***Chapter Fifty-Four***
The next night, we all met up at 7:30 to get in our respective cars to head to the overpass. I did as I said and rode with Dillon and Dre. While Cameron rode with Drew and Julie. Realistically we all could've fit in one car since Keegan and Kayla weren't coming with us. The amount of stuff they decided to bring made it nearly impossible.
There were beers, blankets, hoodies, and chairs. You name it, we had it. They even managed to get a small speaker so we could play some music. I didn't expect to use it much since this downtime should be spent connecting on a deeper level. Out of everyone here, I barely get to connect with Dre or Julie. Dre because the guy is either always with Drew or he's with Dillon. Then Julie because she's just too busy to keep up with. Plus, there's the chance I may slip up and say the wrong thing. Either way, I'm glad to be spending time with all of them.
What wasn't so fun was getting to the top of the overpass. We had to make at least 3 trips each just to bring everything up as there wasn't enough space for the cars to make it through. Lugging chairs through sticks and trees wasn't exactly my idea of fun. However, once we got to the top I couldn't help but marvel at the breathtaking view. It was stellar.
Crossing my arms, I let myself get lost in the calmness of the water below us as the sun looked like it was sitting right on top of it. The autumn leaves make it look that much more beautiful. I'm not sure how they find these places but they sure were amazing.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Drew asks from behind me. He comes to stand next to me at a safe distance.
I nod in agreement. "It's gorgeous! How did you guys find it?" I smile.
He shrugs. "It's a long story, but I'm glad you like it." He smiles back.
My eyes capture his and for a moment it's like we both get lost. The tension between us has been rising ever so slowly, but it's always there. The need to want to be close to each other has grown exponentially. The more we spend time together, the harder it gets to contain ourselves in front of the others. The downfall now was that Juliana was here with us. We couldn't possibly do anything with her around. That's just asking for trouble. However, it led me to question myself and what I was doing. Was I content essentially being the other woman?
Before things took a turn, I could hear Cameron call out to Drew. "Uh Drew, we could use your help over here!" He says as he and Dre were trying to light a fire.
Drew chuckled before walking over to them. Walking over as well, I could feel a pair of eyes on me following my every move. When I looked to see who it was, Julie was scowling at me. There was no reason for her to as we were only talking. Neither of us said anything bad and there was so much space between us. Ever since he wore my hat that one time, Julie has been on my ass when it comes to talking to him. Maybe there's something she knows that I don't.
They finally got the fire started and the speaker playing quietly in the background. We set up our chairs and they wasted no time pulling out their beers. I never had one, so I decided I'd try it. The one glass I had stayed with me all night. Even as we played a game of never have I ever. It's safe to say I'm a saint compared to these hooligans.
"Never have I ever done it on school grounds," Cameron said.
Almost everyone aside from Cameron and I drank. It's not shocking considering I never had a boy interested in me until now. Even then, the most I did was kiss. There's also that time in Drew's car but that wasn't much of anything. But boy did it give me quite the rush.
"Never have I ever puked while riding on a rollercoaster." Dre went next.
Dillon was the only one to sip this time as we all laughed.
"What? No way!" Julie chuckled.
Dillon nodded in shame. "I was 9 years old and it was my first time on a big ride." She defended herself. "Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't have eaten that hot dog right before."
We all make a disgusted face at her. I could only imagine what that looked like.
We kept going around asking things and it was quite telling what they've all done. Dre went to his high school graduation wasted out of his mind. Cameron once sneaked his dad's car keys and drove right into their garage. Then Julie got caught sneaking a boy into her room before dating Drew. Where Drew is practically drunk for everything. I knew they were mischievous but not to this extent. I'm the only one who didn't drink for anything. Drew was wasted while I sat here sober as can be. That only made me a target for Juliana.
As we laughed at the last question asked, Julie looked at me with narrow eyes. She was studying me like I'd done something wrong. The only thing I did was not drink. Mainly because I'm just too much of a goody-two-shoes. I'm an only child, well until recently. My only friend was Dillon and I never went to any of the parties throughout high school. Not that I was invited anyway. What did she want me to do about it? I can't go back and change it.
Sipping her third beer bottle, she fixed her attention back on me. "What dirty secret is Anna hiding?" She wondered. "You haven't taken a drink for anything all night."
Everyone's eyes fixed on me but I shrug. "Because I'm not a heathen like the rest of you." I joke.
Of course, everyone else laughed except Julie. She was gunning for me tonight. "I find that hard to believe." She said. I had to remember it was probably the beer talking.
"Well...believe it. I haven't done anything wild." I continue with my story. It was true.
Dillon even vouched for me. "She just had her first sip of Alcohol a few weeks ago," she said. "She's as innocent as they come."
I'm not sure why, Julie was dead set on finding something to make me drink over. It's like she couldn't accept that I'm boring. As sad as that is to say about oneself, it's the truth. I could've experimented a little more. After my bullying experience, I was afraid to talk to anybody. I wanted to stay as hidden as possible and it worked out in my favor.
"You've had to have done something," Julie keeps on pressuring. "How can you hang out with us and be so...boring." That hurt to hear from someone else.
