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“You okay?” Max asks.
“I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“I am. I just, I don’t know. I guess I need to get used to…everything. Being here. Us. Them. You know, it’s all new to me.” I smile at Max to reassure him. I know I’m giving him a false sense of security. But what else can I do? I’m trying.
Max pulls me close, holding me tight. I see Lacey gawking at us. She leans in to Richie and whispers. He turns to stare at us as well. Here we go.
“Lacey and Richie are looking at us like we’ve just robbed a bank,” I say. Max doesn’t even bother to look at them.
“Who cares?” he says, and then he leans in and kisses me for the whole world to see. At that moment I understand with total clarity that he believes in me, in us, and it gives me a shot of confidence. He’s right; who cares?
“I’m sorry about Lily,” I say. “Is she okay? Is she here?”
“You didn’t see her when we came in, sitting on Luca So
“I missed that. Probably the stage fright. I think I was focused on the floor.”
“Yeah, you were pretty freaked out. It was cute.”
“I’m glad I amuse you, Langston.”
“What can I say, Flores? You’re a quirky chick. And I dig that about you.”
I laugh, because it’s true and it’s probably not going to change anytime soon. Good thing Max likes it.
“That was fast, Lily hooking Luca,” I say.
“Not for Lily. She’s kind of a record holder in that category.”
“Isn’t that awkward? I mean, you and Luca are friends.”
“Not for me. Luca’s really into her and has been for years, and I’m really into you, so it’s all good.”
“I’m really into you too,” I say.
“Well, isn’t that special.…”
Max and I look up to see Will looming above us.
“You two lovebirds are a sight to behold,” he says. Next to him stands Juan. They’re both wearing well-tailored suits. Will’s is a dark gray with pinstripes, Juan’s is navy blue.
“You’re wearing a suit!” I say.
“You know how I love Tom Ford’s work,” Will says.
“Your idea?” I ask Juan.
“All Will. He insisted on buying us matching suits. I didn’t really have much to wear, but I would have settled for clean shorts and a T-shirt,” Juan says. “I think we’re ridiculously overdressed.”
“We come bearing In-N-Out burgers,” Will says, holding up a large bag.
“Excellent,” Max says.
Will reaches into the bag and plucks out a burger. He hands one to Max and then passes out burgers to me and Juan.
“No way I’m eating one of those. Have you seen the spread here?” Juan says.
“You have no idea what you’re missing,” Max says.
“He’s from Mexico. Forgive him,” Will says.
“Those burgers will kill you,” Juan says.
“Maybe, but they’re worth it,” Max says, polishing off the burger. “Loved the mirror. Impressive work,” Max tells Will.
“I thought you’d appreciate it,” Will says.
“I’m keeping it as is,” Max says. “For posterity.”
Will laughs. I have no idea what they’re talking about.
From across the lawn I see Jemma Pembolt, one of Lily’s faithful lieutenants, striding toward us. She looks determined and pissed. Shit. She comes right up to Max.
“You are such an asshole, Max. I can’t believe you brought Kylie to the party. I mean, the body’s still warm.”
“Lily’s here with Luca. I think she’s okay with it,” Max says.
“You’re such a self-centered prick. Of course she’s not ‘okay’ with it. She’s just letting Luca lick her wounds,” Jemma says, her well-toned arms folded across her chest like some kind of South American despot.
“Jemma, chill.” It’s Lily who has suddenly materialized, with Luca at her side. While he stands dutifully next to her, Luca looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.
Lily gives me a level gaze. It’s not hateful, but there’s no warmth to it either. I get it. She’s doing the best she can to preserve her dignity, and I’m certainly not going to make it any harder on her.
“Jemma’s just being protective. But I can take care of myself,” Lily says. “C’mon, J, let’s get you a drink.”
“Whatever. He’s still an asshole,” Jemma says, giving Max one last icy look, and then the three of them walk away.
I feel bad for Lily. This is her turf, and my being here with Max can’t be easy for her.
“Do you think we should leave?” I ask Max.
“No. She’s fine. She’s happy to parade Luca around with her. And Charlie’s my best friend; I have a right to be here. And we’ve got a whole lot of summer parties ahead of us. Might as well get used to ru
“We’re going to feed Juan some real food,” Will tells me. “We’ll be back.” He and Juan wander off.
“How about I get us some beer?” Max asks.
“I think I need to detox tonight.” I also want to see if we can have fun without the alcohol.
“Told you tequila can give you a nasty hangover. Maybe you’ll listen to me next time.”
“I doubt it. I’m stubborn like that,” I say. “I’ll just have some water.”
What I don’t say is, “Don’t leave,” even though that’s what I’m feeling when Max gets up and heads over to the bar. With Max as my life raft, I can float. Without him, I feel a little like I’m drowning. The encounters with Sonia and Jemma have diminished whatever confidence was building.
I spot Sharon Lee approaching, and I vow to say something as soon as she’s close enough. It’s like my own personal test. Can I do this? If not, I should seriously forget ever leaving the house again. Sharon’s always been super popular, but I don’t think she’s evil. How hard can this be?
“Hey, Sharon,” I say.
“Hey, Kylie. What’s up?”
“Not much.” I rack my brain for something else to add to that. Jeez, I am hopeless at the art of conversation today.
“You’re going to NYU, right?” Sharon asks after a pause.
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to Barnard. We should totally get together in New York.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” I say, trying to hide the surprise in my voice.
“I’m so psyched to get out of La Jolla and be in a big city, you know? This can be such a small town sometimes.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” And I say that from the bottom of my heart. “I loved New York when I visited last summer. It had such an amazing energy. I’ve never seen anything like it. I felt like I was buzzing with ideas after spending the day walking around in the city. I usually feel the opposite after being in San Diego for a while.”
Sharon laughs. “I know, right?”
Claudia Kleemon and her boyfriend, Harry Thomas, walk by.
“Hey, Sharon. Hey, Kylie,” Claudia says.
We both say hi.
I can do this. I can converse with the human race and not have it be an embarrassment of idiocy and awkwardness.
“E-mail me. ’Kay?” Sharon says.
“I will,” I promise.
And then she walks away. That was not bad at all. In fact, I would have to say that was a stu
“You okay? Still breathing?” Max asks as he takes a seat, beer in hand.
“I’m fine. Much better than when you left, actually.”
“So was it me?”
“No. It just takes me a little longer than normal people.”
Will and Juan are back. Juan is holding a shrimp kebab in one hand and corn on the cob in the other.
“We ca
“You two go,” I say.
“Oh, no. You’re not getting out of this, missy. We’ve got to lose our minds on the dance floor in order to make graduation official,” Will says.
“I don’t think so.…” I try to protest, but it’s no use. Will pulls me, and Juan grabs Max’s arm, and together they escort us to the far corner of the lawn.
“There will be dancing,” Will says.
There are only about fifteen people dancing. I’m loath to put myself out there for all to see. But I really don’t have a choice as Will and Juan pull all of us toward the DJ. Some Eminem/Riha