The summervale series, p.5
The Summervale Series, page 5
So, I was going as a vampire—a rather sexy vampire, at that. My boobs bulged from the tight black bodice of the dress I had picked up at the local thrift store. The skirt was made from black and red tulle, and the sleeves were lacy and puffy. I had on bright red lipstick and dark-winged eyeliner. I also had a set of plastic vampire fangs, which I would slip in later. They were in my purse now as they were uncomfortable. I wondered what Dane was dressing up as…
As I thought of him, I saw a flicker of movement through the window. I smiled when I saw Dane moving about his room. He wore jeans and a white t-shirt, through which you could see the shape of his abs and the bulge of his biceps. I stood at the window while I checked I had everything and wondered why he was dressed casually and not in costume… when he turned, and his face gave me a start. He smiled, gave me a small wave, and gestured for me to come outside. I smiled and ran to the door. Dane was coming out of his front door when I opened it, and I could see his face more clearly.
He was a zombie.
I laughed. “Nice costume.”
“Thanks. You look amazing too.” He walked over to me and leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled back.
“Oh, my make up! I worked on this for ages. I don’t wanna smudge it yet.”
He put his hands up in surrender and settled for giving me a peck on the cheek.
“Sorry. So, are you excited for tonight?”
“Yes. I can’t wait. So, what exactly goes down at these things?”
“Well, there’s the dance, of course. The teachers get a little nervous because most girls come in sexy outfits and grind against the guys. The dancing gets a bit… risqué. They even spike the punch bowl. But that’s not the best part.”
“What’s the best part?”
“Well, one of the classrooms is designated as the Rendezvous Club. That’s where all the fun happens.”
“Sounds… scandalous.”
“It really is. It’s where teens go to make out or hang out in private with their dates. It’s set up like a speakeasy, but with no alcohol, of course. Most of the time, someone will sneak some booze in there.”
“Sounds cool, but I really wanna just go hang out with Stacey and Ashton and for you and I to dance.”
“We will. Oh, and I forgot to tell you the best part. There’s an after-party.”
“After-party?”
“Yep. No adults. Free booze and food. Loud, inappropriate music. This year it’s at a new, top-secret location, but I have the scoop.”
I smirked. “Oh, yeah. What is it?”
“It’s at the old psych hospital next to Summervale Cove Lighthouse.”
My heart kicked up its pace a notch, and my stomach fluttered. The same psych hospital I needed to break into.
“Really? Well, then, I can’t wait.”
This was my chance. Once I was inside the psych hospital, I would sneak off and find what I needed, and no one would ever know.
When Dane and I walked into the school hall that night, hand in hand, the party was already in full swing.
“I’ll go get us some drinks. Be back.” He kissed my cheek and walked toward the drinks table.
I spotted Stacey standing with Ashton, the other band members at the side of the room seated at one of the tables. There were two other girls there, obviously the other members’ dates.
“Hey, Stace.”
She turned and smiled when I tapped her on the shoulder, as the music was too loud to hear.
“Hey, girl! Oh, my God, you look hot!”
“You do too.”
Stacey was dressed in a short silky red dress and a matching pointy witch’s hat. Her hair was down, and she had dyed strands of it red and pink. She also had stockings held up by garters and black velvet heels. The other two girls were dressed as a sexy fairy and another sexy witch, but in purple, respectively. I could see what Dane meant by risqué now.
“Where’s your other half?” asked Ashton, coming over to hug me.
“Hey, Ashton. Dane’s just gone to get some drinks. I can’t wait to hear you play later.”
“Thanks, it should be better than the rehearsal,” joked the bass player, Dylan Storm. But no one, especially Stacey, found it funny. I decided to intervene.
“Hey, wanna dance?” I asked her, taking her hand.
“Sure.” She downed a red solo cup of something on the table and followed me onto the dancefloor.
thirteen
THE RENDEZVOUS
Stacey and I danced to something upbeat for a while before the beat changed to something a little slower in tempo. She spun me around like we used to do as little girls.
“So, you and Ashton seem to be going well,” I said, trying to make small talk. I had to keep her mind off the incident in the bathroom.
