The Shore (6 page)

Being shy, she wasn't looking forward to meeting them. Some people thought she was antisocial. But for her it was easier to let people stare than to have to talk to them. She knew she sometimes came off as remote, but her privacy was worth it. The only reason she was in this rental house was because she didn't want to be with her mom, helping to take care of her grandmother and living three generations in a tiny vacation condo barely larger than her bedroom. She'd figured in a big house with lots of strangers she could slip unnoticed through the cracks. It might have sounded strange, but it was easier to be alone in a big group than a small one.

As she stared at the group in the kitchen, she thought about just heading out the front door, but she was dying for some coffee and decided to brave the kitchen and her new roomies. After all, it was inevitable that there was going to be
some
contact.

“Hi, I'm Polly,” the red-haired girl said as April approached.

“April.”

“Yes, we got that much yesterday,” the brown-haired girl said with an easy smile. “I'm Avery. This is my boyfriend, Curt.”

The good-looking guy nodded, taking April in from head to
toe. He might have been Avery's boyfriend, but his eyes implied that at least part of him was still on the prowl.

“Want some coffee?” Avery asked.

“Love some,” April replied. Avery handed her a mug, and she sipped the steaming brew cautiously. “Thanks.”

April sensed that the red-headed girl, Polly, seemed agitated. She kept staring toward one of the rooms off the living room.

“Problem?” April asked cautiously.

Polly nodded vigorously. “Just thought you should know. Don't go near the downstairs bathroom. Something exploded in there . . . I think.”

April grimaced. “Thanks for the warning.”

Curt lit a new cigarette. April stared at the butt smoldering in an ashtray, its dying smoke drifting upward to join with the smoke of its replacement.
Have you never heard of lung cancer?
she thought. A cloud of smoke hung motionless in the kitchen. April set the mug down abruptly and began to cough.
Or the hazards of secondhand smoke?

“Can we talk about smoking in the house?” Polly asked, also coughing.

“Do you really have to smoke in here?” April wheezed.

Curt sighed loudly.

“I mean, it can't come as a surprise,” Polly said. “It's practically banned everywhere.”

“I agree. No spreading carcinogens in the house,” April said.

“Big word.” Curt smirked.

April glanced at Avery, wondering how she felt about her boyfriend being so obnoxious. Caught in the middle, Avery stepped back as if to avoid taking sides. At the same time, April had a sudden vivid memory of watching her grandfather in the hospital, dying of lung cancer, and still begging the nurses for a smoke. “You don't like big words, how about this: I don't want to get lung cancer because of you,” she said.

Curt turned abruptly, heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Avery called.

“To be with friends. Like I should have been all along.” He slammed the door. The sound reverberated through the house. Suddenly feeling terrible, April glanced at Avery, whose shoulders were slumped when her boyfriend stormed out.

“Sorry,” she muttered to Avery.

Avery looked distressed but forced a smile, anyway. “It's not your fault. You have a right not to have smoke in your house. Curt just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He's under a lot of stress right now.”

“Why?” Polly asked.

“It's his band,” Avery explained. “He's trying to get them ready for some gigs.”

Avery seemed nice, and April couldn't quite understand why she'd want to be with such a jerk, unless this was indeed out of the norm. Maybe, like her, he had a hard time meeting new people for the first time. And, he certainly was hot-looking, so
maybe April could get why Avery was with him.
If you don't mind cigarette breath.

The swells had been great that morning, and Lucas felt quite pleased as he walked toward his summer abode, damp wet suit peeled down to his waist and his surfboard under his arm. As the house came into sight, the angry-looking guy, Curt—he thought that was his name—came out the front door. Lucas gave him a wide berth. Curt looked none too happy, and Lucas didn't need anything to spoil his rush.

Lucas walked in the front door and caught the smell of cigarette smoke. It came as a shock after the crisp, fresh air outside. Three girls were standing in the kitchen. Two he recognized from the day before. The one he didn't know was dressed in black.

“Where's the fire?” he asked, waving his hand in front of him as if to disperse the cigarette smoke.

