I climbed out of the Ford Taurus Jenny’s mom loaned us for the night and looked around. Jenny came around and took my hand to lead me. We hiked up the slanted lawn in our skirts and high heels. The yard of the two story house had sculpted hedges and rows of tulips and lilies. This seemed the type of house for the rich people Jenny associated with. I trusted that she knew what we were getting into.
We wandered through several rooms looking for someone Jenny knew. We were a spectacle on parade. We pushed through the crowds. Floating heads above red plastic cups stared at us wherever we went, some smiled, most brooded. A strong smell of yeast and sweat filled the air. Music blared throughout the house and bodies swayed to it. Colored and dim light bulbs lit the many rooms. I was lost in a sea of strange sights and sounds. Jenny led me into the backyard and over to a couple of boys seated on two lounge chairs in front of a large pool that changed color.
“Jenny! Great to see you baby,” a boy with a blue polo and dark denim jeans said when he saw us. Jenny let go of my hand and went to him. He drew her up on his lap and kissed her. She giggled and then turned to look at me.
“This is Samantha.” Pairs of eyes looked at me. I wrung my hands in front of my stomach.
“Hi,” I mustered.
“This is Jeff and I’m Derek. We were just about to head into the pool house and watch a movie. Can I get you two a drink?” Everybody stood up.
“That would be great, do you have any soda,” Jenny looked over at me.
“Yes. We have coke, sprite, and we might have some ginger ale left.”
“I’ll take a coke,” Jenny said.
“A sprite, please,” I said.
“Coming right up. Why don’t you guys head to the pool house and get the movie started,” Derek said.
We followed Jeff to the pool house. Jenny and I sat on a large leather couch and in front of a large screen. Jeff turned on the projector and then came and sat by me on the couch. I shifted closer to Jenny.
“So Samantha, can I call you Sammy,” Jeff said.
I nodded.
“Do you go to Brighton High, too?”
Jenny jumped in, “Yeah, she goes to school with me.” I didn’t go to Brighton, I went to Hillside. I looked at Jenny and she winked at me.
“I go to Lakeside out in Park City. I’m just visiting my uncle, Derek,” he said.
“Wait. What,” Jenny said, “Derek’s your uncle?”
“Yes,” Derek came into the room. “Believe it or not, Jeff is my nephew.”
“How is that?” I asked.
“Well, my sister is 17 years older than me and Jeff was born just a month after me.”
“Wow, your mom was young when she had you,” I said.
“Yep. That’s what they tell me,” Jeff said.
Derek handed me a cold red cup. I smelled it to make sure it didn’t smell like alcohol. Jenny took her coke and started drinking it. I took a sip. It tasted normal. Derek sat with Jenny and put his arm around her. I looked at Jeff. He watched the previews. His nose was very straight and his chin prominent. I started breathing faster. When he looked over at me I darted to miss his eyes. I looked at the previews and took a sip of sprite. I looked back at him and he smiled at me. I licked my top lip.
“What classes are you taking?” he asked.
“I’m taking Physics, Calculus, English, and P.E.”
“Wow, you must be pretty smart. Do you like all that science and math?”
“Yes. I do.”
“I never did well in math. I prefer art and acting classes to math.”
“What kind of art?”
“I like sketching and video photography.”
“Yeah, Jeff helped on the film we’re watching,” Derek said.
“Really?” Jenny asked.
“Are you any good?” I asked, “at sketching, I mean.”
“Well, I have sold some of my art at a gallery by my house. So I suppose I have some talent.”
I smiled. “That’s neat. What do you draw?”
He shifted towards me. “Oh, anything - trees, buildings, people - I like drawing people. I look for anything beautiful.” He held his hands up and framed my face. “You would make a good subject.”
His eyes looked over my face and then over my body. I gulped and felt blood rush into my face. The movie started. I didn’t recognize the title or the actors in the credits. Five minutes into the movie, a nude body streaked across the screen. I crossed my legs, held my drink with both hands on my thigh. I figured the nudity would be brief. My thigh muscles burned from squeezing them together and my head started to hurt.
