The Tourist Trap

Chapter 9

I wasn't at all surprised to see all of the familiar cars parked in the lot when we arrived at the lake. 

Dino's SUV was there and so was Maureen Mangles VW, which meant she and her boy friend, Gary, were there, among others. 

My heart started pounding with trepidation as I slammed the door of the pick up.

Those guys were not going to take too well to my fraternizer with an invader. All I could do was hope that they weren't in a testosterone-y mood. Then there might be some trouble.

"You all right?" Jared asked.

I stepped over one of the prone logs that acted as a border between the lot and the grass and led him over to the dirt path that wound it's way to the beach. 

I could already here the music playing from someones radio and a couple of loud whoops and splashes.

"I'm fine, why?" I asked.

"I don't know. You suddenly look even more ill than you did when you got out of my car the other day," he said with a smile.

I flushed, embarrassed that he had noticed my discomfort. "I'm just looking forward to a swim," I replied.

We emerged from the trees and onto the wide, sandy, man-made beach. 

Sue enough, Maureen, Alison, and a couple of the other gilrs from my class were hanging out on a blanket, scrolling through their phones and eating pretzels and chips.

Dino, Gary, Mike, and a few of the guys from the football team were out on the raft, executing flips and cannonballs off the diving board. 

The dark blue water looked freezing cold, but still inviting. 

Of course, it would have been more so if those loud mouthed guys hadn't been taking up so much space. 

Out in the distance, on the deeper part of the lake, a pair of small sail boats with pure white sails chased each other westward. A small motor boat with a water skier attached zipped by in the other direction. It looked like water sport season was officially underway.

"Hi guys!" I said, the moment Maureen and the others noticed us. They, of course, blatantly checked out Jared. I was pleased to see the look of surprise on Allison's face as she leaned over to whisper to Mara Winters.

"Hey." Maureen was the only one who answered. The others were too busy wondering who Jared was and what he was doing with me.

Normally I would have gone over and hung out with them. Maureen was pretty cool and Allison was okay when she wasn't sucking Dino's face.

But the last thing I wanted to do just then was introduce Jared and spend the next hour listening to them grill him about his family and living in New York City. 

The benevolent part of me didn't want to put him through that and the more selfish part wanted to keep him to myself. 

Once everyone knew he was a Kent, he would develop instant celebrity status and all the good and bad attention that went with it. I kind of wanted to get to know him first.

"Those your friends?" Jared asked as we laid out our towels a good distance away from them.

"Some of them," I told him.

The guys were swimming toward the waters edge now and I saw Dino eyeing Jared curiously. Jared wanted them as they stepped out of the lake and walked dripping wet over to their towels.

"What's up Cassie?" Mike said, lifting his chin in my direction.

"Hey, Mike." I replied.

He shot Jared a curious look, but said nothing. There was so much manly sizing each other up that I felt like they were about to start circling one another and sniffing each other's butts like dogs.