Secrets, Lies and Dragonflies

Chapter 18

"Are you going to drink it?" I whisper.

"The beer?  Gross. No. Just hold it and act like you're gonna,"  Abigail says.

My inner freak subsides.

Two boys approach. I've seen them before on the senior patio with Billy Buchanan.

The one with a Landry High School letter jacket says, "Hey, you're Mackenzie, right?"

Suddenly tongue-tied, I just nod. How did he know my name? Dumb question. Obviously he knows me as the orphaned girl who was infamously found with her dead mom.

"Aren't you on the varsity volleyball team?" the other boy asks.

"She is," Abigail answers for me, swinging her arm around my shoulder. "Unfortunately, she's taking a break from her celebrity schedule and isn't up for autographs right now, fellas."

"Alright, Alright.  We get it. Too bad for us.  How about instead, maybe she might want to fall in with us on the court? Getting a game started and sure could use some talent," the other one says.

One of my teammates, Elizabeth Clark, walks upon us.

"Hey, Liz," says the jacketed one. He turns back to me. "So the four of us, yeah?"

I hesitate, not wanting to ditch Abigail.

She shrugs and says, "Go ahead. I'm gonna see if I can find Melissa. I saw her car, so I know she's here somewhere."   She'd hate it if I ever told her, but Abigail is a lot like her dad; the kind of person who can befriend most everyone, even Melissa Stinger. 

Turns out the two boys, Forrest and Hansen, are on the basketball team with Billy. For the next few hours, the four of us play against a host of different teams and dominate against every rival. Elizabeth is so good; I'm glad I'm not her opponent.

As the day wears on, the music gets louder and so do the people. There's even a scuffle in the far back behind the cottages. The camo guy from the horseshoe pit emerges moments later with a bloody nose. A small posse escorts him away.

We decide to end our reign on the volleyball court in search of fuel.

Standing around the fire making small talk with Elizabeth is awkward. I can't tell if she's shy or embarrassed to be in my company, a fellow Pathways Counseling Center patient. I want to tell her that her secret is safe with me.

Forrest and Hansen return after foraging for food and are joined by more people. People who wouldn't normally associate with me. Mind-numbing embellishments are starting to be told by those who have had entirely too much to drink. Jeffery's absurd story has me biting my lip. There is no way he chartered a boat in Florida on the last weekend in May and dove for lobsters—hundreds no less. The season always ends in March and doesn't start back up till August.

I glance at my phone. Finally, time's up.  I haven't seen Abigail and Lindsey in awhile.  "I gotta get going. I'll see ya at practice Monday?" I say to Elizabeth.  

"Yeah. Sure. See ya," she says.

Weaving in and around congregating groups spread across the massive property, I spot a small cluster of cheerleaders.  Eleventh grader Melissa Stinger, a standout with her white, sleeveless crop top, huge hoop earrings, tight ripped jeans and high-heel boots, is the epicenter. When her beady, dark oval eyes turn in my direction, the don't waste my time, you insignificant insect-now shoooo look sends me on my way.  Lindsey nor Abigail are in the mix.

As I head closer to the overseer's house, a crowd is chanting, "Go! Go! Go!"  After a quick scan, I find Lindsey nor Abigail are in the mix and move on.