It was late in the afternoon. Carter and a couple of his friends stood on the trail of Algonquin Park. Oliver Kessler sat on the edge of the road lighting up a joint. Carter couldn't stop thinking about how stupid his friends were. They thought they were invincible at the rate of risks they took. It wasn't like Carter was trying to play the Saint, but he wasn't dumb enough to put himself out there like that.
"You do know there's cops everywhere, right?" he asked Oliver who was now taking tokes.
Oliver blew smoke from his lips before answering, "So?"
"Your funeral,"
"Are you gonna narc on us?" Chase Adams, an African American boy with an overgrown afro, said. "That doesn't sound like you?"
"Nope," Carter laughed. "But I'm not gonna stick up for you guys when you do get caught."
"But I thought we had each others backs?" Oliver said. "Don't flake out on us."
"Well, we'll always have one other choice if we do get caught." said Jude.
"What's that?"
"Run."
Carter rolled his eyes. Only Jude could come up with the most obvious suggestion. They were supposed to show up at Maris' place two hours from now. The party didn't start until 9:00pm. Yet, Maris always wanted all of her immediate friends to meet her hours before she had her parties. Carter rested his eyes on a tall blonde girl jogging along the trail with her Golden Retriever. She looked to be in her late-teens or early-twenties.
"She looks good," muttered Oliver. "I sure am glad Megan dumped me. Now I can check out other girls."
"What did she dump you for?" Carter questioned.
"Does it matter?" asked Chase, fiddling with the iPhone in his hands.
Up ahead, Carter saw two familiar blondes approaching them. They looked to be no taller than five-one and a half.
"Oh, look," said Jude. "There's Steph and Evan."
Stephanie Dice and Evan Cross came over to them with huge grins on their faces. Carter thought Evan was the prettiest even though she had endearingly crooked teeth like Jewel's and a birdlike nose. Stephanie had more of a face that resembled Sarah Jessica Parker's. Nonetheless, they were both hot.
"Hi!" Stephanie piped, automatically taking a seat in Chase's lap. "What are you boys doing here?"
"I'd like to ask you girls the same." Oliver said, nudging Carter on his arm.
Carter silently shook his head at his gesture. Stephanie and Evan weren't his type. Then again; who was?
Evan tightened one of her long, diamond earrings. She had some strange attachment to those particular earrings. It wasn't the type of attachment that most girls got with their when they knew how expensive and status-inducing their jewelery was. It was the kind of attachment that came off as rather obsessive.
Stephanie giggled in that high-pitched way she always did when she tried to flirt. Most guys thought it was hot while he just thought it was groan-worthy. He had said this to Savannah before and he'll say it again; Stephanie was a whore.
"How have you been, Carter?" asked Stephanie, focusing her green eyes on him.
"Huh? Oh, fine. You?
"Okay," she said. "Oh! I talked to Nicole! She told me to tell you that she wants to speak to you at Marebear's party tonight."
"Really?" he asked, nonplussed. "Did she say anything else?"
Stephanie shrugged evasively. "Not much. Ev and I were hanging out with her, Kimmie, and Erica. They all said hi, by the way."
He nodded, still wondering why Nicole had asked about him. Of course, they were still good friends after the breakup, but not one of them has ever requested to talk to each other since they were together.
"And I've talked to Helen, Caroline, and Marissa." chimed in Evan.
Carter's stomach did a weird flip. He knew all of those girls Evan just named. Helen Boy was an old friend from church he used to talk to along time ago. The other girls, Caroline Weinstein and Marissa Earnhardt, were common people he ran into whenever he saw them. Marissa was a girl he had met on Facebook over a year ago. She had no clue who she was, but Carter thought she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes on. He hadn't talked to her in months.
"This is like some sort of reunion!" Stephanie said giddily. "I love Helen! We hang out all the time! Her house is so huge, I swear!"
