We line up and receive our welcome. I get a ‘Ren, great to see you’ and then we pass through the hallway where the waitresses are standing holding silver trays of golden champagne. Does this ever get tired? I wonder? It’s hard to imagine how.
Mike hands me a glass of champagne. ‘I think you deserve one tonight,’ he says seeing Carrie’s disapproving look. ‘I mean as a consolation prize for America kicking your ass.’
‘I think you’ll find I wasn’t alive two hundred and fifty years ago so it wasn’t strictly my ass that got kicked. But,’ I say, reaching for the glass, ‘I’ll take the prize anyway.’
Braiden is asleep in his car seat and we leave him in the den under the care of a babysitter who has been employed to keep an eye on the smaller children. I am happy with this situation. I just have to keep an eye on Brodie but she is almost immediately swept up by several other kids who come running through the house and who drag her off to play tag with them.
I wander back into the hallway, holding my glass of champagne, feeling unsure of whether I should be working or playing. I’m in this weird limbo land.
‘More champagne?’
I spin around.
It’s Jesse’s friend Tara. She’s waitressing again tonight. Her dark auburn hair tied back in a high ponytail, wearing a black skirt to the knee, a starched white shirt with high collar and flats. She’s holding a bottle of champagne in her hands.
‘Hi,’ I say, pleased to see her.
She smiles at me. ‘Tough gig you’ve got going here. I have to pour the stuff. You get to drink it.’
I glance guiltily at the glass in my hand.
‘Don’t worry,’ she says in a whisper, ‘we’ve snuck a few bottles into the trash. We’ll take them home after.’
I laugh. ‘How’s Austin?’ I ask.
‘Good. Did you see Jesse today?’
I hesitate. Why is she asking? I nod slowly in answer.
She smiles this knowing sort of smile that confuses me.
‘Hey,’ I say, grabbing for the opportunity while it’s right there in front of me. ‘Can I ask you something?’
She takes a deep, sighing breath. ‘You want to know why Jesse beat the crap out of Tyler Reed?’
I nod.
‘You and me and the rest of the island, Ren.’ She glances quickly around the room before lowering her voice. ‘No one knows. But that’s Jesse. That’s why we love him. Or rather, that’s why the girls all love him. The mysterious, messed-up, bad boy with secrets. If I didn’t love him myself I think I’d have to kill him for being such a cliché.’
I look at my feet.
‘Just don’t judge him, OK,’ Tara says, a note of anger in her voice that makes me look up. ‘Everyone judges Jesse, but I’ve known him since we were born and he’d never hit anyone before he hit Tyler Reed. Never even been in a fight. He’s not that kind of guy. He’s the sweetest person I know.’ She smiles fondly and a little sadly before adding, ‘So if he hit Tyler Reed, then believe me, there was a reason for it.’
I take in what she’s just told me. It fits with what my gut was telling me or at least, what my heart wanted to believe. Jesse is a good guy. I just need to get to the bottom of his fight with Tyler.
‘My advice, Ren, for what it’s worth?’ Tara says in a kind voice that makes me feel even more stupid. ‘Stay away from Jesse. And that’s from someone who cares deeply about him. You’re just here for the summer. Jesse needs someone who’s going to stick around.’
I am so taken aback by what she’s said that I can’t speak.
‘I’m not saying all this to be mean, Ren,’ she says in a softer voice, ‘you seem like a nice person.’
‘I’m not interested in Jesse,’ I blurt.
She shrugs at me as though she isn’t buying my declaration.
‘I’m not,’ I say, indignant now.
She shrugs again. ‘Well, even if you just want to be friends, I wouldn’t recommend it. He’s not that great a friend right now. He has a reputation for blurring the line between friendships and,’ here she pauses and her cheeks flush, ‘well, you know.’
‘Yeah,’ I mutter, I think I do.
‘And besides, being friends with him might just jeopardise your job.’ With that she gives me what I guess is supposed to be a comforting smile and walks away to refill glasses. I watch her smile and pour, smile and pour.
‘Ren.’
I turn. Jeremy’s dad is standing behind me.
‘Hi, Mr Thorne,’ I say.
