Kyle...

Aaron and I sat in his car in silence. Neither of us wanted to be around each other, but Anthony insisted. Aaron kept his eyes on the road, not looking at me once. All he did was drive and answer his cell phone when it rang.

I could be a meanie and ignore him too. But the least I could do was try to talk to him, right? If anyone ever asks, no one can say I didn't try. 

"This beach party that we're going to, who's hosting?" I asked.

I could sense the uneasiness when he shifted in his seat. 

"A buddy of mine, Kaleb," he answered.

"The Kaleb I met at the Gala?" I asked, remembering meeting one of his friends with that name. 

"Yeah, him," he answered dryly. I could tell he wanted this conversation to be over.

"Oh, cool," I said, "well I hope his beach parties are fun," I added.

"Oh, it will be. Kaleb throws the best parties. It might not be what you're used to and you might not fit in with the crowd, but you should enjoy it."

There it was again, saying I won't fit in. The times that he did speak to or about me, he would mention me not fitting in or stressing that I was in a new environment. 

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Mean by what?" 

"That I might not fit in."

"Well..." he began, looking like he was trying to pick his words carefully, "well this place, this lifestyle, isn't what you're used to," he said.

"What about it would I not be used to?"

I had a theory for his reasoning, but I wanted to hear him say it. 

"I mean everything," he chuckled, "The affluent people, the big houses, fancy cars, the yachts," he said.

"The gaudy, rich lifestyle?" I asked.

"Yes," he clarified.

"What makes you think I'm not used to it?"

"Man, come on," he said, "You grew up with a single mother, I'm pretty sure you guys couldn't afford many things."

"Mmm," was all that left my mouth. We could afford a lot with my grandmother's salary alone, but he didn't need to know that. 

"Basketball is probably the first time you even got a glimpse of this kind of lifestyle," he pointed to the houses we passed, then his car.

Should I tell him my "poor" single mother married the CEO of one of the most well-known companies in America and that I had a car better than this at sixteen? Probably not. It's obvious that he never even looked me up. Google had all this information and more. It sucked that he thought I grew up struggling and saw me as less than him. But let's be honest, whose fault was that? We might have been close if Anthony stuck around.

"Well, I guess I have a lot to learn and get used to," I said, dropping the conversation there.

The drive went on in silence. But it wasn't for long because we arrived at our destination 10 minutes later. Once the car was parked, he ran off, probably to find his friends. The sun was just about to set and the sky was an array of warm colours. Most partygoers gathered around the large glowing barn fire, immersed in conversation chugging alcohol, or both. I slowly made my way to the beach and through the crowd. I overheard random conversations about a car, then a yacht, then a summer home in Florida AND L.A. Maybe Aaron was right, maybe I didn't fit in here. 

I continued to walk through the crowd, looking for a place to hang out. Maybe there was a bar or something somewhere where I could chill. I wasn't planning on being "antisocial" tonight, but this was not my kind of crowd or people. 

"Well, most of them", I thought when I spotted a familiar face. 

Chris was standing pretty far off from the fire, his sister Celeste was with him, along with another girl I hadn't met before. I felt instant relief at the sight of them and quickly started making my way over to say hi. But that's when the thought hit me. If Celeste was here, then maybe Naomi was here too! One of the things we talked about at the Gala was how close she and Celeste were. There was no way one was here and the other wasn't.

I began searching the crowd again but then remembered her tendency to not be around the crowd. I scanned the outserts and easily found her, ironically, sitting at the far end of the bar. 

I made a beeline for her. She was leaning against the counter, and her face seemed totally uninterested in the events around her. I reached her side within seconds and gently tapped her arm.

She jumped and turned to me with a confused then relieved look on her face. 

"Why do you look so scared? Thought it was Brodrick?" I joked.

"Don't even go there," she said, "You scared me. You didn't have to sneak up on me like that."

"My bad," I raised my hands in defeat and took a seat next to her, "Couldn't let you see me coming and run away from me again."

She looked down in embarrassment. "Don't remind me of that," she chuckled.

"Can I get you a drink?" 

"Sure," she smiled.

I called for the bartender of the outdoor bar and ordered our drinks. I convinced Naomi to try my favourite, after a tiny debate on what the best drinks were. I gave the bartender my special recipe and waited. As we did, I turned to watch the crowd gathering around the fire.  Most were in just bathing suits and trunks. Even Aaron had somehow gotten rid of his shirt and was now walking around in shorts. I felt severely overdressed in my khaki shorts and blue shirt. 

I watched my brother maneuver his way through the crowd with purpose. What was he about to do? When he got to his destination it all made sense. A curly-haired caramel-skinned girl stood facing the waves, seemingly lost in her mind. Aaron got her attention by tapping her shoulder. She turned and smiled politely once she saw it was him. 

Was he trying to run some game on this girl?

I watched as the polite smile on her face dropped and her eyes closed in frustration. She then turned on her heels and walked towards her group of friends. Her expression clearly said, "Can you believe that guy?".

Aaron bowed his head in defeat. Looks like he didn't have as much game as he thought. 

I could be a good big brother and give him some pointers. But it was clear he wanted nothing to do with me. 

