Standing In Shadows - 13. Chapter 13

SIS 13

We entered the store and I looked around. I instantly knew what kind of party we were attending tonight. The only things they had for sale were bathing suits and the usual accessories that go along with spending time near the water. I grimaced, as she held strong to my arm and dragged me over to the female section of the store. She bypassed the one pieces and went for the bikinis that would probably show the most skin and started rummaging for those.

I looked around and the shop was manned by one young woman, just barely older than us. She was looking in our direction smiling when she saw that I had looked back at her. I was still shaken about the bombshell Jenny dropped on me. I wondered if it was obvious. Was this the reason Dad kept pushing girls on me? Did he have a feeling that I wasn’t completely attracted to them?

“What do you think?” Jenny asked, she had taken a bright yellow bikini from the rack and placed it over the front of herself. I tried to picture the way it would look if she was actually wearing it, but I couldn’t.

“I’m not really the best person to ask,” I answered feeling my face get hot. She rolled her eyes and put the yellow bikini back on the rack.

“I think I’ll just surprise you, go look for your own suit,” Jenny said, “not anything blue, I look terrible in blue.”

“So what color should I focus on?” I asked and she smiled, but waved me along with her hand and I walked across the small isle to the male side of the store.

I glanced back over my shoulder towards the front of the store, the girl wasn’t looking at us anymore. She was busy looking over and organizing things behind the counter. I sighed looking at the different colors of board shorts. I already had swimming trunks at home, but I doubted that Jenny would let me walk out of here without buying another. I had hardly used the one I owned, but it was a year old.

Then I looked over at Jenny, she was lost in a pile of swim suits. She had a few draped over her arm, but she was still scanning the racks. I turned away when she turned back to me. I wasn’t making any progress, but I knew what colors to stay away from. It seemed the store though, thought the best color was blue. So I walked to the rack that had everything but that color. The only one that was my size on the hanger was a neon orange trunk, but even it looked small for the size it said on the tag.

“Ohh get that one,” Jenny whispered and I let my hand drop from feeling the soft fabric.

“It looks kinda small,” I said and her smile widened as she snatched it from the rack and handed to me.

“It will look good against your tan,” She complimented then she unceremoniously shoved a few of her bathing suits against my chest for me to hold. She had a light pink bathing suit left in her hands. She pressed it to her body and looked expectantly up at me.

“What?” I asked, feeling my face flush again.

“What do you think?” She asked and I shrugged again. I was glad no one else was in the store, aside from the cashier. I refused to turn and see if she was watching, but in my sudden paranoia I figured she was watching, and smiling every time I looked out of place. What was probably as soon as I walked through the door and Jenny expected me to know what she would look good in.

“I guess that one is fine,” I offered and Jenny sighed, grabbing a black one from the tangled pile in my arms.

“This one better?” She asked, and I thought that it did look better, but I wasn’t going to say anything just in case she thought it was the ugliest one she selected, so I only shrugged and nodded.

“Again you are no help,” she said eyeing me. I didn’t know what she wanted. I wasn’t the type of guy to dwell on what I’m wearing. If it is comfortable and I think I look nice, I’ll wear it. I wouldn’t really know what would be best for her.

“I’m not that type of guy,” I said, my voice cracking. She laughed, rolling her eyes she took the pile of bathing suits away from me and walked towards the dressing rooms. I followed her, finding the men’s changing room beside it. The orange trunks seemed brighter in the dimly lit changing area and I groaned as I undressed down to my underwear. I pulled up the shorts, groaning when I looked at the front of them. They were tight around the crotch and ass and they were just long enough for me not to blush as I pulled them off and slipped my shorts back on. They would be alright to wear once, I thought. I also wanted to get out of the store as quickly as possible and hoped that Jenny would decide soon.

When I walked out of the dressing room, I didn’t see Jenny so I walked up to the Cashier alone. I fumbled with my wallet as I put the shorts on the desk. She scanned the price tag, smiling at me as I handed her the money.

“You know, you two make a cute couple,” she said as she put my shorts in the bag and waited for the receipt to print.

“Oh,” I said, looking at her name tag, I saw that her name was Michelle. She probably went to high school and graduated a few years before me, as she didn’t look that old at all. “Thanks, Michelle.”

“Did you already pay!” Jenny said as she slammed two pairs of bathing suits on the counter. “I was going to pay!”

“Sorry,” I said, looking up Michelle was trying not to laugh.

