Drowning

Chapter 57:

JD kept his word and picked me up the following evening. He drove Anna and me to Aiden's Grandparents' farm. We pulled up to the old farmhouse that had been in Aiden's family for generations. His grandparents went to Florida for a month every summer to visit his Aunt. The bonfires had become a yearly tradition when they were gone.

JD followed the long driveway to the back of the house and when we rounded the corner, I was surprised at how many cars were hidden behind the dilapidated place. JD slowly drove across the gravel and pulled behind an older style Toyota truck to park. He quickly turned off the lights and killed the ignition.

"Are you ready for a little fun?" Anna turned around to me and asked.

I gave Anna a quick smile that didn't reach my eyes. Even in the dark, she could tell I was not completely in the partying mood tonight.

"Aw, Ry Ry. It won't be so bad. We won't stay too long." She nodded to herself as if it would make me change my mindset. I did not feel well, and I was on the verge of tears. Nothing was going to change how I felt about showing my face tonight.

My stomach made a loud, grumbling sound and flipped a little bit. I took a deep breath and slowly moved to open the door handle. Why did they call it morning sickness when it could happen at all hours of the day?

I slowly reached for the handle of the creaky car door and opened it. I got out of the car and looked up to see JD and Anna were already moving towards the hill behind us. Looking down, I saw the blurred edges of a huge bonfire. Bodies were surrounding it on all sides as the flames flicked up, crackling and snapping.

"I'm going to let the guys know we're here and grab some drinks." JD said with a smile. He bounded down the hill towards a table filled with plastic cups and ice buckets of beer. He looked like a little kid in a candy store.

"Riley, are you ok? "I heard Anna ask over the noise of the fire and low music. Where did the music come from? There wasn't music before, was there?

"I'm fine, just a long day at work." I muttered. She shook her head, not believing my lie, but did not say anything else on the topic. She placed her arm in mine and we both headed toward the bonfire.

When we got close to the fire, I could see the perimeter was surrounded by old wooden logs. Anna and I found a seat quickly and sat silently, looking at the roaring fire. I was glad for the warmth radiating off the flames. The night had a slight nip in the air. All I would need would be to catch a cold on top of being in the first trimester of my pregnancy.

I sighed loudly without thinking about it, which caused Anna to look up at me. I could see the worry on her face.

"Riley, you look.... well... um..." she paused, trying to find the right words. "You look different. I didn't want to say anything with JD in the car, but I can tell something is wrong."

My breath hitched and my heart stopped. I was only a few weeks along. Could she really tell this soon? Had JD noticed too? I began to open my mouth and no words came out. I tried again, but it was like they were stuck deep in my throat. When I finally managed to make the tiniest of sounds, I saw JD out of the corner of my eye.

As he approached the warm circle, he had two plastic cups in each hand and a beer bottle tucked between his arm and torso. He handed one of the plastic cups to Anna and she took it immediately. He grabbed the beer bottle from under his arm and started to extend the other red cup to me. I paused and thought through my options, don't take the cup, and make him suspicious or take the cup and pretend to sip the liquor. I chose the second option. I could not risk JD finding out my secret yet. I was going to tell him next week after my ultrasound. I needed the time to prepare. My hand hesitantly took the cup from his hands and he gave me a big smile.