the middle ≫ jj maybank

xxii. the clash

Slater hated eating dinner at the country club.

The food wasn't that good, for what it cost to be a member. She'd take a plate of fresh seafood from The Wreck over the kooks' overcooked scallops any day.

Well, maybe Slater was overreacting. The country club food wasn't actually that bad. It was, however, bad when the company was bad. And considering her family was about to eat there with the Camerons, she considered that company bad.

Slater was wearing a red dress and lipstick and mascara, and her mother had curled her dark hair. She didn't really feel like herself when she looked in the mirror. On Midsummers, she'd been dressed up, and she'd felt pretty. But this dress was itchy, and her mother had picked it out, and she didn't like wearing lipstick.

The Shoupe-Cambry family was seated in the dining room already, waiting for the Camerons to arrive. Slater wondered if Sarah would be there. She wondered if John B would be there.

She wondered if Rafe would be there, or if he was banned from family dinner, just as he'd been kicked out of the house. After hearing from Maeve that Ward had kicked his son out, Slater confirmed it with Sarah. Sarah had then gone on to tell her just how bad things were with her brother. Apparently, he'd stolen money from their father to pay off a drug dealer.

"Ahh, there they are," Vic said, waving towards the entrance.

Slater turned around, craning her neck to watch the Cameron family walk in. Ward and Rose led the pack, looking like the perfectly polished kook couple everyone thought they were. Wheezie followed, not looking entirely pleased to be there, but not looking as miserable as Sarah, who trailed behind her younger sister. John B followed Sarah, looking out of place in the country club, dressed in clothes that had most definitely come out of Rafe's closet. Slater hated the fact that she could so easily recognize his clothes. She watched the doorway, seeing if anyone else followed John B. No one did.

Slater's shoulders slouched and she relaxed slightly as the Camerons took a seat at the table. She made eye contact with both Sarah and John B, forcing a smile through what was already beginning to feel like an awkward dinner.

Ward and Vic shared small talk, discussing real estate and local island politics while their wives and children listened idly. The waiter came to bring them their drinks, and Slater had never been more revealed to see a glass of ice tea before in her life.

"Oh, this tastes watered down," Ward said, smacking his lips together after taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Nothin' like that stuff you have, Ward," Vic added.

"Y'all should come back to Tannyhill after this," Ward said, slamming his glass down on the table. "We can drink some more of that real whiskey. The kids can hang, too."

"Well, Slater and I have plans later," Sarah interjected, looking between the two sets of parents.

"You do?" Vic questioned, glancing over at his daughter. "With who?"

"My friends," Sarah said quickly.

"Slater literally told you about this on the drive over," Maeve lied. "You weren't paying attention because you were too busy talking to Mom."

Slater grinned a silent thank you to her sister.

Victor's eyes narrowed on John B. "Are you going with them, young man?"