He grunts and the sheets rustle. “I don’t know. I’m too high to deal with your drama right now.”
Pulling a blanket over me, I chuckle, then fluff my pillow and settle in for some rest. “Thanks for your honesty, I guess.”
Another grunt, and a few minutes later I catch the silent catches of breaths that turn into soft snoring. With Scotty asleep, I force myself to do the same.
Chapter Twelve
23 Years Old (Past)
Sweatfellfrommyforehead, dripping down my nose. It was fucking hot there, and I was over it. I was ready to be in my bed, ready to have air conditioning, soft winter themed socks on my feet and a cup of excellent tea in my hand while Ma cooked Christmas dinner.
I wanted to watch the snowfall from the safety of our living room, but also wanted to run outside naked and roll in the snow. That’s how fucking over this shit I was.
“Packages!”
I glanced up to see Griffin hurrying toward me with a box in his arms. He was grinning, that boyish smile with a glint of mischief in his eye as he sauntered toward me, Haley Savino chugging along behind him.
“Wait up, Griff. It’s my package,” she said, a flint of irritation as her smaller legs kept up with his.
“Yeah, but you said I could have some of it if I carried it for you,” Griffin said.
Savi brushed sweat from her brow, scowling. “I said one. You could have one. And I don’t even know if she sent it this time.”
“It’s heavy as fuck, Savi. She sent it.” Griffin shoved the box into my chest. “Come on.”
I let out a choked sound and wrapped my hands around the cardboard before he dropped it. Savi and Griffin continued past me. “Where are you going?”
“To Savi’s bunk. Hurry up.”
I sighed, taking a few steps to catch up. This box actually was pretty hefty. “Jesus, Savi. What’s in this thing? A body?”
“You’ll see,” she said, turning to wait for me. “But you have to swear you won’t tell anyone.”
“He won’t,” Griffin cut in on my behalf. “If he does, he knows I’ll kill him.”
Approaching the tent, Savino stepped in first. Then Griffin and me. She pointed to her bunk, and I dropped the box on her bed. Pulling out a switchblade, Griffin and I watched her open her care package.
Griffin bounced on the balls of his feet, giddily waiting to see what was sent. And I just watched, wondering what was so exciting. There was only so much it could be. Savino opened the flaps of the top of the box while Griffin peered inside.
Satisfied with whatever was sent, he fisted the air. “See? I fucking told you.”
My foot tapped. I was over this shit. “Please. Let me in on the secret.”
Savino pulled out a sixteen ounce bottle of iced tea, handing it to me. “Here, you could use that.” She turned to Griffin, handing him one, too. “Is he always this uptight?”
“Yes,” he said at the same time I denied it.
I shot him a dirty look. “Rude.”
“True, though.”
“I’m not a fan of sweet tea,” I say, handing the bottle back to Savi.
“Neither am I. I prefer… water?” her head glanced to the ceiling of the tent. “Yeah. Water.” Undoing the cap, she brought the bottle straight to her mouth. “The brown stuff will do in a bind. I consider being stuck in this shit weather would justify as shitty circumstances.”
I unscrewed the cap and brought the bottle to my mouth. Sure, why wouldn’t piss warm tea be on the top of my must have from home list? And fuck it, I was pretty thirsty anyway. That thirst wasn’t quenched as I swallowed the liquid.
It took less than a second to process what I was drinking, and I choked down the warm liquor, coughing it up. Both Griffin and Savino let out a fit of laughter, doubling over and holding their stomachs. I was ready for tea, not whatever the hell this was.
