The Summer Reunion (unedited version)

49| Sink Or Swim

***Should have said this in the last post but trigger warning for substance use***

This party was beginning to take on a form of its own. If we didn't stop it soon there could be some serious damage.

I ran over to Grayson and pulled him off the couch. "We need to get everyone out of here, like now."

"Andie, I don't think a bunch of frat guys are going to listen to us if we ask them nicely."

"Well we have to do something!" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "They're going to destroy the place Gray. And I just had the worst conversation with my mother. If I don't get the bonus I have to move back home and live with my dad, which is not an option." I took a few steps before realizing Grayson wasn't following behind me. "Gray?"

The two of us stood still, facing each other, as a bunch of sweaty teenagers danced around us.

"Gray?" I reached out to touch his arm but he jerked his hand away.

His voice was so quiet I could barely hear him over the music. "You passed up the chance to move back?"

"It wasn't really an offer. I can't live with my dad."

Someone turned the speaker up and the music got even louder. By this point we were shouting just to be heard. 

"What happened to getting the bonus so you could try and stay? Now you have to get the bonus so you can leave again? What the hell kind of logic is that Andie. It doesn't make any sense. You kept going on about how you wished you could have stayed, and now you can and you don't want to?"

"That's not what I meant to say. Look, we don't have time for this right now. We can talk about it later once we get all of these people to leave."

"Why don't you just leave with them Andie. It's not like we're keeping you around."

Another guy lined up for a dive on the stairs. He did a running jump and flew into the air before landing into the wall. I could hear the thud before I saw it. The guy lifted his elbow, revealing a large hole. All the others cheered in celebration.

"This is getting out of hand Grayson. We need to find the others. I promise we'll talk about this later." Without waiting for him I headed for the back door. 

There were just as many people crowding the back lawn as there was inside. I'm not even sure how it was possible to know this many people. Drew was right. People looked forward to this every year. Too much, apparently. I couldn't see Izzie or Drew in the clumps of people. They weren't at the bonfire, which was my best guess. There's only one other place they could be. Down at the dock.

"So what happens now Andie, you leave and we go back to the way things were before? I don't want to do that," he shouted after me. 

"Grayson, not now." I trudged along the grass leading to the lake.

There's a better time to have this conversation. And it's not right now, when our cabin is being destroyed piece by piece.

"That's what you said last time, and then you left for four months."

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. "You're still holding that against me? Are you serious? I didn't have a choice! Sometimes you have to do things for other people and not think about yourself all the time. You wouldn't understand that because you've never had to. But I have. And it's not easy giving up your life for someone else. Do you think I want to go back? Cause I don't. In fact I don't think I'll ever be more miserable than when I have to leave you guys. But that's how things work. So don't lecture me on choices. Sometimes there isn't one and I don't need you to make this even harder for me." Without giving him the chance to speak I continued towards the lake.