MAY 16

DAKOTA

"Where are we going?" Brenna asked, snaking an arm through mine.

"The movie theater," I begrudgingly replied as we walked down a dimly lit cobblestone street. Downtown Friday Island was all Victorian architecture with art galleries, cafes, and t-shirt shops that enhanced its aura of vintage pacific charm. "I used to work there with my friend Syd."

As we crossed under a street lamp, the soft light cast orange and yellow highlights on Brenna's tan skin. I noticed the delicate freckles dusting her nose and cheekbones.

She smirked. "That's very on-brand of you."

I slid her wry smile because she wasn't wrong. According to my interview for Entertainment Weekly, I had a picture-perfect backstory. I was born and raised on Friday Island, where my dad taught English and photography at the high school, and my mom was a wedding planner. I'd always liked fiddling with cameras. It didn't matter if it was in the darkroom at the high school or a stranger's wedding. Producing short films was a hobby, one that I'd recruited Maud and Syd to star in starting in the sixth grade. I'd initially attempted to include Allix, but she'd never liked the camera.

The journalist from Entertainment Weekly had somehow known all these details and seemed keen to depict me as a diamond in the rough always destined for fame. It was a mildly flattering description, one I might've appreciated if I believed in destiny.

"We're here," I announced, guiding Brenna beneath the twinkling lights of the theater's marquee. Nostalgia settled onto my shoulders as I inhaled the sweet smell of butter and popcorn.

The movie theater on Front Street was only ever busy when it rained, and tonight the sky was crystal clear. Syd and I had spent the majority of our high school years working here. We printed tickets, scooped popcorn, and smoked in the back alleyway during our breaks. The building itself was reminiscent of old-school theatre grandeur with velveteen seats and marble flooring, which, as a film nerd, I secretly adored.

"Lovely," Brenna observed, looking entirely unimpressed and shivered. "Let's go inside. It's freezing out here."

"It's only fifty degrees," I stated, feeling the side of my mouth tugging up into a smirk. "Aren't you New Yorkers supposed to have thick skin?"

"This New Yorker has been living in LA for the last five years," she fired back. "My tolerance for anything under seventy degrees is abysmal."

"Fine," I conceded, and she graced me with a radiant grin. "But if you're coming inside, just do me a favor and play nice."

The last thing I needed was for Brenna to give Syd the wrong impression. She was my friend, but she was Hollywood. I didn't want him to think that place had turned me into someone I'm not. Someone he wouldn't recognize.

We pushed through the front doors. The lobby was empty except for the familiar face behind the ticket stand.

"Hey, asshole," Syd greeted. He was sporting his trademark Carhartt beanie and light-wash denim jacket. "Cool of you to finally show your face."

I shrugged. "I'm sure you've heard, but I'm a big deal these days and have zero free time."

"Yep. Still an asshole." Syd exited the booth and yanked me into a fierce embrace. "Jesus, you smell like a rich person."

"Excellent," I remarked, taking a step back and grinning at him. "That's exactly what I'm going for."

Syd mirrored my grin, but he missed his chance to respond because Brenna cleared her throat, demanding the spotlight.

"Dakota," Syd said, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression. He seemed to have only just noticed the presence of the tall and fashionably dressed actress. "Why is Brenna Quinn standing in the lobby, and why haven't you introduced me?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair before gesturing vaguely to Brenna. "Syd, this is Brenna. She's the lead actress in Apex, and a royal pain in my ass who's invited herself to the bonfire."

Brenna swatted me, but the smile she gave Syd was enchanting. "Hi," she said, extending a hand that Syd accepted with a bewildered expression. "Nice to meet you."

Syd looked between the two of us. "So, how did you two meet?"

The question strangely made me feel like I was introducing a girlfriend to an estranged uncle, except Brenna wasn't my girlfriend and Syd wasn't an estranged uncle.

Obviously.

I sighed and tucked my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.

"At the Golden Globes," I said, inwardly grimacing. Six days before the ceremony, Maud had decided to call our relationship quits. Not that it mattered anymore, but this left me without a date, and the tabloids were already having a field day speculating about my rumored breakup.

"Dakota was kind enough to help me out of my dress," Brenna added so casually that it took a moment for her words to sink in.

