The Mason List (32 page)

"You
havin' fun?"

"Yeah," I
answered him back. 

"I
really didn’t think I would ever see you like some country band."  He
twirled me back out and around.   Lacing his fingers through each of my palms,
Jess pulled me closer to gloat.

"This
is not country." 

"They’re
from Oklahoma." 

“Doesn’t
make them country.  I think you found yourself a rock band.” 

He shook
his head
no
while I got close up to his face.  Nose to nose, I nodded a
smirky
yes
.  Jess pushed my knuckles back slightly, threading his fingers
through mine.  “Stoney’s playin’ tonight.”

“Is he
now.”

“We
should come back.  Maybe just us?”

I shook
my head
no
as his hands slipped around my waist.  We danced the rest of
the song with his sweaty body pushed against me in the middle of thousand people. 

The band
switched to something with a heavy guitar intro.  Letting go, I moved back next
to Sadie.  The girl had moves; the hidden rocker kind with wild, head-banging
hair.  We danced next to each other and with each other.  For once, Sadie
seemed to be an actual, normal college student. 

I wasn’t
the only one to notice.  Seth watched my roommate.  The guy had it bad for
Sadie and she wouldn’t give him the time of day.  Seth got close enough to slip
an arm around her waist.   He smiled at her, flashing those perfect white
teeth.  Even with that, he never would have a chance with Sadie.  I pulled out
my phone.

“Alex if
you take one picture.”

“Come on,
Sadie.”

“Absolutely
not.” 

“You need
to frame something besides all those stupid awards.  I want you to have a
picture of all of us in your fancy Chicago apartment.”   I passed my phone to a
girl in a florescent, yellow bikini top and cutoffs.  The four of us scooted
together as she took the first shot.  I yelled, “Tequila!”

“Tequila?” 
Sadie tried to squirm free, but Seth had one side and Jess pushed us together
on the other.

 “Sex,
sun, and tequila,” I teased.

“You are
so weird, Alex.”

“And
you’re normal?”

The girl
in the bikini snapped picture after picture of us, just the way I wanted to
remember it.  Before the last click, I turned and grinned at Jess.  He looked
back at me; nose to nose with our lips just inches apart.  Jess and I had our
own private moment captured in time forever.

We left
the concert and went back to the volleyball court, gathering up our chairs and
Sadie’s stupid hat.  Walking to the truck, Seth babbled about the volleyball
game as if none of us had witnessed a thing.  His overzealous excitement was
similar to Jess’s.  Always happy.  

Seth
sometimes joined in our study sessions.  As business majors, we even had some
classes together.  I kicked his ass on the tests, although it wasn’t a complete
beating on my part.  Seth was smart and most of it manifested as second
nature. 

It was
too bad Sadie held such conceited ideals.  Seth accepted a bank job in Dallas
after graduation; a very good accomplishment right out of school.  His career
wasn’t enough to draw a second glance from Sadie.  She would only settle for
someone with Roman numerals after his last name and a job in the high six-digit
range. 

I stopped
in my tracks, almost tripping over a dark-haired guy lying face up in the sand,
wearing only boxers.  “Should we do something?”

“Like
what?” Sadie looked disgusted, like his sweat could leap from his body and land
on her ankle, spreading a terminal disease.

“His
mouth is just open.”  I peered down at the sleeping face.  His lips were open
at a strange angle, leaving his pink tongue exposed.  His bare chest bore
remnants of puke that had dried in clumps. “Can you sunburn your tongue?”

“I’ll
just take him back to the house.” Jess reached down and threw the unconscious
body over his shoulder.  He was a short guy and couldn’t weight much more than
a sack of feed as he dangled in the air.

“This is
absurd.  You are not bringing a stranger back to the house.”  Sadie refused to
move with crossed arms, pushing her breasts high out of her pink dress.  Seth
noticed and she quickly dropped them.

“It’s my
house.  I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

And I
went right back into my world owned by the Masons.  We followed behind without
another word.  Sadie fumed.  Seth hummed a faint song.  The new guy stayed
silent; his head bobbing against Jess’s shoulder.  We all walked back to his
truck and loaded up, putting the beach hitchhiker in the bed. 

Our house
wasn’t on the map with the rest of the South Padre college students.  The
Masons recently purchased a yellow, two-story, four-thousand square foot beach
house with private water frontage.  The house even had a pool and hot tub on
the back deck.  Our spring break didn’t come close to the nasty motel squalor
of the rest of the students.  We partied in the private gated area Sadie dubbed
the Texas Hamptons.

Later
that night, Sadie I stood on the deck looking at the hot tub.  I wasn’t in the
mood to socialize and needed a break from her.   “I’m going for a walk.  You
should get in there.  Be nice to Seth for a change.  He’s totally into you.”

“I will
pretend you didn’t say that.” Sadie looked over the edge and turned her perky
nose straight into the air. 

“Stop
being a snob.”

