Teegan

Luke Turner seems like a pretty cool guy. That is, until Lola and Riss are suddenly walking over towards us, and fast. It's a bit after 10P.M. and I'm slowly drinking a can of warm beer and making small talk with Luke. We mostly talk about the rental hut and how I like Avila Beach so far. Isaac and Miles have been around, too, keeping the fire going strong. Lots of other teenagers are all around us, talking, laughing, drinking. The party has been pretty chill so far, and - dare I say - fun.

"I'd back off if I were you," Lola calls out to me, but I'm not even sure she's talk to me, at first.

"Wha-"

"Oh, shit," Luke says and then he's standing.

I look to my left, where he's looking, but it's too late. I don't have time to stand up or move out of the way or even say a word. A split second later, an entire cup of something sticky is being tossed in my direction.

I'm stunned, more than anything. I don't know what's going on. It feels like the moments are passing in slow motion and when I realize what's happening, my mouth drops open.

"He's taken," the girl in front of me is saying. I can see she's talking to me but still everything feels a bit off. "Seriously, who even are you?"

    "Naomi, why would you do that?" Luke asks, stepping forward. He's beside the girl now, looking at me.

I'm still sitting. I'm still confused.

"I'm talking to you!" the girl yells at me. "Are you dumb?"

"I'm covered in whatever the fuck you just threw at me," I say, standing up slowly.

"You were trying to chat up my boyfriend," she goes on, like she's done nothing wrong.

"I wasn't-" I say, at the same time that Luke says, "Naomi."

"So, who are you?" she asks me, her hands on my hips. She's short and looks younger than me, and I remember suddenly that Luke said he's only just going into senior year in the fall.

"I'm leaving," I say, instead of giving her my name.

"Yeah, you should. And leave my boyfriend alone," she goes on, as if she's won whatever fight that was.

"Teegan," Luke says, exposing me a moment later. I don't want to give him a second look, but I do. "Sorry."

"Luke, let's go," Naomi yells, already storming off towards the house.

I'm embarrassed and pissed off, mostly because I literally did nothing wrong and got a drink thrown at me. I'd mistakenly thought I was having a good time, too. If that girl was so concerned about her boyfriend talking to me, she should have used her words like a big girl. But, also, Luke didn't mention he had a girlfriend. Not that that mattered. We were just talking.

Luke saying he was sorry did nothing, because when she beckoned him, he followed her like a lost puppy. My heart still racing, I walk down the twenty or so feet until I'm at the water, where I wash off my legs and hands, and then start the walk back to my mom and Francis' house.

It should only take about fifteen minutes, but it's dark out now and I can barely see in front of me. When I was sitting near the fire, I didn't realize how dark it was. After taking off my sliders and walking barefoot in the wet sand, I'm just watching my feet, putting one in front of the other.

Pulling out my phone, I realize the battery is almost dead. I need to turn on my flashlight to see where I'm going and how much further I have to go, and just as I flick on the light, I see a body coming towards me.

"Shit," I say, too loud, realizing too late that I just shone the bright light into this person's face.
    He's tall and muscular and has sort of shaggy dark hair. He's wearing a t-shirt and shorts and flip flops and... he looks familiar. Why does he look familiar?

He's passing me by the time I figure it out. He jogged passed earlier when I was walking down to the rental hut, to work. As far as I saw, he wasn't at the beach party, though he seems about my age. Our eyes meet as he walks by and for a split second I feel the urge to stop him. Ask him his name. But I panic and then he's gone.

Back at the house, I praise myself for making it back in one piece.  Quietly going in the back door, I step out of my shoes, which are  covered in sand. I already decided while I was walking that I would sneak down to the basement to shower so I don't wake anyone. The only reason I need a shower is because Luke's girlfriend thought it was a good idea to empty a beer onto my lap.

After my shower, and I no longer smell like warm, sticky beer, I towel dry my hair and put on some pjs - a baggy t-shirt and plaid comfy pants. It's after 11P.M. but I'm not tired. I mistakenly thought the party was going okay and then I left without telling anyone, after the incident. Shit. I should text Lola. I mean, who knows if she's worried about me at all, but I feel like letting her know I'm home is the right thing to do.

Going back outside to sit on the deck, I look at my phone. The screen lights up but shows it's at five per cent. Shit.

Hey I walked home. Not sure what was up with that girl.

Lola doesn't reply but five minutes later my phone buzzes. Now it's at two per cent.

Hey it's Riss on Lola's phone. Glad you got home safe. Should have warned you about Naomi. She's a piece of work. Luke was just being nice to you, but he should have known better.

Okay. I'm still confused but I leave it alone for now. These teenagers have their whole lives here and their friendships and relationships. I'm new and nothing really makes sense. But I either have to push myself in and figure it out or be an outside all summer. I haven't decided which way I'll be going with that, yet.

It's almost midnight and my phone's dead when I decide to go back in to plug it in and try to sleep. The only bad thing about being here really is that I don't sleep well. I only sleep well in my own bed, in my dad's house. College will be an adjustment, for sure. This bed in the beach house is nice but it's different. I have been laying there til 3A.M. praying for sleep, most nights.

I'm getting to my feet when I hear something down the beach a bit. Some quiet music is playing and someone is walking, not too far down. The rest of the beach is dark and quiet.

I freeze. Who the hell is that?

I'm not sure he can see me, so I duck behind the large plant on the deck and keep looking. A moment later I'm busted as he comes closer and realizes I'm staring at him.

"Hello?"

I jump, because his voice is deep and throws me off. Why didn't I go inside? Why am I still standing on the back deck, in the dark? Should I act like I didn't hear him and go inside? No, that's weird.

"Oh. Hi." I step out and around the pot of flowers, so I'm more visible to him.

He's walking up towards the deck and I see that he's young and tall and - oh. He has that shaggy hair that I recognized from earlier. This is the third time I've seen him today.

"Why were you.. I mean were you trying to get my attention?" he asks, staying back about five feet from the deck.

Now I see him more clearly in the light from the house. Dark hair and dark eyes. A confused expression. Handsome in a rugged way. Not exactly my usual type, but definitely attractive. My stomach does a somersault.

"No. What?" I ask back. "I was just going inside."

"You were staring at me as I was coming this way," he goes on.

"No. I wasn't."

"Okay. Whatever." He takes a step back and looks away but then meets my eyes again. "Wait. You live here?"

I just nod.

"Isn't this Dr. Shyster's house?" he asks.

At first I'm a bit freaked out that he knows this but then I remember where I am. Everyone knows everyone here.

"Yeah. My mom's married to him," I say and then shrug.

The look on his face really surprises me. He looks completely confused and then disgusted. I expect some sort of reply but he just turns and starts walking, cutting between the houses to get to the road at the front of the house. I want to go down the deck and follow him. For some reason I want to know who he is. But I know my place. I know by the way he looked at me that he's uninterested in talking to me anymore.

So I turn and go into the house, slowly letting the door latch behind me.

What a weird night.