“How much were they?” Jenny asked reaching for the receipt I had in my hand. I held it up out of her reach, laughing.

“I’m not telling,” I said then I quickly stuffed it in the front pocket of my jeans.

“Don’t think I won’t go there and get that,” Jenny said raising an eyebrow. Michelle couldn’t hide the laughter anymore and I felt my ears getting hot. I didn’t know if it was healthy to blush this much in a short amount of time.

“Just pay for yours, I’m fine,” I offered, smiling, but keeping my hands close to my sides ready to block any attempt Jenny would have at getting my receipt. I didn’t know her well enough to know how determined she was and the look she gave me only worried me more. She gave in though and paid for her to suits.

“So I was telling your boyfriend how cute you two were,” Michelle said and Jenny glanced in my direction. I knew I should have corrected Michelle, but I felt too awkward to do it.

“Everyone thinks so,” Jenny said shrugging, “thanks Michelle.”

“You two have fun,” Michelle said as she handed Jenny her bag and receipt. We walked out of the store together and I slid into the passenger seat as Jenny got into the driver’s side. She looked at me with an unreadable expression.

“I’m not going to be your cover up,” she said, but she smiled and started the engine.

“I know,” I said, “it was just really awkward.”

“There are probably going to be a lot of people to think we’re dating,” Jenny said, “especially around school since we already have.”

“I don’t really care what people think,” I said, but then I realized that I did. If I didn’t I would have told Michelle the truth. I didn’t want her to think anything differently. It would look weird for me to be the person Jenny went to for advice. Jenny had been so close to me and showed me a lot of affection in the store. So much so that I blushed again thinking about what we must look like to Michelle. Jenny didn’t say anything more as she drove to Amber’s house. Like Jenny, Amber lived in the better, more upscale part of the county. She didn’t live far from Jenny’s house at all.
When we arrived Jenny smiled at me as I looked around Amber’s house. There were a lot of cars in the driveway. I was surprised people allowed for parties to be here, since Amber and Jenny had a few neighbors. There wasn’t a police cruiser in sight though as we stepped out of the car. Jenny walked around and looped her arm with mine as we walked through the maze of cars parked erratically in the driveway and in the front yard to the back of the house. Jenny must have sensed my apprehension, because I felt her pull me tighter as we rounded the corner and saw everyone. At first no one noticed us, but then a few faces, mostly from people standing around the back patio drinking and waiting for the food to get finished. No one in the large above ground pool seemed to notice. The music wasn’t as deafening from the party at the river bank, but it was still loud enough to obstruct conversations.

“You’ll be ok, let’s go change!” Jenny said over the noise and she led me to the back sliding door. There were more people inside, mostly couples getting cozy or people that didn’t want to swim. They were all watching people play video games on the large flat screen hanging on the wall as we passed by. Jenny dropped me off at a bathroom, telling me that she was going to go change in Amber’s room.

When I was in the bathroom, I sighed, hesitating just passed the closed door. I didn’t really want to be here, not after what happened at the river. Cj had made it perfectly clear that I didn’t belong at parties. He also made it clear to Clinton that he wasn’t going to be a friend of mine. I hadn’t seen either of them as Jenny and I walked into the house, but I was trying not to be noticed by people. Not being a regular at these events, I wanted to blend in to the surroundings. I hated feeling like an outcast, especially since during the school term everyone seemed to like me. I knew it was because of football and my Dad. I also knew that if I was at work right now, I wouldn’t feel this out of place. It made me miss the small store more.

When someone knocked on the bathroom door I quickly stripped off my shorts and shirt. I put them in the plastic bag my trunks were in and slipped into the neon orange bathing suit I picked out. The tight neon orange trunks seemed more uncomfortable now that I was wearing them and knew I would be walking around in them all night.

The impatient knock sounded through the quiet bathroom like a bomb explosion. It caused me to jump, but I unlocked the door and opened it. Some guy rushed in, shoving me out the door and slamming it behind him. Jenny came down the stairs and she walked up to me, still looking at the trunks.

“Wow,” she said as I noticed that she chose the black bathing suit that I had actually liked. She took my bag from me and looped her elbow back, leading me back down the small hallway, to the living room and out the sliding door. Then she let go of me and jogged around the corner of the house, leaving me completely alone. Being alone out here was worse than in the bathroom and I felt the palms of my hands getting sweaty. The heat of the summer night made the skin under my cast itch and I was absently trying to reach an itchy spot when I noticed the one person I didn’t want to meet coming my way, with Clinton trailing not far behind him. He had a smug smile across his face in his approach, but Clinton looked like he would rather be walking the other direction entirely.

