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Summer Nights
It’s the summer of ’06, the sun’s rays burn the concrete but the pool still manages to keep the people cool. Yesterday was the last day of their junior year in college, so it was decided to celebrate with a couple of beers and some good music. ‘Temperature’ by Sean Paul is blaring off Doug’s speaker. It’s the thing he values more than his own life, so he was making sure it won’t get soaked by an idiotic drunk.
“Hey Doug, mind putting Gold Digger next?”
“Ya got it, Bree”
“Thanks man”
The party’s being held in Luke’s condo in South Padre Island, and the location makes the guests feel like Texas aristocrats. By this time about ninety percent of the guests are already wasted so the friends decide to gather around the lounge. It has always been like this; Bree, Luke, Doug, Jenny and Mitch. They’ve all chosen considerably good careers, except for Doug who ended up working at the only Target in the area. He’s been promoted about three times and receives a lot of promotions so all is well.
Luke comes up to Bree and makes a signal for them to go someplace else.
“How are ya? I got a lil’ something for you.” He whispers as he gets a small bag out of his pocket. Inside it were two pieces of what looked like post stamps with a happy face in them.
“Is tha– is it what I think it is?” she asks.
“Don’t worry babe, it’s not what it looks like. It’ll take you on a trip. Trust.”
“I don’t know Luke; you remember what happened last time…” she answers unsurely.
“I promise I’ll take care of you, just enjoy the ride.”
He hands her the object and she reluctantly places the small piece of paper in her mouth. The acid’s effects take about thirty minutes to activate and soon her body temperature begins to increase. Her surroundings begin to change color and the objects around her become distorted. Bree begins to focus on the intensity of Jenny’s ginger hair and how well it matches with her flip flops. She begins to sway her hips to the beat of ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ and soon all her friends are joining in.
“See? It’s not that bad” Luke tells her.
“Not at all, I’m having the time of my life”
Bree decides it’s time to grab a beer so she walks away from the group. As she approaches the cooler she can hear a familiar but unusual voice calling her.
“Hey B” The voice chirped.
Bree turns around and tries to find the mysterious voice that’s been calling her. Near the fence she can see a moving figure.
“Kitty?” she asks.
The figure comes out of the shadows and reveals a young girl holding a stuffed animal that looks worn out.
“I thought I’d lost you forever!” A tear runs down her cheek and she starts walking towards the little girl. The girl moves away from Bree and begins to walk towards the night. She follows her distractedly and soon they’re both away from the party. Right before she’s able to get a hold of the toy darkness overwhelms her.
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“Is she out?” Jenny asks. She turns to Mitch who’s carrying an unconscious Bree and is struggling because of the beers he’d had that night.
“As still as a rock” Mitch answers. The couple proceeds to lay the body over a mound of sand while they figure out how to deal with the situation.
“Mark says he’ll be here in 20. We’ll meet by the lighthouse” Jenny said, “It’s about a 10-minute walk from here so you better get going. I’ll go back to the party to not cause a distraction. Also, remember the deal was two hundred grand cash.”
“You know, Jen, I can’t believe we’re actually going to sell our friend for college money.”
“If she wouldn’t have stolen my boyfriend things would’ve been very different, Mitch.”
“Whatever you say.”
