6. The Country Folk, Dasham

"What're we doing here?" I asked my niece, Joy. She drove, I sat in the passenger side seat taking in the entire frightening scene.

For as far as my eye could see—which wasn't that far since it was late and dark outside, was a piece of carved-out land that Joy kept calling a pasture, surrounded by a thick bunch of forestry. More a u-shape if the sides of the u were abnormally long.

Parked pickup trucks circled a grassy patch, their headlights illuminating a decent size crowd in the middle. No one was distinguishable, they all looked the same. A sea of vintage blue jeans, old T-shirts, and assorted baseball caps. Nowhere close to the mid-thigh plaid shorts, flipped-up collar of my polo, and deck shoes I wore.

I quickly lowered my collar and tugged my shirt free of the waistband. It's all I had to help blend in. On second thought, I lowered the visor and ran my fingers through my styled hair in hopes of appearing more rumpled.

Joy pulled in next to the other cars haphazardly parked with no discernible organizational patterns. It was like a crazy free- for-all out here. What happened if someone parked up front had to leave early? Did every vehicle have to move?

"I feel like this is a really bad idea," I added, mentally retracing my steps on how I got wrangled into this in the first place. A locals party? I wasn't "local." Neither was Joy. More importantly, nobody here liked us.

Joy pushed the gear shift into park completely unbothered by my concern. Her newish Mercedes C-Class also didn't fit here. She cut the engine and physically turned the headlights off, not waiting for the automatic dim.

We stared quietly at the large party happening maybe fifty feet away. I was living a scene from every teenage movie ever aired. Who had any idea these gatherings were real and actually took place?

The girls sat to the side in short skirts and halter tops. I couldn't tell from this angle, but I bet there were lots of flip-flops on their feet. Didn't they know the dangers of wearing flimsy sandals out in the middle of nowhere like this?

"Stop fretting," Joy finally said, releasing an unsteady sigh as she dropped the visor. The small mirror lights flashed bright as she checked her lipstick. "It's fine. We're invited."

"I don't believe a casual afterthought from a local guy, inviting you to the party, was an actual invite. These people hate us," I reasoned, digging into my unwillingness to leave the car.

"Stop, Dasham. Granddaddy's handling all that. I promise you, these people don't care. They want to hang out, drink beer, smoke, and hook up. They live by the code of the teenage handbook. We need to get you a copy so you can learn to have a little bit of fun," she said flippantly and reached for the key which I ninja'd out of her hand.

Since I doubted the handbook existed, making the code nonexistent, I decided to keep the key with me, then all I had to do was outrun Joy to the car.

She'd deserve to be left behind for agreeing to come here in the first place.

As if Joy read my thoughts, she laughed at me and pushed the button to open the trunk. She bounded from her seat as if she didn't have a care in the world.

Country music blared from the various trucks. I left the car at a much slower pace than Joy. Once I got to my feet, I took everything in from my new angle.

At least the music had a decent beat.

Still cowboys and gay city dwellers didn't usually mesh well together before factoring in the local animosity toward my family and the resort. I scrubbed my hands down my face as the anxiety of the moment got the best of me.

I wasn't overt. My sexuality didn't define me. I came out to my father when I was twelve years old. He explained that certain people would rather do me harm than allow me to be myself…

"Let's go, Dasham. Or stay in the car. I'm going to the party," Joy said with a six-pack of Heineken in hand. Who knew where she got those from?

Joy walked away, leaving me alone in the middle of nowhere, all the darkness turning eerie fast. "Wait. I'll go."

The walking path was barely recognizable with the ruts and grooves made naturally rather than by vehicles. I bookmarked the information in my mind just in case I did have to run for it.

Screw television teen dramas, how many horror flicks had I seen where this kind of party was the moment everything went south for all the people there? Chainsaws and hockey masks picking off drunk and rowdy kids who always made very bad decisions in their fear.

My thoughts shifted again.

How many babies would be born nine months from now?

Stop.

"I thought you said there was a keg," I said, pretending to be comfortable while heading into hell.

"Have you forgotten how disgusting the keg hose is?" Great response. She knew me too well. My thoughts diverted again. No, I hadn't remembered. I don't think I even knew.

