If I Die Young

22. Ice cream

I sat at the table in the room we were serving detention in, my feet kicked up on the tabletop while I drew in my sketchbook. The teacher was doing some online shopping on her computer, something that was evident in the reflection of her glasses, so we were pretty much left to our own devices. There were about eleven kids in the class serving detention, two of whom were playing footsie in the corner and about three were sleeping. Ethan and I had been texting the whole time, seeing as we weren't supposed to be talking to each other.

I'd just sent him a nasty joke about waffles when I got a text from the person picking me up from this god awful place. Kathryn was on her way, which meant that she was probably in town already. I asked her if we could pick up a hitchhiker and she asked how cute he was. My eyes practically rolled into the back of my skull, just before Ethan burst into laughter. Everyone looked over at him but the bell to signal our release rang not even a second later so we hustled out the door and into the hallway.

"You have a dirty, dirty mind." He scolded me playfully as we walked outside.

"That's what happens when I'm in a house full of teenaged boys." I cackled, just as the white Porsche pulled into the parking lot and paused at the bottom of the steps. Ethan's jaw dropped open and I just smirked as I trotted down the stairs.

"Wait, is that who's taking you home?!" He choked out, and I turned around when I got to the door.

"No, that's who's taking us home." I winked, and he just about died right there on the spot. "Get in, she's not going to wait around forever."

He stumbled down the rest of the way and climbed into the back while I buckled in, watching Kathryn as she pulled her sunglasses down and eyed him in the rear view mirror. He seemed to freeze up slightly but she let out a chiming laugh and winked at him much as I had only moments before.

"You were right, he is a cutie."

"Kitty!" I hissed, reaching over and smacking her stomach gently, leaving her to cackle in triumph.

"The name's Kathryn Snow, I'm Sable's cousin. You can call me Kitty, handsome."

"Is everyone in Sable's family a model? Christ almighty you could kill a man with those looks." Ethan huffed, and Kathryn let out a small screech of pleasure.

"Oh, aren't you just a sweetheart! Sable you better pin him down before someone else does."

"I swear to god Kitty I'm going to smother you with a pillow." I mumbled as I stuffed my face in my hands, hiding my embarrassment from the both of them.

"So how's everything at the house? Are they treating you good?" Kathryn asked as we took off down the road.

"Yeah it's good, we're basically just relaxing I guess." I laughed. "Ezra has a girlfriend and Iden's getting his license. Landon's grades aren't good enough to get him one so he's just going to have to keep catching them from Lenny."

"Lenny Dansen?" Ethan asked from the backseat and I nodded.

"Yeah he and Ladon drag me to parties a lot." I laughed. "Hey Kitty, when's the last time you went to a party?"

"I'd say right before the shit with those girls happened," she guessed as she looked across the road, "I just haven't had the spirit to go back to one since, I'm a little surprised you're going to them with what happened after the Halloween party."

"That was champagne and photo shoots, this is hard liquor and grinding, I like it a lot better." I said bitterly. "I'm glad I'm not having to go to those any more."

"I am too, cuz. You never seemed happy at those parties." She sighed happily, her eyes glancing to the rear view again. "You ever been to a party good lookin'?"

"A few times, haven't really had people to go with," Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his seat, "if you don't mind me asking, what happened on Halloween?"

"That's the night my parents died." I told him, feeling a small twinge of sadness in my bones. "I was blackout drunk and I woke up in a tub of my own blood."

"Jesus Christ, I'm sorry." He said sympathetically, a soft squeeze on my shoulder signaling his support. "My mom died when I was born and my dad handed me over to the state a year later because he was an alcoholic and he couldn't take care of me."

"That's harsh, I don't know what I would've done without my mom there for me." I said absentmindedly, realizing the conversation took a dark turn.

"Honestly I'm happy with where I ended up. My parents love me like I'm their own child and I wouldn't have it any other way." I could practically hear him smiling as he spoke his mind. "Sure I came from a bad situation but I'd say I'm in a pretty good one right about now."

"That's a nice way to think about it." I smiled to myself as I glanced out the window, thinking about how I'd never have met him if I hadn't left New York.

There was quiet chatter between the three of us while Kathryn made it into Egg Harbor. Her eyes scanned the crowd before she deemed it safe and we parked, leading Ethan to confusion when we stepped out of the vehicle.

"I thought we were being taken home?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, we are, but not before we get some ice cream." I snickered, watching his face light up with a smile.

"Ice cream sounds nice."

"Good, 'cause I'm craving me some green tea and marshmallows." Kathryn grinned as she stepped away from the car, revealing navy and white pinstriped trousers with a stunning yellow blouse. She looked as ready for summer as the rest of us felt, and I was looking forward to spending more time with her.

We walked up the street to the little ice cream shop, ducking inside to find it semi-alive and buzzing with townsfolk. They all seemed to quiet down when we walked in, but Ethan didn't notice and instead went straight to chatting with a friend from school. That seemed to ease the slight tension and Kathryn and I both relaxed, turning to each other and smiling like idiots. I'd missed her bubbly grin and spontaneity, I needed it in my life.

Upon reaching the front counter I found myself drooling over the variety of options, looking from the pastel creams to the bright coloring beside them. My gut was telling me to go for something rich so I picked the coffee flavor with chocolate chips mixed in, along with a tiramisu macaron placed atop it. Kathryn went with exactly what she'd announced before, and Ethan looked a little embarrassed as he went with a simple chocolate scoop in a cone. He was used to simple, it seemed: I noticed only now that he wore plain shirts and God forbid anything had a visible logo; his jeans weren't torn and his shoes were cheaper, off brand versions of the sneakers everyone loved. I almost liked the clean-cut approach to style, but I could think of so much more to make him look even better.

"What's it like out there in New York?" He asked as we took a seat, digging into our sweet treats with glee.

"Busy," I told him as I crunched the macaron, "there's never any space, everyone's a snob, and the whole inner city reeks of car exhaust and high end perfume."

"Oh, don't forget the hookers." Kathryn snorted, and I pointed at her in appreciation.

"Yes, absolutely, there's hookers on every corner, day and night. Drag queen or a hooker? You have absolutely no idea unless you talk to them, and neither of those are a good idea."

Everyone at the table burst into cackling laughter, loud and bright that made me clutch my sides at the end and take a few deep breaths to make my ribs stop hurting. Ethan's eyes were glittering with mirth and I found myself loving the color of his irises when they weren't under the fluorescent lighting at school. Kathryn wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned into her happily, enjoying the warmth she carried with her always.

For the first time since I lost my family, I really felt like I wasn't alone anymore. I still had my dearest cousin and I was making new friends, doing what normal kids do and living my life away from the city, away from the pressure and the pain. My heart squeezed in my chest and tears pricked the edges of my eyes; I'd been surrounded by people who loved me since the beginning of this whole disaster and I just hadn't realized it yet.