Backwoods Backwards

Fourteen

Duke leads me away from prying eyes, headed for a small opening in a clump of bushes by the water. I let him string me along, my stomach knotting with worry of being caught.

I've got enough dirty laundry hanging out to dry in front of my fellow high schoolers, and this is a particular piece I'd like to keep to myself yet.

Speaking of my fellow high schoolers, they sure do know how to party.

I watch as a group of guys try to coax some pretty girls into jumping into the water to swim with them, and when that fails, one gets out to push all the girls in, who squeal but don't fight it.

And then there's the typical couples hanging onto each other, and of course, the random hookups taking place.

That's when I see him.

"Stop," I tell Duke, putting on the brakes.

He spins to face me, his hand still grasping mine. "What is it?"

My eyes remain locked on the sight in front of me. "I'll... I'll be right back. Just wait here for me, okay?" And I step away from him without another word before he can argue, headed straight for my best friend.

Perry doesn't see me coming, probably because he's too busy trying to shove his tongue down Angela's throat.

Smiling a little in my weird way, I cough lightly to attract their attention.

Nothing.

I clear my throat a little louder, and finally the two of them come up for air.

Once Angela realizes who it is in front of her, she's got the decency to blush and shift away from Perry.

Perry, on the other hand, looks like he just won the lottery.

"Hey, Lace, what's up?" He greets breathlessly, clearing his own throat and running a hand through his hair to fix it from where Angela messed it up.

"Not much, really," I answer, still smiling like a creep. "How are things over here?" I focus on Angela, addressing her specifically.

The poor girl still seems so embarrassed from her little make-out session with Perry that her mega-watt smile isn't perfect in its place. "Great," she squeaks, dropping her gaze quickly from mine.

"Quit staring at my girlfriend like that," Perry scolds me, scooting over enough that he can sling his arm around Angela's shoulders comfortably. "It's creepy when you smile like that, you know?"

I shrug, grinning still. "You've told me," I remark dryly, then I turn back to Angela. "As much of an idiot as he is, you picked a good one," I tell her, winking.

She blushes, murmuring a quiet thank you while Perry lets out a sound of indignation.

I ignore him and his dramatics as always, spinning on my heel. "Have fun, you two, but not too much fun," I add slyly, laughing when I see both of their jaws drop.

Angela covers her face with her hands while Perry grabs the closest thing, a handful of leaves, and chucks them at me. "Ugh, gross Lacey! Get out of here!"

I skip away from them, laughing at their response, and go back to where I left Duke.

He's still standing where I left him, only now leaning casually against a tree and smirking at me in amusement.

"You do enjoy messing with them, don't you?" He muses, stepping towards me.

I stop in front him with only a bit of space between us left and tilt my chin up. "Perry, yes. Angela is just an added bonus," I clarify, grinning smugly.