Luckily, everyone else seemed okay with that. "Sometimes you need that," Cameron always was on my side.
"Exactly, it helps keep us stable." Dre agreed with him.
I smiled at them both while Julie still scoffed. "Oh please, she's never done anything. Barely knows how to drink alcohol. She's only just recently been to a party. Not to mention she's still a virgin." Of course, she'd throw that in there.
Even in his drunk state, Drew's frown couldn't be missed. Especially after he saw my face. It's not like what she said is a lie. It's just why? What was her purpose for saying all this now? We seemed to be okay over the last few weeks. What has changed? There's no way she found out about what's going on with Drew and me. Maybe she just didn't like me or she didn't like my friendship with Drew. That didn't excuse her to be a bitch.
Drew stepped in this time. "Julie, seriously is that necessary?" He asked, very annoyed.
"What? It's the truth and you all know it," she shrugs. "I'm the one not afraid to say it. You're pathetic!" She looks me dead in the eye.
I know we're in college but coming from my personal experience, it felt like straight-up bullying. Only because she knew I wouldn't say anything back to her. What could I possibly say that'll even compare to what she told me? There was nothing I could do but sit there and take it. Even throwing in the fact that Drew's interested in me wouldn't do any good. That'll only get him to argue with her as well.
Instead, I roll my eyes before getting up from my seat to walk away. That was the best thing to do in this situation. I know she was talking based on the drinks she's had. However, I wouldn't doubt that there is some truth to what she's feeling. Whenever anyone gets close to Drew she starts to act insane. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the matter at hand.
Regardless, I decided to keep my distance from her the rest of the night but I wouldn't be alone. After I walked off, surprisingly Dre of all people came running behind me. He's not the person I would have expected, but it's a nice change of pace. I wouldn't be surprised if Dillon made him come over. We are best friends and that is her boyfriend.
"Anna, where are you going?" He asked before reaching me.
I shake my head, frustrated with the situation. "Nowhere, I just needed a breather," I say. It wasn't anywhere for me to go honestly.
He sighed. "Look, don't take what Julie said to heart," he tried comforting me. "She's most likely upset that you and Drew grew close practically overnight."
Agreeing with him, I cross my arms over my chest. "Believe me, if I could change that I would. It's certainly not worth it for this." I began to rant. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Playing second fiddle for someone who's never going to end his relationship with her. If there's one thing she's said correctly it's that I'm pathetic."
His face looks at me confused. "Second fiddle? What do you mean second fiddle?"
That's when I realized who I was talking to. I prematurely assumed Dre knew what was happening since he's best friends with Drew. They didn't seem like the type to keep secrets from each other but this is a pretty big secret. Despite that, running my mouth to everyone would be a bad idea. Though I couldn't just lie to him. Juliana wasn't exactly everyone's cup of tea so I doubt he'd say anything. Next time I need to be more mindful.
Gulping, it wasn't guaranteed that nobody else would be listening. As long as it wasn't Juliana it would be safe to talk about it. Drew should have been the one to tell him, but leave it to me to get the job done.
"Well...umm...Drew asked me to be his friend with benefits some time ago." I admit.
Dre looked surprised about that but not at the same time. "Shit. I told him not to go through with it." He facepalmed himself.
Now I looked at him shocked. "Wait you knew?"
He chuckled. "Of course I did. I mean, I knew he wanted to ask you but didn't expect him to." He says. "I also didn't expect you to say yes."
"Can you blame me? Being with Drew was my childhood dream." I sigh.
Dre gives me a soft smile. "I know Anna, but don't hurt yourself trying to achieve it."
He did have a point. It's not clear whether or not I'll continue to be second to Juliana. With the way things are going, it sure seemed that way. Drew didn't look like he was in a rush to change things and Julie would never let him go willingly. Leaving me stuck in a never-ending cycle. My heart couldn't help what it wanted, but was it good for me?
Taking in what he said, I looked to the ground because he was right. "Yeah, I just don't know what to do Dre," I say, looking back at him. "I...I truly love him."
"Flaws and all?" He questioned. "Remember, there's a lot you don't know."
"But I want to. It's just a matter of him telling me." I smile. "And when he does I don't think it'll change anything. No matter his mistakes, he's still the guy I love." That part was true.
Dre recognized that and all he could do was smile. "Whenever he does decide to tell you, make sure you stick to your word." He hugged me. "Drew needs someone like you to accept and appreciate all the hard work he has done."
I hug him back for the first time. "I'm confused, doesn't he have Julie for that?" I began to wonder what their relationship was like.
He makes a weird face, not willing to go into detail. "Let's just say their relationship isn't exactly normal."
It shouldn't be a surprise that he wouldn't tell me, but it makes me all the more curious. What the heck are those two hiding? It had to be something crazy for everyone to be so hushed about it. By the time winter break came I was going to figure out what was going on. Drew needed to tell me the truth one way or another.
After making me feel better, I headed back to the overpass with Dre where everyone was glad to see me except Julie. We finished off our night with a couple more drinks before heading back to campus. I still don't know what Julie's problem was but I'm willing to let it go. She did drink a lot after all.