“You and Jenny are on again, I see,” Cj said as he looked around for Jenny. “Or did you dump her again already?”

“Me and Jenny are friends,” I countered, wanting to cross my arms to cover my chest, but the cast would have made it look awkward, so I held my arms down, feeling the tension in the cast.

“Why would you come to a pool party and not be able to swim?” Cj asked, looking down at my arm.

“I plan on staying dry tonight Cj,” I responded taking a step forward. I was surprised to see the coy smile fade from his face, but he masked it pretty well with a sneer.

“Boys, play nice,” Amber said as she handed me and Cj a drink. “If anything gets broken Mom and Dad won’t let me have anymore parties.”

“Nothing will get broken,” Cj assured her then he took a drink. I noticed that Amber didn’t offer Clinton a drink, she only had two. Clinton didn’t seem phased by it, but he was still standing off to the side.

“I think there’s a enough room for you to avoid me Cj,” I said stepping around him, making sure I bumped him with my shoulder. Jenny had returned from the car, her hands empty. If something did happen, I would at least have dry clothes to be rushed to the hospital with, so they could cast my arm again.

“What was that about?” Jenny asked as she stood beside me.

“Cj being an ass,” I answered looking over my shoulder to see him glaring at the two of us. “I think he likes you.”

“I’m not too fond of him after that whole river thing,” Jenny said, but she smiled and waved at Cj anyway.

“I told him that me and you were just friends,” I added, and she shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe I don’t care what people think either,” she said winking, “friends right?”

“Exactly,” I said as I sniffed the cup, I smelled the alcohol, so I handed it to Jenny. She took a few sips then shuddered.

“Amber is a lush,” she said giggling as she took a few more drinks from the red Solo cup. “I believe there is Kool-aid in this Vodka.”

“Will I be the designated driver then?” I asked and she smiled.

“One won’t make me drunk, but if I do get that way, its not like I live that far away,” she said, “so you can have fun too.”

“Ah, but you do have to drive me home,” I said and she frowned remembering that she had been chauffeuring me all around town all day.

“You can always stay in the guest rooms above the Garage,” she answered frowning down at her empty cup. I knew I was about to lose her for the night. I also suddenly felt completely awkward as more and more people started getting into the pool and I knew that I couldn’t with the cast on my arm.

“I guess so,” I offered and she smiled, “you’re always so tense Corey, calm down.”

“I am not,” I protested and Jenny cocked an eyebrow. Then she grabbed another cup as Amber passed by holding a tray full. She handed it to me and waited to see if I was going to drink it.

“Your shoulders are tense,” she said, “and your arms are always at your side, you actually kind of look like your father.”

When I didn’t take a drink from the cup she took it from me and starting sipping on it instead. I knew that I was keeping her from everyone else. The more of the mixed drinks she had though, the less she will stand by on the sidelines of the action with me. She already seemed to be standing farther away and at times I thought she was wanting to say something, but instead she would take a sip of her drink.

The warmth of the night would feel better if I wasn’t at odds with myself. Jenny told me I reminded her of my Dad. I started checking myself, when ever I felt my shoulders tense up, I would shrug them. I tried different arm positions, but they were awkward with my cast. The skin underneath the irritating material started itching and the air around me just kept feeling more muggy. I even started sweating and knew I was close to panicking. Jenny was no comfort now as I noticed her cheeks flush and her eye lids drooped slightly. The vodka was starting to work its magic and now she was starting to fidget.

“You know I can take care of myself,” I said, offering her a forced smile.

“Can you?” She asked leaning into me. “Because I really want to get in the water.”

“Yeah go ahead,” I said and she didn’t hesitate or look back as she left me standing alone. Cj at least seemed drunk as well and was being loud in the middle of the swimming pool. Amber also had stopped passing drinks out to people and had started drinking a few of them for herself.

I knew almost everyone at the party. It was a small enough town and not a whole lot of people would know about this party, unless they were invited personally by Amber or like me and was brought along. Everyone seemed completely different than they do in school. They passed by me, looking for close friends. At school they would take the time to talk to me for a few seconds. It made me realize all over again, just how secluded I have been from them. The only thing that tied them to me was that I could throw a ball better. That my Dad was the only reason they knew my name. Jenny even said that I reminded her of Dad, it should be the other way around. She should know me first, know me better than him. She didn’t and I wondered if everyone saw what she did.