“Yeah. We’ll be going into the Rendezvous Club when he gets off stage later,” she said, smiling.
I smiled in return. “Oh, good. I’m happy for you.”
“What about you and Dane?”
“Yeah, we’re good. I don’t know if Dane is going to ask me there or not, but he told me about it, so he might.”
She nodded. “Good. I don’t want you to hear the whispers before they start.”
“What do you mean?”
“You should know that Dane has kind of a… reputation at the Rendezvous Club.”
I shook my head. “I don’t care what he’s done in the past. He’s with me tonight. He’s my date.”
“I know. But I just thought you should know. People might say things.”
“I’ve got a thick skin. I’ll be fine, Stace.”
The next song was also slow, and Dane chose that moment to cut in.
“Hey, do you mind if I interrupt?” he asked Stacey.
“Sure. I’m going to find my Rockstar before he goes on stage. See ya, love birds.”
When Stacey leaves, Dane hands me my drink and stands closer, placing his hands on my hips.
I noticed he didn’t have a drink.
“Where’s yours?” I asked, gesturing to the red solo cup in my hand.
“Oh, I drank mine. I found one of my friends over by the drinks table.”
I nodded and took a sip. It was fruity, fizzy, with an obvious alcoholic after taste that numbed my tongue.
“Oh, what is this?”
Dane laughed. “It’s the famous punch. I warned you, didn’t I?”
“You did. But I didn’t expect it to be like that.”
He laughed again. “You’re welcome. So, are you having a good time?”
“Yeah. I danced with Stacey. She and Ashton look cozy.”
He nodded. “Yeah, Ash seems content with Stacey.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just mean that Ashton doesn’t do serious. But for him and Stacey… they’re different. He seems serious about her.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I noticed that too.”
“So, um… the Rendezvous Club. Are we… do you…”
“Wanna go? Nah. Maybe later. I mean, I kind of wanna dance out here with you.”
I took another sip of my drink and nodded. “Okay.”
One Strikes’ set had begun not long after that, and everyone formed a mosh pit in front of the stage. I joined Stacey at the front, jumping up and down and dancing with her. But partway through, Dane tapped me on the shoulder and held out his hand. Confused, I took it, and he led me out of the school hall.
It was quiet in the corridors of Summervale High.
“Where are we going?”
“Where do you think?” he replied, looking over his shoulder at me with a wink and a smirk.
The Rendezvous Club.
“Oh. Okay.”
Didn’t he say he wasn’t interested? But it didn’t really matter. I went with him willingly to the private speakeasy within the confines of the school.
Strands of fairy lights were hung from the ceiling, and little tealight candles were set on each table throughout the room. Each table was covered in black tablecloths, and the windows were also covered to create an underground, secretive club-like feel.
“Welcome to the Rendezvous Club.”
“Wow. It’s gorgeous.”
“And it’s ours… for the moment. So, let’s make the most of it.”
There was a red velvet love seat on the far side set up under one of the windows, and we made our way over to it. Dane pulled me down onto it and moved in close. I reached for him, and we kissed for the first time that night.
We moved to a laying position, and Dane moved on top of me and kissed my neck, like a vampire feeding on its prey.
I was meant to be the vampire tonight, but I was now the prey, and Dane, my killer.
I arched my back and moaned.
“Mm. Dane…”
“This is nice. We can finally be together. Alone. it’s like an illicit affair we’re having.”
I paused and sat up, pushing him away a little.
“What’s wrong?” he hesitated, searching my face.
“I don’t know about this. What if someone walks in?”
What if the rumors are true?
What if this is where he takes all his girls?
“No one will walk in. they’re all out there enjoying One Strike. Why did you think I picked now as the time to bring you here?”
I sighed and slid my arms around his waist, then moved into his lap. He groaned, and his hands found the ties to my corset. He began loosening it, tugging and pulling, freeing me from the barrier between us. I stopped kissing him and slid back a bit so my groin wasn’t pushing against his.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I want to be with you, I do. It’s just… I think we should be out there with the others dancing.”
“I know, but this is what this place is for. Come on, baby.”
He moved to kiss me. But I’d had enough. The rumors were finally digging their claws into my brain. I got off him and readjusted my dress.
