Late to the Party - Kelly Quindlen Page 0,51

lounging in the grass. They jumped up as we approached, shouting our names across the field. Terrica did a cartwheel just for the hell of it.

“Papa was starting to worry,” Leo said in a fake-nervous tone, grabbing Ricky and me for hugs.

“Don’t start with the ‘Papa’ stuff,” Samuel said, shaking his head.

The girls hugged me in quick succession: first Terrica, then Natalie—who, for some reason, looked more closely at me than usual—and then, before my heart could beat hard enough, Lydia.

“Hey,” Lydia said, leaving one arm hanging off my shoulders. “Ready for some Manhunt?”

“Of course,” I said, grinning even though I had no idea what she was talking about. She looked so cute that I thought I might combust at the sight of her; she wore an old, faded pair of jean shorts and a vintage Atlanta Braves jersey with the top button undone. I tore my eyes away from the glinting skin at her collarbone.

“Are we really starting with Manhunt?” Ricky asked, digging in his bag.

“Damn right!” Terrica trilled, at the same time that Samuel muttered, “Terrica’s request.”

“Did you bring a flashlight?” Cliff asked.

“Two of ’em,” Ricky said, handing one to me.

I looked around at everyone’s loose, laid-back clothes. The boys wore dark, grubby man-tanks, their bare chests showing through the giant armholes; Samuel was sporting a maroon bandana over his curls. Terrica had braved a long-sleeve T-shirt, despite the humidity, and Natalie was rocking an Adidas workout tank. I was glad I’d dressed in a T-shirt and sneakers.

“How do we play?” I asked.

As if they’d expected me to ask, the boys parted around Terrica, Leo going so far as to bow to her.

“I could get used to this,” Terrica said, observing them with her hands on her hips. She raised her eyebrows and locked eyes with me. “Okay, Codi, here are the rules.”

* * *

We split off into teams: Cliff captained one, and Terrica, of course, captained the other. Everyone argued about how to split up evenly, with multiple people pointing out that Leo was a detriment because he was sure to get bored and wander off on his own.

“Y’all can take me or leave me,” Leo droned, holding up his palms. “This stallion was born to run his own path.”

“At least we can put the ‘stallion’ on firepit duty,” Samuel said, pointing at the portable firepit that Cliff had carried from his truck. “If you’re gonna clock out, at least help out, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll set it up when I get tired of playing,” Leo said.

“So in ten minutes,” Natalie clarified.

In the end, we decided to play boys against girls. Cliff insisted it would be unfair to the girls, but Natalie put him in his place with a sharp reminder.

“Lyd played tennis, Terrica ran cross-country, I was on the soccer team, and Codi—”

“I’m not an athlete,” I cut in, grimacing.

“—Codi’s eyes are highly attuned to shapes and colors!” Natalie finished, pointing wildly at my face, and before Cliff could protest any further, she grabbed our arms and pulled us off across the field. We ran away from the boys, howling with laughter, as they shouted a countdown behind us. Their “hunt” would start the moment they reached zero.

“Should I be nervous?” I yelled as we ran toward the cover of the trees.

“Very!” Terrica yelled back. “This shit is serious!”

We disappeared into the trees as darkness fell across the sky. I shone my flashlight ahead of me, panting as I zigzagged around tree roots and plants, my heart throbbing in my chest. Within seconds, I’d separated from the other girls, but Terrica had explained that this was an advantageous strategy. My job now was to find a stealthy place to hide.

I crouched behind a massive oak tree, my breath coming hard and fast. I clicked the flashlight off and waited, listening for the sound of approaching footfalls.

The boys’ deep voices boomed across the night: They were calling to each other as they spread out to find us. I crept around the trunk of the tree, peering through the darkness.

Two tall figures were crashing through the brush, the light from their flashlights jumping erratically. I drew back and crept around the other side of the trunk, waiting for them to pass. The moment they’d gone several yards beyond my tree, I dashed out and set off back across the woods, aiming to reach base, where I’d be safe.

A high-pitched yell rang out from the right side of the woods; it was one of the girls, being chased out of