“Come on, Sadie. It’ll be fun.” Tyler was picking blades of grass and tossing them into the breeze.
Sadie peered at him over her book, watching as the breeze deposited stray pieces of grass in his hair. “I’ll go to the next one.”
Dave rolled his eyes as he plopped down beside them under the old oak tree. “You always say that.”
“Do not.” She did.
“Sadie, this is the last party before we graduate. Do you really wanna be able to say you didn’t go to a single one the entire time you were in high school?”
“Maybe.” A smile crept over her face.
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Tyler was growing desperate. He reached out to grab her book, but she pulled back before he could get ahold of it.
She closed her book and placed it in her lap, cocking her head to the left and pursing her lips. Tyler and Dave grinned at one another then turned back to Sadie, awaiting the verdict they knew was coming. She exhaled deeply from her nose before allowing a small smile to creep over her freckled face. “This party better be fun.”
Tyler and Dave were sitting in the driveway, tapping their fingers on the dashboard as The Arctic Monkeys blared over the crackling speakers. Sadie threw open the front door and came bouncing down the porch steps toward Tyler’s Jeep, a rusty clunker of a car. Dave climbed to the backseat as Sadie yanked open the door.
“Hey, guys. So, where’s this ‘super fun’ party at?”
Tyler threw the car in reverse, pulling out of the driveway. “Jason’s house. His parents are out of town this weekend and he lives on the lake which is pretty dope.”
They took the gravel road out of town, driving past wide-open fields of yellowing grass. The coal train roared past them as they sped toward Cedar Lake. Sadie’s long, blonde hair blew wildly in the evening breeze as she leaned out the Jeep window. The sun was setting over the lake as Tyler parked the car in the large field beside Jason’s house. The three of them hopped out of the car and began making their way to the front door where a drunken Jason was waiting to welcome guests. He had an open bottle of rum in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.
The scent of alcohol wafted from the house in a thick cloud as music roared, rattling the windows. Jason eagerly waved them inside before clumsily leading the way to a stack of red solo cups on a stained table strewn with a diverse collection of liquor. The house was filled with hordes of intoxicated teenagers, stumbling over each other as they danced. Tyler poured drinks for himself and Sadie while Dave cracked open a beer.
“Wanna dance?”
Sadie snorted. “I’m not drunk enough for that. Let me get a few drinks in, then ask.”
Dave and Tyler made their way to the dance floor, drinks in hand, as Sadie perched herself on the back of the couch. A couple was clumsily making out on the couch, knocking into Sadie as they fumbled around, spilling her drink. Sadie glanced behind her and noticed that it was Kelsey Nox, the prom queen, the cheerleader at the top of the pyramid. They made eye contact, and Sadie felt panic rising in her chest.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Why? Baby, we bumped you.” Her teeth were dazzlingly white.
“I-I dunno. You’re very intimidating.” Sadie placed her, now empty, cup on the floor by her feet.
“What?” She looked genuinely confused.
“I-You’re very pretty and smart and popular. You’re intimidating.”
Kelsey laughed. “Baby, we are here to build each other up, not tear each other down. You are pretty and smart and popular. You are intimidating.”
Sadie felt her cheeks growing hot from the compliments. “Thanks, Kelsey.”
“Get out there, baby! Have a great night!” She gave Sadie a gentle shove.
Sadie turned back to the dance floor to see a drunken Jason making his way toward her. He stumbled passed sweaty clumps of grinding teenagers, slipping a little on the wet floor. He stopped in front of her, swaying slightly, and reached out a hand.
“Dance with me.”
Sadie’s eyes fell to her feet. “No thank you. I don’t dance.”
“C’mon!” He grabbed Sadie’s hand and pulled her off the couch; the two of them giggled as they twirled on the dance floor. The song ended and Jason embraced Sadie; he thanked her for the dance. “I don’t usually like to dance, but that was the most fun I’ve ever had.”
She patted his shoulder, “Thanks. Same here.”
Sadie glanced around the room, looking for Tyler and Dave; they were standing in a corner, sipping their drinks and talking quietly. She slipped through the crowd and joined them in the corner.
“Saw your dance with Jason. Cute as fuck, Sadie.” Dave reached out and threw an arm around her shoulder.
“Shut up, Dave.” Sadie gently elbowed him in the ribs.
The three of them made their way back to the dance floor, wildly spinning and bouncing to the music. Suddenly, a ballad began to play—drastically changing the mood of the party. People began pairing up and gently swaying. Dave grabbed Sadie’s waist and the two began to sway with the crowd. Sadie glanced over to see Tyler rocking on his feet in the center of the dance floor, his dance partner an unopened can of beer.
“Oh, Dave. Look at Tyler.”
Dave let out a sigh, exasperated by the sheer awkwardness of their friend. He let go of Sadie’s hand and reached out for Tyler’s, turning their duo back into a trio. The three of them swayed and twirled to the smooth rhythm of the music. The song ended and the friends unclumped. Before they could return to their energetic rug cutting and leg shaking, a hand grabbed Sadie’s wrist. She turned to see Olive, very drunk and very eager to dance. Sadie tutored Olive in calculus so they didn’t hang out socially, but they were familiar enough.
Olive began to aggressively thrust her pelvis into Sadie. “Oh! Um-hi, Olive.”
Sadie turned away from her new dance partner, narrowly avoiding a kiss. She reached out a panicked hand in the direction of Tyler and Dave. Tyler grabbed Sadie’s arm and pulled her away from Olive who quickly filled the vacancy with a new partner.
“What the fuck was that?” Sadie laughed nervously.
“She’s very… um… friendly, I guess.” Tyler anxiously scratched the back of his head.