“I think you should just leave, you don’t belong here,” Clinton said as he stepped into view. I hadn’t seen him since he avoided me earlier.

“I know I don’t,” I said glaring at him. He was holding a red cup, but he didn’t seem as care free or drunk as everyone else. “Why aren’t you up Cj’s ass tonight?”

“Cj is my friend,” he said then I noticed him scanning the pool for Cj, but neither of us could see him. The pool was overflowing and making a mess of the ground surrounding it. There wasn’t enough room to swim and the lights around the pool didn’t provide enough light for us to see who was in there. All we could go by were the voices of people being the loudest.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said and he turned to face me.

“Because you’re being an asshole,” he countered discarding his cup. It was full of the red mixed drink and it splattered my legs. I didn’t dare flinch, but Clinton looked apologetic, before he caught himself.

“So are you,” I said looking towards the side of the house towards the cars. I wanted nothing more than to leave, but knew I trapped, unless I stole Jenny’s car for the night.

“We can’t be friends,” Clinton said, “its a bit too late anyway, we’re out of here in a year.”

“I might not be,” I said, “you and Cj kind of ruined my only chance at a full scholarship. So you breaking my arm and the fishing trip makes sense now.”

“Yeah, guess so,” Clinton said and I watched as he disappeared back into the house. The cool air coming out of the house felt better than the air out here, since I was too uncomfortable to enjoy the nice summer night. Clinton returned to close the sliding door, but I stepped in the way and he let me enter with a frown. I slid the door closed behind me and noticed that we were in an empty house. Everyone else was out in the pool. The living room was already a mess though, with plastic cups and empty bags of chips.

“I wasn’t even pissed about the arm,” I said, making my way through the living room to the kitchen. It wasn’t as messy and Clinton followed me at a distance until I was out the front door overlooking the driveway and front lawn. With so many cars out front I was surprised none of the nosy neighbors allowed the party to go on. They probably knew there wasn’t any parental supervision and also knew what was going on. We could get away with this sort of thing in a small town.

“Why not?” Clinton asked closing the front door behind him. I sat down on the top of the stairs, the concrete was still warm from the sun.

“I don’t know,” I answered shrugging. By the sound of his voice I knew he was still standing a few feet away, next to the front door. I heard him shuffling his feet, but then he came and sat beside me, but looked over his shoulder to make sure we were still alone.

“I felt like shit,” he said, “I knew you’d hear it from your old man.”

“Yeah you and Cj are in for it if you’re taking him for History,” I commented, causing him to laugh.

“Good thing I already took him then,” Clinton said and I noticed the night starting to feel better. It was a lot more quiet in the front, but we could still hear the music and the people.

“How does Amber convince her parents?” I asked raising my eyebrows.

“Her Dad is famous for the parties he had when he was in high school,” Clinton answered, “I guess he doesn’t care as long as no one tries to drive home.”

“So what, they just pass out around the house?” I said and he nodded smiling.

“Small towns,” he said nudging me with his shoulder. I smirked feeling the slight pull I always felt when I was working in the store and wondered what was going on outside. Now I knew and I also knew I would be able to enjoy it, if I had been part of it all in the beginning.

“I’ve been here all my life, but now I feel like the new kid in town,” I said glancing over at him. He was looking at me, for how long I didn’t know. He turned away, looking down at his hands when I caught him, but he smiled.

“Better new than a tag along,” he said, “I think most people only tolerate me because of Cj.”

“Then why do it?” I asked and he shrugged his shoulders, still refusing to look anywhere else.

“It’s high school,” he responded and I frowned. It was nice talking with him away from everyone and everything. I knew though, that tomorrow I could not count Clinton as a friend. That I would lose him again to Cj and to high school dramatic politics.
“Take me home,” I said, “I came here with Jenny so I’m kind of trapped.”

“Oh, right,” he said standing and taking out his keys. “I probably should be getting home too, since I’m grounded.”

“For the River or for breaking my arm?” I asked, he frowned until I smirked.

“The River, him breaking your arm really was an accident,” he answered, but I could tell he felt a lot less guilty about it as I followed him to his truck. He didn’t seem worried about leaving Cj behind as I opened the passenger side of Jenny’s car and retrieved my things and I thought that maybe I could convince him to stop living in Cj’s shadow. I wasn’t very optimistic though, since I had my own.