Allie didn’t even know where her mother was. Inpatient somewhere.
Allie heard talking as they approached the tree, and when they came through the clearing, she could see Sasha and Julian sitting on the ground on a blue cotton blanket. Julian was digging up the gun, and Sasha was watching, drinking from a water bottle.
“Hey, guys!” David released Allie’s hand, and she guessed he didn’t want to show the others how he felt about her. She told herself it was okay. It could be their secret.
Sasha waved in a surprisingly friendly way, grinning. “Hey, David; hey, Allie! Let’s get this party started!”
“Agree!” David called back, and Allie smiled, too, but she was unsure. Sasha seemed like she was in a great mood, but Allie didn’t trust her. She wondered if Sasha felt sorry for her or if she was finally being accepted, maybe because David liked her. That would be awesome.
“What are you guys up to?” David asked, and Julian looked up from the gun, slapping him high-five with a dirt-covered hand.
“Fun and games, bro.”
“That’s what I thought.” David chuckled, sitting down on the blanket.
“Thirsty?” Sasha offered David a bottle from a tote bag, and David took a sip.
“Vodka, no chaser? Ugh. Next time, mix it with Gatorade.”
“You’re welcome.” Sasha handed a bottle to Allie, who accepted it, hiding her reluctance. “Don’t worry, Allie. Nobody can smell it on your breath or anything.”
“Thanks.” Allie sipped the vodka, which tasted horrible, like the alcohol she put on zits. She made a face but didn’t complain.
“The 5K was fun today. Your dad did a great job.”
Allie blinked. “Thanks. Congratulations.”
“That’s why I was at your house, to get the trophy. Your dad left it upstairs.”
“Oh.” Allie held her breath, waiting for Sasha to say something about the fight, but Sasha was looking at her with shining eyes, wearing the coolest black sundress. Her hair flowed to her shoulders like a sheet of gold in the sunlight through the trees.
“Oh, that’s right, you won, Sash. Impressive.” Julian opened the newspaper. “I saw it on the TV news. You got good PR, Allie.”
“It went really great,” Allie lied, but it came easier with the horrible vodka.
“It was a fundraiser, right?” Julian took the gun out of the newspaper, setting it aside. “For cancer?”
“Cystic fibrosis.” Allie remembered when she used to call it sis. She had been little then.
“I bet if I ask my dad, Browne would make a contribution.”
“That’s really nice of you.” Allie felt a rush of gratitude. She took another drink of vodka, but it still tasted terrible. She felt less nervous. Maybe they would become friends. Sasha was being nice to her, Julian was making a contribution, and David was holding her hand. She could feel the warmth of his body beside her, and their bare knees touched as they sat side by side on the blanket.
“Drink!” Sasha held up her bottle. “Ready to play?”
“Play what, crazy?” Julian grinned.
“Spin the Bottle!” Sasha laughed.
Julian’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t know that’s what you had in mind.”
“You should have.” Sasha downed more vodka. “You guys will play, won’t you?”
“Totally,” David answered quickly, and Allie felt her face flush with excitement. She couldn’t believe that David wanted to play Spin the Bottle with her. All three of them were looking at her like she was supposed to answer.
“Yes, but I never did it before,” Allie blurted out, tipsy.
“Really?” Sasha asked, laughing, and Julian joined her.
“I haven’t, either.” David touched her back, and Allie felt the warmth of his hand. The sensation was almost electric, and she took another drink from the bottle, then another.
“Julian, why are you digging up the gun?” David watched Julian brush it off.
“Sasha wants it.”
Sasha grinned. “Don’t worry, Allie, I’m not going to kill anything. I’m not going to even shoot it. I just want to see it.”
Julian laughed. “She’s a gun nut now. She loves it. It turns her on.”
David took another drink. “Right, whatever turns you on.”
“Doesn’t it turn you on?” Sasha held the gun, pushing a button and opening the chamber that was supposed to hold the bullets. “This is so cool. You can see how each hole is perfectly drilled, like, perfectly round, for the bullets to go in.”
“It’s called ballistics.” Julian moved over and was digging up the bullets with a stick.
“How do you know?” David laughed. “From Law & Order?”
Julian smiled, digging away. “Detective Browne on the case.”
“Like Encyclopedia Brown.” Sasha smiled, drinking.
“Never heard that before.” Julian dug the bullet box from the hole, then set