Without Paige

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Only a few minutes before five, Katy texted me for my address. I sent it to her and got my things, nothing but my backpack and a pillow in hang. I hadn't needed a sleeping bag since I was eleven, and so the one that I had was decorated with Disney princesses was far too small for me to use. Instead, I packed a wad of blankets and a pillow.

I was already outside waiting on the side of the street when Katy and Miles pulled onto the street. I watched as his truck inched closer, stopping a few feet in front of me. I smiled at them as I climbed into the backseat.

"Hey!" Katy said cheerfully. "I got my mom to get a few extra drinks, just in case you want any, too."

I shrugged, "Probably not, but thanks."

"Probably not?" Katy repeated, frowning. "It's not like you have to drive home. We're spending the night, you can have a few drinks. Not that I'm peer pressuring you, obviously."

"Katy, come on." Miles said, and though I couldn't see him, I was sure he was rolling his eyes.

I laughed, "I don't usually drink."

Katy nodded, squinting at me, "Fair enough. It is there if you want it though."

It wasn't long before Miles turned onto the forestry road, and the trip turned bumpy. For some reason, Katy chose then to pull her lip gloss out from her bag and unflip the passenger mirror above her. And just like she had when I'd driven her up, she applied it flawlessly, despite the jumps and jerks of the truck.

"I'm excited," Katy said when she was done, dropping the makeup back into her purse. She looked back at me again with a pink-tinted grin. She dropped it almost immediately, a frown taking its place. "Hey, are you okay?"

I blinked, "Yeah, fine. Why?"

I looked up to find Miles looking back at me in the mirror, too. I swallowed, not liking the feeling. Katy shook her head, "You just look... off is all."

"I'm good," I said, shrugging.

I knew Katy was just trying to be nice, but it didn't mean I wanted to tell her anything about what was going on. It felt too personal to tell her my dad had taken up shack in the inn, in the same way it felt weird to think about telling her about Paige.

Finally, Miles pulled up next to the cabin, where a few other cars and trucks were already there. Out in the water, I saw Naomi, Trevor and Liam wading in the water. Rikki emerged from the cabin a few moments later, four cans of beer held between his arm and his ribcage. As Katy, Miles and I filed out of her car, he smiled down at us from the porch.

"Hey, Rikki." Katy said, her bag in hand. She turned to me right after, "want to go swimming?"

I nodded, "Sure. I just have to get changed."

"Me too," she said, pointing towards the cabin. "We'll commandeer the cabin, then."

I smiled, following her in. Miles stayed out near the beach with the others. Inside, Katy and I took separate corners and changed into our bathing suits, walking back out to the water with towels in hand. We'd left our bags with the pile of the others' things that'd formed in the middle of the room, and Katy had grabbed a drink before following me out.

Miles had waded into the water up to his knees, and the others had swam back to sit next to him. Katy and I joined them, and I nearly shrieked at the temperature of the water. It wasn't cold, but it was chilled enough that it was a jolt on my senses when I stepped in. I gave myself a minute to get used to it before wading in any further.

"You really need to learn how to swim," I told Miles when Katy and I stopped with the group.

He laughed, nodding, "One day, maybe."

Katy floated on her back looking up at the sky above us. The sun was still there, but it would disappear behind the treeline soon enough. And then, with the exception of candles and flashlights, it would be dark.

Just then, a set of headlights made us all look back, and Liam and Keith filed out of an SUV and made their way towards us. They pulled their shirts over their heads and left them, as well as their bags, on the picnic table before wading into the water. Liam and Rikki shared a quick kiss as he sat down next to him in the water, sucking in a breath as the cold touched his stomach. Keith didn't make a sound, and I stifled a laugh.

"So, I guess we all have school soon," Trevor said, picking up a rock from underneath the water and chucking it a few feet deeper. Most of the boys, aside from Liam and Trevor, had graduated this past year, and were starting college instead of heading back for another year of highschool like the rest of us. From what I'd learnt, Trevor had been meant to graduate with them, but like Katy he'd skipped too many classes and would have to redo the year. "One more week of blissful freedom, and then it's back to the chains."

"At least your commute is only five minutes," Miles said, kicking a little bit of water his way. "It's a half-hour drive to get to the college from here, and that's with good traffic."

"Oh, boohoo." Trevor said, smiling while he did.

I frowned looking down at the rippling water. It felt weird to be going back to school, and I didn't like to think about it being so soon. It just made me feel sick.

Trevor stood, empty beer can in hand, "Anyone else need a refill?"

"I'll take one," Katy said, handing her empty to him.

Miles nodded, "Yeah, me too. Thanks."

"It's what I'm here for," Trevor said, already wading out towards the shore.

I looked over at Naomi, "Oh, I totally forgot. How was the concert you guys went to? Was it the Basement?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. Wet, her hair had turned a few shades darker than the bright pink it was dry, and now looked closer to red. "It was good. Trevor was an idiot the whole time, as can be expected, but other than that it was fun."

I nodded, "Good."

"Next time I'll see if I can get tickets for all of us," she said, looking around at the group.

Katy leaned towards me, "she works at the restaurant they usually play at. They totally close down for show nights, it's a lot of fun."

I nodded, "Yeah, sounds like."

"Plus, the bartender is, like, super cute." She said.

Her brother snorted, "Yeah, and he's like twice your age. Katy went up to him to try and flirt her way to a drink one time, and when he ID'd her she pretended she'd left it at home."

"He wants me," she said, shaking her head and splashing Miles. "He's just playing hard to get."

I laughed, shaking my head. Just then, Trevor came back, passing a beer to Miles and a palm bay to Katy. He sat right back down where he'd been before, cracking his own open and taking a long swig.

Above them, the sun took its final descent behind the treeline, and the sky went dark. I looked up and held back a smile. It was peaceful, sitting there at dusk half submerged in the lake and surrounded by people who made me happy. It sent chills down my arms, and a warm feeling spread throughout my chest.

I felt something I hadn't felt in a long, long while.