Hello, my name is Loser

Chapter 11: Unveiled Threats

The beat of a Gaga anthem and my heart pounding mix together in my ears. I blink and look at No Name, really look at her. I don't know who this girl is, I'm sure of it, but somehow she knows me.

My hand finds its place on my chest, massaging in circular motions. I see No Name glance at the motion and I drop my hand. I don't want anyone to see the panic her single question has stirred. Despite the humid night I feel cold pinching at my bones.

"Yeah," I say with a tight smile. "Tammy was my roommate. How do you know Tammy?" I ask as casually as possible, taking a sip from my cup. The beer tastes cheap and watered down. Ugh.

"She's my cousin," No Name bites out.

I feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead. Oh, fuck. I try to filter through names that Tammy must have said. Did she ever talk about a cousin? Kendall? Lori, maybe? Oh, fuck. Fuck.

"Huh," I breathe, "Seems rude that I don't know your name." No Name smirks. Black bangs crowd her forehead and freckles stain her cheeks. She has the kind of face you'd remember, with a sharp nose and heavy lidded eyes. She's not beautiful, but there's something unique about her. Right now it's the kind of face I want to punch.

No Name crosses her arms and looks down her nose, "It's Rebecca Trent."

Molly squeezes between Bobby and me, "Libby, here's the water." She glances from Rebecca to me.

"God, what took you so long," Libby snatches the cup from her hand and coos something to Kevin as she brings it to his lips. God, he is practically an adult toddler. Now she just needs to ask if his diaper needs changing.

Molly pushes a lock of ginger hair behind her ear and regards Rebecca with, what I'm coming to know as, her signature easy smile, "Rebecca, I didn't see you get here. Are you two talking about camp? I'm sooo excited." She turns to me, "When my mom told me you'd be starting I was so pumped. It'll be just like old times!"

Admittedly, Molly and I were never close. I hardly spoke to her in high school because I was so caught up in my own academia shit. Then I lost all my friends and decided it was better to just forget all of them, her included. Figures that I forgot Kim was her mom.

"Sam, you're gonna be working at Camp Unity? That's a lot of outdoorsy stuff," Bobby says at my side. He's closer now. I can feel his elbow against mine, warm and sure. I'm reminded of the sunburn still blanketing my pale skin. He whispers, "You sure about that?"

"How bad can it be?" I whisper back, then look at Rebecca. She's still shooting daggers at me. Actually, it might be really fucking bad. "Tammy never mentioned you," I say to her.

"Well she mentioned you."

Okay. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to hear the implication in her tone. Tammy definitely shared quite a bit about me. I'm so taken aback by her attitude that it takes me a minute to catch up to the rest of what Molly said. "And I'm sorry, did I hear right? You're working at Camp Unity as a camp counselor?"

Rebecca smirks again, "Yep. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." Something about her thinly veiled hatred has me surmising that neither of us are going to enjoy that.

Molly's face is aglow with unbridled joy, "We're gonna have such a good time. Rebecca and I met when she started last summer. I told my mom we need the same cabin!"

I shoot a glance at the night sky, expecting to see God waving a massive middle finger but instead it's just stars and darkness.

Ash interjects, "Was Tammy the cousin you said was going through a breakup?" I look at Ash, shocked for a second to remember she's here.

"That's the one," Rebecca says, her eyes never leaving me.

Ash swigs her beer and catches the empty cup Libby tosses at her, "That's gotta be rough. Was that while you were still there, Sam? What did you think of the guy? Men can be such trash."

"No, not you," I hear Libby whisper sweetly to Kevin.

The irony of this whole situation is not lost on me. I was in fact the one who ruined Tammy's relationship, but in my defense Tom was always a dickbag and I wasn't the first he cheated on her with. But I was definitely the last. Honestly, I hardly remember that night...and somehow that makes it worse. The memory of hungry hands rises up and I struggle to slap it away. The backyard starts to slant in my vision.

I feel Bobby's steadying hand on my elbow. Maybe I'm not as good at hiding things as I like to think I am.

"I never met Tammy's boyfriend," I say before taking a deep swig of beer. When I finish I wipe my mouth on the back of my hand. I don't want to talk with Rebecca, in fact I don't want to talk with anyone but Bobby and the beer in my hand.

Bobby shuffles. Then I feel his breath on my cheek, "Will you survive if I run to the bathroom and leave you here for a sec?"

My mouth quirks up despite my growing anxiety, "I'll be fine." But as he nods and turns towards the back door I suddenly feel his absence like a punch to the gut. I'm alone surrounded by enemies. I survey the girls.

Molly is listening intently to something Libby is saying about Kevin and Ash is asking Rebecca more about Tammy. My breathing quickens. The truth will not set me free with this lot. It will destroy me even more than I've destroyed myself...Whoever I am. A betrayer, a liar, a cheat. I'll be nothing if my parents find out.

Libby's shrill voice commands Molly, "He needs to lay down. Help me get him upstairs." She snaps at Ash, "Ash! Pay attention and grab his feet."

"Libby, you can't be serious. He's too big, we should just get him more water –"

Libby holds up a hand, "I said, grab his feet." They have a brief stare down only broken by Ash's eventual sigh of defeat. Things definitely haven't changed.

Mercifully, Rebecca has gone silent. We both watch as the three girls grapple with my brother's prone form. He's at least a foot taller than each of them and has the shoulders of a linebacker.

I'm not helping. Fuck that.

Libby begins shrieking at attendees to help her, even garnering assistance from a handful of dudes who only converse with her chest. Eventually they're swallowed by party goers who are gyrating to a remix of Britney Spears' Toxic. I know it won't be the last time I see the girls and my brother.

"Well, after everything Tammy said, I'm so pleased to meet you in the flesh and see what all the fuss was about." Rebecca says, "I'm sure Tammy will be happy to learn we ran into each other."

"Look, what the fuck do you want?" I growl, letting my own animosity show.

She shrugs, "Tammy said your dad is a lawyer."

"And?"

"Well, it's clear that no one here knows how things ended. Ya know, with you being expelled for supplying drugs to minors and fucking Tammy's boyfriend. And that whole psych eval thing."

"Shhh," I growl with a glare. I spot Bobby weaving through the backyard towards us. "You've made your point."

She chuckles, "You're disgusting. The little rich girl who had everything and still needed to fuck everyone over."

I clench my fist at my side. I want to scream that she's wrong, but even as I think it tears sting my eyes at the wave of shame that hits me. It's true. 

God, her face is so punchable. "What. The. Fuck. Do you want?"

She leans in so that our faces are an inch apart and breathes, "Money. You do what I say and I won't leak how things really went down."

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Hello!

Thanks for commenting and and voting <333. I will be updating this chapter with more character descriptions and some fluffing but this is the overall gist.  Grad school is absolutely kicking my ass right now so I'm trying to squeeze in some writing when I can. 

Do you drink alcohol? If I was at Kevin's I'd be sticking to wine. 

xoxo Heather