“We need to do this again next weekend, when finals are over and then we are really in the home stretch,” Kiley added. Kiley took a swig from Steve’s beer but passed on TJ’s joint. “Three cheers to the home stretch,” Steve said, the vodka bottle from Mandy and brushing his forearm slowly across her breast as he pulled it toward his mouth. She knew Steve was together with Kiley, but her body reacted to his touch.
Her body, a brainless sensory organism. Like the sea anemone that closes its petals with the brush of her toe.
They drank, smoked, and talked about nothing in particular. The stars came out. Someone opened a bag of chips. Mandy tried to grab a handful, but her hand wasn’t opening and closing as she expected. She was cold. Where was her sweatshirt? Hadn’t she brought it out of the car? Hadn’t she thrown it on the picnic table? With a surge of numb energy, Mandy moved toward the picnic table. Walking was a new experience. Her strides were lopsided. She almost ran into the tree.
Did anyone notice?
Where was she going again? What was she going to do?
Was she walking?
When Mandy returned to the widening circle, she moved next to Brittany.
“You have to hold me up!” she whispered. Brittany stumbled sideways with the weight of her.
They both burst into laughter, and Brittany reached around her waist and stabilized her.
The encroaching darkness made it hard to see anyone beyond the circle of faces standing in front of her. Greta said she had to go. They watched her taillights slip through the fog.
Kiley was saying, “One thing I don’t get is why seeing girls kiss is a turn-on to guys!”
“What?” Mandy said. “I didn’t know that.”
HVWP COMMONPLACE 14
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