"One."
Adam cocked his head. "Dad!"
"One thirty."
"Dad!"
"What? That's three hours. That's plenty of time to be friends with people you'll never see again when the week is over with."
Adam was going to complain again but relented. "All right. And we'll be quiet when we get back."
"At what time?" his dad asked.
"One thirty."
"Good. Now, you boys be careful. And don't get into any trouble."
Within minutes the guys were upstairs, freshening up and changing from tank tops to T-shirts. They regrouped on the wrap-around deck and then made their way down the steps and to the main road.
It was still warm outside. The cloud coverage had thinned enough that the moonlight shone brightly during their trek of three or four blocks to Lake Forest Parkway. There, the road darkened. They passed one house, and then the road was bordered by nothing but trees.
Briefly, the song of insects filled the humid air. Then Conner said, "If no one's friendly or if they act stupid, we shouldn't stay long."
"It'll be fine," Adam said. "Besides, we're out of the house."
"Dude," Trevor groaned, "you shouldn't expect to sneak off into the woods with a girl. You'll probably get poison ivy on your dick."
Everyone laughed.
Adam nudged Trevor in the ribs. "Shut up. I don't need to sneak off with a girl."
"I'm serious. You really wanna roll around in the dirt?"
"Hey. I wanted to get out a while, you know? Just be out, instead of another night of bowling on the Wii."
Jared chuckled. "That's 'cause you came in last."
"Kicked your ass at golf, didn't I?"
"Whatever, man."
The sound of voices in the distance signaled that they'd nearly reached their destination. At the end of the road, the crumbling asphalt dead-ended, giving way to a dirt path littered with small rocks and twigs, forking away from the road and snaking into the tall grass. Not far off, a flame of light flickered.
In a clearing, a dozen or so people stood or sat on stumps set up in a semicircle. When the guys stepped into the area, Gwen immediately rushed toward them with Sam and another girl on her heels.
"You came," she said, smiling wide. "Sam didn't think you guys would show up."
"Oh, really?" Adam stepped into the lead. "And why is that?"
"Even we don't hang out with the local crowd much."
"Lucky for us," Jared said.
The girls laughed.
"This is our friend Miranda." Gwen gestured to the crowd. "And this is everyone else worth knowing around here."
The small group of girls and guys uttered lukewarm hellos or obligatory nods.
"These are our new friends," Gwen said. "They're staying at the lake for the week."
For the next hour, beers were passed around. Then someone lit a joint, which made the rounds. It wasn't long before the guys were buzzed and slightly high. Conner and Trevor entertained Sam. Gwen had attached herself to Adam. Miranda had practically draped herself over Jared's shoulder. Everyone was having a good time.
Just past midnight, a tall silhouette appeared at the end of the dirt path. The figure stepped closer to the light of the small fire, revealing a nice-looking man in his early twenties. He was tall and lean, clearly fit. A cigarette rested between his lips, burning bright and trailing a wisp of smoke into the cooling air. As he stepped into the clearing, he called out, "Who the hell are these dickheads?"
The chatter plummeted to an abrupt stop.
Miranda jerked away from Jared in such a rush that she nearly stumbled and fell. She approached the man with wobbly steps. "Hey, Kevin."
He brushed past her to stand in front of Jared. "Yo, dickhead. What the hell are you doing with my girl?"
Because Jared could be a smartass, he said, "Nothing yet."
Kevin jabbed at Jared's chest with a knuckle. "A funny dickhead."
Adam, Conner, and Trevor raced to Jared's side.
Shaking his head, Kevin let out a long whistle. "Backup?"
"No," Adam said. "Jared can kick your ass if he has to. But you swing once, and we're all pounding on your ass."
Amused, Kevin chuckled. "Really?" He butted his palms against Jared's chest.
Jared staggered, off-balance, but recovered quickly and retaliated by shoving Kevin. Adam followed by knocking Kevin to the side. Trevor yanked the guy by the shirt, forcing him forward. Then Connor landed a punch to Kevin's stomach.
On his knees, Kevin coughed, "You're dead meat, assholes!"
Jared rammed Kevin, launching him backward onto his butt.
Then the four sprinted from the clearing with Adam yelling, "So long, loser!"
From the clearing, Kevin shouted, "Keep running, faggots!"
Conner dug his heels into the dirt and turned. Cupping his mouth, he replied, "These four faggots knocked you on your ass, bitch!"
They continued to run, giggling and hooting like elementary kids who'd reached the end of an exciting adventure. At Lake Forest Passway, they slowed their pace to a jog. Arriving at the cabin's gravel driveway, Adam whipped off his shirt.
"Let's cool off in the lake," he said.
They eagerly discarded their clothes and dove into the water.
Conner resurfaced and spat. "It's freezing!"
Groaning, Trevor returned to the edge of the dock. "Okay. This wasn't such a good idea." Hoisting himself out of the lake, he spread out on the wooden planks and caught his breath.
His buddies joined him, shivering and complaining about the water's frigid temperature. Clutching their clothes to their bodies, they hurried to the steps leading to the wrap-around deck. Before entering the guest rooms, Adam said, "Hey. We got back by one thirty."
They laughed with restrained volume.
Conner quickly dried himself with a towel and collapsed onto the twin bed. Soon after, Jared tossed his wet underwear at Conner's head and then rummaged through his duffle bag.
"Hey!" Conner flung the underwear back at Jared, then sat up. "I guess we shouldn't walk around town again."
"Ha. Probably not."
Trevor entered with a towel wrapped around his waist and a concerned look on his face. "Did one of you guys pick up my cell?"
"No." Conner searched his pile of clothes and waved his phone at Trevor. "Just mine."
Jared didn't have an extra phone either.
"Dammit," Trevor
