Flowers by Nichole Hall (the unexpected everything .TXT) 📕

at. Maybe Mandy is his next victim? Last week she was gagging at him making a move on her, two seconds later she is swooning outside the ice cream shop, and now they are full blown making out in a crowded pool in front of many of Charlie’s previous conquests. Whom, at the moment, are not looking too happy.

“Get a room.” Kevin saunters over. The water is never ending waves and ripples from constant motion. Someone removes the floating beer pong table out of the pool, creating more space for people to splash and swim about. 

Charlie and Mandy finally break apart and there’s that look Mandy has. The one that says she has drunk way too much and is about to blow out the entire contents of her stomach. I grab her hand, pulling her to the steps of the pool and leading her out. Once on cemented ground, it’s harder to keep her upright. Putting an arm around her waist, I holster more of her weight on me. We pass Clarissa passing out more drinks on the way.

“Where’s the bathroom?” Clarissa takes one look at Mandy shaking her head.

“She is not blowing chunks in my bathroom.” She then proceeds to walk away. Mandy drops her red cup, swaying even more and the moment is nearing by the seconds. I really am not feeling up to cleaning puke off myself. When I look over my shoulder back at the pool, Charlie seems blind to the little melodrama going on with his date talking with a bunch of senior guys that I don’t even know their names, but Kevin is watching us with an eagle eye. We make eye contact as he takes a sip of his drink, never breaking it. Kevin has been on and off all day. One moment he seems nice and easy to talk to, the next shut off from the world. Contrary to what I previously thought, he is a major flirt. The only things is, Kevin doesn’t sleep with these girls. Why? I break the eye contact and look back at Mandy, remembering there are more important problems to be dealt with. 

“Don’t feel so hot, Willow.”

“I know.” What I really want to say is DUH, and next time CONTROL YOUR DRINKING. But I don’t. Instead, I keep walking Mandy through the backyard to the gate where we first entered from. Bushes align the outside part of the wooden gate. To hell with Clarissa, if she won’t let Mandy blow chunks in her bathroom, then it’s happening in the bushes. Mandy drops to her knees and the gagging starts. Being the good friend I am, as she continues to let out the contents of her stomach, I pull back her hair and hold it while holding my own breath as well. 

Ten minutes later, my best friend is snoring on the sidewalk and I am at a lost of what to do next. I don’t want to bother Charlie and Kevin to drive us, especially because they have been drinking. Add to that, all of our stuff is inside the backyard and while Arab can be trusted enough to not have some random stranger walking by and kidnap Mandy or worse, I don’t want her to wake up and freak out because I am not there.

The snores continue. Well.. this blows.

Mandy groans, pushing herself into a fetal position. 

“Hey Mandy, I’ll be right back okay?” Another groan. I’ll take that for an okay in drunken terms. I hop up in a quicken pace and start heading towards to gate all the while taking in the bushes.

Now the only situation problem is the driving. How are we going to ge-”Umph..” My body bounces off another one, just more hard and much more taller. The consequence sends me flailing backwards. Two feet from the ground and strong hands grip my wrists pulling my back. The person steps out of the shadows as my beating hard slows down, and then Kevin’s face appears and the beating accelerates. Images of him applying the sun tan lotion earlier flash, with a dozen more from the day. Mostly of him giving me some sort of stare that seemed to hold me frozen in place each time. Weird and unnatural. 

“Forget this?” I try not to laugh at the fact that Kevin has stated that to me twice in one week, but I fail. When Kevin holds up two bags containing our contents, I nod still laughing. His lips twitch, but nothing else reveals behind the mask of his. He’s smiled sure, like in the car, but now those smiles seem so guarded. Unlike last time, he doesn’t have to wait for the thanks. Kevin only nods in reply. “Who’s taking you two home?”

“Why?” Kevin steps closer, I take a step back.

“Because Mandy and Charlie were supposed to crash at my house, but are completely trashed.” The tone is low and feral. Kevin is pissed and taking out at me. While this might intimidate others, what Kevin doesn’t know is that living with my grandmother is more intimidating.

“Since when is Mandy on friendly terms with you?” He steps back, I feel myself breathing again.

“Since she and Charlie have been hanging out all week.” Kevin smiles smugly at my wide open mouth. “Didn’t know did you? Aren’t you supposedly her best friend?”

“Not supposedly and what my friend does with her love life is no business of mine.” Yes, it is and she sure as hell is getting a storm in the morning. Keeping it secret would only last so long. Eventually news would spread and Mandy knows that I would have given her crap for even thinking that Charlie was the dating or settling down type.

“Right. I’ll believe that when me shit turns purple and tastes like rainbow sherbert.”

“Did you just quote Super Troopers?”

Kevin bursts out laughing. This one is real and unguarded like ones before. His demeanor from hostile to joking in seconds flat is giving me whiplash. 