I looked at Jenny. She didn’t seem bothered. She drank her coke and let Derek stroke her hand. The nudity continued but the plot started taking shape. I told myself the plot would probably be good. I closed my eyes when another shot of a nude body came on the screen. I opened my eyes and watched until another nude body came into view. I closed my eyes. I kept them closed longer and longer each time, listening for clues that I could open my eyes again. I closed my eyes for a long time. Sexual sounds came from the movie. I felt woozy. I kept my eyes closed hoping the feeling would pass. I felt someone pull the cup out of my hands and I opened my eyes.
Everything was blurry. Jeff took my cup and set it on a side table. My eyebrows seemed heavy and the room was dark. I turned and looked at Jenny. She kissed Derek and moved closer toward him. He opened his eyes to watch the movie and kissed her. He closed his eyes and kissed her.
Someone took my hand and I pulled back. Jeff stared at me. He shifted on the couch to face me. I blinked a few times and the blurred room came into focus. He reached for my hand again. It thrilled me. He stroked my hand. He reached over with his other hand and touched my hair. Something inside my head whispered no, but I didn’t move. I wanted the feelings to build. His hand moved onto my cheek and down my neck. Flames ran through my blood, my back ached in response. He stroked my hair and the voice in my head stopped.
I looked at the movie and watched a bullet stream across the black. It was silver and gleamed. It closed in on a naked person whose heart layout in front of their chest. The heart resisted the bullet, then broke with the force and vacuumed the bullet in. The heart stopped. The heart stopped and the camera panned up and revealed a neck, a mouth, a nose, and eyes. Instead of the actor’s face I saw mine. She gasped for air. I watched her hands reach up and hold the heart. I saw blood trickle down the fingers. They slipped on the tissue. I saw her reach out with pleading eyes. Despair crept over her face.
I jumped up off the couch.
“Sammy. Are you okay? Sit back down. Have another sip of this,” Jeff said concerned and held out my sprite.
I felt revived on my feet. Energy flowed down my arms. Echoes of my creed choose the right! pounded in my head. I looked over and saw Jenny, motionless. Derek kissed her. My chest burned.
“Jenny,” I pulled on her arm. Everything told me to get out. “Jenny, let’s go. I don’t feel well and we need to go.”
“Don’t go. Here, sit back down,” Jeff said.
Jenny hung on Derek’s lips and pulled away each time I tugged on her arm. Derek drew her back. The voice in my head told me to get myself and Jenny out of there.
“Get off of her,” I yelled at Derek. Derek stopped. His blood shot eyes looked at me in surprise. I yanked Jenny’s arm and pulled her to her feet. She shook and she stumbled. I put her arm over my shoulder. She tripped over my feet. I guided her out.
“Wait. Where are you going,” Derek called to us from the couch. I quickened our pace across the pool deck. Music came from the house. I glanced back to see Derek stumble out of the pool house with a beer bottle in his hand. I headed towards a gate at the edge of the yard. We made our way down the side yard and to the car. My shoulder hurt under the weight of lifting Jenny. I leaned her against the car and tore through her purse for the keys. I pulled them up just in time to catch Jennifer before she fell. She laughed.
“We need to get out of here.”
“Shut up,” she said, “we’re having fun.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying. Those guys drugged you and they tried to drug me, too.” I pushed her back against the car and opened the passenger door. She slapped my hands.
“Don’t touch me. You’re boring. What do you know? You’ve never had any fun.”
“Stop talking and get in.” I tightened my grip when she tried to pull away. I grabbed her hands, then her arms, and then I hugged her. She stopped struggling. She cried. I’d never seen her cry. I had seen her close to tears but she always fought them back. She trembled. I held her a minute and then I heard the front door of the house open and I heard the music. I looked and saw Derek in the entryway. I slid Jenny into the car. Derek threw a beer bottle at me. I ducked and it went over the car and broke in the street.