‘Looking for Jeremy?’ he asks, glancing around the room. ‘I think he’s around here somewhere. I saw him with Summer and Eliza a little while ago. They’re probably in the pool house. That seems to be where all the kids hang out.’
‘Oh, great,’ I say, ‘I guess I’ll go find them.’ Paige’s words about them all being jerks ring in my head and I find I’m less enthusiastic than I might have been.
‘Do you know where you’re going?’ Mr Thorne asks.
‘Um, no, but I’m sure I’ll find it.’
I skirt past all the adults who are mingling and head towards the garden where a pool is glowing in the distance. Beside the pool is a two-storey building that looks a little like a Barbie Dream House and which could probably shelter the population of a small country. Music is pounding from the open doors. I walk towards them and hover there on the threshold.
A giant flat screen TV covers the far wall and a video game has been paused. There’s a sofa in front of it and behind a large bed scattered with cushions. To the right a wooden staircase leads upstairs. Jeremy is sitting on the bed with a video game controller in his hand.
‘Ren,’ he says when he sees me. He gets up and walks over to kiss me on the cheek. ‘You made it.’
Just then Summer comes down the stairs wearing only a towel and a bikini, her long blonde hair wet and slicked back. She nods at me in greeting and then goes and bangs loudly on what I assume is the bathroom door.
‘Guys, will you hurry up in there, I need a shower!’
There’s the sound of muffled laughter from inside and then the door unlocks and Eliza comes out, followed by Tyler. Eliza looks a little unsteady on her feet and glassy-eyed. Tyler’s shirt is hanging out and the top buttons are undone. I glance at Jeremy who is staring at Tyler, his lips pursed. Tyler makes some gesture behind Eliza’s back, holding up one finger, but he’s looking at Jeremy when he does it, and then, still grinning, he walks out of the door behind her.
Summer locks herself in the bathroom and I turn to Jeremy.
‘Hey,’ I say.
He puts his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. ‘I missed you,’ he says and he kisses me – this time on the lips. His hands run up my back and his breath is warm on my neck when he whispers in my ear, ‘Do you want to come and watch the fireworks?’
I nod and he takes my hand and leads me out of the pool house and onto the lawn just as the firework display begins. And Mike was right: the Reeds know how to put on a show.
The fireworks start fizzing and bursting above us and everyone starts doing that whole ooooh ahhhhhh thing as they crane their heads backwards and stare at the exploding sky above them. I find myself casting a look across the lawn, watching people’s expressions as their faces light up in sprays of pink, green and blue. Brodie is holding hands with her mum and pointing in delight. Mike waves when he sees me. Beside them there’s another man who I’m assuming is Sophie’s dad because he has his arm around her shoulder and I’m assuming that Sophie hasn’t dumped Matt for a much older bald guy almost as short as herself.
Beyond them, up on the deck, I catch a sudden movement and as I crane my neck for a closer look, Tyler and Paige are lit up by the dazzle of a Roman candle. In the split second before the light fizzles out I see that Paige is screaming at him. The words are lost in all the bangs and coos and just as I squint to try to see Tyler’s response the two of them are plunged back into darkness. What is going on with Paige? Why is she always yelling at someone? I think to m
yself. I turn to ask Jeremy but he’s already whispering in my ear. ‘Everyone’s ditching out to go to a party. Want to come?’
‘Um, where?’ I ask.
‘The beach.’
Immediately my stomach starts doing this jitter thing. From the way his lips are hovering by my ear and the way his hand is stroking my hip, it’s clear that a trip to the beach is not going to involve sitting and watching other couples making out. This time I feel there’s a strong possibility that we might be the ones making out – though not in public view. I draw the line at that. ‘I should just check with Carrie and Mike,’ I say.
Carrie and Mike are fine with me ditching out which is rather good of them considering I’m supposed to be working. Mike even winks at me, which makes me want to pass out with embarrassment, and Brodie holds up two fingers, which I think is her way of asking about bases and not her way of saying goodbye.
When I find Jeremy again he’s with Tyler, standing beside a VW Golf. I watch Sophie’s Mercedes tear out of the driveway which I guess leaves me no option but to climb into the back of Tyler’s VW along with a very drunk Summer and a very moody Eliza. I would rather be sandwiched between Will and Bex while they posed for pictures for their Facebook walls quite honestly, and I ponder whether it’s too late to make an excuse and stay behind. But Tyler is already gunning the engine so I sigh and strap in.
