for a fact they have breakfast at least once a month.
My mom is just crazy about Abbey Dark. I figure she thinks if they get married, she may actually have a chance of being a grandmother, maybe not by blood, but Wes would give her that title over his own mother any day.
That’s not happening, though. Abbey would not do well being pregnant, and I do not plan on having kids myself, so she is going to be robbed of that chance.
I’d feel bad, but as my mother, she has come to expect disappointment. I try not to lose sleep over it anymore. She stopped trying to change me or raise me at an early age. Instead, my saint of a mother has taken to offering me forgiveness that I don’t ask for, and acceptance I don’t deserve.
She offers the same things to Wes, and he eats it up. His home life was not great, and every chance he had, he was at my house enjoying the comforts two loving parents could give. What I didn’t want, he did, and it worked out for the both of us.
He got a family, and I got the burden of being a good child off my back. Plus, we both got each other. A win for everyone.
So, I try to ignore Cameron’s needy sister when she comes around, because just like my family isn’t typical, I can only assume theirs isn’t either. Even though it is becoming increasingly obvious, they are well off.
