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Jess felt anxious as the two cars slowly came towards their group and parked on the opposite side of the fire pit from where she and Doug were. Car doors opened and there were shouts and greetings mixed with rock and roll from the radios that were left on as four teen girls got out of one car and two couples came out of another. She felt even worse when she noticed both boys carrying six packs of beer. Doug stepped away to go to the group, leaving her alone.
As Jess examined the older girls, she immediately felt self conscious. None of them were dressed like her. Instead they were dressed casually, wearing either jeans or circle skirts with sweatshirts and saddle shoes. Not one of them had on a crinoline. Then Doug walked up to one of the girls and pulled her to him. She circled her arms around his neck and the two of them began kissing while people walked around them not seeming to notice.
With her face flaming, Jess walked to the fire pit and sat on one of the logs with her back to them, not wanting to watch Doug make out with a girl. She stared into the flames as the teens laughed and joked around her, wishing more than anything she was home in bed with a book.
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A few minutes later, the boy named Chuck sat next to her, with two bottles of beer. "Here," he said, offering one of them to her.
"No, thank you," she said, keeping her eyes on the fire.
"Awe, go on," he urged with a smile, thrusting the bottle close enough she could smell it. "I promise I won't tell Doug."
"I don't drink," she said icily, pushing it away as she gave him a stern look.
"Suit yourself," he said with a shrug, and took a sip out of the one he'd offered her.
Feeling uneasy with him drinking next to her, she continued to gaze at the flames as if he wasn't there, hoping he'd take the hint and leave.
"That's Donna," he said after several minutes, pointing towards Doug and the girl with his beer bottle. She had her arms around Doug while he was talking animatedly with Whitey and another boy. Even in the dim firelight, Jess could tell she was pretty, with loose blonde curls that fell to her shoulders and bright red lipstick. They made an attractive couple. Then the girl looked over at Jess, scrutinizing her, and Jess dropped her eyes to the fire.
"She's not his girlfriend, but they've been together since last year," Chuck added.
"How can she not be his girlfriend if they're together?" Jess asked with surprise, and then looked over at them with curiosity. The girl was still watching her and she quickly turned to Chuck, embarrassed to be caught looking at them again.
"He broke up with her last spring. His dad – I mean, your uncle, made him do it."
"Why?" He shrugged again.
"I guess he didn't approve," he said casually. "Maybe it's because she's not rich enough. Her dad owns the grocery store."
Jess thought that was horrible, and exactly like something her uncle would do. It seemed his strict ideas about social status weren't just an excuse to belittle people, he'd used them to force Doug break up with a girl he was in love with. She'd never thought about how being Uncle Jonathon's son could be hard for Doug since he seemed to have everything handed to him, but now she had an idea. She couldn't help feeling sad for him, and then she thought about Marty. If a grocer's daughter wasn't good enough to date his son, it was likely a poor boy would never be good enough to be her friend.
