The Victim (Book #1)

Chapter 47

There were strings of white twinkling lights covering the trees and gate around the expansive backyard, and two picnic tables covered in a white plastic tablecloth appeared to have been pushed together to form one giant table. There was a large BBQ where Dominic had just finished grilling, and he and Caleb were loading hotdogs and hamburgers onto buns. Even the pool seemed to be celebrating; the white light that normally lit it was changing from blue to purple to green and back again quite festively.

JJ and I turned to each other as the scent of the food poured over us. Charlotte walked over and introduced herself to JJ before I could, and soon afterward we were all acquainted. Val was there with Brooks, Christine with Dominic, and Caleb brought a friend of his named Jake, who was apparently also in our grade. Damon's date had bailed but he didn't seem to mind too much, as he and Val were in a deep conversation about whether Ross or Rachel from Friends was right about going on a break. Although I was on Damon's side, I knew I would back Val if she wanted me to.

We grabbed our plates and went down the line to fill them. I grabbed a hotdog topped with ketchup and mustard and some potato salad and chips, as well as a sprite.

I ended up sitting next to Christine with JJ on my other side and Caleb and Jake across from us.

I began digging into my meal with gusto, before turning and seeing Christine's head bowed. Her eyes were shut, and she was silent for a moment before she started eating and talking again.

"Were you just praying?" I asked curiously. I may not have had a religious childhood or many religious friends, but the idea of spirituality always fascinated me. The fact that people commit their lives to a truth that they so ardently believed was astounding, in some ways. And it was hard to believe that the beautiful depth of nature and humanity around us was unplanned.

She smiled at me, unabashedly.

"Yes. I'm a Christian." She replied before taking a sip from her coke.

I nodded at that, wishing I had a follow up question.

"That's interesting." I said at long last.

"Do you know what you believe?" she asked me, as if there was no pressure. Dominic looked at me curiously over her shoulder, and even JJ was listening.

"Umm, I'm not really sure." I admitted. "I've never thought about it." I shrugged and dug into my meal as if it was my sole focus on this planet.

"Well, if you're ever curious, Dominic has my number and I'd love to talk. Even if it's just about life." She said, still at ease.

Dominic nodded at that and said "Christine gives the best life advice. Except when she tells me not to ride my motorcycle." He shot her a wink and she shoved against his chest, giggling.

"As long as you don't get hurt, it's okay!" she said. "But if you fall off a cliff, I'll kill you!" What she said seemed genuine, but she spoke playfully.

I turned to JJ abruptly, happy that I had a story to tell.

"Guess what I want to have when I'm older?" I asked, and I knew I had the same manic expression that appeared when I was about to ride.

"A motorcycle??" she asked angrily. "You could die!" she protested.

"Thank you!" Christine said, looking at Dominic and me. We turned to each other as if we were thinking about it and then shrugged simultaneously.

We all laughed as Jake and Caleb joined the conversation, with Jake giving his best impression of a motorcycle noise and Caleb mocking Dominic riding it stupidly.

"I'm very careful!" Dom replied.

"Careful like the time you brought it out back and started showing off for some girl and almost drove it into the pool?" Brooks asked, butting in.

We continued eating and making fun of each other as I realized this family always seemed to do. Charlotte occasionally broke it up if the joking got too genuine, and Val occasionally made a joke if it was getting too quiet.

I knew we weren't a real family; not in the traditional sense of the word, and definitely not including me. But there was something perfect about the sun setting on a meal where we spilled our drinks trying to tell a story, talked over each other, and said exactly how we felt. It wasn't quiet, it wasn't fake, it wasn't careful. It was the messy kind of real, and it was absolutely perfect.