Syd's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "You...what?"

I choked on air. "Brenna spilled champagne on her dress. She had other clothes."

"On my gown," Brenna corrected, immune to the stare Syd was directing at her. "Also, don't forget what happened in Beverly Hills."

"Do I dare ask what the hell happened in Beverly Hills?" Syd asked.

"Nothing happened," I answered loudly, glaring at Brenna. She was smiling like that damn cat from Alice in Wonderland. "We've never been romantically involved."

Brenna tapped a polished finger on her gold Apple Watch. "Can we go to the party now?"

"Soon," Syd assured her, practically bouncing up and down in his scuffed-up Reebok sneakers, and glanced down at his phone. "It's 9:00, so I'm officially free."

"Congratulations." She retrieved her phone from her bag. "I'll call us an Uber."

"No need," Syd waved her off. "Our friend has graciously volunteered to be the DD tonight and is scooping us from here."

"Which friend?" I asked, failing to sound casual. If Syd was planning to force Maud and I into a confined space together, I needed to bail on the bonfire altogether.

Syd chuckled, seemingly intercepting my train of thought. "The elusive Allix McGovern. As fun as it would be to see you shake in your boots, I wouldn't do that to you and Maud...yet.

I gritted my teeth, hating how tonight seemed to be revolving around Maud. Her presence on the island was slowly suffocating me.

"So," Syd continued, his gaze bouncing back to Brenna. "You're not twenty-one yet, right?"

Brenna frowned and shook her head. "I turned nineteen in April."

"Younger than me, but older than Dakota." Syd narrowed his eyes at Brenna. "I'm guessing you're an Aries?"

I rolled my eyes. The little I knew about astrology I'd learned from Syd and Maud.

They were firm believers in the pseudoscience, treating it like it was a religion. During our senior year of high school, they'd forced Allix and me to download an app called Co-Star. It supposedly provided insight as to how the movement of celestial objects influenced your affairs.

I never had any hard feelings on the app until the morning after my breakup with Maud when my daily update asked me why I had different expectations for the people I had sex with than those I didn't. I'd immediately deleted the app and told myself that it was all bullshit.

"Yes!" Brenna exclaimed, and I swore her eyes sparkled as she held up her left hand to extend her pointer finger. "My mom bought me this zodiac ring when I was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars last year. I didn't win, but Regina King totally deserved it. Anyway, this is the Aries constellation."

"That's wicked," Syd said, sounding entirely genuine. "I totally need to invest in some Sagittarius bling."

Sighing, I gently caught Brenna's hand so I could pretend to admire the jewelry. It was a golden signet ring with tiny diamonds forming what I could only assume was the constellation.

"Stunning," I deadpanned, dropping her hand. Syd kept his gaze glued on Brenna until I snapped my fingers in front of his face.

Syd barely flinched. "Anyway, people have been throwing parties at Cape Blue's cove for years and have never been busted by the police. I didn't want to blindside you with underage drinking."

"Wow," Brenna laughed. "Dakota, he's just so much nicer than you."

I interlaced my fingers behind my neck and elected to ignore her attempt to get under my skin. She was not playing nice. "Is there any chance you could give my nice friend and me a minute to catch up, alone?"

Brenna adjusted the strap of her Louis Vuitton bag. "Fine, I need to freshen up anyway. Where's the ladies' room?"

"Down the hall and to the right," Syd directed with a pointed finger.

Moments after Brenna strolled out of the lobby, Syd's replacement arrived. We retreated to the alleyway, where I supplied Syd with a cigarette. It was so familiar; this was a scene we'd acted out countless times. Nothing was visibly out of place, but change isn't always visible.

Syd leaned against the theater's brick exterior, smiling lazily. "The prodigal son returns, and we're back on our bullshit."

"It's only bullshit if I have to carry your ass home tonight," I said and took a drag of my cigarette.

"That won't be happening," Syd shook his head. "University gamedays trained me well."

"Go dawgs."

Silence settled between us, and I instantly knew that whatever Syd said next would have something to do with Maud. She was really at the fucking center of our little solar system on Friday Island.

"I wouldn't be telling you this if Maud asked me not to, but she didn't," Syd began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Her and Nicki Watson aren't exclusive or whatever you want to call it. She doesn't want it to be."