Too bad for him.

I continued to look through the crowd and saw someone else making their way towards us with determination. 

"There goes your boy," I said to Naomi and she quickly turned to see who I was talking about. She spotted Brodrick and turned back to the bar rolling her eyes dramatically.

I laughed at her display, "You must really hate this dude." 

"I don't hate him, he just gets on my nerves!" 

"What's your deal with him anyway?" I asked.

Yes, Brodrick was a major annoyance, but he seemed like an OK dude. I'm sure he would be good to her if she gave him a chance. So why wouldn't she give him that chance? 

"He's just not my type," she said.

"And what is your type?" I asked brow raised.

She turned to me with a smirk, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

Was that a challenge?

Well, it was accepted.

I looked up at the man approaching us, and unlike before, Noelle was at his side.

Was it safe to say that Noelle was my Brodrick? She was cool and all but I'm not feeling her like that. I mean, we did sleep together that one time, but she wasn't my original...target, for the lack of a better word. Yes, I was relieved that she wanted to see me again after General Kendra took her shots, but that was when I thought I would never see "Gold Dress" again.

"Hey guys!" Noelle said, her grin wide.

"Hey," I said, Naomi chose to stay silent.

"Hi Naomi," Brodrick said, trying to get her attention.

Man really couldn't take a clue. Or he was just ignoring it.

"Hi," she replied with a curt smile, barely looking over her shoulder.

"Kyle, I didn't know you were coming," Noelle said stepping closer to me.

"It was kind of a last-minute thing," I said, "Aaron was coming so I tagged along."

"Well if I would have known, I would have given you a ride," she stepped even closer, placing her hand on my bicep.

"Riding with Aaron was fine," I said. It wasn't, that boy did not want me anywhere near him. But I couldn't tell her that. Being alone in a car with Noelle would have ruined my chances with Naomi if the way she was pushing up on me hadn't ruined it yet. 

Brodrick made his way to the seat next to Naomi. She got up and adjusted her stool as if to make space for him, but in reality, she was getting away from him and closer to me. That made me oddly giddy inside.

"Can I get you something?" he asked.

"That's fine, Kyle already got me something."

On cue, the bartender came over with our drinks. Naomi quickly grabbed hers and took a sip. 

I watched a flash of defeat on Brodrick's face, and I felt oddly proud.

I'm feeling a lot of odd feelings today. 

Naomi turned to me with a look of surprise with her glass in hand. "I hate that you're right about this. It tastes really good."

"Told you," I said before taking a sip of mine.

"You might actually know what you're talking about."

"Might?" I said feigning offense, "I'll have you know that I'm somewhat of an alcohol expert."

"Oh really? Since when?"

"Since sixteen, when I used to sneak into my parents' liquor cabinet and try everything."

"Oh, you were one of those kids."

"And you weren't?"

"She was not," Noelle quickly interjected, "She was a goodie-two-shoes. Wouldn't dare do such a thing."

She was teasing, but Naomi did not seem accepting of it. I watched as she retreated into herself, looking away from me and back to the tables full of drinks behind the bar. 

Noelle didn't seem to notice, or she didn't care. She just continued to chuckle while holding onto my arm. She started off a random conversation, probably to keep my attention. But it was hard to ignore the shift in Naomi I had just seen. Brodrick tried to talk to her, but her half-assed answers showed she was not in the mood. 

I wanted to do something to ease the tension Naomi was feeling, but I wasn't sure of what to do or say. But it turned out that there was someone else on the beach who noticed the shift, and knew exactly what to do.

"Excuse me," Celeste came out of nowhere, shoving herself between Naomi and Brodrick, "Can I get sex on the beach please?"

The bartender nodded and got right to work.

She turned to Naomi. "Oh, hey bestie, didn't see you there," A wide knowing grin was on her face.

Naomi's face instantly lifted, and I wasn't so worried anymore. 

"Enjoying your time at the beach?" Celeste turned to her friend, her back facing Brodrick.

"I am. Thank you for dragging me along."

"You're welcome."

"Hello?" Brodrick said, trying to get Celeste's attention. He was obviously upset that she had interrupted his conversation.

"Do you not see me talking to my friend?" Celeste asked, attitude thick.

He said nothing more and turned away. She smiled at her win.

"You want a drink too?" she asked after turning back to her friend.

"No, Kyle, already got me something," Naomi raised her glass to show her best friend, "It's his special recipe."

"Oooo," she grinned, looking between us, "Lemme taste."

Naomi handed her the glass, and she took a sip. 

"Not bad Baller," she said, "You might be onto something. How did you come up with this?"

"He was a teen alcoholic," Naomi said and the three of us burst into laughter.

Brodrick got up and walked off, which caused Celeste to laugh even harder.

"Wooooow," I said when my laughter started to die down, "I'm offended."

"You were the one mixing your parents' good liquor at sixteen," Naomi chuckled.

With that the conversation between the three of us went on, Celeste wanting to know what other weird drink combinations I had. Noelle left soon after Brodrick did...I think. I was so caught up in the conversation that I didn't even notice when she let go of me and left. 

But I wasn't the least bit upset. I was where I wanted to be, with who I wanted to be with.