You Must Remember This

Chapter 25: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

In a fit of whimsy, someone began drumming on a piece of wood before them, creating a hollow beat that sped and slowed at random. Others joined in, some humming and chanting along with the beat, the ones without suitably acoustic pieces of driftwood clapping instead. A few stood up and began to dance and sway; Tom stood along with the others and pulled Regina up with him, who almost fell back down again due to the sudden movement until he steadied her. They danced around the fire, footwork uneven, the most musically inclined singing the themes of waltzes they knew, and the spectacle continued until the fire ran out of fuel. In the darkness, Regina could not be for certain that the sand-scoured hand grasping hers or the salty breath bearing down upon her was Tom's if not for his distinctive giddy whoops.

"That was awesome," Tom concluded as he drove Regina home, seemingly not concerned about any inebriation despite her protests.

"What did you feel?"

"It was like I was looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. Everything burst with color, the flames and the sand and the dark ocean water and especially you, babe. You looked prettier than usual." Regina giggled; compliments never failed to please her.

"And you looked especially dashing, my little cavalier. But," she said, snapping out of her fit of fancy, "did you feel different? Enlightened?"

"I don't know, I just felt more connected. It's hard to describe, but you know what I mean." Sounded healthy enough, Regina thought. "I wonder if Alan could get me some. I bet I could vape it. I need a vape pen." Regina nodded, and tried to change the subject before Tom could reveal any sort of moral deficiency. They then enjoyed the silent dark road as Tom's car snaked through the trees. Regina's parents wanted to know when she came home a bit later than usual how the movie was; they did not seem concerned, just curious.

"It was an interesting sight," she lied, and she went to bed earlier than usual. Dancing left her exhausted.

Regina couldn't hold her tongue after the party's weirdness, and after a weekend largely spent trying to cleanse her mind still needed to vent to somebody. Monday morning, Regina gave Tom the obligatory kiss on the cheek as they went their separate ways from the parking lot (Tom sometimes was self-conscious about being seen always with Regina, generally whenever they had minor tiffs; by the end of the day, it was as if nothing happened). She walked up the steps with slightly more haste than usual, looking for any friendly shoulder to dump her woes on—even John would do, as he was at least a good listener. She didn't have to resort to the nuclear option, as Beth and Juliet came around the corner out of the hallway, almost crashing into her.

"You wouldn't believe what happened to me over the weekend. Did you hear what happened?" Regina exclaimed in a frenzy, checking her phone to make sure she had time before class to rant.

"Let me guess, you were at the bonfire with the dancing," Beth remarked with a tinge of disdain.

"How did you know there was dancing? Oh God, that meant you must have seen me—I promise that I wasn't on drugs. I think it's a placebo or something, it tastes like vegetables and not marijuana, not that I'd know what marijuana ought to taste like. They're such apes."

"Someone there, I think Stanley, recorded a video, and he may have sent it to, uh, a lot of people. Check your Snapchat."

"But I'm not done. Tom pressured me into it. I don't know why he would do something so foolish like this. I've always thought him upstanding."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Regina."

"Tom is never deceiving. Just because your boyfriends all lie to you doesn't mean anything. Have I mentioned yet that Louis was there?"