"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Emily, Haley, Seb, Abigail, and I sprung out from behind the couch, causing Sam to almost topple over and earning an eye roll from Alex.
"I told you something weird was going on," Sam mused.
"Yeah, but your prediction was way off," Alex muttered.
"What did you think was going to happen?" Haley asked him, glancing over at me.
"I'm not telling you."
"He thought that this was a trap, and that some murderer was going to be here." Alex cut in.
'Summer 15. 8:00 PM. 2 Willow Lane. Be there." Sam read after pulling out a crumpled piece of white paper from his pocket. I chuckled at the sight of my own handwriting. "You don't think this seems suspicious?"
"That's my address, Sam!" Haley shrieked, snatching the paper from his hand. "Why would you get murdered in the house next door to yours? At that point, I would've just broken into your place myself."
"Alright, children," Emily laughed, grabbing the paper from Haley. "I'm glad we all agree that no murders will be happening tonight. Happy birthday you two, now let's have a fun time!"
The group cheered as Alex and Sam clinked two shot glasses. "Bottoms up," Sam said with a wink.
The summer was already halfway over, the farm occupying a majority of my time. Haley and Alex had practically moved in, just as Sam had—all three of them slowly learning to appreciate life as a farmer.
Thanks to having three roommates in a house the size of a shed, the floor of my cabin was consistently littered with air mattresses, blankets, pillows, and various pieces of trash—something that made simply existing substantially more difficult.
When I brought up the fact that I had to tiptoe around my own house, Sam suggested they all just sleep in my bed, with me. Needless to say, I did not complain again after that.
With Sam and Alex's birthdays being merely days apart, Haley and I knew that we had to do something. While we were able to arrange hosting the party at her and Emily's house, there wasn't much alone time between her and I to plan. Eventually, we resorted to calling Evelyn and Jodi, giving them the mysterious invites, and having them request that Alex and Sam return home for a few days. Haley and I tried to act surprised when they received the phone calls, but we are farmers, not actors.
As Alex and Sam downed the liquor, Emily cranked the music up and the lights down, running to the kitchen to continue serving drinks. It was like being a bartender was in her blood.
I quietly slipped away from the living room to join her.
"Need any help?" I proposed from the doorway.
"I'm okay," she said gleefully. "What's up? You should be having fun!"
"I've just had a hard day," I admitted. I didn't think it was that obvious.
"Why's that, love?" Emily said, her tone shifting as she set the tray on the counter.
I gulped. Alex was still the only person who knew about Josh.
"To make a long story short, I moved here because I got cheated on and fired by my ex-boyfriend, and today would've been our seven year anniversary."
The color drained from Emily's face as she stared at me in terror. "Oh my God," she said. "I am so sorry, Sadie." Her eyes glazed over as she pulled me in for a hug.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, resting my head on her shoulder. "If I'm not crying about it, you aren't allowed to either."
"Do the others know about him?" she questioned, pulling away with a sniffle.
"Just Alex," I shrugged.
"Alex?" she said, puzzled. "Not Sam? Or Haley?"
"Not yet," I said, looking at the ground. "I told him on Haley's birthday, and he told me about his parents. We were the only ones who hadn't been drinking, so we had to find something to talk about." I looked at her, hoping I'd played off how much that conversation meant to me.
"Everyone has demons in this town, Sadie," Emily said, picking up the tray once again. "Haley and Sam, too. You might find it beneficial to get it off of your chest."
I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, she had disappeared into the living room. For a fleeting moment, I regretted telling her. Something about the conversation gave me a weird feeling. Tears welled up in my eyes. Would she tell Haley and Sam if I didn't? Did she get the wrong idea about Alex and I? Did she think I was a bad friend for—
"Sadieeee," a singsong voice hummed behind me. "I have something for you!"
To no surprise, Haley and Sam were standing in the doorway, doing jazz hands around an overfilled shot glass. "Drink up!"
As I approached to grab it, Sam suddenly held his arm up, the glass now out of my reach. "Do I see tears on your face, Sadie Simmons?" he interrogated, him and Haley both leaning closer to examine.
I quickly used my sleeve to mop up any evidence and responded coolly, "no."