It doesn’t take long to get to the beach but it feels like hours because Summer spends nearly the whole time asking me about Hot Prince Harry and questioning me on his availability. Turns out she’s spending next term in London and she actually has a plan to run into him in a club and become the next member of the Royal family. At first I think she’s joking and then I realise she isn’t. Her eyes are steel, despite the fact she is slurring her words. Tyler and Jeremy are messing around with the radio and thankfully they turn it up so loud that Summer is drowned out just as she gets on to discussing curtseying protocols. When we pull up at the beach I realise it’s Dionis – the beach I cycled to that first weekend. There are lots of cars parked up and I spot Sophie’s Mercedes and Matt’s Jeep. They beat us here already.
‘I read your blog,’ Jeremy says, as we walk hand in hand down the beach towards the flickering flames of a fire.
I shoot him a sideways glance. I was kind of hoping Jeremy wouldn’t read my blog. I toyed with the idea of not posting about the gig I went to with Jesse, but then I figured what the hell. And I didn’t mention Jesse by name, I focused mainly on the singer. Though there might have been a small mention of the talented lead guitarist.
‘It sounded like a great night,’ Jeremy says.
‘Yeah,’ I say, ‘it was pretty good.’
‘You should have called and let me know you were going. I’d have come with you.’
I slow my pace. ‘Really?’ I say. ‘I mean I didn’t think you liked to hang out with the local kids? Isn’t there some kind of rivalry going on?’
Jeremy sighs under his breath. ‘That’s between Tyler and Miller. I try to stay out of it.’
‘I heard Parker saying something earlier today,’ I say, glancing ahead to where I can now see the others standing around a fire, ‘– are they trying to get revenge on Jesse?’
Jeremy laughs but his laugh sounds false. ‘What?’
I shrug. ‘That’s just what it sounded like.’
He pulls me tighter and puts his arm around me. ‘Nah. It’s all cool,’ he says. We don’t make it to the fire, Jeremy diverts us and leads me instead towards the dunes. I get a flutter in my stomach. We’re out of sight though we can still see the silhouettes of the others in front of the fire. Jeremy sits down and then tugs me down next to him. I almost land on his lap. He passes me a bottle in the dark and I take it. ‘What is it?’ I ask.
‘Whiskey,’ he answers.
‘No thanks,’ I say, handing it back.
He puts the bottle down and leans in towards me. His other hand comes to cradle the back of my head. He presses his lips to mine. He tastes of beer and I start panicking that my breath tastes of champagne and olives but he doesn’t seem to mind because he’s pulling me closer and my hands are against his stomach – which I have to admit feels pretty damn hard but even so, as he’s kissing me, an image of Jesse’s stomach flashes into my mind and I have to work really hard to push it away and focus on Jeremy and his stomach instead.
‘Ren,’ Jeremy murmurs in a low voice and in that second I totally forget Jesse because Jeremy’s making me feel like the most desirable girl on earth. He starts kissing my throat and his hand is suddenly against my bare skin, slipping beneath the waistband of my shorts. My breath catches. Are we leaping ahead to third base? Am I OK with this?
I don’t get to decide because just then a scream tears through the air. Jeremy freezes above me. Another scream shatters the stillness, this time accompanied by shouting.
I wriggle out from under Jeremy’s arm and stagger to my feet feeling unsteady. I know that voice. The person shouting. It’s Jesse. I follow at a half-run, after Jeremy, towards the fire.
Jesse is standing right in front of it, his feet spread wide, his shoulders rolled back and his expression fierce.
‘I heard you were looking for me?’ he yells. He sounds so angry that I’m frozen to the spot and it seems like everyone else is too. The silhouettes around the fire aren’t moving. Everyone’s just staring at him. No one seems brave enough to answer him.
But then Jeremy starts striding towards him. I follow after him, shoving my top back into my shorts and trying to flatten my hair down.
‘Tyler Reed?’ Jesse yells, turning a slow circle. ‘You want me, then come and get me!’
He’s standing in the halo of light cast by the fire and as we get closer I see that behind him stand a half-dozen other people, Austin included.
