in the main TV room, a group is gathered, listening to the stereo and watching TV and drinking and talking loudly. He sees some other juniors and seniors, a few girls, and some other guys—about thirty or forty people. Ron and George are on the couch sipping from red Dixie cups, and both seem to be working this one girl James doesn’t recognize. They give him slight, distracted waves.
“Hey, you made it!” Tyler exclaims, walking down the hall from the kitchen, holding two Heinekens, one of which he hands to James. He’s wearing a crimson button-down shirt. Lots of people, James notices, are in crimson—Bama colors.
“Thanks,” James says.
Then Kirk walks toward them from the kitchen, also holding a Heineken. “Hey, man, what’s shaking?” Kirk, Tyler’s sidekick, another one of Alex’s former friends. His eyes look lazy, like he’s stoned. He probably is. Kirk is also wearing crimson—a Polo. They’re both so hyped-up, and for a moment James wonders how Alex was even friends with them. He can’t picture quiet Alex with these two guys, so brash and loud.
“How about that game?” Kirk says, holding up his hand for a high five.
James high-fives him—how can he not? “It was awesome.”
“Fucking Auburn losers,” Tyler says.
“You got a cigarette?” James asks Tyler. He doesn’t smoke, really, but he wants an excuse to go outside, in the backyard.
“I got one,” Kirk says, pulling a pack from his back pocket.
“Thanks. I’ll be back in a sec.”
“We’ll be here, buddy,” Kirk says, laughing like he’s just told some funny joke.
James walks down the hallway, to the kitchen, and then out a sliding glass door onto their back patio, which is lit by two over-bright floodlights. There’s a pool, but it’s covered now for the winter by a big forest-green tarp. He doesn’t even light his cigarette, just stares off in the distance, past the pool, over the back fence at the other houses, lined up like ducks.
He hears the door slide open behind him and turns to see Clare.
“Fancy meeting you here,” she says, sliding the door shut. “Weren’t we supposed to see a movie?”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Shit—what is
she
doing here?
“I’ll live,” she says, smiling in a way that lets him know she’s a little miffed but that she’ll forgive him anyway. He knows that smile well, from when they dated. Seems like he was always doing something that miffed her.
“I didn’t see you when I came in,” he says.
“I was in the bathroom. I came with Suzy Parker.” She smiles.
James nods, then realizes he has no lighter for the cigarette. Oh well.
“Is Alex here?” Clare asks. She’s in jeans and a black shirt under a little black jacket.
“Huh? Oh, no, he’s not.”
“Really? He’s good friends with Tyler, right?” She hugs her arms to her chest, like she is cold. Her blond hair hangs loose tonight, framing her smooth face.
“Yeah, well, he
was.
You know, before all the…the stuff happened.” James pulls the cigarette to his mouth and then realizes it’s not lit.
“I see. Well, he seemed like he was doing okay the other night.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Why’d you come outside?”
“Well, I was gonna smoke. But I don’t have a lighter. And, uh, I just…I dunno. I shouldn’t have even come to the party. It feels weird.”
“Yeah. I only came because Suzy dragged me. She has a crush on someone here. And, well, here I am.”
“Yeah, here we are.” He cracks a smile. He realizes that he feels comfortable with her now, alone, like a weight has been lifted or something. “We should have gone to a movie.”
“Well, we can go some other time.”
“That would be cool.”
“But just as friends,” she says.
He looks at her, sort of annoyed that she said that first, before he could make it clear that he only wanted to go as friends anyway. “Yeah. That would be cool. I’m over girls anyway.”
“And I’m over guys, so it’s perfect.” She smiles to
“Hey, you made it!” Tyler exclaims, walking down the hall from the kitchen, holding two Heinekens, one of which he hands to James. He’s wearing a crimson button-down shirt. Lots of people, James notices, are in crimson—Bama colors.
“Thanks,” James says.
Then Kirk walks toward them from the kitchen, also holding a Heineken. “Hey, man, what’s shaking?” Kirk, Tyler’s sidekick, another one of Alex’s former friends. His eyes look lazy, like he’s stoned. He probably is. Kirk is also wearing crimson—a Polo. They’re both so hyped-up, and for a moment James wonders how Alex was even friends with them. He can’t picture quiet Alex with these two guys, so brash and loud.
“How about that game?” Kirk says, holding up his hand for a high five.
James high-fives him—how can he not? “It was awesome.”
“Fucking Auburn losers,” Tyler says.
“You got a cigarette?” James asks Tyler. He doesn’t smoke, really, but he wants an excuse to go outside, in the backyard.
“I got one,” Kirk says, pulling a pack from his back pocket.
“Thanks. I’ll be back in a sec.”
“We’ll be here, buddy,” Kirk says, laughing like he’s just told some funny joke.
James walks down the hallway, to the kitchen, and then out a sliding glass door onto their back patio, which is lit by two over-bright floodlights. There’s a pool, but it’s covered now for the winter by a big forest-green tarp. He doesn’t even light his cigarette, just stares off in the distance, past the pool, over the back fence at the other houses, lined up like ducks.
He hears the door slide open behind him and turns to see Clare.
“Fancy meeting you here,” she says, sliding the door shut. “Weren’t we supposed to see a movie?”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Shit—what is
she
doing here?
“I’ll live,” she says, smiling in a way that lets him know she’s a little miffed but that she’ll forgive him anyway. He knows that smile well, from when they dated. Seems like he was always doing something that miffed her.
“I didn’t see you when I came in,” he says.
“I was in the bathroom. I came with Suzy Parker.” She smiles.
James nods, then realizes he has no lighter for the cigarette. Oh well.
“Is Alex here?” Clare asks. She’s in jeans and a black shirt under a little black jacket.
“Huh? Oh, no, he’s not.”
“Really? He’s good friends with Tyler, right?” She hugs her arms to her chest, like she is cold. Her blond hair hangs loose tonight, framing her smooth face.
“Yeah, well, he
was.
You know, before all the…the stuff happened.” James pulls the cigarette to his mouth and then realizes it’s not lit.
“I see. Well, he seemed like he was doing okay the other night.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Why’d you come outside?”
“Well, I was gonna smoke. But I don’t have a lighter. And, uh, I just…I dunno. I shouldn’t have even come to the party. It feels weird.”
“Yeah. I only came because Suzy dragged me. She has a crush on someone here. And, well, here I am.”
“Yeah, here we are.” He cracks a smile. He realizes that he feels comfortable with her now, alone, like a weight has been lifted or something. “We should have gone to a movie.”
“Well, we can go some other time.”
“That would be cool.”
“But just as friends,” she says.
He looks at her, sort of annoyed that she said that first, before he could make it clear that he only wanted to go as friends anyway. “Yeah. That would be cool. I’m over girls anyway.”
“And I’m over guys, so it’s perfect.” She smiles to
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