“I think it just left,” the new girl said.

Lucas was well aware that she was eyeing his bare chest. His own eyes fell on the ashtray on the counter. In it was a smoldering cigarette butt. A pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter lay nearby. Polly, the redhead, picked up the ashtray and doused it in the sink. Avery, the pretty girl with the light brown hair, was opening the kitchen window to let in some fresh air.

“Nicely done,” Lucas said. He turned to the girl in black and
offered his free hand, the one that wasn't holding a surfboard at the moment. “Sorry, I don't think we met yesterday. I'm Lucas.”

“April,” the girl in black said, tentatively shaking his hand.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Lucas said, a bit too formally, before he caught himself. He winced, but no one seemed to catch his slipup.

“You didn't meet last night?” Polly asked.

“Are you serious?” April said. “I hid in my room.”

“So, I guess this makes seven of us?” Lucas said.

“Yes,” Avery answered, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Want some? It's fresh,” she asked, holding up the pot.

Lucas shook his head. “Not today, thanks.” He basically lived a substance-free life, including caffeine, but again, this wasn't something he felt like broadcasting.

Polly was staring at his bare feet. He glanced down and wiggled his toes. “Something wrong?”

The red-headed girl jumped as though she had been caught doing something she shouldn't. “Sorry, it's just, well, you're tracking in sand.”

Lucas grinned. “So I am. Since you haven't been to the beach yet, I brought some back for you.”

Avery smiled at the clever remark. When Polly saw Avery smile, she tried to force a smile onto her lips as well, but it looked painful. Clearly the red-headed girl liked everything neat and orderly. The party the previous night must have been a nightmare for her.

“How was the surf this morning?” Avery asked.

“Really good,” Lucas said.

“Why were you out so early?”

Lucas propped his board against the wall. “That's when you get the best waves,” he explained. “Before the onshore thermals start to blow and the water gets filled with gremmies.”

“Gremmies?” April repeated, puzzled.

“You know, beginners, dilettantes, poseurs. The usual riffraff.”

The front door opened, and Curt trudged back in, looking sullen. He walked to the counter and picked up the pack of cigarettes and the lighter and stuffed them in his pockets.

“I always wanted to learn how to surf,” Avery said, after glancing at Curt. “But it looks really hard.”

“It's not. I could teach you, if you want,” Lucas offered.

Curt glared at him, and Lucas stiffened.
Uh-oh. Male territorial behavior.
Lucas had merely been acting friendly. He gave Curt an easy smile. “Offer goes for anyone.”

A door on the second floor opened and closed, and they all glanced toward the second-floor landing. A very attractive blonde, wearing tight jeans and a black wraparound shirt, started down the stairs, eyes squinting and hand pressed to her left temple.
Seriously hung over,
Lucas thought, suppressing a smile.
She is the one I ran into early this morning wrapped in a blanket in the hallway.
Without a word to the others, she entered the kitchen and poured herself some coffee.

She took several long sips before she acknowledged the rest of them. “Don't let me interrupt.”

Lucas could see that despite the hangover she carried herself with poise and self-assuredness. The airs of a good upbringing. She was from money, and she had no intention of letting any of the rest of them forget it. He'd been surrounded by girls like her all his life; had even dated a few at boarding school. He sighed to himself. If he followed the path his parents were insisting on, he'd be surrounded by them for the next four years.

Despite three Advils and the two cups of coffee, Sabrina's head was still pounding like a drum. She was glad Owen wasn't up yet. She had peeked out of her door to make sure before she came downstairs. She wasn't ready to face him, certainly not when her head hurt and her stomach was lurching at random intervals.

“Has everyone met Sabrina?” Avery asked.

“We have now,” said a girl dressed in black with heavily mascaraed eyes.

“And you are?” Sabrina asked her.

“April.”

“I'm Polly,” the red-haired girl with the lame clothes said, a little too cheerfully.

“Delighted,” Sabrina replied drolly.

“And I'm Curt,” said the good-looking guy with the wild black hair. “I'm the one you snaked the big bedroom from.”