Joy's hand came to my shoulder, a beer bottle followed. "Here. Hold it so you fit in and probably best to get that freaked-out look off your face. We're in Sea Springs for three months. We're gonna need something to do."

Okay, another great response. She wasn't wrong.

"Remember, you're the DD tonight."

I stopped in my tracks. "I can't be the DD, I don't have a driver's license yet, and you're not twenty-one. I have to have someone twenty-one years old or older in the car with me."

"Then you better be extra careful driving home," she teased and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder, leaving me in her dust. She was on the prowl.

Wait. Did I really know I'd been invited? Joy had a thing for a server at the resort. If she took me with her to the party, her parents wouldn't ask too many questions.

Dang, I'd been played. Why had it taken me so long to figure it out?

I scrubbed a palm down my face then dropped my chin to my chest as I started forward again. Maybe if I hung out in the periphery, I wouldn't stick out. Joy owed me big for this one.

An hour in and I had to admit I'd misjudged the situation. Outside of all the camo and cargo, these kids weren't all that different from my friends at home. Well, except we'd never have a party in the woods. Alcohol was poured freely at most of our homes. But here, people really presented the personification of being good ole country folk—at least how it was explained to me by my new friends, Ginny and Jessica. They were welcoming girls who spoke with a charming southern twang.

On the flip side, the music and humidity sucked. No matter what happiness filled my heart watching Joy try and fail to learn the two-step, the hot, moist air did its best to give me pit stains and the insects were crazy big.

I sat on top of an old tree log positioned at the edge of the party. The party hadn't gotten far enough in to have couples pairing off yet, but we were close. The guys stood about ten feet away talking about local guy interests—football and fishing. I didn't do either.

But these girls were grounded and down to earth. Completely different from the ones I'd encountered at the resort. Everything was casual, nobody even seemed to know who I was. They relaxed me and I somehow let it happen.

Remaining true to my DD obligations, I passed on the pot and the pills circulating. It wasn't a hardship. Besides, the same concerns about the spout on the keg applied. I didn't know these people or where their lips had been.

A set of headlights rounded the corner separating the party from the road. A truck barreled forward at full speed, grabbing everyone's attention. I honestly had no idea what was happening until a cheer rang out as the single cab pickup truck came to a screeching halt, dust flying every which way.

A giant stepped out of the driver's side, throwing his hands in the air, shouting, "I'm here. Let the party begin."

Another much louder cheer came from the majority of the guys headed in his direction. On the other side of the truck, the door opened. I couldn't see who it was but heard an audible intake of breath from beside me.

"It's Beau," Jessica said. She leaned forward, craning her neck. "I can't believe he's here. How did Josh get him here?"

"I don't know, but he's smokin' hot just like we knew he'd be," Ginny said, getting to her feet to crane her neck to see better. "I don't care that he's fifteen. I'd go out with him anytime, anywhere."

"Absolutely," Jessica seconded. "Coach wants Josh to talk Beau into playin' this year. He's supposed to be really good with a national ranking, or somethin' like that. That's what Chae said."

"What did I say?" said a girl that must have been Chae. She was tall, looked more mature than the rest of the group, but not necessarily older. Pretty in a natural way.

"About Beau and football," Ginny answered when Jessica didn't readily reply. Instead, she stood on top of the log to better see the circle of guys slowly moving back to the center.

She was funny. This Beau had to be something. I got to my feet to see the newcomer. My brain blipped as I stepped two feet forward. It all happened again. My heart hiccupped. My breath slowed to shallow puffs. Beau? The guy who crossed the road in front of me on his bike. The very one who slowed time, who lit my body on fire for the first time in my life. All the same primal urges bowled me over again.

An all-consuming, foreign sensation ricocheted over me. A chain reaction of sorts in its most fundamental form, making me unsteady and unsure.

I saw his face so clearly in my mind. I quickly forged an ambitious plan to spend the next few minutes persuading him to get to know me then making him mine. We'd have a long future together. My breath caught as I watched Beau follow the guys, but he appeared in no hurry to catch up. He glanced down at his feet and absently tucked at his T-shirt, making sure it lay right in the waistband of his jeans. He was tall, lean, and moved like a jaguar, owning the space around him.

