In a Heartbeat by Markus Harwood-Jones

Author:Markus Harwood-Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: James Lorimer and Company Ltd., Publishers
Published: 2021-06-17T00:00:00+00:00

12

Slip Away

The party is even louder than I remember. The kitchen has turned into a dance floor.

My mouth is dry. I squeeze to the fridge but there’s only beer inside. The girl with the ponytail sits perched on a countertop. I wave for her attention. “Is there anything else to drink?”

She furrows her brows. “What?”

I force my voice louder. “Is there anything else to drink?!”

“I think they’re using it right now.” She points at some teenagers who’ve plugged up the kitchen sink. They’re playing some kind of bob-for-apples drinking game. “Try the bathroom?”

“Not a sink.” I mime a cup in one hand. “A drink!”

“In the basement, I think?” She shrugs and starts typing on her phone. That seems to be the last answer I’m going to get. I head towards the stairs.

The basement is all shiny leather couches and white carpet. Creepy, taxidermied animal heads hang on the walls. The room is packed and people are cheering. A short young woman scrunches up her face and bounces a small ball across a glass coffee table. It lands in a red cup and the room erupts in applause. The woman’s opponent downs the drink, fizzy brown liquid spilling down his cheeks. I side-step the chaos, back pressed against a closed door. The handle is unlocked. I slip inside.

The floor is cool, white tile. There are racks of summer clothes, fancy sandals and wide-brim hats. Next to the walk-in closet, there’s a washer and dryer along with an old fridge. I swing it open, hoping for water. It holds only rows and rows of pop.

I smack my lips and notice something tucked in the back. A clear bottle with a faded label. “Dr. McGillicuddy’s Original Formula,” I read aloud. Propped against the washer, I twist open the orange cap. It smells like peaches dunked into rubbing alcohol. “Ugh. Nasty.”

I fish out my phone and flip to the group chat with Maggie and Pippa.

Lucien: I think I might literally be hiding in a closet 😂

Lucien: Is this the hetero agenda?

“Anybody seen my cousin?” A question floats from the other side of the door. “Short guy, kinda awkward? I’m supposed to get him home soon.”

“Oh, yeah, I met the little guy,” says another. “I think he’s out back.”

“Thanks, dude.” Jerry’s voice drifts away again.

I scowl down at the bottle in my hands. My wrists look so delicate in the heavy sleeves of my cousin’s shirt. I roll them up and take a swig of that Original Formula. Instantly, I double over in a coughing fit.

After a few more sips, my throat is so raw I hardly feel the burn anymore. There’s no word from Maggie or Pippa. I flip instead to that mysterious message from Alder.

“Sup. Su-uh-p. Souuuup.” I crack myself up. “I should call him and just say that — souuuup!”

A tiny voice from the back of my mind screams that this is a bad idea. I wash it down with another swig, then smack the call button.

“Hello?” Alder’s voice crackles through my phone speaker.

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