Lacrosse My Heart, Hope To Die

wake-up call | Lila

As expected, Josie and her brother got coordinating Porsche 718 Caymans, Josie's in red, Scott's in blue.

It was nearly three in the morning when the last guest left, leaving Josie, Elaine, Nina, Scott, George, and I, along with Patrick and Ryan, two of Scott's soccer cronies.

Josie had opened the pool for skinny-dipping, which, out of us, only Elaine and Josie had participated in. Max sat with Nina, George, and I, and I could see his uneasiness when some of the boys hooted and hollered at his girlfriend.

I was surprised that Nina hadn't done it, even though she knew George would disapprove. I was also taken aback when I found out she was a virgin, since she'd always seemed to me like a person with very little self-confidence. But even if she thought her body was her only redeeming physical quality like she made it seem, I thought she would have taken the plunge.

"What the hell am I going to do with this shit?" Josie slurred, motioning to the piles of gifts, "I specified no presents on the invitations, but I guess people just don't listen anymore. Elaine, take anything you can use."

"Josie, that was way rude!" Elaine snapped.

"Well sorry. All of you can take what you want. Just let me approve it first. I want to make sure I'm not handing out any Chanel's," she declared, collapsing on her couch with a thud.

"We're going upstairs, you coming?" Patrick asked, and Scott and the rest of the boys followed, leaving only Josie, Elaine, Nina and I.

"I'm actually interested to see what you got," Nina laughed, picking up a gold-wrapped box and shaking it.

"Open it, bitch. There's another four hundred where that came from." So Nina unwrapped it, and all of us watched.

"Oh my god, I gasped, as Nina pulled out a stuffed pig.

"There's a note on it's ass," she gasped.

"Isn't the whole thing an ass?"

"That's a donkey, stupid."

"Give me that," Josie hissed. Just when she was getting the perfect amount of drunk, some stupid prank had to go and ruin her fun by reminding her of her painful past.

Nina threw the stuffed pig at Josie like a hot potato and stood up, picking up another, slimmer box from the pile.

"Ooh, Josie! It's a green Dolce minidress, it'll look perfect with your eyes!" Nina cooed, trying to distract Josie from the pig.

"I'm bored, so I'm getting in on the fun," I huffed, getting up from my place on one of the fancy crushed-velvet settees.

"Grab me something," Elaine laughed, and we all got in on the fun.

It must have been five o'clock by the time I fell asleep, surrounded by my best friends and unneeded material goods. Only half of the gifts had been opened, and I knew that being together just made Jess' disappearance more obvious.

So when I heard Elaine wake up and climb the grand staircase and go towards Scott's room, I didn't stop her. I didn't know if it was Patrick, Ryan, or both, but I was sure we'd all find out in the morning.

-

"FUUUCK," I heard Josie groan, as she stumbled and walked through the sea of wrapping paper to reach the ibuprofen.

"Someone call Maximillian, I need my hangover buddy," Josie moaned, so I picked up my phone and texted him. I knew he wasn't awake.

When we used to date, and when we slept in the same bed (without the sex), he would never wake up on a weekend unless it was past noon. It wasn't the reason I broke up with him, but it was annoying.

It brought me back to freshman year, when everything was so simple. Jess, Josie, Elaine, Nina and I were sitting at our prime table in the lunchroom, in the middle of the action.

"I thought it was funny, because I thought the hat was cute, but when I put it on, I just looked like a dad," Josie laughed, showing us all the picture on her phone of her wearing an interesting camouflage hat.

"Did you say 'dad?' Better hide from Nina," I winked, and the other girls chimed in, not quite getting the joke but laughing anyway.

"Lila, not funny. It was one time," Nina groaned, her cheeks turning crimson.

"One time that you happened to kiss your dad's best friend on the lips?" I'd asked, feeling smug with myself. I was such a bitch.

"It was a mistake, Lila. Let it go."

"More like pedophilia, if you ask me," Josie laughed, nudging Jess.

"For your information, it was on the cheek. And it was just a mannerism, Lila. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill," Nina huffed, digging her fork back into her quinoa salad.

"Not from what I saw from my porch, Neens," I smarted.

"What, really?" she asked. I knew what came next.

"No. He's rich, has a daughter, lives in a mansion, and drives a Mercedes. Nice try, but the next time you call someone 'daddy,' you'll be telling your kid about the guy that knocked you up and left," I cackled. Josie had joined in immediately, joined by Elaine, Jess, and a completely-humiliated Nina.

If only I could go back in time and be a good leader, then maybe Jess would still be here. Just maybe.