“Let’s play beer pong.” Rapidly changing the subject, Dave pulled them toward the ping pong table.
After losing several rounds of beer pong, Sadie wandered upstairs to find a bathroom that wasn’t occupied by horny teenagers. She located a vacant bathroom in the guest room at the end of the hall. As Sadie was washing her hands, she heard someone come into the bedroom and shut the door. She flicked off the bathroom light and listened, hoping whoever was in the bedroom would leave. She could hear two voices, muffled slightly by the door. One was unfamiliar, but the other belonged to Chuck, her chem lab partner. The bed springs began to creak rhythmically and Sadie realized what was happening.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” She silently opened the bathroom door and, averting her eyes, crawled toward freedom. Shutting the guest room door behind her, Sadie stood and rushed back down the stairs. Nearly tripping over her feet as she ran up to Dave and Tyler, Sadie grabbed them each by an arm.
“You’ll never believe what just happened.” She took several gasping breaths. “I went to the bathroom in the guest room upstairs and Chuck came in to have sex!”
“Excuse me?” Dave laughed hysterically and handed Sadie his drink. She quickly downed the vodka Sprite, spilling a few drips down her chin and onto her dress.
“Oh my God, Sadie. I’m so sorry that happened.” Tyler reached out comfort her, but pulled back at the last minute. Instead, he handed her the unopened beer from his jacket pocket. “Why don’t we go sit on the porch?” He leaned in, whispering in Sadie’s ear. “I brought a joint if ya wanna smoke.”
Tyler began rapidly making his way through the crowd toward the backdoor; Dave and Sadie followed. Before they could join Tyler outside, Jason intercepted them with his girlfriend, Casey, in tow.
“This is her. She is the best dance partner I ever had.” He was stumbling around and reached out to Sadie, throwing his arm around her shoulder.
There was a fire in Casey’s eyes when she pulled Jason back. “That’s enough, Jason.”
Dave patted Jason on the shoulder and grabbed Sadie’s hand, pulling her toward the porch, where they joined Tyler. The three of them sat on the porch railing, enjoying a sweet escape from the rowdiness of the party. Tyler lit the joint—it wasn’t his healthiest vice, but it certainly helped to ease his anxiety. The tip of the joint shone brightly in the darkness, casting an orange glow on Tyler’s face.
Sadie watched the twinkling stars reflecting off the mirror-like surface of the lake. Cracking open her beer, she thought about how long she’d known Dave and Tyler. In just a few weeks, they would graduate. They would move to new cities and go to new schools. They would make new friends and maybe even lose touch. The thought of not seeing her best friends everyday was too much for Sadie; a warm tear crawled down her cheek and landed on the beer can in her hand.
“Guys, we’re gonna keep in touch next year, right?” Sadie turned to face her friends.
“Of course we will, Sadie.” Tyler threw an arm around her shoulder and slid the joint between her fingers.
“If you think I’m not gonna send you a Shrek meme every day, you are an idiot.”
Sadie laughed through a cloud of smoke. “You’ve really gotta stop doing that, Dave. They aren’t even funny. They’re just fucking weird.”
He feigned offense, dramatically clutching his heart before yanking the joint out of Sadie’s mouth. “How dare you?”
As Tyler and Sadie harassed Dave, they all took turns hitting the joint. The three of them were nearing the end of their weed supply when Erik and Sam staggered over laughing hysterically.
“What’s so funny, guys?”
Sam paused to catch his breath, grabbing the porch railing. “Erik-*gasp* -I told him he wouldn’t stick my cigarette in his ass and- *gasp* -and he did! He fucking did it!”
“Wait! What?” Tyler tossed down the ashy remains of the joint.
“Erik stuck my cigarette up his ass!” Sam was gasping for air.
Dave patted Erik on the shoulder. “You know who would love this? Jason.”
“You’re right!” Sam grabbed Erik’s arm and dragged him into the house.
“That was… something.” Dave hopped off the porch onto the rocky beach below and stared up at his friends. “You comin’?”
Sadie and Tyler leapt off the porch, landing beside Dave. They made their way toward the shoreline, carefully navigating the loose rocks that served as the beach. The rocks beneath Tyler’s foot shifted and he lost his balance; Sadie clumsily reached out to catch him, grabbing his outstretched hand. Dave thought Sadie was falling so he quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tight.
“I gotchu, Sadie. I gotchu. I’m not gonna let you fall.” His words were slightly slurred.
“I-thanks, Dave.”
The three of them continued down the beach. Reaching the water’s edge, they took a seat. Dave began throwing rocks into the water, making no effort to skip them. Before sinking into the murky depths, each rock made a large plunk sound. Sadie shivered, the rocks beneath her were cool and the breeze coming off the lake was brisk. *Plunk* Tyler removed his jacket and draped it over Sadie’s bare shoulders; she smiled at him and carefully pulled on the jacket, flipping up its hood. *Plunk* They sat on the beach, enjoying the serenity of the lake. *Plunk* Sadie laid her head on the rocks, staring up at the sky.
“Look how bright the moon is, you guys.” She pulled them down to her level.
They stared at the sky as Sadie pointed out all the constellations she remembered from eighth-grade astronomy. Dave rolled over on his side and began snoring softly, eliciting a chuckle from Tyler. Sadie’s eyelids were growing heavy as she described the mythology behind Cassiopeia—she was exhausted and desperately trying to keep her eyes from closing.
Tyler turned toward her. “Hey, Sadie?”
She rolled over to face him. “Yeah, Tyler?”
“I love-” Sadie let out a snore. He smiled at her sleeping form before rolling onto his back, trying to locate Cassiopeia in the stars above him. “-you.”