Don't Say You Love Me

Chapter FIVE

Teegan

I change into jean shorts and a green crop top once I'm back at the house and then I eat a banana, since I skipped dinner and my stomach is growling. It's already almost 8P.M. when my phone dings.

   On our way, a text from Lola. My mom must have given her my number. Great.

   I slip back into my sliders and go outside to wait, a few minutes later. The air is still so hot. It feels like it never gets cloudy or rains here. But again that's likely just me comparing this to Seattle. You know, where it rains more often than not.

   A white Audi pulls up and the passenger window rolls down before it even comes to a stop.

   "Hey girl!" Lola's friend - Harlow, I think? - yells at me.

   I met her for a total of two hours almost a week ago and she's talking like we are bffs. Girls are so weird.

   I lift a hand to wave as I walk down the steps and over to the car. The back door flies open. A girl I don't recognize is sitting back there so I slide in beside her. She's got short hair and she's wearing a skimpy tank top.

   The car is already pulling away from the house and Lola, who's driving, hasn't even acknowledged me. The girl beside me smiles.

   "Riss," she says. And nothing else.

   "Hey. I'm -"

   "Teegan. Yeah. I know."

   Okay then.

   I feel like it only takes two minutes before Lola's pulling into a parking lot and out the front window I see the massive beach. I can tell it's the spot that Luke told me about because I can see the swing set. I could have walked to the party rather than having to endure that awkward car ride.

   I get out, following the three girls down the path towards a group of gathering teenagers. Of course I don't know anyone. I've never been to a beach party in Avila before. The previous summer, Lola made her self sparse. And I had to babysit. I feel out of my element now.

   There a big beach house with a massive deck, where at least twenty teens are hanging out. There's music playing from up there. On the beach, there's some benches and chairs and the fire pit, but no fire yet. It's still light out.

   "Going to try to find Adam," Harlow says right away.

   "Girl. You should totally let him find you," Lola tells her. "Oh. There's Sage."

   "Who'd she comes with?" Riss asks.

   Lola grunts. "Pierre. She doesn't believe me that he's just using her."

   "He totally is."

   "Yep."

   I have no idea what they are talking about, or who, and Riss grabs my arm a minute later. "Let's go find drinks."

   At the bottom of the deck, there's a keg, a table with cups and two large, red coolers. Riss flips open a cooler and pulls out two vodka mixed drinks. Handing one to me, she smiles.

   "I don't do beer. You?"

   I don't want to tell her I don't really drink at all, so I just shake my head and open the can. She's already drinking hers and I wonder why we are still standing here, by the alcohol table. At least Lola's friends are being nice to me.

   "Well, I see Harlow found Adam," she says a minute later, looking out down the sand a bit, pointing. "So, Harlow is obsessed with Adam. He literally will take her on a date and then ignore her for a week, and then make out with her at a party and then ignore her again. It's so annoying."