9. Kelsey

"Come have a drink with me," Mariah pleads drunkenly. She's stumbling and having a good time, as she should, except for the fact she broke our agreement. The hours have ticked by while I've sat nursing my drink, non-alcoholic of course. I brought my own cup per my usual. No one knows there's only vitamin water in it instead of the alcohol that's flowing heavily through the crowds.

"I have to pee. I'll come find you when I'm done." The lie rolls off my tongue easily. I've kept to myself, realization hitting me that I've outgrown what was once my friend group. I'd much rather stay in than go out, whereas they like to drink a lot and only need one or two until they're loud, and I'm quiet.

"Oh, okay, see you later!" Mariah's voice goes up an octave. She's always been this way. We're complete and total opposites. It worked for a while until it didn't. I watch as she lifts her hands in the air. "Shots, shots, shots!" she chants. The rest of the group repeats after her. I'm about to turn and walk away when I see what's happening out of the corner of my eye. God, I am so stupid. Alcohol and getting drunk is one thing. Drugs is another and I want zero part of this anymore.

I turn on my heel, holding my drink with the crook of my elbow and waist. My phone is in my back pocket. I haven"t called for a pickup from a party since my junior year in high school. Yet I'm about to call my parents. If they aren't available, I'm going to call Talon and hope he doesn't judge me for my stupidity in hanging out with Mariah and this group. The only problem I currently have is holding my drink and sandals while trying to finagle my phone out of my jeans short pocket. Then think better of it this close to the shoreline.

"You really screwed up this time, Kelsey Rae," I grumble to myself, walking as swiftly as possible to the other side of the island. The light from the moon guides my way, and I stick as close to the shoreline as possible. At least I applied a thick layer of mosquito repellant before leaving my house earlier. I go through the long line of what-ifs as I approach the opposite end. We have multiple small islands all along the area. This so happens to be the only one that survives low and high tide. There's always a place to park your boat, hop out, walk around, have a bonfire, and whatever else the locals or tourists want to do.

I find an abandoned piece of driftwood a bit away from the shoreline and cop a squat. I knew attempting to pull my phone out of my pocket while walking near the water could end up in a catastrophe. Right now, it'll be my lifeline to get away from here. I place my drink in the sand and pull out my phone, finally. Only I'm not prepared for what I see. There's a slew of texts.

Talon: Siren, stay on the island. Do not get in the boat with anyone. I'm on my way.

Mom: Please be safe, honey. I know you're an adult, but from what Talon told us, it's not a great idea to be out there. I love you.

Dad: I'm behind Talon. He'll be there before me. Don't leave with anyone except one of us.

The time stamps on the messages are from a while ago. I hurriedly read through them one at a time then first answer Talon, since from what I'm told, he'll be here first.

Me: Talon, please hurry. Thank you for coming to get me. I'm on the opposite side of the island from the group.

I watch as the blue line moves across the screen. It gets toward the end and comes to a screeching halt. There's a need to back out and make a phone call, except it's an open waterway to get here, meaning there's no wake once you're out of the canal from our place, and there isn't another until you get closer to the island. The likelihood of Talon hearing his phone ring is unlikely. Should he answer, I'd have to scream, and the last thing I want is to draw more attention to myself. Clearly, my phone decided to take a giant shit at the wrong place and the wrong time.

Instead, I wait away from the crowd who I saw doing drugs. To each their own, but I'm not jeopardizing my career by staying near them. I'm not risking my life riding back in a boat with them. I'd rather sleep on the island, call in late to work, be put on probation if necessary, since, you know, I'm still the new girl on the block.

Honestly, any- and everything sounds more appealing than being near a group of people who could end up endangering not only themselves but me and others.

"Please hurry, Talon," I say into the night air, hoping that he's almost here. A breeze blows across the water. I'd usually bring a bag with a portable phone charger, a snack, and a sweatshirt of some kind, but I wasn't expecting to be out here this late. I'm so unprepared, and all I can do is rub my arms with my hands to ward off the chill. I know one thing for sure: I will never ever hang out with Mariah again. Celebration or not, this isn't what I signed up for, and I want not one single part of it ever again.