Late Nights and 99 proof

Chapter Three- RYAN

 Waves crash behind the on-screen reporter, a gust of wind whipping brown locks of hair from her shoulders and around her face. She turns into the wind for the opposite effect, but thick strands become stuck to her lipstick. She isn't aware the camera is recording, and when she finally realizes, she turns on like a lightbulb. "Good morning, I'm Sara Jenkins, here on the beach with my camera crew to film the ten-year anniversary of the death of Ana Danky. My own independent documentary. This town's biggest mystery, and possibly the entire state's."

I want to change the channel so bad, but I wanted to see what they knew.  

If they have any leads?

Are there any suspects?

"Ana Danky, the girl that completely vanished, without a trace and just a week after she went missing, a beach homeowner spotted Ana's body washed up in the sand..."

If we are suspected?

The documentary begins with Sara interviewing random strangers, asking if they had heard about Ana and the talk of the small town for the past decade. Most of the people said no but the few people who did, all said the same thing. 'That case is cold' or 'She's most likely dead'.

So it gave me a sense of relief knowing most people didn't seem to care anymore and that meant our chances of going to jail were slim and I was completely okay with that. But still, even with being satisfied enough to change the channel, I don't.

"No one saw anything, the detectives still have no leads and the entire town has remained silent," Sara exclaimed and I find myself going for the remote. But then she says. "Ana Danky was well known for her kind spirit and her beautiful smile."

That did it, I reached for the remote and changed the television to a different program but nothing else grabbed my attention.

Back home I would've been up hours ago, and my morning run and exercise would be completed by now. I get an urge to go for a run but my hunger makes other plans. I clean up and make myself presentable. I need a distraction. Heading for the kitchen, I hear voices. Mingling will definitely take my mind off of this.

"It's been ten long years and no one still has any information about Ana Danky's death. The reward still sits at 50,000 dollars, for anyone with any information..." They're watching too. I can't take this shit. I squeeze my face in my hands and the pressure relieves the annoyance for just a moment.

"I take it you've had enough of this," Viv crunches on an apple and she notices my lack of attention to the television screen and flips it off. Without a response, I make a sandwich even though my appetite is gone. I munch on it anyway, its comforting. I never would have eaten this at home. Boulogne isn't stocked in my refrigerator for a reason, It's shitty scrap meat but it's a treat every once in a while.

"Need a drink?" Tasha slides a beer to me from the other end of the bar and I pop the top with ease, taking in the foamy liquid in my mouth. Ahh, refreshingly satisfying, and I down the bottle before I even finish my sandwich."It's like 11 am..." Richard points out. "Here," He beckons me outside to join him and the other guys sitting out near the pool. 

"Look who came to join us!" Jef is just about to jump in the pool and Richard, Levy, Kenny and Kevin all wave me over. They all sit with their feet in the hot tub, passing a joint. "Come and sit man!" I sit next to Levy and declined the wake and bake session, at first but when the conversation shifts to the special on TV earlier, I finish it off myself. The thought of Ana and that night makes my head hurt all over again. 

"Where's all the real food?" I barge back into the house.

"We're thinking about ordering breakfast. That diner on the beach delivers... unless you wanna show us your culinary skills?" Viv bites down on her bottom lip, purring at me from the rim of her mug. She hasn't lost her lust-filled eyes for me, I see.

"Fine," Cooking will definitely get my mind off things. It's my escape. My peace.I used to cook with my parents a lot growing up. Every holiday, birthday or any celebration, we always prepared the food together. 

The vacant pantry and refrigerator made it pretty obvious I'd be taking a trip to the grocery store. I grab the keys and my jacket. Kenny tags along and Jef runs outside just as we are pulling out of the driveway. "Hold on! Don't leave me here with these pussies!" He crams his huge figure into my Honda and we tease him about it the whole way there.

We buy as many snacks as we can find and some ingredients to at least make a few meals today. The ladies can come back tomorrow or something for anything else we need. "You boys love snacks, huh?" The cashier makes a funny and Jef sneers. I knew it was coming but I didn't think It'd be so soon.

"I like other snacks too, not just these" He just couldn't resist. She has to be a teenager, eighteen maybe. Her name tag reads 'Bambi'. 

"Oh yeah?" She bats her lashes. "What kind?"

"Wet, juicy, pink..." He whispers and I can see now how uncomfortable she's getting. Poor girl but she walked right into it. "Starburst."I pay for the food. 

"Thank you so much, we're gonna go now."

"The red one is my favorite flavor," She eggs him on and I wish she would stop. This man is not to be taunted with. Blowing her back out would give him pleasure for the night but I'm more concerned about his reasoning. Why is he flirting with her? She's not normally his type of woman.

"Receipt, sir?" She calls after us just as I thought I got him out of the store before he practically puts his dick on the counter. "No thank you," I don't turn around. 

"Actually..." Jef spins around, smirking from ear to ear. "I had a few questions about your return policy," Kenny and I just roll our eyes and keep toward the car. If he takes too long with his questions though, he's gonna be walking back to the beach.

"I got her email address, she doesn't have a phone yet. She isn't allowed..." Jef plops in the back seat and Kenny and I snap our necks to get a better look at him. "Kidding!"We exhale."I'm not a perv, assholes!" We just laugh. "She's twenty." He adds matter-of-factly.

 "Whatever you say, man" I turn up the music.