We drive through Westoria, collecting Joseph from a grocery store on the way. He has a crate of beer and a bag full of snacks. How old is Joseph? I put him at around nineteen because of how cute he is, but I guess he must be at least twenty-one if he can buy beer.
My phone vibrates, alerting me to a text so I pull it out of my bag.
Willow: Miss you.
“That your mom?”
I shake my head. “It’s my sister.”
Nok’s hands tighten on the steering wheel.
Nash sounds surprised. “You have a sister? How old is she?”
“My age, she’s my twin.”
“Twin? There’s another one of you? God help us all,” Joseph jests and I find myself smiling with him.
“You should have said,” Nash puts in. “We’d have brought her too.”
I shift uncomfortably, I don’t like it when I’m the focus point of the conversation, or my sister. “She wouldn’t have come.”
“We can go back for her?” Nok suggests.
“She’s sick,” I respond shakily, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Is that why she doesn’t go to school?”
Nodding, I chew on my lip and stop talking.
It’s Nash who asks, “How sick is she?”
“It’s terminal.”
“Cancer?”
I turn up the radio. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Nash puts his hand on my thigh, over the fabric of my lace black skirt but I shift so he removes it. “If you change your mind.”
He and Nok share a look. I know they’re concerned now, even Nok. Though he’s probably just worried I’ll bring the mood down.
“Are you sharing those beers, Joseph?” I ask, putting on a cheery façade to lighten things up a bit.
He breaks open the box under his feet and grabs two beers, using one to open the other. I take a long pull and nudge Nok with my elbow.
“Sucks to be you tonight.”
He smiles and surprisingly nudges me back. “Puke in my car and I’ll throw you in Columbia River.”
Laughing, I take another pull, smack my lips, and flex my neck from side to side. “I almost wish I didn’t have to leave if this is what the rest of my senior year is gonna be like.”
“No chance your mom will stay?”
“What is it that she even does?”
“Can we just not talk about my family tonight?” I ask, frowning at them. “Why are you so fascinated?”
“You’re a mystery that’s why,” Nash answers.
“You roll into town all cool on your bike, with major attitude, no prior history to mention, family as private as you are, and you have pink hair and great tits,” Joseph explains, smiling his cute, dimpled smile.
“Really great tits,” Nok mutters so only I can hear.
My breath catches in my throat and I look at him, forgetting how close we are. Luckily my attention is diverted to the half-full gravel lot that resides in front of a huge screen. People are already here, parked by individual meters.
“I’ve never been to a drive-in movie,” I admit, leaning forward to look out the windscreen as Nok navigates us past people and smaller vehicles. When he finally decided on a spot near the back, he reverses into it. “How are we going to see the screen if we’re facing the wrong way?”
“Truck bed,” he replies and offers me a hand when he climbs out.
I don’t take it, I’m no delicate flower. Instead I put my hand on his head just because I think it’s funny. Oh my God his hair is so soft.
We move around the back and Nok tugs the cover off, revealing a padded truck bed covered in a dark blue sheet and multiple pillows. I gasp when he grabs me by the hips and lifts me over the side of the truck.
I almost stumble forward as my body tips but I right myself at the right moment.
“Don’t do that,” I snap at his smug face, hands on my hips as I glare down at him from my towering height.
“Lift you?”
“Sneak up behind me.”
“You knew I was behind you,” he argues, not caring that I’m irritated in the slightest.
“I didn’t know you were about to manhandle me!” I sit on the makeshift mattress, fluffing up the pillows behind my back. This is so comfortable. It smells good too, so I know they’ve used clean sheets and cases.
I look around for Nash but he’s with Joseph, pointing to a food truck about forty yards away so I settle again and wait.
Nok climbs in after me and motions for me to shift up to the middle. I do so, fluffing those pillows too seeing as he took the ones I already organized.
It’s getting darker now.
I listen to Joseph and Nash argue over Joseph’s snack choices when Nok suddenly starts to howl again, like he did at the track that night. His reservation buddies all join in, I’m surprised by how many are here and laugh when the howling is the only thing that can be heard likely for miles and miles.
He then sits next to me and passes me a new beer. His shoulder is touching mine. This guy does not care about boundaries. This is good. This is what I need. Though not when it’s from behind. Nobody needs that.
“What time does the movie start?” I ask and look up at the darkening sky. It’ll be pitch-black soon. I’m really looking forward to this. I’m getting this feeling of excitement that I haven’t had for such a long time. I try not to let it take hold because I need to remain impartial. I’m leaving in a few weeks and when I feel things, it’s hard to leave. It’s so fucking hard.
“In about forty minutes.” He catches a lock of my hair and brings it to his nose. “You smell like…” He sniffs twice. “Apricots and vanilla.”
I move my head to get him to free my hair and look at the large rusting screen which is now holding an odd glow to it. It slowly gets brighter and brighter until a faded image takes shape. It’s a soap commercial, complete with sexism in a bottle.
“You got into a fight on my first day.”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
Fiery eyes roam over my face as I look at him expectantly. “He said something I didn’t like.”
“Do you fight everyone who says something you don’t like?”
“Yep.”
I can’t fight my smile. “Me too.”
We laugh together gently, and he edges closer, just enough that I can feel his body heat.
His eyes flicker to my lips as that familiar smug grin plays at his. “Do you want to kiss me, Lilith?”
“Oh God,” I groan and push his face away. “You really love yourself.”
“You were tempted.”
I shake my head. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You were still tempted.”
Narrowing my eyes, I slap his chest and shift away slightly. Being cautious about my skirt and legs. “You can stop staring at me now.”
“You. Were. Tempted.”
“If I kiss you will you leave me alone?”
“No.”
I grin and try to unsnap my gaze from his but it’s impossible. He’s a magnet and I’m his opposite, we’re always going to be drawn together. “I thought you don’t date white chicks, anyway?”