Pucked Love (Pucked, #6)(61)

Lily’s eyes go wide. “Vi! Not in the truck!”

The dash and the front seat are littered with gold glitter and tiny sequins. I cover my mouth with my palm, trying to decide if I should laugh or not, based on how horrified she looks.

Violet makes her apologetic face. “Sorry. I got excited and forgot.”

“Randy’s going to kill me!”

“We can stop by a car wash and vacuum it out,” Poppy suggests.

“We don’t have time. Everyone’s supposed to arrive around two, and it’s already one thirty. The birthday girl can’t be late.” Lily runs her finger along the dash. “Glitter is the worst. It never comes out. I’m pretty sure I still have glitter stuck to my vag from the last time Randy wanted to play figure skater,” she says.

“Was that last night?” Violet asks.

“Last week.” Lily puts the truck in gear. “Roll down your windows, girls, let’s see how much gets sucked out the windows on the way to Vi’s. And you’re totally taking the heat for this. Randy can’t get mad at a pregnant woman.”

As Lily drives down the street, I spot an enormous RV parked not far down the road. I point and scream.

Lily puts on the brakes, maybe thinking she’s accidentally almost run over my neighbor’s cat, who has a terrible habit of playing chicken with cars. I swear he’s maxed out his nine lives.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and try to tuck myself under the dash.

“What’s wrong?” Lily asks.

“It’s the RV, just keep going,” Vi says.

Lily glances down at me uncertainly, but takes her foot off the brake and hits the gas. A cloud of glitter whirls in the air, and everyone sputters and waves their hands in front of their faces as they get pelted with it.

I cover my eyes with my palms as much to protect myself from the glitter as to hide from the RV. “Tell me when it’s safe, Vi!”

We slow as we round a corner and then speed up again.

“Okay. You’re good,” Vi calls out.

“Are you sure?” My God. My heart feels like it’s part of the backbeat to a techno track. It was bad enough when my mom parked her stupid mini Winnebago in my driveway for three days, but a full-sized RV is a whole different bag of no-fucking-way.

“I’m sure. We can’t see it anymore.”

I uncover my eyes and slowly pull myself back up, checking to make sure Violet isn’t lying. The girls are looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Are you okay?” Lily asks.

“Fine. Good. Sorry about that.”

“Once when Lily and I were little, we went to the park and there was a guy in a white van with no windows and he offered us candy. Remember that, Lily?” Sunny asks.

Lily nods and shudders. “Sure do.”

“Thankfully Alex was there playing hockey with some of the boys in the neighborhood. They started shooting their pucks at the van and broke the windshield.” Sunny twirls her hair. “Ever since then, white windowless vans give me the willies.”

“That’s totally reasonable.” I nod my agreement. “I feel the same way about RVs.”

“Bad people are everywhere,” Sunny says softly, still rubbing her belly. “I’m glad this one will have an older brother to protect him or her.”

Violet and Sunny start talking about what it’s like to have an older brother. Violet’s experience is a lot different than Sunny’s. Skye and Sidney married when Violet was a teenager, and she and Miller only had to go to the same high school for a year. But Miller and Vi really do act like brother and sister, and always have, as far as I know.

We pull into Violet’s driveway a few minutes later. There are yellow balloons tied to the trees with Happy Birthday written on them.

I give Violet the eye. “I thought this was going to be more like a Memorial Day Weekend party.”

She shrugs. “We’re celebrating all the things, and as your best friend, I reserve the right to make a big deal out of your birthday even if you won’t. Plus, Darren can be pushy when he feels like talking and making demands.”

“He’s good at that, the making demands part,” I agree.

The guys are already in the backyard, playing Frisbee in the pool.

“The birthday girl has arrived!” Violet yells.

Darren turns as Lance lets the Frisbee go and ends up getting clocked in the back of the head. He nabs it before Randy can and hurls it back at Lance.

“Aye, fucker! It’s nae my fault yer no payin’ attention!” Lance’s usually mild Scottish accent grows thick, and he winks in my direction as Darren wades to the shallow end. He pulls himself out of the pool, wearing a sinister smile as he rushes me.

“Don’t you dare! I don’t even have my bathing suit on yet!”

“You should’ve been better prepared, firefly.” His smile widens as he hauls me against him. My yellow sundress soaks through and I push on his chest, trying to get free, but it’s impossible.

“You’re not supposed to run on the pool deck!” I shriek as his lips find my neck, and then we’re airborne. The water is warm, but still a shock when we go under.

Darren brushes my hair away from my face and bubbles burst out of his mouth as he laughs, possibly at my expression. He launches us skyward when our feet touch the bottom of the pool.