Blackout by Chris Myers Page B

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    Graham blinks those thick lashes of his. “Are you sure? There was another scandal a couple years after yours with some young girl.”
    I hate it when someone makes me doubt what memories I do have. I’ve never heard of this other girl either or maybe Kami kept it from me. She is my source of news. “Dare is my friend.” Or rather was.
    Graham doesn’t do a good job of hiding his displeasure. “I…sorry. Let’s start over. Would you like to sit down?”
    Several guys entertain Kami. She laughs, but unlike me, no boy, like Jason, forces himself on her. No one has forgotten my bouts of blackouts that make me an easy target. I hate that.
    Graham shows me a large blanket laid out on the sand close to the bonfire where another couple play tongue twister, like they’re still in middle school.
    When I sit, I fold my legs to the side, so my mom’s skirt plumes around me.
    “Are you living in a dorm next year?” he asks while half my focus is on Dare. Several girls surround him in beach chairs, while Lisa is at his side.
    “No. My dad bought a townhouse close to campus.” Not sure how I’ll drive anywhere, but I can walk to school. “Where do you live?”
    “I finally have a place of my own, not too far from school.” He sips on his beer. “I study almost all the time.” He sips on his beer. “My girlfriend told me I ignored her, so she wandered.”
    “It’s a lie. If someone cheats, they will always cheat.” I don’t know where that comes from. To my knowledge my boyfriends have never stepped out, not that I slept with them, except Henri.
    In the bonfire glow, Graham’s tan glows a golden brown. “You sound…much older.”
    “Thanks.” I hate this part of dating—small talk to fill in the empty gaps. I have a lot of those. “When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?”
    He smiles as if I’ve hit upon one of his favorite subjects. “Three semesters ago. I partied hard my first year, then my dad sat me down and told me to get my act together. It took me most of the summer to do that. During that summer, my dad had several interns watch him perform heart surgery on an infant, so I went with them.”
    He rocks back onto his haunches, pride lighting his golden eyes. “He was amazing.” Graham will be someone. He has ambitions, and I like that.
    “I used to write briefs and summaries for my daddy. He gave up his career for Mama and me.” Now, he gets to live his dream. I don’t want to take that away from him.
    Graham clasps my hand. It’s warm and dry. Those beautiful eyes peer into mine. “We have something in common, our dads’ influence.” He kisses my hand, and it reminds me of Henri and how smooth he is. He knows how to treat a girl, gentle and attentive.
    When Graham descends toward my mouth with a not-so uninvited kiss, Lisa yells, “What the hell?”
    Graham and I both stop midair to glance in her direction. Lisa’s standing, brushing beer off her tank top. It hugs boobs the size of cantaloupes and are barely restrained.
    Dare is holding onto Jason’s foot that appears to have targeted Dare’s chin. He twists Jason’s leg and flips him onto his back, and Jason lands hard on the sand.
    Jason’s friend rushes to the rescue. He throws a wild punch that Dare catches before it lands into Nan’s face, which would not have bothered me in the least.
    Dare finally stands, wrenches the boy’s arm behind his back, and lifts it until he cries out in pain. Dare knees him from behind, and the boy buckles, then Dare shoves the boy’s face into the sand alongside Jason.
    Graham gets up to join in the fray, so I rush toward the brawl. It’s not much of one because Dare has it handled. Both boys are on the ground.
    Jason howls, scrabbling to his feet and lunges at Dare. Since he’s a few feet away from Dare, I pick up sand and toss it in his face before he hits Dare.
    Dare laughs.
    Jason doesn’t dare rub his eyes because he’ll scratch the corneas. “You bitch.”
    Someone gives him a