The Key to Oz

Chapter 10- The cheating slut and all her friends

Oz tossed her bike aside as she stepped back into the yard, making her way to her friends lounging in lawn chairs out back. Grayson was stretched out in the hammock, and with a quick motion, she signaled him to make room. He scooted over, and she flopped down beside him, his hand naturally finding its place behind her head as he smiled down at her.

"Where've you been?" James asked, absently dragging a stick through the dirt before poking it into a patch of mud.

"Had to take care of something," she muttered.

He gave her a disapproving glance as she quickly changed the subject. "How much fish did you catch?" she asked.

"Two bluefish and one striped bass," Grayson replied.

Fish was almost always their meal ticket. It was free and they had easy access to it.

"We're out of rice and milk, though," James said tapping his foot on the ground. "Probably need to hit the store."

"Yeah, with all our imaginary money," Oz spit out.

"I'm sure we can scrape together a few bucks, Oz," he said with irritation on how negative she always was.

Grayson stretched lazily before slapping Oz's thigh. "Alright, I'll drive," he said, flipping out of the hammock with ease.

As they headed for the back door, Jessper caught up to Oz, gently tugging on her wrist. "Hey, is everything okay?"

Oz let out a heavy sigh she knew she could never pull one over on her, she somehow always knew when something was bothering her, but still she lied and said "Everything is fine,"

Jessper frowned letting go of her wrist and following silently behind her as the group piled into james old, beat-up truck, and fired it up with a rumbling sound indicating that it might fall apart at any moment. Oz took the passenger seat, leaning her head against the window, with Jessper by her side in the middle. James and Eric climbed into the back, bickering over who had the better fishing technique. Clearly neither if they only caught three fish all together Oz thought.

The store wasn't far from there house just a few sharp turns from their driveway was a small convenience shop that smelled of old wood and of course fish. Grayson parked and hopped out, the others following behind him.

Inside, Oz wandered down the aisles, grabbing the essentials—rice, milk, and a couple of other small things. She stood in front of the shelves, her mind drifting back to Pyke. She remembered how he used to bring her here after school, grabbing sodas and licorice before they'd sneak up to the top of Aquinnah Lighthouse. Wrapped in a blanket, they'd sit together, staring out at the endless ocean, talking about a future she knew deep down was never meant for them.

"Earth to Oz," Jessper called softly, suddenly beside her. "You've been staring at the boxes of rice for a solid two minutes. You sure you're okay?"

Oz forced a smile and grabbed the nearest box, tossing it into the basket. "Yeah, sorry I was just thinking."

Once again, Jessper didn't push, she knew something was weighing on her mind, but also knew she would tell her when she was ready.

They paid for their items and headed back to the truck, packing the bag into the bed when Oz spotted Larry—his greasy, 5'9 smelliness unmistakable as he swaggered toward the store. Just the sight of him made Oz's blood boil.

"Be right back," Oz muttered, jaw clenched as she strode off.

"Oz, don't! You'll only make it worse," James hissed after her, but she didn't break stride.

"Larry!" she called as he stood by the entrance, taking a long drag from his cigarette. His beady eyes flicked up, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he met her glare.