Against my better judgment, I'd kept up with Maud's social media. Nicki Watson had made a few appearances in the last two months, so it wasn't hard for me to deduce that they were involved.

"What's he like?" I eventually asked, spinning my cigarette between my fingers.

"Come on, Dakota. You know Nicki," Syd answered with a sigh. "He's an outdoorsy rich kid from Seattle with a future in medicine. He'll become a Derek Shepherd adjacent. I think he's been summering on the island for six years or something now."

I exhaled the smoke upward. "I meant with Maud. What is he like with her?"

"Nothing like you," Syd clarified, his pensive expression illuminated by the flare of his cigarette. "The two of you together...you were like thunder and lightning. Unique and powerful in your own way, but always out of sync with each other. Anyway, Nicki does all this cutesy date stuff like picnics and horseback riding. That's not exactly your thing."

A half-laugh escaped me. I didn't want to care about what they were doing. It wasn't my business, and I wanted to keep it not my business.

"And Allix says I'm the shit poet."

"Nicki is a good guy," Syd pointed out. "I know it, Maud knows it, and hell, so do you."

And I did. I absolutely did.

Nicki Watson was charming in that refined yet casual way that I associated with a wealthy upbringing. Unfortunately, he wasn't a snob or an unbearable person. I couldn't dislike him for harboring feelings for Maud. I'd been in his shoes, once upon a time.

The small mansion belonging to Nicki's grandparents sat on at least fifteen acres of land, and had an impressive stable. I remembered all of the times when I'd driven by the property with Maud in the passenger seat, intentionally slowing down so she could admire the horses and enlighten me with some obscure factS

Horses have nearly 360-degree vision. It was nearly impossible to sneak up on them.

The side door of the theater abruptly swung open to reveal a perturbed Brenna. Her eyes sent daggers at me. "You really couldn't be bothered to text me, huh? I had to make small talk with whoever that new weasel at the ticket stand was before he told me where I could find you."

I shrugged. "You survived."

Brenna pursed her lips, likely holding back a sassy comeback. I noticed she'd changed into bell-bottom jeans and a Dior crewneck, with another high-end jacket draped over her arm. Though, even in casual designer clothes, she was effortlessly classy and would look out of place at Cape Blue. It probably had something to do with her Upper East Side upbringing.

"Allix is here," Syd announced, looking up from his phone with a devilish grin. "Let's motivate people. It's time to get sloshed."

In the gray sea of shadows between two street lamps, I spotted Allix leaning against the passenger side of her Subaru, arms crossed loosely in front of her chest. Despite wearing a sherpa-lined aviator jacket, she appeared to be shivering. 

"Shotgun!" Syd shouted, galavanting over to the car.

Allix stepped aside, and the dim light only sharpened the thinness of her legs. "As long as you promise not to play country music."

"Have you no soul," Syd whined, and Allix gave him a playful smack on the shoulder as he dove into the car.

I hadn't talked to Allix since that first day on the ferry. I'd always hated reunions. Reality almost always fell short of the climactic embraces and smiles that made people tear up at the movies. Not that I'd expected or wanted that from her.  

Common sense had overruled my temptation to ask about what happened on New Year's Eve because I respected her privacy. I was also familiar with the burden of feeling like you couldn't depend on anyone to assist in enduring the hardships life dished out.

But even with those boundaries in place, I felt like I should've been there for her. Allix had looked like winter incarnate in January with her frail frame, pale skin, and an icy stare that could cut to the bone.

"This is her," Brenna said, leaning in to whisper into my ear as we crossed the street.

"What do you mean?"

"That night in Beverly Hills, you wouldn't shut up about your friend who vanished at Sydney's party. How your messages went unanswered, but that her family said not to worry. Something about her needing space. You were drunk, obviously, but I think you described her perfectly."

"If I said anything insensitive, just forget it," I said in a harsh whisper. That entire night was a blur of boos, tears, and Thai food. I'd probably said a lot of things I didn't mean. "And whatever you do, don't interrogate her."

"God, Dakota," Brenna sighed out. "You're such a chameleon. One day soon, you'll realize that you can't keep changing colors. If you don't make up your mind, you'll be stuck in between two lives forever."