“I didn't snake a bedroom from anyone,” Sabrina replied. “I
saw one I liked and asked Fred if I could have it. If you have a problem with that, you should take it up with him.”

“That's all been settled,” Avery said. “Come on, Curt, you know what I'm talking about.”

Curt made a face, but said nothing more. Sabrina was used to men undressing her with their eyes, but this one took it to a whole new level. If he tried any harder, he'd be seeing straight through her. And it wasn't like she was looking her best this morning either.

“Um, Sabrina, if I could talk to you later in private . . . ,” Polly started, and then drifted off.

“Why?” Sabrina asked.

“It's about some clothes,” Polly said.

Oh . . .
Sabrina smiled to herself.
Fashion advice. I should have guessed.

“Burn everything you own, starting with that.” In her hung-over state, Sabrina didn't realize she had actually spoken her thoughts out loud until everyone started staring at her.

Polly's face hardened a little. “It's not about
my
clothes. It's about
yours
.”

“Mine?” Sabrina didn't follow.

“From last night,” Polly explained. “I have them.”

Sabrina's stomach suddenly heaved, and for a moment she thought she might throw up. She could see the others turning away or covering their mouths with their hands, all except Curt, who openly grinned at her.
They're all laughing at me!

“How?” Sabrina asked, instantly flushing.

“They were all over the stairs,” Polly said. “I thought you'd appreciate it if I picked them up.”

Sabrina felt her heart plummet. It was all over. Everyone must have known about her and Owen. It was her worst nightmare. Not only being with Owen, but not even being subtle about it.
My clothes all over the stairs?
The image made her cringe.

“I can get them . . .” Polly trailed off, clearly unsure what else to say. Lucas and Avery had averted their eyes. April and Curt were still smirking.

Sabrina glared at them. “Just forget it, okay? It's not what you think.”

“Then what is it?” Curt asked archly.

Sabrina wanted to kill him. Amazingly, Polly came to the rescue. “Hey! Now that we're all here, wouldn't this be the perfect time to discuss house rules?”

“We're not
all
here,” Curt said dryly, casting a knowing leer at Sabrina, who felt her face color.

“Six out of seven is almost everyone,” Polly said, and turned to Sabrina. “You could fill Owen in later.”

Sabrina wasn't sure if she wanted to scream, or strangle someone. Not only had last night been a huge mistake, but now they all assumed she and Owen were a couple. She felt like shouting that there was no way she was talking to Owen later about anything, ever.

Polly continued: “Some of us have already worked out a plan
for the refrigerator. Everyone gets half a shelf for personal food, and communal food goes in the door.”

“Avery and I have the top shelf,” Curt announced.

“I think we need a schedule for chores,” Polly continued. “How we're going to shop for communal food and supplies, party etiquette, and noise levels.”

Did she really just say “etiquette”?
Sabrina thought.

Curt lit up a cigarette, and April shot him a look that seemed to say, “Don't you ever stop?”

“He usually doesn't smoke this much,” Avery said. Sabrina could tell she was the perceptive type.

“I think there should be a no smoking in the house policy,” said April.

“Good,” Polly said. “I agree with that.”

“Yawn. Don't care,” Sabrina said. It wasn't like she planned to spend much time in this house, anyway.

“I'd have to vote for smoking outside too,” Lucas added.

“But what about . . . ?” Polly trailed off.

“What about what?” Lucas asked.

“Well . . . the bong,” Polly said, her face coloring slightly.

“Oh, you see, it's an outdoor bong,” Lucas said. Sabrina smiled.
So this one has a sense of humor.
The others looked puzzled, except Avery, who also smiled. Sabrina paid careful attention when Lucas winked at Avery.

They were suddenly interrupted by a loud, cheerful voice. “Whoa! Democracy in action!”

Everyone jumped. Owen, smiling, hair glistening from a shower, had caught them all by surprise. Everyone turned to him so quickly, it was like a spotlight had just come on. “Whoa, peeps, eyes back in your heads, please. Well, except for those who really want to stare,” he said, paying particular attention to Sabrina.