They Wish They Were Us(38)

A tuft of dark hair catches my eye. “Jared!” His eyes grow bright with recognition and I swear the muscles in his face relax. I push my way through the crowd. Bryce stands next to him and they both break into laughter. “What?” I ask.

Jared blushes an ungodly shade of red, but Bryce, with his Miller swagger, leans in close. “Just getting ready for our performance,” he says.

“Which one do you have?” I ask.

“The threesome,” Bryce says with a smirk.

Jared breaks into giggles. “I may need you to leave the room, Jill. Way too awk.” He takes a long sip of beer and I close my fist to stop from knocking the can out of his hand.

“You guys will be fine. Just make a joke out of it. That’s all anyone wants to see.”

Bryce laughs. “We got this. Right, J?”

“Hell yeah.” They slam their beers together, spilling liquid onto the rug.

“Players, assemble!” Nikki’s voice rings out over the room, and the undies scatter to their seats. “Move.” Her voice is sharp like a razor as she shoves her way to the couch. “Seniors only.”

“Ugh. Dictator much?” Topher Gardner says. He had already planted his butt in the best seat, where the two sides of the L-shape meet.

“You heard the lady,” Robert growls.

Topher rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his dark buzzcut. But he relents and slides onto the floor. Nikki kicks at him with her wedge heel. “Get me a drink, Toph.”

“And I thought I was already initiated,” he jokes.

“Do it,” Nikki seethes through clenched teeth. Her face is red and splotchy and she narrows her eyes at him. I make a note to keep quiet for the rest of the night. To stay out of her way.

“Sit with me,” Henry says, as if reading my mind. “Over here. C’mon.”

I follow him to the other end of the couch. We take our seats while Nikki presses a few buttons on the remote, dimming the lights and creating a pseudo spotlight at the front of the room.

“Scene one!” she calls out. “Places!”

Larry Kramer pushes himself to his feet and lumbers to the front of the room. He clears his throat and drains the can in his hand. “Oh shit,” he starts. “I’m horny.”

Henry erupts in laughter next to me. That didn’t take long. “This one is always hilarious,” he whispers. I know I should be giggling, enjoying watching Larry be humiliated. But a sinking feeling creeps into my stomach. I want to crawl out of my skin.

Larry continues, reading different “ooh” and “aah” sounds from a piece of paper, while the rest of the group chucks potato chips, crumpled napkins, and empty plastic shot glasses in his direction. I watch through parted fingers and take another sip of my drink, trying to fight the churning nausea deep in my stomach. This seemed more fun last year.

Larry clears his throat again and comes to the natural end of his scene. His face is crimson. “Uh,” he says. “Thank you.”

Topher erupts from the ground and throws his wide, meaty fist into the air. “Woo-hoo, Kramer! All-star whacker-offer!”

“Seven feet of rawness!” Robert yells.

I take a peek at Nikki but avoid making eye contact. Her eyes are locked on Sierra McKinley, who shifts nervously in her cross-legged seat, whispering to another freshman. Both of their faces grow pale.

“Next!” Nikki calls out.

Sierra stands, and so do Jared and Bryce. “I don’t know if I can watch this,” I whisper to Henry.

Henry squeezes my knee. “You only have to stay for a sec,” he goads. “Then go get a drink or something.”

I nod and clasp my hands together, bracing to watch my baby brother embarrass the shit out of himself. Because of me. Because I brought him here.

“Action, losers!” Nikki shrieks.

“Well, hi there, boys,” Sierra recites in a small, high voice. “What are you doing here by the pool?”

“We’re lifeguards this summer,” Bryce says, lowering his voice about an octave. “Wanna take a dip?”

“Oh, definitely,” she says. “I’m so thrilled you’re here to keep me safe.”

The stilted dialogue continues and I begin to relax. This won’t be so bad.

“Boring!” Nikki yells, tossing a plastic cup toward the front of the room. Robert wraps an arm around her shoulder and leans into her ear to whisper something. Nikki’s face breaks into a smile and she nods furiously. “Act it out!” she cheers. “Act it out!”

To my horror, the rest of the room begins chanting the same three words. “Act it out! Act it out!”

I can’t sit still anymore. I reach over to Nikki and put one hand on her bare ankle. “Nikki, chill out,” I whisper. “You’re going too far.”

With a flick of her foot, she shakes me off. She doesn’t even look my way as she continues cheering. “Act it out! Act it out!”

Only Quentin is silent beside me, staring in wide-eyed confusion as the rest of the room turns into a mob. Jared, Bryce, and Sierra freeze, unsure of how to proceed.

I shake my head at Jared, hoping he can read my mind. No, I think. You don’t have to do this.

But Bryce takes the lead and moves to stand behind Sierra. He nods for Jared to shift in front of her. As the room gets louder and louder, so does the throbbing in my head. Sierra’s face turns red and puffy and I have to leave.