FUMES [2], jj maybank

35. SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

    

   THE BONFIRE. It is an Outerbanks Tradition. Same weekend, every year. Excessive drinking and drugs. Wild shit and a definite fight happens every year. Everyone goes.

    John B pulls the van up to the fire. Someone is showing off their dirt bike tricks and there are red solo cups everywhere. Gorillaz blast throughout the party.

  JJ puts his hand out to help me out of the van which I gladly take. Kie and Pope go ahead of us. Bailey sticks by JJ and I. "A party!" Bailey pushes me. "Bailey, what the hell?" She grabs my shoulders and starts shaking me. We walk behind JJ and John B who are probably talking about nonsense. "What'd you and Kie do after you mom'ed the three of us?" Bailey punches my bicep. "Ow!"

  "Nothing like that. A simple makeout!" I roll my eyes at her, "Uh huh."

     A beer can is thrown at us. "Hey, derelicts!" I look up and see John B's intolerable ex. So irrelevant that I forgot her name.

  "Hey, there she is!" JJ says sarcastically. "That's definitely a way to get our attention!" I roll my eyes and yell at her. "Yeah, okay, that's my cue to get Sam out of here. We're out of here!" JJ drags Bailey and I away. He knows my distaste for the girl. I never hid it when she and John B were together. "Can you not start a fight tonight, okay, princess?" JJ says as he wraps his arms around me. "Eh, let her," Bailey shrugs. "Bailey, don't you have a Kie to makeout with?" Bailey and I both stop walking at what JJ said. "How do you—"

  "It was obvious you liked her and then it was obvious y'all did something when we came back to The Chateau and Kie's lips were swollen," I look towards Bailey whose jaw is dropped. I start laughing at her and JJ's context clues. "Does Pope know?" JJ asks. "Uh, no. He will though. Kie is gonna tell him," Bailey nods.

  I wonder if Sarah is here. My eyes scan around us for the other blonde in my life but I can't see her through the crowd of people. "Can you see Sarah?" I nudge JJ. He looks around a bit, "No. I do not. You think she's partying right now given the circumstances?"

   "Sarah? Yeah. She's a Kook. She's born partying," I look around the crowd again. "Oh, what the fuck?"

  "What?" Bailey and JJ both ask. "Sarah is with Topper!" I spot her walking through the crowd with him. "Well, that—sucks," JJ slowly says, like he was afraid to say it in front of me. "I'll have to talk to her later," We end up by a stone wall and Pope joins us soon. JJ and him do their handshake and afterwards, Pope hands me a cup. "What is it?" I sniff and just smell vodka and cherry. Pope remembered. Aw.

  "Your favorite. Vodka and cherry," Pope smiles. "Thank you, Pope," I smile back. "Sarah is here with Topper, by the way," I say as I sip my drink. "What?" Pope nearly spits his beer out. "Yup. Gross," Bailey steals my cup. I watch as Topper leaves Sarah alone. "Hey, she's alone. I'm gonna go talk to her—"