The Best Laid Plans(63)

All three of them look at me, as if waiting for me to make the decision.

“Okay,” I say. “I guess we could go for a little while.”





TWENTY-TWO





A FEW HOURS and another bottle of wine later, we’re sitting in the living room at Dean’s house, grouped around the TV, where a seriously competitive game of Mario Kart is taking place. Dean and I are on one couch with Cody, all three of us leaning forward and staring intently at the screen, trying to win. Danielle is the only one who isn’t playing. Instead she’s sprawled out next to Andrew on the love seat, her legs in his lap.

Usually I can kill it at this game, but I feel like my fingers aren’t quite connected to my brain, and I’m having a really hard time focusing on the race when I can see Danielle’s long tan legs out of the corner of my eye like some commercial for shaving cream.

The wine combined with the circular movement of the cars on the screen has made me a little dizzy.

“How’s your friend Ava?” Cody asks as his car careens off the edge of a cliff. He throws the controller on the couch and leans back, apparently giving up on the game. He looks over at Danielle. “Why didn’t she come?”

“Who cares?” She sits up and throws an arm around Andrew’s shoulder, trying to pull his attention away from the game and onto her. I can tell she’s had a lot of wine. Her hair is thrown up in a sloppy ponytail and her cheeks are bright red.

“Ava’s a cool chick,” Cody says. “Plus she’s a dime.”

“Yeah,” Danielle says. “If you’re into purple hair.”

Andrew is playing Princess Peach, and I watch as she shoots out a roadblock to my Toad, bumping him off the road. I turn to him and growl, but he’s so far in the lead now there’s no way I’m catching up. The cars careen around a turn and then Mario, Dean’s character, zooms across the finish line first. The tinny music coming from the TV turns triumphant as the characters dance around on the screen in celebration.

“Yes!” Dean shouts, pumping a fist into the air. “Take that, fuckers!”

Andrew is hitting his controller against his palm and I see him roll his eyes. Dean jumps off the couch and drops his controller onto the floor, then he switches off the TV, turning to me.

“Keely, you want to come hang out in my room?”

The question catches me off guard. I glance over at Andrew. He’s staring down at his controller.

“Um,” I say. “What time is it?”

“It’s only twelve thirty,” Cody says in the casual way of a college boy who doesn’t still live with his parents.

“Wait, really?” I jump off the couch. “I never told my mom where I was. I promised her I would come home early.” I dig through my bag for my phone and pull it out, and sure enough I have three voicemails. How could I have forgotten to check? “Gimme a sec,” I say to the guys before turning to wander down the hall. There’s no way I want Dean to hear me on a call with my mom.

She picks up after one ring.

“Hi, Mom,” I say. “Yes, I’m with Andrew.” I try to explain the situation to her, that we went over to a friend’s place after pizza and lost track of time, but she rages on about my birthday party, about how I need to be more responsible. It’s like she’s trying to push me away before I’ve even left home. I sigh and promise her I’ll come back, then end the call and head back into the living room.

“I’m so sorry, but I really have to go.”

“I can take you back on the bike,” Dean says. “We can walk back to Giovanni’s.”

“No way,” Andrew says. “You’ve had like two bottles of wine.”

“It’s no big deal,” Dean says. “I do it all the time.”

“Oh, so you’re a pro.” Andrew’s tone is flat and sarcastic. He turns to me. “I’ll just drop you off. I haven’t had anything to drink since the restaurant.”

“Okay,” I say, my voice hesitant.

He turns to Danielle. “And I can take you on the way.”

“Oh, I can walk from here,” she says.

“It’s no problem though.”

“Yeah, but it’s only twelve thirty.” She pouts. “I don’t want to leave yet. Not all of us have curfews.”

“It’s not a curfew,” I say. “She’s just worried because I forgot to tell her where I was.”

I know Danielle’s parents don’t care where she goes—that’s the whole reason we were able to leave her house a few weeks ago to go to Dean’s party. But I don’t like the idea of her staying here alone with Dean, especially since they’ve both been drinking.

Apparently Andrew feels the same way.

“Just let me drive you home,” he says.

“So you can kiss me good night?” She’s smirking, leaning her body toward him.

He runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah,” he says. “This was a date, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t kiss on the first date,” Danielle says, but still she gets up and follows him to the door. “Bye, James Dean, bye, Cody.”

“I’m really sorry,” I say to Dean. “I wish I could stay.”