Paradise Lost

Jackie’s arm was wrapped around my left arm, and Morgan’s around my right. They were speaking in tongues, a language that only ridiculously chipper females and gay men could understand, while all I could think of was Jake. I have to admit that it felt strange to know that I had his name when he didn’t even know mine. Honestly, it almost made me feel a bit like a stalker. But it wasn’t like I really went out of my way to get his name, and I was definitely not going to skip up to him and be like “hi, Jake, don’t ask how I know your name but I’m Gemma.” Somehow, I didn’t think that would go so well.

“Gemma?” I blinked out of my reverie, as I glanced at Jackie’s grinning face. She was so tiny, it was ridiculous. I hummed my question toward her and she rolled her eyes, knowing that I had been in la-la land. “Who’s your goal tonight? You know, at the bon fire?”

My “goal”, classy. I sighed, shrugging. I felt a sudden tugging at my chest, when looking at Jackie and Morgan. The fact that they were my only real friends here, and yet even they thought I actually had the reputation I thrived for, was sad.

“Eric?” I questioned, releasing both Morgan and Jackie’s arms as we neared the freshly glowing campfire. The three of us had a reputation for being painfully early to shindigs like this. Or at least, Jackie and Morgan were always early, and I was fashionably late whenever I could manage it.

Jackie frowned, shaking her head rapidly, “Wasn’t he the last one last summer? You can’t repeat like that.” I groaned, freezing in midstride as I caught sight of the worst possible person to catch sight of. Jackie lifted an eyebrow at my expression and followed my gaze; her face immediately changing into the same horror mine was shaped in.

“Oh lord, she’s back?” Morgan crooned, crossing his arms across his chest. He shook his head, pursing his lips as he looked at the two of us. “Girl looks like your competition is back.” Morgan said with a wide grin.

“Where’d she even go?” Jackie wondered aloud, while Morgan and I shrugged in response. The girl, was the bitchy blonde that I had grown up hating, her name was Angela. When I was ten, she cut my favorite barbie’s hair and told me I was too old to play with dolls. To be honest, I never truly forgave her for that. She had never really been my competition in any way, but I had to admit that she was beautiful and she knew it. But then again so was Jackie.

“Hell? Although she’s here now. Who knows, maybe she was too nasty so they spit her back out?” Morgan wondered, complete seriousness in his tone. I rolled my eyes, swatting at his shoulder before walking away toward the small table where liquids rested. I glanced over at Angela, and found that she was neither staring at me nor doing much of anything like I had somehow expected.

As I reached the table I didn’t realize whom I was standing next to until I looked up. I froze for a moment, my mouth agape, before I quickly closed it and glanced back down at the available drinks. Most of them were beer, and other alcoholic substances that I really had no desire to drink. But I found myself wanting to impress Jake, so I grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured it into a plastic red cup.

Just as I was about to pretend to sip out of it, a talent I had perfected to near flawlessness over the years, he turned and took the cup away from me. I spluttered my retort but he only smiled and put the cup back on the table. “That stuff is terrible for you.”

“And?”

“If we’re going to have a decent conversation I’d rather you not be drunk.