Owning my heart was more like it.

Beau. The name played like a symphony through my mind.

No, that wasn't right. It slammed through me like a loud Slipknot concert, sledgehammering his way into my heart.

From the backward baseball cap on his head, which I'd never seen anyone do before, all the way to a strong jaw and nice full lips, my heart imprinted his image across its surface to never be forgotten. I'd guess he was an athlete without knowing about the football.

From my rearview mirror, I'd seen the tumble he'd taken on the road. Now, I saw a large bandage on the underside of his left arm.

My heart might not ever beat properly again.

The idea of Beau being unhappy overwhelmed me. He walked chin to chest, tucking his fingers into the front jeans pockets. What did that mean? What was he hiding?

"So you're the guy everyone's talkin' about?" I glanced over at Chae. She only held my attention for a fraction of a second before I shifted my gaze back to Beau.

My entire body tensed. A slow exhale escaped. Everything in my life changed in a moment.

I was physically overwhelmed by him. How hadn't I noticed before? My nipples tightened, the fabric of my polo brushed lightly against them, sending tingles racing along my body. My cock strained against my shorts.

The world ran in slow motion. Although time had stopped for me, it hadn't for anyone else. Somewhere in my peripheral vision, I saw Chae looking at me, then over at Beau again.

"I see," Chae said, knowingly.

"See what?" Ginny asked, standing on the log with Jessica to ogle Beau.

I continued to stare as he walked to the crowd of guys. Clearly, he'd known them for a long time with the dap slaps and knuckle bumps he gave as he passed by.

To give my crazy body's reaction a break, I forced my attention to the beer bottle in my hand that I wasn't drinking and placed it on the ground at my feet. With Beau not consuming my vision, I could think easier.

"What's your deal, Dasham?" Chae asked. Her tone gave away her dawning speculation.

Of course, I knew what Chae implied, but I had a lot to consider before I spoke my truth.

"My name means the number ten. I'm my parents' tenth child. I'm also smart," I answered absently and grinned down at my Sperry shoes. "I skipped a grade in elementary school and I'm on track to graduate high school a semester early with my associate degree." I lifted my head enough to wink at Chae, trying to hide my smile. "I'm also sporty. I played Lacrosse for my school's team but stopped because I'm graduating early."

I shifted my gaze to stare at the silhouette of Beau. My breath shuttered again at the nice-looking view.

"You know I work for his grandmother?" Chae asked, garnering all my attention. My head whipped her direction. Screw hiding because my dad's resort rested on my shoulders. Chae had the answers I needed.

"Tell me?" I whispered.

"His name is Beau Brooks. He's hot, obviously. Maybe he'd be interested in you because he's not interested in any of us," Chae teased, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder and glancing back to the small circle I'd been sitting with.

"Not for a lack of tryin'," Jessica added.

Hope built fast.

"His grandparents live here. He comes here every June and July but had to go back home in August for football practice. His dad's a football coach and a massive jerk. He's really mean. Nobody likes him."

"Yeah, but he and his mom moved here permanently about a week ago," Jessica said.

"You know exactly how long ago they moved here," Ginny teased, calling Jessica out. "I bet you're hidin' in his bushes at night."

"He quit football. Somethin' happened. I don't know what," Chae explained.

"Everybody here hopes Josh can talk him into playin' again. He's supposed to be really, really good. I believe he's a tight end or maybe a receiver. He makes lots of touchdowns but also blocks, so whatever position that is," Ginny said, and glanced over at me for verification.

I only shrugged. How did I know?

"Josh is my brother. I overheard him and my dad talking about it. They live for football. I don't," Ginny said.

My gaze turned laser beam focused, willing Beau to look at me.

I understood my overwhelming attraction was my limbic system bolting like a speeding bullet causing my body's extreme physical response. But when he did finally look my way, breath slowly left my lungs. After a moment's stare, I decided there was no question that he was looking at me. Words like fate and destiny shouted from every fiber of my being.

This was the most significant moment of my life.

If souls were real, mine did loops around Beau's, trying to rope us together.