“I will
have more trips to the doctor from that nasty, steaming tank of bacteria than
if I slept with the random guy wearing the truck me hat on the beach.”

“
Truck
me
hat?”

“Don’t
act like you have no idea what I’m talking about.” 

“It
really said
truck me
?”

“You know
what I mean.”  She looked annoyed, and I shrugged back in confusion.  “Remember
the two guys in the over-sized caps that said
Dirty Daddy
and
Vagina
Magician
embroidered across the top.  I pointed them out during the game.”

“What?”

“You are
so exasperating, Alex Tanner.  The two idiots who tried to pick up the girl in
the leopard print top by offering to hand-paint one of those flower bikinis on
her breasts cheaper than the beer tent.  The
Vagina Magician
kept repeating
it. 
Come on, baby.   I can paint your titties real cheap
.”

“Did
Sadie McAllister just say
titties
?”

“I said
it on the beach too, but I guess you were too preoccupied to notice anything
else.  I was afraid you might actually lick his abs out there today.”

“You know
Sadie, I’ve beat the shit out of someone before.  She just kept talking and
bam!
Blood was everywhere.”

“Stop
procrastinating with empty threats.  I’ll get in that wretched hot tub if you
tell Jess the truth.”

“For
real?”

“I’ll
even be nice to the beach hitchhiker in there with Seth.”

“His name
is Brandon, and he’s a freshman at Western State.  He’s a nice guy who has some
shitty pledge brothers who left him.”

“So we
just believe everything the hitchhiker is selling and pretend he’s not going to
rob or murder the entire house tonight.”

“Don’t be
dramatic.”

“Sweetie,
I didn’t spend the summer at drug camp.  I’m not use to this level of
acceptable surprises.”

“Sadie!”

“A joke. 
I think I’m entitled to at least one after four years.”

“Bitch.”

“Watch
the language if you want me to pay attention to Seth.”

“You
know, he’s the type that would let you boss him around.”  My eyebrows arched.  
“Let you tell him exactly the way you like it.  He might even be good at it
too.”

“Sweetie,
tongue is extra in the little business arrangement.  You want a make out
session with Seth then I need to hear you talk about your feelings.  Use those
three little words.”

“I love
Sadie.”

“Not to
me, you neurotic mess.  Now get your behind over there.  But, Alex.”

“What
now!”

“Watch
yourself.  Any actions on your part that are not completely sincere are wrong.”

“I
thought you wanted me to do something about all of this.”

“I said
talk to him.  Tell him the truth for a change.  Sometimes you forget he has
feelings. 
Real feelings.
  You can’t be flippant about it.  Don’t do
something moronic tonight because you feel guilty about your decision.  All in
or not at all.”

“That
sounds dirty.  Make up your mind.”

“Stop
being defiant.  If you can’t bring yourself to tell Jess how you really feel
then keep your ridiculously painted nails to yourself.”

“Black
Locus is actually a popular color.”

“Who buys
nail polish named after poisonous plants!”

“Whatever. 
I get it.  Now jump in there and be slutty with Seth and leave me alone.  Give
Brandon a little peck on the lips too.  Don’t make him feel left out.”

“That’s
undeniably disgusting.”  Unzipping her sundress, Sadie let it fall to the
floor, revealing a pink bikini.  She glared at me all the way to the steps. 

Turning
my back, I walked across the deck to Jess.  He sat on top of the picnic table
in a burnt orange t-shirt and faded jeans.  Taking another sip of his Bud
Light, Jess gave me a sexy little grin as I approached.  I hated to think it
was sexy, but it came across as nothing less when he allowed his thoughts to
surface in the creases around his lips.  He needed to stop doing that to me. 

I shot an
unspoken
quit,
with the slant of my eyebrows.  Jess chuckled under his
breath as I took a seat next to him.  The butterflies in my stomach changed to
flying, anxious dragon flies.  I had to get this over with tonight.  The guilt
physically hurt.

“What’s
goin’ on over there?”  He gestured back to the hot tub.  Sadie’s face glowed
with one hell of a fake politician smile as she sank down next to Seth in the
bubbly water.  One day, people would vote for that face and it scared the crap
out of me.

“I talked
her into having a little fun.”

“You must
have some good blackmail on her.  Ms. McAllister is now slummin’ with a can of
beer.  Seth might just drown in there.” 

“Or she
might drown Seth.  You never know with her.”  I watched Sadie chug the whole
can in almost one gulp and then wipe her manicured fingers across her pouty
lips. 

“She
still pissed about Brandon?”

“Yup.”

“It was
worth it, just to see the look on her face when I carried him to the truck.  It
was even better when I put him in the room next to her.  I thought she might
curse at me.”

“You like
tormenting Sadie a little too much sometimes.”

“She’s
like a firecracker waitin’ to be lit up.  It’s all there, just needs a match.”

“I didn’t
know you found Sadie that attractive.”