The Gods of Song and Poetry

Chapter 9 - Fifty Dollars of Scotch

"There she is!" Tara sounded like she was proud of having spotted Kala. We were on a giant back deck looking over a lawn that sloped down to the lake. Tara was pointing at a girl playing frisbee with a group of twenty-somethings.

Tara was right, her friend was stunning. She was at least my height, probably a couple inches taller. Her black hair hung past her shoulder blades. Her darker, pacific-islander skin stood out since nearly everyone else at the party looked like a typical, pasty-white northern Wisconsin citizen. She had on a bikini top and just enough denim on her lower half to be called jean shorts. An intricate pattern of tribal mixed with floral designs was tattooed in black from her right elbow, over her shoulder, down her ribs and the right side of her back. It disappeared into her shorts, and reemerged to crawl halfway down and around her right thigh. She jumped and twisted as she played, showing enough muscle to make her look very athletic, but not enough to give her a hard look. Her motion gave me the impression that she had experience with dance. In short, if I were straight, I would have felt obligated to hate her.

"Holy..." I said softly to myself.

"I told you so," Tara sang in my ear. I realized my mouth was open and shut it.

"I admit, she's pretty," I said.

"Pretty?" Tara quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay, breathtaking! So what? I'm not looking for a fling, and I know nothing about her. Maybe she's a total witch."

Tara cocked her hip, looking truly insulted. "She said the same thing about you when I showed her pictures. Neither one of you give me any credit for my ability to choose friends. I chose you, didn't I?"

I held my hands up in surrender. "You're right, she might also be the sweetest person I've ever met. But," I motioned around me, "this isn't your typical Preston High School population. There are probably at least a few gay girls around, and all of them, plus nearly every guy, would love a chance with her. I'm not going to wait in line or fight to get attention. Either a girl is going to notice me, or she isn't."

"Analee," she said, putting her arms over my shoulders, "you always sell yourself short. Besides, you have an advantage over the throngs of potential suitors. Me! I've already talked you up, and Kala wants to meet you! Have a drink to loosen up, and we'll go talk to her."

When she mentioned my drink, she noticed I had a beer instead of the punch, and looked confused. I decided to leave her wondering if she misremembered the last five minutes. She just shook her head.

After a few minutes of trying to assure me how well Kala and I would get along, Tara left me to go say hi to someone she knew. Rather than stay put, I decided to roam the grounds. On the side of the house I hadn't seen, there was a hot tub filled with people. Only a few of them had bathing suits. The rest were in their underwear. I continued up the path leading around the house, and went up on the front porch. It seemed to be the designated smoking area for some reason. Cigarettes, vapes, and other inhalables were being enjoyed as I passed through and made my way back into the house.

Inside, the party was starting to gain steam. A few table surfaces were set up for beer pong and other drinking games. A game of Truth or Dare was going on in one of the corners of a large living room. I thought that was strange, since Truth or Dare always struck me as more of a high school game. These were obviously college aged people.

I went up to the second floor, expecting to see a bunch of bedrooms. I was right for the most part, but one room left unpopulated was a small office/library. I decided to see what this rich uncle read, and went in. Most of the books looked expensive, and also like they had never been opened. The walls were decorated with Broadway posters autographed by people whose names I either couldn't read, or didn't recognize. I thought that was pretty cool. I loved theater and musicals, but only had the chance to see a few popular shows, traveling to Green Bay or Madison for performances.