Every Little Piece (3 page)

Brin and Kama gossiped on my bed. I couldn’t imagine life without them—the three of us goofing off, hanging out, watching movies, texting all night. I wanted to stay in this bubble, the night before the beginning of the rest of our lives.

“I know the perfect place to start our night.” I leaned against the doorframe. I was determined to meet up with Seth, even if I had to tell some half-truths.

Kama clapped her hands. “Ooo! Share!”

I shrugged and threw them my famous smirk. “Now that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”

We left my house and climbed into Kama’s hunk of junk, she calls the Beast. Our last night as seniors. Tomorrow night we’d be official graduates, leaving all that behind us. No more freezing in the stands at homecoming football games, sharing a thermos of hot chocolate. No more cramming for history tests with all night popcorn study parties. No more nights acting silly and carefree. Would all that change? Overnight?

The sense of foreboding fell. I desperately wanted to grasp onto this moment and freeze it. I should want to break out the wings and fly like Brin. I should have plans to bust out and leap into my career like Kama. But somehow that evaded me.

“Where we going? Time to spill.” Brin fiddled with the radio.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “Just drive toward town. I’ll tell you where to go.”

Kama pulled out of my driveway. We passed all the normal haunts. Main Street wasn’t very big or happening. We passed through it within a few minutes. I pointed for Kama to take a right. The sign of the pool hall blinked ahead of us.

Kama whipped in and parked. Before the entrance with the music drifting outside, she danced in the street, her hips gyrating. “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. The party starts.”

Brin seemed a little more suspicious as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me.

“What?” I asked, the picture of complete innocence.

“Oh, nothing,” Brin said. “I love a good game of pool.”

I needed to defend my choice. “Hey, remember when we snuck in with my brother?” Kama’s parents had come in for a drink and we spent the night hiding out in the bathroom. We’d told our parents we were at the movies. I don’t know why we lied. It wasn’t a big deal and they probably would’ve said yes.

“Fine, I’ll give you that.” Brin lost her suspicions, hopefully.

We swung open the door and the rock music from the old-fashioned jukebox blasted out. We walked in arm in arm, ready to conquer the world. Didn’t matter who was there. It was our night.

Kama led the way to a table in the corner. I glanced around at the groups playing pool, hoping to find familiar dark hair and faded jeans. I saw lots of jeans with rips, but none of them were the ones I wanted. We played rock, paper, scissors to see who would break. The men at the table near us scowled at our giggling game. When they went back to their beers, I flipped them off.

Brin won the game and shot first. I hadn’t played in months and quickly fell behind. “Want sodas?”

They both nodded, fierce in competition. I wove through the pool tables and then the groups of tables where all kinds of people talked over drinks and dinner. I arrived at the bar and ordered three root beers. I felt his presence behind me before he whispered in my ear. I didn’t even hear what he said but turned around. He greeted me with a hungry kiss as if he’d never see me again. He pushed me up against the bar. His hands reached down and squeezed my butt. He pressed his hips into mine.

I pushed him away. “Seth!”

“Sorry, babe.” He winked. “You’re just too hot.”

“You’re not too bad, yourself.” I let my gaze drop to his body, his blue faded T-shirt I loved, then his black jeans that made me want to take him home and make him strip. I brought my eyes back to his, and the flecks of blue that matched his shirt. I looked closer. He avoided me and instead gazed at my chest and over my body. He wasn’t smiling and tension knotted his shoulders.

I traced my fingers over his lips then pulled him close to me again. I whispered in his ear. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

I tugged at his earlobe with my teeth, trying to tease the information out of him. “Come on, you can tell me.”

He jerked away. “I said nothing.” This time his words were hard and mean. He sighed. “Sorry about that. I’m on edge.”

“Graduation tomorrow?” I asked, masking the flicker of hurt.

He nodded. “Yeah. You could say that.”

I entwined my fingers with his and leaned forward until my forehead rested in the hollow below his shoulder. The music pounded in my chest along with my heartbeat. His hand slipped underneath the back of my shirt and he rubbed the exposed skin. I smelled his shirt and snuggled into him. We’d been together so many years and had seen the best and worst in each other. Was that love? Was that enough for a life together? I wanted to ask these things. But this was the worst thing ever to ask a guy near graduation. He’d run for the first bus out of town.

“Your drinks are ready,” he whispered in the sexiest voice ever.

“You flirt,” I teased.

“
Moi
? Hardly.”

I leaned up and gently brushed his lips with a kiss. “Bet us girls can kick your ass in pool.”

“Is that a challenge?” he asked, his eyes glinting. His usual fun and mischievous spark was back.

This was how it should be the night before graduation. A night of fun, full of things I’d never forget. Memories that would carry me through the dark times of life. When I was eighty years old and suffering from old people problems I wanted to call Brin and complain. She could tell me about her old people problems and we’d still find a way to laugh together even if we were using walkers. Heck, we could shop for old people diapers together.

Brin and Kama came up behind Seth. Brin smirked. “So, you’ll just hop on over to the bar and get us some drinks, huh?” She nodded to Seth. “Your sudden thirst didn’t have anything to do with him, I’m sure.”

I threw up my hands, palms out, in feigned innocence. “Completely coincidental. Right, Seth?”

“Well, actually, when we talked on the phone earlier, I let her know we might be here.”

