But that was years ago. I’m about to go to college. And my judgment is like a million times sounder these days.
A flash of movement across the lake snags my attention. I turn to see Nick climbing the ladder of the floating dock. Dripping water, he runs both hands through his wet hair. His skin gleams in the late morning sunshine. When he catches me staring, he waves, then flips up his middle finger.
I flip mine up in response, and his faint laughter travels along the water.
It’s going to be a long weekend.
4
The rest of the day isn’t as bad as I anticipate. Danny and Michelle aren’t gone long. When they return, Nick and I pile into the boat and the four of us head for the cliffs on the far end of the lake. The highest one is about thirty feet, and I’m pumped when the rocky landscape comes into view. Diving off those cliffs is such a rush.
Michelle refuses to jump, so she remains on the shore. Drapes herself on a boulder and leans back like she’s posing in a mermaid photoshoot, her curls shining in the sun. We stay out there for most of the afternoon, until we run out of drinking water and are all gasping from dehydration. Then we go back to the house, disappearing into our respective rooms for some pre-dinner naps.
Dinner consists of juicy steaks picked up at the butcher shop near the marina, and baked potatoes on the grill. For once, Michelle isn’t being annoying. A rare occasion, indeed. She, Nick, and Danny regale me with college stories. Nick rolls a joint and even Michelle takes a few hits, while I pass on it because it makes me sleepy. Instead, I blend up some pina coladas for myself and Michelle, while Nick and Danny steadily make a dent in the beer cooler. I don’t know who suggests it, but it’s around midnight and suddenly we’re playing a game of I Never. I’d tried bowing out, but Nick cajoles me into it in his typical asshole way.
“Come on, Poodle,” he taunts. “This is your chance to prove your moral superiority. Watch. She’s not going to drink at all.”
Danny snorts. “Not even a sip,” he agrees.
“Oh, stop it,” Michelle argues, reaching over to pat my arm. For once, her touch doesn’t feel condescending, but reassuring. Like it’s us against the boys. “She’s two years younger. She hasn’t had a chance to be wild yet.”
“I’ve done plenty of wild things,” I protest. Though I’m feeling surprisingly magnanimous as I add, “But thanks for the backup.”
She beams at me, and for a second I experience a pang of guilt, because I haven’t been the nicest to her over the years. I’m never rude, but my sarcasm can get out of control when dealing with Michelle. In my defense, this chick can go from pleasant to downright unbearable in the blink of an eye. The latter is her usual state of being, the former a rare exception to the rule.
“Alright. I’ll go first,” Danny announces. “I never…made out with a teacher.”
He winks at Nick, and the next thing I know, his best friend growls and takes a sip. “What the hell, man,” Nick gripes.
I swing toward him. “You made out with a teacher? Who? When? Do I know her?”
“This year,” he admits. “And technically she was a guest lecturer.” He lifts an eyebrow at me. “Jealous?”
“No, I feel so sorry for her. She probably went home and scoured herself with scalding water, and then curled up crying on the shower floor when she realized the shame can never wash off.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
Michelle giggles.
“Alright, your turn.” Danny prompts Nick with an impatient hand.
Tracing the lip of his bottle with one finger, Nick ponders it, then says, “I never…broke into my high school after hours and went skinny-dipping in the pool.”
This time everyone but me drinks.
And on and on it goes. Public make-out sessions. Danny and Michelle admit to having sex in the other room during a family dinner, which makes me gag. Nick has a bunch of sexual escapades, too. No surprise there.
I continue to pick tame options, more daredevil acts than sexy ones, and they’ve taken to booing me every time my turn comes around.
“Come on,” Michelle urges. “Pick something dirty.”
I scan my memory bank for the dirty deeds in my repertoire. There’s really not much. So I make something up. “I never…hooked up in public and was caught by the cops.”
I honestly don’t expect anybody to drink, because I’m sure I would’ve heard a story like that before. But my brother surprises us by taking a swig of beer.
And he’s the only one.
Very slowly, eerily so, Michelle swivels her head toward him and asks, “Excuse me?”
“What?” Danny frowns for a second before his face goes a bit pale, as if he realizes his mistake.
“With who?” his girlfriend demands.
That’s when I realize whoever this mystery girl he got busted with, it was not Michelle.
Holy shit. Had he cheated on her?
Like me, this is exactly where Michelle’s mind goes. “When did this happen?” Her tone is deadly.
“It was before we started dating, babe. Relax.”
But that just gets her wheels spinning harder. A deep groove appears in her forehead as she strains to remember all the girls he dated before her.
“Was it Lauren?” she accuses.
“No. I told you, Lauren and I never did anything more than kiss.”
“Then who the hell did you finger-blast in front of the cops?” she shrieks.
“I didn’t finger-blast anyone,” protests Danny. “We were making out in a park and she might’ve been giving me a hand-job. I was drunk, I can’t remember all the details. Just that the cops showed up and drove us home.”
“When was this?” Michelle pushes.
“Daniel,” Nick hedges, a note of warning in his voice. I’m not sure if he’s warning my brother to stay quiet or tell the truth. I suspect it’s the first one.
“Junior year,” Danny finally replies. “I told you, it was before we started dating.”
“Do I know her?”
His eyes flit to the left, a telltale sign he’s trying to come up with a lie. Which just confirms the answer is yes.
Oh, you stupid bastard.
Nick and I exchange an uneasy look. I personally have no idea who Danny’s talking about. But Nick probably knows. Those two never keep secrets from each other.
“Hey, Poodle,” Nick says, scraping back his chair, “why don’t we go down to the dock and look at the stars or something? You can teach me about the constellations. You’re always babbling about those.”
“When have I ever spoken about constellations?” But I’m already starting to rise from the table.
“No,” Michelle snaps, and Nick and I freeze. “You two aren’t going anywhere. Not until I find out who Danny hooked up with and was too pussy to tell me about!”
“Whatever!” Danny blurts out. “It was Jess, okay?”
I bite back a gasp, forcing myself to appear nonchalant. But Jess? That’s one of the girls in Michelle’s inner circle. He fooled around with one of her friends?
“It was before you and I ever exchanged a single word. What the hell does it matter?” he says in aggravation.