Justin hoped it was dark enough that she couldn’t see his expression.
“My parents freaked when they saw my first tattoo,” she said, apparently taking pity on him. “And it was so basic, too.” She held one hand up to show a tiny infinity symbol on the inside of her wrist. “I thought I was sooooo deep.” She paused. “I was sixteen. I probably don’t have to tell you that.”
Despite himself, he laughed.
“So, what about you?” She gave him a look. “Why haven’t you done any of that stuff?”
“What do you mean?”
“I meant what I said before. You’re a huge disappointment, apparently—so why not lean into it? Do all the shit you want to do that they wouldn’t approve of.” She raised an eyebrow.
Justin shrugged. “Like what, though?”
“I don’t know.” She frowned at him. “I mean…what’s the thing you’d do if there were no consequences?”
“Uh…” Justin tried to think of something and came up blank. “Buy a nice gaming setup? Oh, there was a chair I looked at a while back. It looked so damned comfortable. For real, this thing was amazing, all leather—”
“Oh, my God,” Tina said. She looked into the middle distance for a moment and seemed to come to a decision. “Okay, finish your beer.”
“What?”
“Right now. One drink. Finish it.” She folded her arms.
He was about to scoff at her but looked at his beer. It occurred to him that he’d never gone to any of the big parties at his prep school—those everyone snuck off-campus to. He’d heard stories, though, and always kind of wondered what was so fun about them.
Maybe this was his chance to find out. He tipped his head back and drank the beer in one gulp, wiped a stray drop from the corner of his mouth, and looked at her. “Okay, now what?”
“Now finish mine.” Tina pushed hers across the table. She gave a delighted laugh when she saw his face. “It’s gonna be good, I promise. Finish it—go on.”
It was easier to do the second time around. Justin drained the glass and put it on the table so hard it tipped.
“Okay,” she said and leaned closer. “Now you gotta choose.”
Justin looked around at the games. “Sega Rally Championship.”
“Maybe on the second date,” Tina said. “You know, depending on how this one goes.”
He flushed and hoped she wouldn’t notice. “So, what do I have to choose?”
“You’ll decide which beach we go to.” Tina pulled a twenty out of her pocket and put it on the table before she beckoned to him. “Come on.”
“I downed two beers and you want me to drive—”
“I’ll drive, come on.” She took his hand and towed him away. He hadn’t realized before how short she was. “So, which beach?”
“Why are we going to the beach?”
Tina stopped so suddenly that he collided with her. She stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “We’re going skinny dipping.”
“What?” Justin straightened abruptly.
“Yup.” She gave him a grin and yanked him out into the spring night.
“I can’t—wait—” He stopped. “Are we doing this?”
“What are you worried about?” she asked him, her arms folded.
“Uh—I don’t know. Getting arrested?”
“That’s what makes it fun,” Tina retorted. She caught his hand again and towed him to a car in the corner of the lot—a beat-up turquoise vehicle that might very well have been made before either one of them was born. “Get in.”
Justin was about to protest until he thought it through. Really thought it through.
Skinny dipping.
Both of them.
He got in the car.
“Ha,” Tina turned the car on and backed out. “I knew you had a wild streak somewhere.”
“We’ll see about that.” He grasped the handle above his seat as she pulled out onto the empty street at high speed and the tires squealed. “Hang on a second. I still need to put on my seatbelt—”
She grinned, turned the radio up, and danced in her seat as she drove. “So, which beach?” she called over the sound of the music.
“I don’t know.” The beer was beginning to hit. Justin leaned his head back against the seat. “You choose.”
“Okay.” She made a sharp turn, so close to oncoming traffic that they left a series of angry horns in their wake. “God, people are so stuffy,” she commented and laughed.
“Holy shit,” Justin muttered.
“Oh, come on. You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Tina grinned at him and stretched her hand to take his. “Just you wait, preppy boy. You’re gonna find out how awesome it is to get