"What's up, love?" Haley said, wrapping her arms around me. I smiled at the fact that her and Emily had the same instinctual reaction. They were more similar than they realized.
With a groan, I quickly re-explained what I had told Emily, followed by a slew of apologies for keeping it to myself before. That I didn't want them to pity me. That I wanted to just be me. Not me and a victim of Josh.
Sam quickly put the glass down and joined the hug. "Nothing could make us see you any differently, Sade. If anything, I view you as even stronger now...and that's saying something. Have you seen the muscles on you?"
I laughed, tightening my grasp on their backs.
"What's going on?" Alex said, peering into the jumble that was our hug.
"Does he know?" Haley whispered, pulling away to look me in the eyes. I gulped. I didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't know what her reaction to the truth would be.
"Yeah," I sighed, confusion quickly spreading across her features. "On your birthday, when you guys were drunk. He told me about his parents, I told him about Josh." She nodded, and although I could tell that she was hurt that she wasn't the first to know, she let it go.
"Today would've been Sadie and Josh's seven year anniversary," Haley said, turning around to face Alex. I sighed, mostly of relief. She didn't make me rehash it again.
"Sam, can I speak to you for a second?" Alex blurted out, offering no response to Haley's statement. I could feel my face starting to get hot as Alex turned around and walked out, Sam following him.
"The fuck was that?" Haley huffed under her breath. "That's not how you respond to information, asshole."
Her gaze drifted towards the table, where the shot glass sat.
"Come on," Haley said, grabbing my arm and dragging me towards the kitchen. "The birthday boys can go snuggle if they want. Let's get drunk."
Although I was hesitant before, especially after what Josh said last time I drank, I smiled and nodded. This would've been our anniversary. Would've. It's his fault we aren't together anymore. Not mine.
Grabbing the shot and tipping my head backwards, I let the liquid shoot down my throat. Warmth spread through my body as it made its way down, and before I could even make a face, Emily was sliding a solo cup into my hand.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"Yes."
——————————————————
My head buzzed as Haley stood in front of the room, practically screaming her rendition of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" into the microphone. She had suggested karaoke night, which would've better been titled "Haley's concert." This was her third song in a row.
"God, make it stop," Seb groaned, burying his head in Abigail's shoulder. She laughed.
"As if you could do any better," she snickered.
"Oh yeah?" He shot back. "Watch me."
Standing up quickly, he grabbed the mic from Haley, and cleared his throat.
"You make me—"
"Yeah, how about you stop while you're ahead?" Alex boomed as he walked through the doorway, Sam following close behind him—guitar in hand.
"Welcome back, idiots," Haley rolled her eyes. "I'm glad we threw this party just for you guys to disappear for half of it."
Her comment seemed to go in one ear and out the other as Sam approached Seb, giving him a pat on the back and stealing the microphone. "Thank you for that amazing performance!" Sam's voice blared through Haley and Emily's shitty karaoke speakers, a deafening squeal filling the room when the mic tilted towards them.
Everyone's hands flew to their ears as Sam nervously cleared his throat. "Sorry about that," he muttered, leaning over to take a big swig from a nearby cup. Behind him, Alex fiddled with a second microphone who's cord was intertwined in a million knots. After it was untangled, he plugged it into the machine, tapping on the top to verify its functionality.
"We'd like to perform an original song," Alex said, looking right at me as Sam quietly plucked each string and fiddled with the knobs on the headstock. "You ready?" he asked Sam, which was answered by a simple head nod.
"5, 6, 7, 8," Sam said quietly, in great contrast to the sound of his guitar, which began to roar moments later.
"FUCK JOSHHHHH," they belted, their voices clashing together, creating an off-pitch mess.
I immediately buried my head in my hands, my face getting hot. Laughter arose from the group, which only further fueled their theatricality. I could hear their voices start to surround me, the verses trashing every aspect of Josh's life—including their hatred of Joja and their higher ups—which sounded quite personal to Sam. Eventually, they circled back to the Fuck Josh chorus, screaming it even louder than before.
I peeked through my hands to peer at the others—a majority of whom were hooting and hollering along to the message. Emily stayed seated, looking dismayed. I sighed. Even though Josh—a monster—was a Joja higher up, so were Emily and Haley's parents. Haley seemed unphased...but then again, maybe it hit closer to home for Emily. After all, she was the older child, and had likely spent more time with their parents before work whisked them away. Everyone has demons in this town, Sadie. Her voice echoed through my head, ultimately drowning out the performance.
