Walker, I assume, readjusts the blindfold and kisses my lips once—definitely Walker.
I sigh as the vehicle continues forward and sways slightly, crunching on gravel. I know where we are.
The movement stops and a series of doors open at once. I take Walker’s hand and he leads me blindly along. The dew from the grass squishes between my toes through my flip flops until he stops. “Okay, open your eyes.”
The blindfold is removed and everyone shouts, “Happy Birthday!”
I smile wide as I take in all of the people gathered at Walker’s cabin. It was the perfect set-up really. All of the vacationers are gone for the season, so it only leaves the residents who only come up on the weekends. Not a lot of witnesses to bust a high school party that will most likely get out of control.
Perry comes up behind me and puts his arm around my neck, kissing the side of my head.
“You like your surprise, Bishop?”
I tilt my head back to look at him. “I love it.”
He smiles down at me and I get a weird shuffling in my stomach. Perry is my best friend, but even I can’t deny how beautiful his face is.
Sloan squeals from in front of me and reaches out for my hand. She eagerly pulls me forward, her spiral curls bouncing with her steps. “Oh, you like it? I thought you would.” She continues to drag me down the yard to a group of tables set up. “I had purple cupcakes made for you,” she turns to me, pausing for a moment. “Purple is your favorite, right?”
I nod, and she continues. “Okay, good. And I have several flavors of Jell-O shots, in case you don’t want beer.” She continues to describe each item of the table as if she’s on a game show. I have to admit, it was really nice of Sloan to do so much for my birthday. I had always thought she didn’t really like me. That she only tolerated me because of Perry.
She clasps her hands together and smiles. “So, what do you think? It’s perfect, right?”
“Yes, Sloan. It’s pretty perfect.”
She pours me a shot from a bottle of birthday cake flavored vodka and hands it to me in a toast. “To turning sixteen. May it be your best year yet.”
I tilt it back and close my eyes as the burning liquid makes its way to my stomach. It sure doesn’t taste like a birthday cake. I try to make a wish, but come up short. It feels like I already have everything I want, so what do I wish for?
There’s a lot of people at the party I don’t really know. My guess is Sloan took it upon herself to fluff the guest list so she could have fun too. It doesn’t matter to me though. I’m currently standing in front of Walker with his arms around me. He pulls my back flush against his chest and whispers in my ear.
“I want to tell you something, Tess.”
My stomach immediately begins to stir with excited nerves and I turn around to face him. I place my hands on his waist.
“What’s that?”
He stares down in my eyes for so long I find myself wondering if he’s going to say anything at all. And then he does.
“I love you.”
At first, it takes a minute for me to process what he said. Love? I was just getting used to the idea of having a boyfriend. How do I know if I love him? Lucky for me, I’ve watched enough romantic movies to know that if I don’t say it back, regardless if I mean it or not, he’ll be hurt. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt Walker.
I kiss him once. “I love you, too.”
The way he smiles back at me melts my soul. I can see it in his eyes and all over his face. He truly believes we’re supposed to be together. I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. When I open my eyes, I look over his shoulder and spot Perry and Sloan down by the dock. They’re clearly fighting. Perry is throwing his arms around and Sloan has that look on her face like she’s completely shocked he’s mad about something. It’s always the same.
Walker pulls back, interrupting my view of their argument. He cups the side of my face.
“I need to go somewhere with Jeremy for a bit, but I’ll be right back.”
I nod. For some reason I don’t even feel the need to ask where he’s going. The only thing I can think about is getting to Perry to see if he’s okay.
Walker kisses me once more and heads over to where Jeremy is waiting by the jeep. I cross my arms and glance around the party. Everyone is fairly drunk by now and several groups have formed throughout the yard. The funny thing is, I don’t feel like I belong to any of them. I spend the majority of my time with the guys—and Sloan, and didn’t really attempt to form too many female friendships outside of the group.
I finally see Perry pacing along the border of lake, smoke from his cigarette curling into the air around him. With a deep breath, I walk down through the yard toward him. He sees me coming and smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“There’s the birthday girl.” He pulls me to his side when I get close enough and I wrap one of my arms around his waist. “You having fun?”
“Yeah,” I say with a small smile.
“Is there something else?” he asks, with a smirk. He hands the cigarette to me and I take a drag. It’s not a habit I’d like to have full-time, but it seems to be something I like to do when I’m around him.
I pull my foot out of my flip flop and run it through the damp grass. “Walker told me he loves me.”
Perry’s eyes widen when I look up at him. “Whoa. Strong words.”
I huff a laugh. “You’re one to talk. You tell Sloan you love her like a million times a day.”
“Yeah, that’s different.”
“How’s it different?”
He looks thoughtful for a moment, lighting another cigarette he pulls from behind his ear. He takes a drag and looks up through the yard. I follow his gaze to Sloan who is giggling and hanging on Johnny.
His eyes darken. In the pale moonlight, they look almost black. “Girls like Sloan need to be told that.” He continues to watch her while he speaks to me. “It gives them a certain satisfaction that they’re wanted or some shit.”
“So, you don’t really love her?”
His eyes snap to mine and he shakes his head. “No, I do. I love Sloan, but I don’t know why.”
I’m surprised by his confession. I’ve watched him defend every shitty thing she does to the death, and now, he’s questioning the depth of his love for her.
“You think Walker doesn’t really love me?”
He steps closer, his eyebrows pulling in. “No, I’m not saying that at all. I’m sure Walker believes he does. How could he not?”
I smile a little, but remain slightly confused. Perry’s talking in circles, which is normal for him when he doesn’t want to say what he’s really thinking. He stares up the yard again, and this time, Sloan kisses Johnny. Right in front of everyone.
Perry jaw ticks, but doesn’t move. He remains eerily still for the longest time and I’m afraid to speak.
Finally, I reach my hand out to touch him. “Perry,” I say hesitantly. “She’s not worth it.”
He looks down at my hand and then back to her. “She said I’m too obsessed with her. That I like to control everything she does and don’t let her have her own friends.” He looks back to me. “What the fuck is that? She does whatever she wants and I get mad one fucking time because she’s being a little too friendly with another guy and suddenly I’m obsessed with her?”