Side Trip(34)

A wildfire of embarrassment ignited within Joy. She could feel her cheeks turn blotchy and red because Kevin was witnessing this whole, miserable sibling debacle. Why did Judy always have to obey the rules?

Panic welled inside her, a Yellowstone geyser of alarm. Their parents were going to ground her for the entire summer if Judy got hold of them. Gone were her hot summer days boarding with Taryn at the skate park and surfing on the weekends. Her mom would yank her from the team. She wouldn’t see Kevin again until school started. It would be her worst summer ever.

Judy swore and shoved the phone back into her pocket. “No signal.”

Joy sagged with relief, her elbow knocking into Judy’s belongings. Please don’t call them, she wanted to plead. But the stuff on the bed caught her attention.

“What’s with the pillow?”

“I’m crashing here.”

“What? No! You can’t. I have to get home.”

“Tough beans, sis. You should have asked me about my plans before you hid under a blanket.” She showed Joy her phone. “You want to call Dad for a ride?”

“Heck no! Why can’t you drive me? It won’t take long.”

Judy stuck her face in Joy’s. “Don’t you get it? I can’t drive.”

“Why not?” Joy asked, rising to her feet so that she stood toe-to-toe with Judy, only to finally notice her eyes. Glassy and red-rimmed. Her cheeks were rosy and her breath reeked. She also noticed the faint beer stain on the front of Judy’s blouse. Judy was drunk.

Joy was so screwed.

“Okay if I leave my stuff here?” Judy asked Kevin.

“Uh, I guess.” Kevin shrugged.

“Your brother said I could sleep in the guest room. I don’t know where that is.”

“It’s downstairs.”

“Right. Have you seen Todd?”

Kevin shook his head and Judy looked at Joy, hopeful.

Joy crossed her arms. “I’m not telling unless you sober up and drive me home.”

“Even if I could drive, you can’t ride with me. You heard Dad. No passengers. You’ll have to call him to come get you. Now tell me where my boyfriend is.”

Joy lifted her chin. “I saw him with another girl. They were kissing.” Lie. She hadn’t seen Todd at all, not even with another girl. But she felt like being spiteful.

Judy shrieked. “Why, that lying piece of—He told me he was going to pick up more ice.” She glared at Joy, who was shocked Judy would have believed her. “You stay out of sight. Mom and Dad will kill me if something happens to you.” She slammed Kevin’s door.

Joy groaned into her hands. She should have stayed put in her bedroom.

“Let’s get out of here,” Kevin suggested.

“You heard Judy. I can’t.” She didn’t want to make her situation any worse than it was. She’d already screwed up enough tonight.

“I know somewhere private we can go.” Kevin selected two hoodies from the closet. “It’s cool there. You can cover your head.” He gestured the motion. The sweatshirt would hide her hair and face. Nobody would know it was her.

“I guess.” She moped. She tugged on the USC sweatshirt. It fell to her knees and smelled like Kevin. Her stomach fluttered even amid her worry. She pulled the hood over her messed-up hair and shoved her hands into the kangaroo pocket.

Kevin smiled and picked up his guitar. “Follow me.”

She did. Down the stairs and into the kitchen, where they grabbed Cokes and a bag of Doritos, and out through the sliding door to the back deck. She followed him down the steps and through the yard, weaving through Judy’s classmates as the yard sloped downward and into the darkened night. Tall pines blocked the starlit sky like night shades until the tree line ended and everything opened: the sky, the lake. It all glittered. Joy’s breath caught. Beautiful.

Kevin led her past lounge chairs occupied by intertwined couples making out and drinking. She could smell weed, and someone had lit a campfire off to the right. More people congregated around the flames, laughing, drinking, smoking. Joy followed him up onto the dock.

“We aren’t supposed to be here,” he whispered. “My parents don’t want anyone near the water while they’re drinking.”

“Why are we here then?” Joy was in enough trouble as it was, but was secretly thrilled Kevin would take her there. After years of admiring him at a distance she was finally alone with him.

“We aren’t drinking.” His eyes twinkled, reflecting the single light bulb overhead that cast a dull, warm glow around the dock. She smiled shyly and followed him onto the dock.

He walked to the end, slipped off his flip-flops, and sat down, dunking his feet in the water.

“Have a seat. Water’s nice,” he invited.

Joy quickly toed off her shoes, tugged off her socks, and stuffed them inside her sneakers. She plopped down and plunged her feet into the chilly water, making a splash. Kevin leaned back, dodging water drops.

“Sorry.” She cringed. Stupid nerves made her jittery.

“It’s cool.” He strummed a verse of Blink-182’s “Roller Coaster,” which had been playing inside the house. “Did you really hide in Judy’s car?” he asked when he finished.

Joy roughly choked down the Coke she’d gulped. “Yup,” she said, chagrined, then rushed to explain about Judy’s new car and the mix-up with Taryn. Joy shrugged. “I don’t know what happened to her. She was supposed to be here.” Joy had waited on Taryn’s porch for almost two hours until she couldn’t wait any longer. She just had to use the bathroom, since she’d been too embarrassed to pee outdoors.