I gasped in fake surprise then lightly stomped on his foot. “Jerk!”

“Hey, just telling it how it is, babe.” He winked and my heart melted in forgiveness. His brief episode of crankiness seemed to have disappeared.

Jamie came up behind Kama and tickled her ribs. I blocked my ears before her squeal sent the patrons running for the streets. Her squeal was famous for interrupting school assemblies, lunch periods, and other quiet times. Carter leaned an elbow on Brin’s shoulder.

“Hey, Brin. Want to hook up later at the party?”

“Keep on dreaming, Carter. No way you’re ever getting into my pants.”

I scolded her. “Never say never. Anything can happen on the night before graduation. Life-changing things like hooking up with a guy who’s been a friend since Kindergarten.”

“Jeez, girl.” Kama sighed in a dramatic way. “You’re so sentimental tonight.”

Seth wrapped me in a hug. “That’s right. One reason I love her.”

Warmth spread throughout my chest. Maybe I’d make it through this night after all.

Then he said, “It’s kept me from going broke for years.”

I gasped again in fake shock but I couldn’t maintain it long because it was totally true. I wasn’t a girl who needed bouquets of roses or diamond jewelry. Make me a card with badly written poetry or frame a picture of a special moment and I was all yours. Seth had known this for years.

Seth peered over our shoulders to the pool tables. “How about a game and a little friendly wager? Unless you think we’ll whip your butts.”

Jamie and Carter started flapping their arms like they were chickens and strutted around making clucking noises.

Kama motioned us toward her and we gathered in a huddle, our arms around each other’s shoulders.

“We don’t really need to talk about this, do we, girls?” she asked.

“No way!” Brin and I said at the same time.

“Let’s just pretend we’re strategizing,” I said. “Maybe we’ll intimidate them.”

We whispered and then gazed back at them. We burst out laughing, high-fived, wiggled our butts and twirled in a circle. Then as a unit, we grabbed our drinks, and headed over to the table.

I chalked the end of the stick, ready for the first play, but I paused. “Wait a second. We never talked about stakes. What’s the bet?”

Carter spoke up. “The losers have to refill beers for the entire party tonight.” He high-fived Jamie.

Brin shot them down. “Totally lame and unfair. We don’t drink as much as you.”

Jamie’s face lit up. “The losers have to sprint through town naked at midnight after the party.”

Kama huffed and crossed her arms. “Again. Totally a guy thing. Girls don’t run naked through town. Sorry.”

Seth leaned against the table and rubbed his chin. “Okay, then let’s hear your suggestions, girls.”

“If the guys lose, we get to do their nails and make-up for the party,” Brin said.

They stared at us and laughed. Kama, Brin and I threw out suggestions and so did the boys but we couldn’t nail down a consequence that we all agreed on. Finally, Seth raised his arms as if he was some gospel preacher.

“The losers have to head out to the Raker’s Island and spend the night.”

Nobody said anything as we thought over his idea. Raker’s Island was the tiniest island ever. It wasn’t really an island, but a patch of land that the tide never quite covered, and it was quite the ride out into the ocean.

Brin puckered her lips to the side. “At midnight? No way.”

Seth defended his idea. “I go out there all the time with my grandfather. The best fish are there. We leave while it’s still dark. No problem. The losers can use my grandfather’s boat.”

I shook my head no. “We’ve all got to agree.”

“I’ve got it then. The perfect solution.” He crooked a finger and motioned us closer. We all crammed around him and he spoke in low tones. “The losers will run through town in their underwear.”

We were all quiet. We knew it was the best idea ever. The perfect compromise.

I hooked my thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans and stood with my feet shoulder distance apart like I was some cowboy accepting a duel. “You’re on.”

We played for a straight hour. Eventually the guys won by a couple points. They whooped it up and slapped backs as if they were watching football and their team scored.

Brin bit her lip. “I’m not sure about this, Haley.”

“No backing out!” Seth reminded us. “A wager is a wager.”

I jabbed a finger into his chest. “No problem, babe, but you might regret it when we’re all in jail and miss graduation.”

The girls laughed.

Kama ended the conversation and our time playing pool. “Okay, it’s time to move on to the next stage in our journey.”

Seth butted in and stood between all of us. “We might need to go with you on this journey, just in case you decide to skip out on our bet.” He winked at me and I knew he was doing whatever he could so we could be together.

Kama waggled her finger. “No way. We need time to beautify for the party.” She primped her hair and stuck her nose in the air but couldn’t maintain the attitude for long. “No seriously, we have to get ready.”

Seth held up his hands, palms out. “Fine, fine. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

I held Seth’s hand, and we headed out the door. I loved this. Feeling that we could truly conquer the world.

Together was better than being apart.

Together we could do anything.

We said goodbye to the girls and headed to the beach for a game of football. The ocean was only a few towns over. This place contained so many memories. Of beach volleyball tournaments during summer. Of random football games after school.

With only three of us it was hard to run a true scrimmage, but somehow we managed. We got into the groove of throwing, running, ducking, and tackling. It felt good. The grit of the sand, the breeze. This place helped me forget. I kneeled to toss the ball to Carter. Jamie crouched opposite me.

“Hey,” he said. “Lover girl’s here.”

“What?” I turned, hoping to find Haley, and he ripped the ball from my hands and ran in for a score.