I ran around and got in the car. I locked the doors and started the engine. Derek stared at us as if he dared us to leave. I looked at Jenny. She put her head down and whimpered. I pulled away from the house and headed for home. I drove home and echoes of the credo came back to me. Choose the right.
We wandered through several rooms looking for someone Jenny knew. We were a spectacle on parade. We pushed through the crowds. Floating heads above red plastic cups stared at us wherever we went, some smiled, most brooded. A strong smell of yeast and sweat filled the air. Music blared throughout the house and bodies swayed to it. Colored and dim light bulbs lit the many rooms. I was lost in a sea of strange sights and sounds. Jenny led me into the backyard and over to a couple of boys seated on two lounge chairs in front of a large pool that changed color.
“Jenny! Great to see you baby,” a boy with a blue polo and dark denim jeans said when he saw us. Jenny let go of my hand and went to him. He drew her up on his lap and kissed her. She giggled and then turned to look at me.
“This is Samantha.” Pairs of eyes looked at me. I wrung my hands in front of my stomach.
“Hi,” I mustered.
“This is Jeff and I’m Derek. We were just about to head into the pool house and watch a movie. Can I get you two a drink?” Everybody stood up.
“That would be great, do you have any soda,” Jenny looked over at me.
“Yes. We have coke, sprite, and we might have some ginger ale left.”
“I’ll take a coke,” Jenny said.
“A sprite, please,” I said.
“Coming right up. Why don’t you guys head to the pool house and get the movie started,” Derek said.
We followed Jeff to the pool house. Jenny and I sat on a large leather couch and in front of a large screen. Jeff turned on the projector and then came and sat by me on the couch. I shifted closer to Jenny.
“So Samantha, can I call you Sammy,” Jeff said.
I nodded.
“Do you go to Brighton High, too?”
Jenny jumped in, “Yeah, she goes to school with me.” I didn’t go to Brighton, I went to Hillside. I looked at Jenny and she winked at me.
“I go to Lakeside out in Park City. I’m just visiting my uncle, Derek,” he said.
“Wait. What,” Jenny said, “Derek’s your uncle?”
“Yes,” Derek came into the room. “Believe it or not, Jeff is my nephew.”
“How is that?” I asked.
“Well, my sister is 17 years older than me and Jeff was born just a month after me.”
“Wow, your mom was young when she had you,” I said.
“Yep. That’s what they tell me,” Jeff said.
Derek handed me a cold red cup. I smelled it to make sure it didn’t smell like alcohol. Jenny took her coke and started drinking it. I took a sip. It tasted normal. Derek sat with Jenny and put his arm around her. I looked at Jeff. He watched the previews. His nose was very straight and his chin prominent. I started breathing faster. When he looked over at me I darted to miss his eyes. I looked at the previews and took a sip of sprite. I looked back at him and he smiled at me. I licked my top lip.
“What classes are you taking?” he asked.
“I’m taking Physics, Calculus, English, and P.E.”
“Wow, you must be pretty smart. Do you like all that science and math?”
“Yes. I do.”
“I never did well in math. I prefer art and acting classes to math.”
“What kind of art?”
“I like sketching and video photography.”
“Yeah, Jeff helped on the film we’re watching,” Derek said.
“Really?” Jenny asked.
“Are you any good?” I asked, “at sketching, I mean.”
“Well, I have sold some of my art at a gallery by my house. So I suppose I have some talent.”
I smiled. “That’s neat. What do you draw?”
He shifted towards me. “Oh, anything - trees, buildings, people - I like drawing people. I look for anything beautiful.” He held his hands up and framed my face. “You would make a good subject.”
His eyes looked over my face and then over my body. I gulped and felt blood rush into my face. The movie started. I didn’t recognize the title or the actors in the credits. Five minutes into the movie, a nude body streaked across the screen. I crossed my legs, held my drink with both hands on my thigh. I figured the nudity would be brief. My thigh muscles burned from squeezing them together and my head started to hurt.
