All In (6 page)

I want to jump out of my car and rip
Gregory apart for the stunt he just pulled, but my car’s surrounded
before I can even get out, and I can’t see where Gregory is over
the crowd.

“Dude, you killed it,” Andrew says,
clapping me on the shoulder.

“You have no idea,” I say under my
breath, my heart still slamming against my ribcage.

When I finally get a glimpse of
Gregory, he’s on his cell phone acting nonchalant, like he didn’t
just try to kill me and I’m ready to blow. He saunters over, cash
in hand, and tosses it carelessly in my lap. “You obviously need
this more than I do.”

I throw the money to the side and push
open my door, ready to wipe that smug look off his face.

“Congratulations.” Ashley’s voice
stops me dead in my tracks from jumping her boyfriend as he walks
away.

“Thanks,” I say, wondering why she’s
here with me and not off consoling him as I flex and unflex my
fists, trying to stuff down my fury. I take a few deep breaths to
calm down and decide I’m not gonna fight him; he’s not even worth
it. None of this is.

“Dude, Greg’s probably on the phone
right now trying to get a nitrous tank put in his car, you totally
smoked him.” Andrew laughs watching Gregory sit in his car
alone.

I wipe my hands on my jeans then pull
out the cash he loaned me from my hoodie and hand it to him. “Here,
man, thanks.”

Andrew pushes my hand away. “No way,
dude. You earned that.”

“Are you serious?” I look at the
thousand dollars in my hand and then at the other thousand sitting
in my passenger seat that Gregory just threw at me. “I can’t take
this.”

“It’s yours.” Andrew grins. “I
insist.”

I stare at the money in shock.
“I…I…thanks, man,” I stammer. “This is going straight into my Yale
fund.”

“Wait. You go to Yale?” Ashley says,
her eyes wide, but before I can answer I hear a siren pierce the
quiet night air.

The sound drowns out the laughter and
chatter of the partygoers and the crashing ocean waves below. In an
instant the entire party scatters, taking off in all directions, a
chaotic flurry of cars and people, red solo cups littering the
ground.

Andrew and Ashley take off in his car
a moment before I throw mine into reverse since I’m too close to
the edge of the bluffs to pull forward, but I have to slam on my
brakes unexpectedly. Gregory’s pulled his car behind mine and is
blocking me from moving.

“Move, asshole,” I yell but he ignores
me until the lights of the cop car come around the bend, flashing
blue and red into the night sky. He gives me a sadistic wink then
peels out, whipping gravel up in his wake. I swing my car around
and punch my gas pedal to the floor, right on his tail.

“MVPD. Pull over. Now. ” I hear
Officer Evans shout over the patrol car’s megaphone.

Crap. I slam on my brakes and skid to
a stop. There’s no way I would ever try to out run the police. I
don’t have some rich father who could lawyer up and get me off with
a warning, and frankly everyone on the force knows me and my
family. Not to mention my car’s one of a kind on the
island.

I watch Gregory ignore the command as
he tears out of the parking lot onto State Road and disappears into
the dark.

…

“You have the right to remain silent,”
Sam says, placing my hands behind my back and securing the
handcuffs tight around my wrists with a click. “Anything you say or
do, can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

“Sam, are you serious?” I look at him
over my shoulder, making him wince.

“You have the right to an attorney. If
you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for
you.”

“Sam, please?” I beg, hanging my head
while he walks me to his parole car.

“Do you understand these rights I have
just read to you?” His tone is clipped and official.

“Yeah, I understand,” I answer before
he puts his hand on the top of my head and guides me into the
backseat carefully. Embarrassment and anger pulsing through my
veins.

Sam stands with the door ajar, one
hand resting along the doors frame as he rubs the back of his neck
with the other. He stares at me silently with what appears to be
sympathy on his face.

“Lane, what were you thinking?” he
asks. “Someone called in a description of your car for reckless
driving out on Lighthouse Road. You know I have no choice, I gotta
take you in,” he says in his normal non cop voice. The same voice
he uses when he’s at my house for birthday parties, or Wednesday
night dinners and the voice he uses to cheer me on at my lacrosse
games, which he’s never missed a single one.

“It was just a stupid race with some
rich kid who apparently has a bone to pick with me. I swear it
wasn’t even my idea.” I explain like that’s gonna get me out of
this predicament. “You saw him, right? The BMW? ”

“Yeah I saw him, but we only got a
call about your car. There’s nothing I can do about
him.”

I drop my head. Of course the car
called me in. I could have killed them. And a cherry red
convertible isn’t inconspicuous.

“I’m really sorry,” I say in a quiet
voice. I lean my head forward and rest it against the metal grate
that separates the backseat from the front and try not to throw up
from the smell of vomit and urine.

“I know you are. Me too,” he says, and
then gently shuts the patrol car door.

Sam’s a by-the-books kinda guy, so I
understand he has no choice. Even if I wished he’d bend the rules
considering he’s like family.

“Hey, Lane?” Sam says from the front
seat.

I look at him through the rear view
mirror. “Yeah?”

“I know you’re eighteen so legally I
don’t have to call your mom. But…listen, I also don’t feel
comfortable keeping this from her.”

“It’s okay. I’m gonna tell her.” I’m
disappointed in myself and ashamed to put one more thing on her
plate. I tip my head back on the seat, close my eyes tight and
fight the growing lump in my throat. “Like she needs anymore
stress,” I say so quite it’s barely audible to my own
ears.

“What was that, son?” Sam asks,
turning into the police station.

“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head. “It
was nothing.”

Ashley

“Ashley, dear?”

I push my sunglasses onto my head and
squint up at my mom standing on the deck above me. She’s dressed in
her tennis whites with a full face of makeup and her hair perfectly
done. That’s my mother. Even during exercise, she makes sure she is
presentable. Although, tennis at the club is hardly exercising for
her, unless hobnobbing is considered an aerobic sport these days,
in which my mother would certainly excel.