I sucked in a breath, and it felt like inhaling tiny shards of glass. There were plenty of things I could've said in response, but nothing I wanted to. Conveniently, Syd had emerged from the car and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Dude," he exclaimed, his voice an excited whisper. "I forgot to tell you. I brought the good stuff from our cellar."

"My hero," I said with a grin and caught Allix's gaze from over Syd's shoulder. She stepped out into the half-light, and the shifting shadows enhanced the sharp angles of her bone structure. She graced me with a tiny smile.

"So, you're Allix," Brenna greeted with a smile that I thought was a little too rehearsed. It was smooth and bright, the kind celebrities reserved for the red carpet. "I'm Brenna Quinn, also known as Dakota's royal pain in his ass."

Allix lifted a brow, and her eyes momentarily slid back over to me. Her gaze was cold, freezing something inside my rib cage. "Thanks for sparing me an introduction," she said. "Welcome to Friday Island."

*

The breeze whipped through the open windows of Allix's Subaru as we drove along the coast. Prohibited from playing country music, Syd opted for RL Grime's UCLA, which was currently the epitome of fraternity party music, and he shamelessly belted out the chorus while the rest of us laughed.

While I'd love to say that wasn't on edge, the sight of Cape Blue's lighthouse sent a jolt of nervous energy coursing through my bloodstream. I planned on getting mildly intoxicated, and to dodge Maud Hamilton. But if my life was anything like a bad romantic comedy, things wouldn't go to plan. Parties were nothing but a breeding ground for trouble.

Allix parked the car near a hidden path that led down to Cape Blue's cove. In the event we needed to make a quick escape, this path would guide us to safety.

"Text me if you're not going to need a ride home," Allix said, the windows squeaking as she rolled them up and then turned off the ignition. "My sister will be joining us because I need to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Like sneak off with Bryce Shay?" Syd asked and I heard the smirk in his voice. Byrce and Syd were tight after surfing together for years.

Allix huffed. "Something like that."

"I know he's attractive just by his name," Brenna chimed in, her face illuminated by the blue light of her phone. Feeling my scrutinizing gaze, she leaned against my shoulder and snapped a quick and blinding selfie. "For the memory book."

"That's cute," I muttered, spots of color dancing across my vision. "Really cute."

"I swear that Bryce is a nice guy," Syd assured Allix, opening his door and inviting the cold breeze into the car.

"Guys will only ever call other guys nice when they know that they're actually grade-A assholes," Allix stated, running her slim fingers through her hair as she looked into the rearview mirror. "Let's just go."

Brenna and Syd simultaneously exited the car, while I dragged in a shaky breath, my heartbeat in my ears. Slipping into autopilot, I dipped my hand into my jacket to grab my lighter and dwindling pack of cigarettes. I felt dirty.

"No smoking in my car," Allix instructed, swiveling in her seat to face me. Beneath the soft dome light, her eyes were two blue flames. "Go destroy your lungs somewhere else."

Sighing, I slumped in my seat and held out the pack. That annoying voice in my head was listing off all the reasons why I might want those back later, but maintaining Allix's respect was also a pretty damn good reason for me to give them up. "Here."

"I appreciate the gesture," she replied with a ghost of a smile, "but I'm not really in a position to save anyone from their vices."

I stayed quiet for a long moment, considering her words, and then cleared my throat. "Fair enough."

Allix's eyebrows lifted incredulously, as though she was expecting me to put up more of a fight. The night was barely underway, but I was already waving the white flag.

"You'll be fine, Hollywood," she said, straightening in her seat and opening her door. There was a sudden shift of energy, one that I equated to an adrenaline rush. "Once you convince yourself that you're following a script, you won't ever forget your lines."

On that depressing note, I followed Allix as we walked alongside the road towards the path. Syd and Brenna were two lanky shadows waiting for us to catch up.

"Summer is in the air, my friends," Syd declared as we started the trek down the steep cliffside. In the absence of traction, our shoes scuffed against the dry dirt and sand. "It's going to be a good one. I can feel it in my bones."

"I'm sure you do," I heard myself say, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I tilted my head up to see a stack of smoke twirling up towards the star-speckled sky. A gust of wind carried the faint hoots and hollers up from the cove. For everyone's sake, I prayed that Syd's intuition was right.