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Chapter Nine

Even before Mas pulled up to the farmhouse, I could feel the vibrations coming from the music. Every single light in the house was on and teens spilled out onto the lawn. I rolled down my window and peered out.

"Won't the neighbors call and complain?"

Mason laughed. "They don't really have neighbors. It's all field."

He wasn't kidding. There was grass, grass, corn, and more grass.

Mason pulled the truck up next to two tiny little cars. He came around and helped me down. I grabbed the back of my skirt and prayed for the best as I hopped down. Once my feet were safely on grass, I ran a hand down my hair and smiled. I had spent two hours straightening away the wild curls. It was a lot of work that only lasted until my next shower.

But it was a party, after all.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Larry."

Mason took my hand and started off across the lawn. I stumbled a second and then jogged after him until we were walking side by side.

"Hi Mason!"

"Sup Mas?"

It was like the Wal-mart thing all over again. Mason waved and we headed up the steps. He stopped a guy heading out of the house.

"Where's Larry?"

"Kitchen."

Mason grinned. "Figures."

We walked inside and Mason wound around a group of girls to get into the kitchen.

"LARRY!"

A guy with light brown hair turned and held up a hand. Mason hadn't been kidding when he told me I was lighter than Larry. Larry was the size of a baby elephant.

"MASON! My future varsity brother!"

He pushed past some tall skinny dude leaning against the kitchen table and came up to us. He pulled Mason into one of those weird macho slappy hugs and then stepped back. He looked at me in surprise.

"And who is this?"

Mason smiled. "This is Shelby. She's spending the summer up here and helping my mom with the riding camp."

Larry held out his big beefy hand. I tried not to wince as he squeezed my fingers.

"So this is Shelby. Great to meet you. Where are you from again?"

"Florida."

"Well, if all the girls down there are as pretty as you, sign me up for a long vacation," he said with a grin. I pulled my hand away. I forced the corners of my mouth up.

I didn't like the guy.

To my surprise, Mason put his arm around my shoulder. Suddenly I was squeezed to his side.

"Thanks for inviting us."

Larry looked at Mas and then at me. I sensed there was some type of male thing going on.

"Hey, no problem. You want a drink?"

"Sure. Whatcha got?"

Larry rubbed his hands together. "Bud."

I saw Mason's eyebrows arch.

"Bud? How'd you get beer?"

"My older brother came down to visit last weekend and smuggled in a shitload of alcohol. I stored it up in the barn until mom and dad took off. The liquor's overflowing the cups, man."

Mason shook his head. "I'll stick with Coke or Pepsi."

Larry snorted. His attention went back to me.

"And what about for our Florida peach?"

Ugh, the guy couldn't even get his state-fruit pairings right. I had a hunch that he could probably handle a football, but that he was lost with a pencil in his hand.

"I'll take what Mason's having."

"Aw, you guys are no fun. Soda's over there in the bottles. Help yourself."

He wove around us and disappeared into the crowd. I heard someone shout something about a beer bong.

"Larry's never supplied alcohol before," Mason said apologetically. He grabbed two red plastic cups.

"It's okay," I said. I grabbed a bottle of Diet Coke and poured some into my cup. He held out his hands for the bottle and poured his own.

We walked back outside. The loud music was coming from the back of a pickup truck, tailgate down. I think most of the people dancing had probably already soaked up a couple cups of beer. I couldn't even really call what they were doing dancing.

"Hey Mas."

Mason and I both looked behind us as a pretty blonde came out of the house. She wrapped her hand around one of the wooden porch posts.

"Hi Vanna."

The girl looked at me and tilted her head. Mason coughed.

"Shelby, this is Savannah Wilcox. Vanna, this is Shelby McLean."

"Oh, so you're the one Mason's always talking about," she said. She flipped her hair and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

I glanced at Mason; his eyes were studying a spider web running over the porch steps. I shook Savannah's hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"You have to come meet some of my friends. Mason, I'm going to steal her for a few minutes, okay?"

That redirected Mason's attention. "Huh?"

Savannah's fingers wrapped around my wrist and before I knew it, I was being tugged down the stairs.

"She'll be back in five minutes!"

Savannah led me across the yard to where a group of girls were standing poised with red plastic cups pressed against their shiny glossy lips, giggling as they watched a couple boys doing some weird robotic dance.

"Hey girls! Look at what I've got here. A Shelby."

I didn't like the way she said it. 'A Shelby.' Like I was some type of zoo animal on display.

One of the girls was an identical copy of Savannah. Her eyes widened.

"Wow, so she does exist."

I dug my nails into my palm, making a fist. I was going to make this a quick little conversation. I had thought my high school was bad. These country bumpkins were just as, if not, worse than the snarling wolves I put up with every day.

"What are you talking about?"

The girls looked at each other and giggled. Savannah #2 stepped forward.

"Is Mason gay?"

I know my eyes widened. Probably to the size of saucers. I hadn't expected that. I turned around. The amount of people on the lawn had doubled and I didn't know where Mason was. I turned back. Five pairs of eyes were looking at me.

"What? No! I mean...no!"

I didn't know if Mason was gay! Oh hell, what if he was? Did I de-out him? He didn't seem gay. Of course I didn't have great gaydar. Half the actors I had a crush on ended up gay.

Oh shit...

"Why the hell do you think he's gay?" I finally asked out loud. The girls looked at each other.

"Well, I mean, he's hot," Savannah (the real one, not #2) said. "All of us have tried to get him to ask us out but..."

"It's like he's not interested," Savannah #2 said with a sigh.

"But he's always talking about you," a dark haired girl said.

"So if he's not gay...are you guys going out?" a third blonde asked.

"Are you guys having sex?" a brunette pressed.

I swear that the temperature skyrocketed. It even hurt to breathe. I was getting shot at from all sides.

"What?! No, I mean...we're just...we are...the thing is..."

"Hey Shel, I think it's time to go."

Mason came up and stood beside me. He flashed a smile at the group of girls.

"You girls having a good summer?"

All five of the puppies nodded in unison, never once taking their eyes off me. Mason took my hand.

My hand. Again.

"Have a good night!"

I followed him to the truck. My plastic cup of Diet Coke was still half full. He took it and dumped it on the grass.

"Is it ten thirty already?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No, but something tells me our one cop is going to be out here soon. And our one firefighter."

"Why?"

"Larry set off a firework and I think he started a small grass fire. Fire and underage drinking are two things I don't want to add to my wrap sheet. I like unsupervised parties, but I like not being imprisoned in my room for the rest of my life better."

He opened the door to the truck and I climbed up. I didn't even care about keeping it lady-like. I was thinking about what those girls said.

Gay? Mason? Sex?

I was suddenly hit with an irrational fear. I thought back to one of the first plane rides Mason and I were both on when we were uber-little. He had suggested we play doctor. He freaked out when he found out I didn't have a 'weiner.' He had been terrified. I groaned.

I had turned him gay at five years old.

"You okay?"

Mason was looking at me, the key poised to go into the ignition.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine!"

"Did Savannah say something..."

"NO!"

I had no idea what the last part of his sentence was, but I did not want to have this discussion. I slumped down in the seat as the truck roared to life and Mason put the truck into reverse.

The hot ones were always gay.

And yes, Mason was hot.