I looked at Jenny. She didn’t seem bothered. She drank her coke and let Derek stroke her hand. The nudity continued but the plot started taking shape. I told myself the plot would probably be good. I closed my eyes when another shot of a nude body came on the screen. I opened my eyes and watched until another nude body came into view. I closed my eyes. I kept them closed longer and longer each time, listening for clues that I could open my eyes again. I closed my eyes for a long time. Sexual sounds came from the movie. I felt woozy. I kept my eyes closed hoping the feeling would pass. I felt someone pull the cup out of my hands and I opened my eyes.
Everything was blurry. Jeff took my cup and set it on a side table. My eyebrows seemed heavy and the room was dark. I turned and looked at Jenny. She kissed Derek and moved closer toward him. He opened his eyes to watch the movie and kissed her. He closed his eyes and kissed her.
Someone took my hand and I pulled back. Jeff stared at me. He shifted on the couch to face me. I blinked a few times and the blurred room came into focus. He reached for my hand again. It thrilled me. He stroked my hand. He reached over with his other hand and touched my hair. Something inside my head whispered no, but I didn’t move. I wanted the feelings to build. His hand moved onto my cheek and down my neck. Flames ran through my blood, my back ached in response. He stroked my hair and the voice in my head stopped.
I looked at the movie and watched a bullet stream across the black. It was silver and gleamed. It closed in on a naked person whose heart layout in front of their chest. The heart resisted the bullet, then broke with the force and vacuumed the bullet in. The heart stopped. The heart stopped and the camera panned up and revealed a neck, a mouth, a nose, and eyes. Instead of the actor’s face I saw mine. She gasped for air. I watched her hands reach up and hold the heart. I saw blood trickle down the fingers. They slipped on the tissue. I saw her reach out with pleading eyes. Despair crept over her face.
I jumped up off the couch.
“Sammy. Are you okay? Sit back down. Have another sip of this,” Jeff said concerned and held out my sprite.
I felt revived on my feet. Energy flowed down my arms. Echoes of my creed choose the right! pounded in my head. I looked over and saw Jenny, motionless. Derek kissed her. My chest burned.
“Jenny,” I pulled on her arm. Everything told me to get out. “Jenny, let’s go. I don’t feel well and we need to go.”
“Don’t go. Here, sit back down,” Jeff said.
Jenny hung on Derek’s lips and pulled away each time I tugged on her arm. Derek drew her back. The voice in my head told me to get myself and Jenny out of there.
“Get off of her,” I yelled at Derek. Derek stopped. His blood shot eyes looked at me in surprise. I yanked Jenny’s arm and pulled her to her feet. She shook and she stumbled. I put her arm over my shoulder. She tripped over my feet. I guided her out.
“Wait. Where are you going,” Derek called to us from the couch. I quickened our pace across the pool deck. Music came from the house. I glanced back to see Derek stumble out of the pool house with a beer bottle in his hand. I headed towards a gate at the edge of the yard. We made our way down the side yard and to the car. My shoulder hurt under the weight of lifting Jenny. I leaned her against the car and tore through her purse for the keys. I pulled them up just in time to catch Jennifer before she fell. She laughed.
“We need to get out of here.”
“Shut up,” she said, “we’re having fun.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying. Those guys drugged you and they tried to drug me, too.” I pushed her back against the car and opened the passenger door. She slapped my hands.
“Don’t touch me. You’re boring. What do you know? You’ve never had any fun.”
“Stop talking and get in.” I tightened my grip when she tried to pull away. I grabbed her hands, then her arms, and then I hugged her. She stopped struggling. She cried. I’d never seen her cry. I had seen her close to tears but she always fought them back. She trembled. I held her a minute and then I heard the front door of the house open and I heard the music. I looked and saw Derek in the entryway. I slid Jenny into the car. Derek threw a beer bottle at me. I ducked and it went over the car and broke in the street.
I ran around and got in the car. I locked the doors and started the engine. Derek stared at us as if he dared us to leave. I looked at Jenny. She put her head down and whimpered. I pulled away from the house and headed for home. I drove home and echoes of the credo came back to me. Choose the right.
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