Helen lived around the same neighborhood as Andy. Her neighborhood was about two miles away from his. In fact, she and Erica were actually neighbors. Carter knew that due to the fact that he had been over at Erica's house a couple of times when she threw parties. Andy's neighborhood was one
"You do know there's cops everywhere, right?" he asked Oliver who was now taking tokes.
Oliver blew smoke from his lips before answering, "So?"
"Your funeral,"
"Are you gonna narc on us?" Chase Adams, an African American boy with an overgrown afro, said. "That doesn't sound like you?"
"Nope," Carter laughed. "But I'm not gonna stick up for you guys when you do get caught."
"But I thought we had each others backs?" Oliver said. "Don't flake out on us."
"Well, we'll always have one other choice if we do get caught." said Jude.
"What's that?"
"Run."
Carter rolled his eyes. Only Jude could come up with the most obvious suggestion. They were supposed to show up at Maris' place two hours from now. The party didn't start until 9:00pm. Yet, Maris always wanted all of her immediate friends to meet her hours before she had her parties. Carter rested his eyes on a tall blonde girl jogging along the trail with her Golden Retriever. She looked to be in her late-teens or early-twenties.
"She looks good," muttered Oliver. "I sure am glad Megan dumped me. Now I can check out other girls."
"What did she dump you for?" Carter questioned.
"Does it matter?" asked Chase, fiddling with the iPhone in his hands.
Up ahead, Carter saw two familiar blondes approaching them. They looked to be no taller than five-one and a half.
"Oh, look," said Jude. "There's Steph and Evan."
Stephanie Dice and Evan Cross came over to them with huge grins on their faces. Carter thought Evan was the prettiest even though she had endearingly crooked teeth like Jewel's and a birdlike nose. Stephanie had more of a face that resembled Sarah Jessica Parker's. Nonetheless, they were both hot.
"Hi!" Stephanie piped, automatically taking a seat in Chase's lap. "What are you boys doing here?"
"I'd like to ask you girls the same." Oliver said, nudging Carter on his arm.
Carter silently shook his head at his gesture. Stephanie and Evan weren't his type. Then again; who was?
Evan tightened one of her long, diamond earrings. She had some strange attachment to those particular earrings. It wasn't the type of attachment that most girls got with their when they knew how expensive and status-inducing their jewelery was. It was the kind of attachment that came off as rather obsessive.
Stephanie giggled in that high-pitched way she always did when she tried to flirt. Most guys thought it was hot while he just thought it was groan-worthy. He had said this to Savannah before and he'll say it again; Stephanie was a whore.
"How have you been, Carter?" asked Stephanie, focusing her green eyes on him.
"Huh? Oh, fine. You?
"Okay," she said. "Oh! I talked to Nicole! She told me to tell you that she wants to speak to you at Marebear's party tonight."
"Really?" he asked, nonplussed. "Did she say anything else?"
Stephanie shrugged evasively. "Not much. Ev and I were hanging out with her, Kimmie, and Erica. They all said hi, by the way."
He nodded, still wondering why Nicole had asked about him. Of course, they were still good friends after the breakup, but not one of them has ever requested to talk to each other since they were together.
"And I've talked to Helen, Caroline, and Marissa." chimed in Evan.
Carter's stomach did a weird flip. He knew all of those girls Evan just named. Helen Boy was an old friend from church he used to talk to along time ago. The other girls, Caroline Weinstein and Marissa Earnhardt, were common people he ran into whenever he saw them. Marissa was a girl he had met on Facebook over a year ago. She had no clue who she was, but Carter thought she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes on. He hadn't talked to her in months.
"This is like some sort of reunion!" Stephanie said giddily. "I love Helen! We hang out all the time! Her house is so huge, I swear!"
Helen lived around the same neighborhood as Andy. Her neighborhood was about two miles away from his. In fact, she and Erica were actually neighbors. Carter knew that due to the fact that he had been over at Erica's house a couple of times when she threw parties. Andy's neighborhood was one