Haley was now pouring liquor directly into the boys' mouths, and the music had shifted into laughter. Seb and Abigail were sharing a cigarette, and Emily was still seated, seemingly drifting into her own world. My conscience was torn between comforting her and having fun with Alex and Sam. She was the one who encouraged me to tell everyone about Josh, which in turn spiraled into the very thing that made her upset. Not everyone is ready to share those demons she spoke of, I reminded myself. The only reason you know about her parents is through Haley. It wouldn't be right to pry.
With that, my decision had been made. "My turn!" I yelled, causing the group to once again erupt in cheers. I tilted my head back and let the alcohol cascade down my throat, bringing back that warm, tingly feeling. While Haley poured herself an extremely generous shot, I headed to the kitchen to grab the beer I had brought for the birthday boys.
Instead of handing them each a can, I pulled them into a hug. "Thank you guys," I sighed. "I never thought a terribly off tune song could be so touching."
Sam scoffed and shoved me off of him, Alex and Haley laughing. "You wouldn't know good music if it slapped you in the face, Sadie Simmons. That was a musical masterpiece."
I directed a sarcastic nod his way and threw my hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright," I chuckled, thrusting the cans their way. "I want to see these gone in less than thirty seconds."
"No problem, Sade," Alex smirked, snatching the can from me. Him using Sam and Haley's nickname for me was different—it sent butterflies soaring through every inch of my body.
Grabbing his keys from his pocket, Alex turned the beer on its side, puncturing a hole near the bottom. He quickly brought it to his mouth and opened the tab, small streams of beer dripping down his chin as he gulped. Moments later, he crumpled the can, throwing it behind him and wiping his mouth with his wrist. "Did I make time?"
All I could do was nod. At this point, everything Alex did made me weak in the knees—even something as stupid as shotgunning a beer. I felt like I was back in high school, crushing on a local douchebag whose only hobbies were drinking and failing Algebra 1.
"You're an idiot, Alex," Sam said, shoving him lightly. "That was the slowest shotgun I've ever seen. Take notes."
As soon as Sam started trying to create a hole in the can, I knew that disaster was imminent. He was already pretty drunk, but so was I, so the devil on my shoulder wanted some entertainment.
The hole he had created was at the top of the can, causing Haley and I to glance at each other. She stifled a smile, but I couldn't. I burst into laughter, and seconds later, Sam opened the tab, ready to begin his attempt. Since the hole was near the top, he was in turn holding the can upside down...Before I could even blink, beer exploded all over him and the ground.
"Nice one, buddy," Alex said through gasps, bent over in laughter.
"Thought you were the best of the best?" Seb chimed in from across the room, still snuggled up with Abigail.
"Okay, guys, that's quite enough," Emily huffed, standing up. "This party is over."
The room fell silent as we looked at each other, shocked at Emily's outburst.
"It's getting late, everyone should probably get going. Haley, you're welcome to stay here if you want, but I know you won't." She mumbled, spreading a roll of paper towels on the mess.
"Do you want help cleaning up?" I asked, kneeling down to help push the paper towels onto the liquid.
Emily stopped my hand. "No, Sadie, I think you guys have done quite enough." She stood up. "I hope you had a good birthday, guys. I'll see you later, okay?"
The front door closed behind us, and Haley, Alex, Sam, and I were left standing outside. Seb and Abigail were quick to start walking back to Robin's, barely mustering up a 'goodbye' before being on their way.
"She really left us stranded out here at, like, midnight," Haley grumbled, holding onto the mailbox for leverage.
"You could've stayed," Sam slurred, rolling his eyes.
"Would you have stayed if you were me?"
"No."
"Then shut up."
Sam saluted her, and took a breath. "I'm drunk as hell."
A chorus of "same"'s echoed through the group, and I sighed.
I wondered what happened to Emily. It was like her mood completely shifted, everyone else left in the dark as to why. She had dealt with so much worse when it came to intoxicated people. A spilled beer was probably more common than no spilled beer over there at the Saloon. Maybe constantly being the babysitter had caught up to her, or maybe Alex and Sam's comment about Joja had set her off. I didn't know what happened, but I knew I'd probably analyze it for days to come.
