“That’s what I’m thinking. I haven’t gotten any since I broke up with London,” I admitted.
“Damn, she’s fucking hot. I haven’t figured out why you stopped tapping that ass,” Thad said.
“She’s crazy,” Woods told him. He knew the stories. He’d heard them from Jace.
I nodded my head in agreement.
“I’m going to go grab that six-pack out of the fridge,” Jace said.
“I gotta use some mouthwash,” Woods said, following him up to my condo.
“I’ll meet y’all down there,” I told them. Thad followed the other two; I figured he was going after the mouthwash, too. They were all sixteen, and I doubted any of them would be getting any tonight, but I didn’t break it to them. This crowd was probably my age or older.
I stepped into the firelight and looked around. The bikinis were gonna make Thad really happy. Smiling, I went over to stand on the outskirts of the party to watch from the shadows for a bit before seeing if this was anything I wanted to walk into.
A large piece of driftwood lay just up to the right, hidden in the shadows, and I could make out the silhouette of someone occupying it. I knew that piece of driftwood. I came out here often at night to sit and watch the waves.
Curious, I walked over to it. As I approached, the occupant of my seat turned to look up at me. The moonlight illuminated her perfectly, and I recognized the sweet face and big brown eyes watching me. Bethy.
I hadn’t seen her again since I took her to her aunt Darla’s last weekend, yet I’d heard she kept finding the parties in town. At least this time, she was alone and not fighting off a jerk.
“You always find the good parties?” I asked as I sat down beside her.
She didn’t respond at first, and I wondered if she remembered me. “Tripp,” I reminded her. “I gave you a ride from Rush’s party last weekend.”
She smiled and ducked her head. “I know who you are,” she said softly, but that husky tone in her voice gave me a little shiver. I had to remember this girl was too young for me.
“Good. Then I’m not that forgettable,” I joked.
She laughed and glanced back up at me. “I knew who you were last weekend.”
Interesting. But then, she’d grown up at the club. I’d seen her many times myself. “So, whose party is this?” I asked, looking out at the crowd before turning my gaze back to her.
She sighed. “People from school. Seniors, mostly. My friend got an invite from a senior guy she has a thing for. She didn’t want to come alone. So here I am.”
And she was sitting all alone in the dark. Not exactly safe.
“Where’s your friend now?” I asked.
“There, in that American flag bikini with that guy who has his hand down her bottoms,” she said, pointing to the couple openly making out in front of everyone. “She doesn’t always make smart choices,” Bethy said with a frown as she looked away from her friend and back down at her hands clasped in her lap.
She was also wearing a swimsuit, but she had a cover-up on. I could see the pink straps tied behind her neck. All she was showing off was her legs. Her really long legs.
“Why are you here?” she asked, looking back up at me.
I nodded my head back to the condos to the left of us. “I live there.”
She frowned. “I thought your parents’ place was on the other side of Rosemary Beach.”
She knew where my parents’ summer house was? That was surprising. I wondered what else she knew about me. “I moved out after graduation,” I explained.
She sighed wistfully. “That must be nice.”
She had no idea. But then, she didn’t know what I was about to run from. She didn’t have people trying to make life decisions for her. That was my hell to face.
Hoots and whistles stopped me from saying anything more. I glanced out at the crowd to see that Bethy’s friend was topless, and the guy she was with was sucking on her tits right there in front of everyone. The girl’s head was thrown back as she held his head to her chest.
“Oh, God,” Bethy said beside me.