I threw my hands over my head. The realization of what this meant, that people I had trusted, people I had lived in close quarters with, were pulling a full-blown scam to enrich themselves, made me sick to my stomach.
And all under the guise of “helping others” and “sponsoring charities”.
Did they have noconscience? No values?
Blankly, my chest hollow and empty, I stared at the ceiling. What was even more interesting now …what the fuck would I do?
Eleven
Dom
What the hell was I even doing here? Why did I even bother to show up?
Oh yeah, that’s right, because I’m a fucking dumbass. A dumbass who values the promises he makes, and unfortunately, I had promised to show up.
“Yo, Kincaid! About time you got here,” someone hollered. I couldn’t even tell who it was, with the loud music blaring out of one of the vehicles.
I sighed, already worn down. The lake stretched out before me, the surface glittering in the sun. Tall pines lined the far shore, their needles rustling in the breeze, which carried the earthy scents of damp moss and sun-warmed pine bark.
The smell of pungent weed and sunscreen mixed thick in the humid air, mingling with the distant calls of cicadas and the splashes of careless swimmers.
Was that someone passed out by the water?Fucking hell. Senior Skip Day was supposed to be the highlight of our finalweeks before graduation — drinking, swimming, spending time with friends when we were supposed to be in school.
But after weeks without seeing Sierra, I was more restless than excited. I’d been looking forward to this all year, but now? I just wanted to get out of here.
Climbing out of my truck, I forced a smile, determined to look as carefree and happy as I should on a day like this. I made my way to the lakeside, where cups were raised in my direction as I nodded at people in greeting.
“Hey,” I said, nudging the unmoving figure sprawled face-down on the ground with my sneaker. “Dude. Can you get up?”
Whoever it was didn’t move, and concern began welling up until an unintelligible groan rang out.
Not dead.Cool.
The sweltering heat pressed down hard, making the thick, humid air feel like a heavy blanket stuck to my skin. Sweat pooled at my hairline and trickled down my back, soaking through my shirt.
This guy had probably been lying there for a while, his skin slick with sweat, blending into the damp, sunbaked ground.
I wasn’t eager to get close to anyone in this mess. Glancing around, I realized the other idiots were too wasted to help or even notice the danger of him sprawled so close to the lakeshore.
Avoiding it wasn’t an option.
Crouching down, I slung my arms around his middle and drew in a deep breath. I was strong, but moving dead weight of almost my own size still wasn’t the easiest of tasks. With a grunt, I hoisted him over my shoulder, causing him to mumble incoherently and flail his arms drunkenly.
“Yeah, I know, buddy. Just getting you out of the way.” I walked a good distance away from the water and set him down in a safer spot. With a slight pat to his cheek, I took my leave.
I made my way to the plethora of coolers filled almost exclusively with cheap beer. After snagging one of the few sodas left, I found a place to sit on one of the logs around the fire pit.
Looking around, I cringed a little. I used to live for this kind of thing — used to feel a thrill of anticipation every weekend for all the possibilities that lay ahead. But tonight, it feels small. Like a curtain had been lifted.
A hand landed on my shoulder. “Fucking finally! Almost thought you wouldn’t show up.” I turned my head to see one of my closest friends, Mac, grinning at me, a slightly tipsy glaze to his eyes. “It’s just not the same without you!”
“Yeah, I’m definitely the life of the party. Can’t you tell?” I was trying to convince myself as much as him, but the words came out forced and kind of strained.
Luckily, he was too drunk to really take notice.
“Hell yeah, brother! It’s about to get lit in here.” He straightened up, let out a whoop, and yelled, “Who’s got the beer bong?! I’m fucking thirsty!”
As he bounded off, I was left alone again, sitting apart from the rest of the people around the fire. Unable to stop myself, I fished my phone out of my pocket, scrolled for a minute, and then gave in, pulling up her feed — as I did all day, every day at this point.