Sam snapped me out of my thoughts. "Who knows what's out here late at night. I'm running. Give me your keys."
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"I'm with him," Haley stated.
"So I have no choice?" I groaned.
"I'm going to beat you there anyways, Sade. Give me the keys."
I rolled my eyes and handed him the keys to the farm, and he was off. Haley grabbed my arm, pulling me with her as she broke into a dead sprint. Alex jogged beside us.
By the time we had gotten to the stretch of land nearby the clinic, I was out of breath and ready to stop. Sam had disappeared into the night, and after breathlessly muttering about how he probably thinks he's all that, Haley sped up to catch him. Alex, stumbling, yet still keeping up with me, showed no signs of wavering. He was an athlete, after all.
Before I could even register the change in terrain near the bus stop, I tripped over a rock, sending me plummeting towards the earth. Seconds later, Alex tripped on my limp body—crashing down practically on top of me.
I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't tell if it was because there was a 200 pound man cutting off my airways, or if it was simply because Alex's body was pressed against mine.
His face towered above mine, his gaze fixated on my figure, which was pinned beneath him. The dimly lit area accentuated every crevice of his being, from the sharpness of his jaw, to the definition of his collarbones, to...
"Fuck," he breathed out, his eyes scowering mine, breaking me out of my train of thought.
"Sorry," I said, equally as breathless. "I didn't see that rock there."
"I, um, didn't see you there. On the ground. Clearly." He said, clearing his throat. He sounded nervous—something I hadn't seen of him before. He always carried his confident demeanor, even when he was being vulnerable.
"I'm glad you didn't," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I was going to regret that tomorrow.
He laughed quietly, breaking our eye contact to look down. His lips were merely inches from mine now, and I could smell his familiar scent of pine, now mixed with booze. It was like looking at him through a magnifying glass—a light pink spreading across his cheeks that could go undetected from afar.
"Me too, Sade," he said, running his finger up my waist and to my neck. My skin burned in every spot he touched, my mind jumping to when he altered my dress. You remember how we had to alter Haley's dress last year? Would you mind helping me do that again? I almost groaned at the memory of Emily's voice—she was the last person I wanted to be thinking about right now. I cringed at the thought of his fingers tracing Haley's body, and God knows who else's.
"Guys?" A voice yelled from afar. I could only see the voice's silhouette, but it didn't take much deciphering to tell that Sam was standing at the entrance to my farm.
Alex placed his hands in the dirt, stealing one last glance at my lips, and removing himself from his position on top of me. The summer air rushed to cool off the spots where we had been plastered together, which were now covered in sweat.
"Are you okay?" Sam called again, this time his voice louder. He was jogging towards us.
"Yeah," Alex said, reaching his hand out to grab mine. "Sadie fell a few minutes ago, and she's pretty dizzy. I was trying to sober up a little bit so that I could carry her back without bringing both of us down."
The two chuckled, and Sam reached down to grab my waist. I flinched when he touched the area that Alex's hands had just grasped, sparking a concerned look on Sam's face. "Are you hurt?"
"No, sorry," I said, sitting up slightly. "Just don't feel great."
"Alright, Sade, you're alright. Let's just get you back to the farm."
The only lingering effects of the night was a slight buzz, but I allowed Sam to hoist me up, throwing one of my arms over his shoulder and the other over Alex's. Together, they practically dragged me back to the farm, plopping me on my bed.
"Are you okay?" Haley shrieked, running over to me once the boys settled me in. Taking my face into her hands, she stroked my hair with her thumb. A feeling of relief washed over me.
"Yeah," I sighed. I didn't have the energy to explain Alex's bullshit cover story. "Will you sleep with me tonight?"
"You don't have to ask me twice," she laughed. "I'd do anything to have a break from those two."
I chuckled as she wiggled her way into the covers. Once again, within minutes, her soft snores began to echo throughout the cabin. From across the room, I could see Sam nestled in a sleeping bag, and Alex laying with his back to us.
I sighed as I watched his muscles mold his t-shirt and deflate it again, his breathing slow and steady.
Alex and I were a bad idea.
But I liked that.