“Okay Willow, you surprised me with that one.” Moans echo from behind. We both turn around in flash as Mandy uprights herself shakily, looking around in a confused haze. “Go. I’ll be back.” Kevin takes the stance again, leaving before a response can be formed. I walk back over to Mandy. On all fours she looks me, then the bushes, and back at me.

“Oh God, did I...?”

“Yup.”

“Did Charlie see?”

“Yup.” Mandy ducks her head in shame.

“What did he say?”

“That you are stupid for thinking that your best friend wouldn’t find out about you two. What are you thinking Mandy? You are better than that!” I stomp my foot to add an emphasis on just how upset I am that she kept this secret. My best friend keeps her head down, slow tears drip down her face. I want to feel bad, but honestly I can’t say that I do. It’s not because of her dating Charlie, it’s because she lied about it. Wouldn’t come clean. Now here she is, drunk and crying. Yeah, she would win an oscar for sure. 

“Hey, come on.” Kevin reappears with Charlie who is not much better off than Mandy. Charlie attempts at helping Mandy into the car but two drunk people do not make a half sober one. Kevin ends up hauling Mandy by her waist and throwing her in the back seat. Charlie slides in next to her, while I take the front. Soon two sets of snoring are sounding from the backseat. 

When Kevin passes the street that turns into my house and heads straight through town I ask him where he’s going.

“All four of us are drunk. Do you really want your grandmother to smell your booze breath?”

Looking at the clock reading only nine pm, Kevin makes a valid point. All of our parents would be up and that would be fun one trying to explain.

“If you don’t want to spend the night, I’ll drive you home once you are sober.”

“Yeah, that works.” Still clad in only a bathing suit, I wrap my arms around my torso feeling the nakedness all of sudden. Kevin passes through main street and heads towards the very end where his infamous house lives. With his old lineage connected to Arab’s founder, his family has the biggest house. On about eight acres of land and a four story home that cannot quite be defined as a mansion nor the suburbs, he was born to one of the wealthiest families in town. Speaking of families. “Where are you parents?”

After some lip thinning and jaw bunching, Kevin responds. “Out of town.”

“That’s convenient.”

“It’s always convenient.” He says under his breath. When his knuckles start turning white and the grip on the steering wheel tightens, it’s clear that parents are a no-go topic here. Fine with me, I really wouldn’t want to get into about my parents either.

About two minutes later, we are pulling into a long gravel driveway lined by red bricks. The greenest grass of the town moves for miles until Kevin finally stops in front of a wraparound porch. I look back Charlie and Mandy, both asleep. Mandy with her head on Charlie’s lap while his he rest on her back.

“Leave them. Too much dead weight to try and carry.”

Shocked at his words I try and protest but Kevin only shrugs shutting the car door and entering his house. With only snores keeping me company, I jump out and follow.

Entering the darkened house means seeing the inside for the first time really is not that wonderful as to be expected. Kevin only lights enough for the entrance hallway which is all marble tile and leads the way down back into a den area. A bar stands at the very right of the wall, giving any real bar in this town a run for their money in the selections department. Three large black leather couches create three fourths of a circle. Where the fourth part would be lays a large entertainment system and a flat screen television that takes up nearly the entire wall. The center of all of this a clear glass coffee table that sparkles and shines brighter than my teeth. 

“Here.” Kevin hands over a glass cup. A few pieces of ice rattle inside the red liquid.

“What is this?”

“Cranberry and vodka.” Taking a seat in the center of the three couches, Kevin kicks up his feet sprawling out and clicking on the tv. His abs shimmer in the dim light and then I remember my own state of undress. While he feels completely comfortable in just board shorts, I don’t in a bikini. Good thing I brought my bag with me. 

After the clothes from earlier are over my now drying bathing suit, I take a seat next to Kevin. My drink remains untouched while his is nearly empty. When Super Troopers pops out on the screen, I can’t help when a big grin comes across my face. Making eye contact, Kevin smiles too. Then the smile fades. Oh, what now?

“Not drinking?”

“You said you would drive me home when I was more sober.”

“You didn’t specify the time. Besides you swear like your grandmother is ignorant to what happened at the pool party.”

True and true. But still...

“And do you really trust us with Mandy alone?” 

“Wow, when you put it that way.”

As if some secret passes, Kevin smiles knowing he won this round. Taking a deep breath, my fingers type my grandmothers phone number.

“Willow.” She greets automatically. It isn’t a very nice greeting either.

“Hi, grandma.” I try for a fake cheery voice. She doesn’t fall for the trick.

“Where are you?” 

“Um, at Kevin Gardley’s house.” For some reason, the feeling that she is shaking her head in an okay gesture pops into my mind. Her next words only confirm.

“Good, he’s a good boy.” Uh, what? “Is it you or Mandy?”

“You know everything don’t you?”

“Honey, I am not an old unwise woman. I’ll take it that it is that Mandy girl. Bring her over for breakfast in the morn and be safe.”

“Okay..”

“Goodnight, honey.” Click. How was that so easy? And how does