Beyond Denver

Chapter 39

Chatting, eating, and drinking, about thirty people are sitting around the fire. The whole driving had been awkward with Susan as she only talked about boys and consistently asked things about Denver.

"What are you doing here?" Mike asks me. I can tell he is drunk or high with pot.

"I invited," Danika tells him. "Is there a problem?"

"No, of course not." He is next to only boys, as his sister might have stayed home.

"Where is your lovely sister?" she asks, and I notice Meggie's uncomfortable expression.

" I haven't invited her. This is a college trip. Not a summer camp for high schoolers."

"Good that you recognize that."

"I do recognize. I also recognize that Cassidy shouldn't be here. Here is not a place for her."

"What are you trying to say?" Meggie interfered. I still remember the scene at the last party where Meggie dump fruit punch over his sister. "Why are you so obsessed with my friend?"

"He is an asshole," I tell her. "Better to ignore him."

"Okay, I'm going to the restroom. I need a break," she tells me before activating the flashlight from her Smartphone.

"Jell-O shots," a girl yells, bringing one to her mouth. "It is a little bit sour." I grab one and place it closer to my lips, scooping the Jell-O with my tongue.

"I brought Long Island Ice Tea Jell-O shots, too," Susa says. I look around, and I don't see Denver has arrived.

"I don't even know what Long Island is," I tell her.

"Are you kidding? Where do you come from, Cassidy?" Mike chuckles. He is really giving me a hard time, and my patience is boiling.

"Give me more shots, please," I beg the girl while ignoring Mike, and she gives me another one. "I'd never tasted anything like that before, but certainly."

"Be careful. You can get really drunk," warns Danika.

Meggie brings a chair and sits next to me, getting hold of a lemon one. "Those shots are good, aren't they?"

"Yes. They are great. How are you holding up with Mike here?" I whisper to her.

"I wish Danika had told me he was coming ahead of time." I look at Danika, getting a chair and approaching the boys, including Mike.

"That sucks. I don't know why she didn't tell you," I confess.

"He tried calling me a couple of times this week. I didn't answer."

"Did he?" I am impressed by his audacity. First, he ghosts her and then comes back and treats my friend like shit. Then he assaults me outside of an isolated bathroom and yet drags her completely wasted to his house. Then he disappears from his own home the following day, and Maroney and I are the ones who have to pick her up at his place.

"You see the blondish boy with spike hair sitting next to him?" I look at the boy, and he appears to be another asshole just like Mike. I nod.

"His name is Dan. Don't give him too much credit. He is a player."

"Just like Mike." I remind her. The guys are chatting and laughing about something; then Dan drinks vodka straight from the bottle.

It is getting chilly, and we haven't set up our tents yet. I want to ask Danika for my blanket to cover my legs by the fire. Everything is still inside the trunk, but I don't want to ask her because she laughs with Mike and Dan.