“Yes?”

“Your father and I are going to the
club for the day. We’ll meet you at six sharp for dinner at the
Grille and remember the Howards will be joining us so please make
sure you and your brother are on time.”

“Of course, Mother. Six sharp,” I
reply obediently.

“Oh and, Ashley, dear, I laid out a
dress for you to wear tonight. Have a wonderful day.” Without
waiting for my reply, I hear the French patio doors shut with a
click.

I pull my sunglasses back down to
shield my eyes from the late morning sun and let out a sigh. I’m
nearly eighteen years old; one would think I could dress myself.
Apparently not. Then again, I never push back. My father’s Senate
career causes us to constantly be in the public eye, so my mother
always strives to make us look like the perfect family, ready for a
photo op at a moment’s notice. It’s exhausting sometimes. Always
trying to be perfect.

“Hey, little sister,” Andrew says, a
towel draped over his shoulder and a glass of lemonade in his hand.
He plops down in the lounge chair beside me and takes a long sip of
his drink. I wonder if it’s spiked. “Crazy night, huh?”

“You can say that again,” I reply,
thinking about how quickly we had to leave last night and how I
wasn’t able to say goodbye to Lane. I take a sip of my own lemonade
before picking up my bottle of sunscreen. “So hey, how do you know
that Lane guy anyway? I ask nonchalantly applying the SPF like it
will somehow block Andrew from seeing how interested I am in his
answer. “I’ve never seen him around before?”

“Oh yeah, that guy is way cool. He
detailed my car yesterday at the club. Did an awesome
job.”

Detailed his car? “Wait, I thought he
went to Yale?”

“He will be. He actually grew up on
the island. Can you imagine? Living here year-round? I bet it’s
super boring in the winter.” Andrew takes my sun block and squeezes
out enough to cover his entire body, twice. “Anyway, we started
talking, and I found out he’s going to Yale in the fall. I wanted
to introduce him to some of the guys last night, but the race with
Gregory took over.”

Well that explains why I’ve never seen
him around before. A local.

I walk to the edge of the pool and dip
my foot in to test the temperature. “Gregory was so mad when he
lost. Did you see his face?” I smirk. “Sometimes he needs to be put
in his place, and by sometimes, I mean often and
always.”

“Right.” Andrew laughs. “Lane’s car is
so nice I knew it would beat Gregory’s no problem. Although, I’m
not sure if Greg was more pissed about losing the race, or because
of the way Lane was looking at you all night.”

“Really?” I sit on the edge of the
pool, emerging my legs in the cool clear water, and try to hide the
blush I feel spread across my cheeks. Was he really looking at me?
Like that? I think back to his steely blue eyes right after he won
the race, and I shiver despite the hot sun.

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you
didn’t notice?” Andrew takes another sip of his drink then props
his hands behind his head and shuts his eyes. “I saw you looking
too, you know.” A small smirk crosses over his face.

I didn’t think anyone noticed. I push
off the side of the pool and let the water cool my flushed
cheeks.

When I break through the surface of
the water, I’m unpleasantly surprised to see Gregory standing on
the edge of the pool looking down at me.

“Hey, beautiful,” Gregory says as
casual and breezy as he’s dressed in a pair of linen white pants
and a pastel blue polo shirt. I climb out and feel his eyes roam my
body before I wrap my towel around me and sit back down on my
lounge chair. His eyes linger on my legs and I shiver again, but
this time, not in a good way.

Andrew stands up and blocks Gregory
from staring, applying more sun screen to his arms casually. Best
brother ever.

“So, you sailing today?” Andrew asks,
assessing the outfit and deducing as much.

“A quick jaunt out, but I’ll be back
in time for the bonfire,” he answers Andrew before he turns his
attention back to me. “Would you like to join me?”

Andrew shrugs. “Sorry, man, we have
dinner with the ‘rents tonight, but thanks for the invite,” he
says. “Oh hey, did you get out of there last night before the cops
showed up?”

“Yeah, but your new friend didn’t fare
so well,” he says with an arrogant laugh.

Andrew’s eyes narrow. “Dude, I’m not
sure what your deal is with him, but he’s cool. He’s going to Yale
in the fall, and I’m thinking he might just be Wolf material, so
lay off.”

“You can’t be serious?” Gregory says
incredulously. “He’s not one of us.”

“I’m totally serious. So stop and I
mean it.”

I don’t know much about the Wolf’s
Head, it’s called a secret society for a reason, but I assume, by
the way Greg is suddenly silenced, Andrew must carry seniority. The
tension rolls off both of them until Andrew breaks the standoff by
taking a sip of his drink and smiling.

“Well, I guess we’ll see
you at the bonfire tonight then?” Andrew asks his posture carefree
and casual again, making it clear he’s moving on from
whatever
that
just was.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Gregory says
before leaving without another word, his fists balled up
tight.

“Sometimes that guy…” I hear Andrew
say under his breath, taking the words right out of my
mouth.

…

The party is already in full swing
when we arrive. At least two dozen guys and girls mill around the
private beach while music plays softly and twinkle lights hang
above tables covered with catered hors d'oeuvres.

I stare at the flames of the bonfire
while they flicker and dance, breaking through the dark with bright
oranges, yellows and reds. The popping and crackling can barely be
heard above the laughter of everyone surrounding the fire with
sunburned shoulders and smiles on their faces. Bonfire parties are
always my favorite.

“Ashley!” A girl squeals. Hailey
Newhall, one of my closest girlfriends on the island, stands on the
other side of the fire enthusiastically waving me over.

I smile as I make my way over to her,
excited to see her again too.