Falling into Fiction

20 No More Sympathy

The field is surprisingly packed with people. Considering this is the only thing going on within a fifty mile radius on a Saturday night, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised.

A few trucks are backed up to an opening filled with people, one of them with the doors open as it blasts music from the cab. The rest of the cars are lined up in a sort of makeshift parking lot closer to the road. Some people sit on tailgates, some mingle in the field, and others are just standing around the kegs over toward the trees.

To top it all off, a very large fire roars in the middle of this dry field filled with drunk kids. A wonderful combination.

Andrew and I hitched a ride with Kayla and Grace, and the four of us make our way out into the field now. Looking through the crowd, Dee and I spot each other at the same time. She waves us over frantically with a smile on her face, so I point her out to the group and head her way.

"Hey! Glad you didn't miss your ride hanging out in that hallway." Dee winks at me as she says it, and I roll my eyes.

"Thank you for that, Dee." I smile at her and look at Caleb, who is standing next to Katy. "You look like you're having a good time already."

Caleb's eyes are squinty as he smiles lazily at me. "Oh, I'm having the time of my life. Going to get absolutely hammered."

Everyone laughs, although Katy looks the slightest bit uncomfortable as she does so. She has a drink in her hand, but she doesn't seem to have gone as hard as Caleb has since they got here fifteen or twenty minutes before we did.

We all talk for a little bit about the dance and the field party. Partway through the conversation, Daemon and Ash show up to join us. Katy doesn't look pleased to see the two of them come here alone together, but she bites her tongue and puts her attention back to the group.

Andrew places a hand on the small of my back and leans in close. "Do you want a drink?" He's practically yelling to be heard over the music.

I turn my head to look up at him. "Yeah, sure."

He nods and makes his way over to the kegs. As I watch him, my gaze lands on Simon across the field. We're as far apart as it gets so it's hard to tell, but it seems like he's staring over in our direction. The sight gives me goosebumps and I frown slightly. He looks drunk and angry, a bad combination.

Trying to shake it off, I get back into the conversation, which has now moved on to a discussion of whether or not this year's iPhone is really worth the money. They're talking about the 4S that just came out, and I'm internally screaming with frustration. An iPhone 4S was the first phone I ever had, and I got it in sixth grade.

I cannot stress how much I miss my electronics.

We've been standing here talking for so long that I'm starting to get tired of holding my clutch. I should've left it in Kayla's car, but for some reason I grabbed it anyway. With a quick word to Kayla about how I want to put my clutch in her car, she hands me her keys and I set off in the direction of the makeshift parking lot.

Because we got here later than everyone else, we had to park closer to the road. This only means a longer walk with my heels through this tall grass and uneven ground. With surprisingly few struggles, I reach her car and press the unlock button on the fob.

Nothing happens.

I press it again. Same result. "Stupid fob," I mutter.

I smack the back of it against my clutch and try the button again. When nothing happens for the third time, I opt for unlocking the driver door with the key, an angry sigh escaping as I turn the lock. The rest of the doors unlock with a click once I press the button inside the door.