‘What the fuck?’ It’s Parker. He launches himself at a run down the beach towards Jesse and stops short only when Jeremy steps in front of him, holding him back.
‘What are you doing here, Miller?’ Jeremy asks calmly, keeping one hand on Parker’s chest.
Jesse fronts up to him. ‘Heard your friend was looking for me, that’s all. Thought I’d save him the trouble of threatening my father again and come find him myself.’
Head to head Jeremy and Jesse are the same height but Jesse is much better built. His dark eyes are glowing. Jeremy holds his ground though. ‘Just back off, Miller,’ he says in a low voice that nonetheless carries across the beach.
‘I’m calling the police!’
I turn my head and make out Sophie. She has her phone in her hand and is thrusting it in Jesse’s face like a light sabre. ‘You can’t be here. Tyler has a restraining order out on you!’
‘I’m just taking a stroll,’ Jesse says smiling at her, all charm all of a sudden. ‘It’s a public beach, isn’t it?’
I’m standing hovering in the darkness at the edge of the fire, not breathing, wondering what on earth to do – because I can see how this is going to play out, Sophie is already dialling – when I see Tyler striding at an almost run across the beach towards them all from the direction of the dunes. Summer is running after him, clutching at her top. Tyler stops in front of Jesse.
‘Miller,’ Tyler says, taking in the sight of all the people behind Jesse. ‘You brought your friends, I see. Scared you might need protection?’
Jesse’s eyes are glimmering in the red light. ‘No,’ he says with a small smile, ‘I just wanted to make sure you fight fair this time. You and me. None of your friends to drag me off you when it looks like you’re losing. This time,’ he says, taking a step forwards towards Tyler, ‘I’m putting you in the ground.’
‘Back off, man!’ Jeremy says, pushing on Jesse’s chest. ‘Not here. Not now.’
Austin grips Jesse’s shoulder and tries to tug him away, murmuring something, but Jesse has dug his heels in and won’t budge. I hardly recognise him. Shadows leap across his face and his mouth is twisted in a snarl. I can feel the adrenaline shooting throug
h my bloodstream as I take a step forward. I have this urge to get between Jeremy and him – to stop Jesse – or is it to keep him safe? All I know is that I want to get him away from all these people and calm him down somehow before the police arrive.
‘Let’s do this,’ Jesse says, shaking Austin off. ‘Let’s get it over with.’ He’s staring at Tyler and Tyler has this weird little smile on his face but beneath it I can see he’s nervous as hell. It’s not obvious but he’s shifting his weight in the sand and he glances quickly to his right where Parker is standing as though checking he’s got backup. I know he won’t fight fair if it comes to it.
‘Jesse . . .’ It’s a girl’s voice this time, coming out of the darkness – husky and otherworldly. Niki – the singer from the band – steps out of the shadows behind Jesse and puts her hands around his arm. ‘Come on,’ she says gently. ‘Let’s go.’ She leans against him and whispers something in his ear and then kisses him on the shoulder. My stomach clenches at the sight.
‘Come on,’ she whispers again, ‘he’s not worth it.’ Jesse stands there, seemingly oblivious to her, his hands still coiled into fists, still staring at Tyler.
‘It’s OK,’ Tyler says, pushing past Jeremy. ‘You want to hit me, Miller, fine, go ahead. I’ve got witnesses. Hit me. You’ll be buying yourself a one-way ticket to prison. It won’t be juvie this time – they’ll process you as an adult.’
Jesse looks close to ripping Tyler’s head off with his bare hands and using it to play football with. But Tyler just laughs – a braying, snorting sound that makes me want to punch him myself. ‘Do you know who my father is?’ he asks, smirking. Tyler leans in closer and dropping his voice says to Jesse, ‘You’ll do maximum time; five years. No reduction for good behaviour and no parole. My father will see to it.’ He’s pushing into Jesse’s face and I can see the muscle working furiously in Jesse’s jaw, the line of tendon snapped taut in his neck. Austin’s hand is white-knuckled as it grips his shoulder, holding him back.
Jesse takes a deep breath, seems to consider Tyler’s words and then nods. ‘Sounds worth it to me,’ he growls and he throws Austin off and sends his fist flying through the air.