“Darcie?”
“I… I can’t. I’m going back out there.” And I turned and fled back into the darkness of the empty school.
fourteen
SECRETS IN THE DARK
I found Stacey still in the last place I saw her, on the dancefloor beside the stage. I tapped her on the shoulder and turned, pulling my long brown hair over my shoulder. She said nothing and began to lace me back up. I mouthed, ‘thanks.’ And turned toward the stage.
I stole a glance at her, and she winked and smiled. She seemed happy, at least. Nothing had happened while I was away. That was good.
Ashton stepped up to the microphone.
“This next song is for my girl, Stacey. Love you, babe.”
Stacey squealed and jumped happily beside me. She blew him a kiss and mouthed ‘love you’ to her rockstar boyfriend.
At least she was happy.
While I felt like another notch on Dane’s bedpost.
The beat of Stacey’s song was sultry, with a slow indie-rock vibe. The guitarist and bassist, Dylan Storm, picked up a saxophone, which made most of the girls in the gymnasium scream like teens at the concert of their favorite boy band.
One Strike was it for these teens.
“It’s my song!” screamed Stacey, tugging my arm. I nodded my head and swayed with her.
I would do this for her. She needed this. It would help me take my mind off Dane and his reputation for at least a little while.
Stacey and I walked arm in arm, singing the words to her song when the dance was over. We followed the rest of the students out into the parking lot, where people were hopping into their parents’ cars or carpooling with other students.
We made our way over to a red truck where Ashton, Bobby, and Dylan were loading their band equipment into the back. Their girlfriends, the two blondes I had seen earlier with Stacey and Ashton, were standing beside the truck laughing and smoking.
Dane was also there.
He looked up when we approached, leaning against the bed of the truck. He swept a hand through his dark tousled hair.
In the light of the floodlights covering the parking lot and the light from cars around us, he looked incredibly sexy, waiting for me. His hair also looked like he’d recently rolled out of bed after sex too.
I pushed thoughts aside for the moment, even though my jealously was rearing its ugly head again.
Stacey chose that moment to leave me and join her boyfriend. I took a deep breath and walked toward Dane.
“Hey,” he said, with a slightly husky voice.
“Hey,” I said. My heart pounded hard.
“Look, Darce, about before… at the Rendezvous Club…”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, cutting him off. I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about it.
“Oh good. I was stressing the fuck out when you left. I thought you might think I was trying to take advantage of you or something.”
“No. I didn’t think that.”
But you see, there’s this rumor…
“I just want to let you know I would never do that to you. I… I’m in love with you, Darce.”
I froze. The world stopped, and it was only Dane and me.
“I’m in love with you too.”
And it was the truth.
He smiled his crazy sexy smile and hugged me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him, and we kissed under the light of the moon and the stars and the headlights of someone’s car.
We were rudely interrupted by what sounded like a barrage of thunder, when in reality, it was Bobby, standing in the bed of the truck, hitting his drumsticks on the roof of the car.
“Sorry to break up this little lover’s fest here, but we’ve got an after-party to get to. The booze won’t drink itself. Plus, a little birdy told me the insane asylum is locked up for the night, and the staff has gone home. So, who’s with me?”
Everyone around me threw up their arms and cheered, Dane and I included.
Then I took Dane’s hand and followed him to his car. Stacey went with Ashton, and the other girls jumped in their cars.
And then we made our way toward Summervale Cove.
fifteen
JUST A LITTLE BIT CRAZY
The road to the lighthouse was long, winding, and dark. We drove in procession, following one another. Dane and I tailed Ashton’s red truck, and the other girls followed us.
“So, are we the only ones going to the after-party?” I asked, breaking up the silence as we drove.
“I don’t know. Ashton usually organizes a whole thing. Most of the kids in our year group go. Sometimes juniors sneak in. Word spreads pretty quickly in this town.”
I nodded.
“So, I’m curious, why the old psych hospital? I mean, it’s still a working hospital. There are still patients there.”
Dane turned toward me and gave me his wicked smile.
“Are you kidding? It’s the scariest and best place to throw an illegal party. We’ve done it before. Plus, the residents don’t mind. You’ll see. It’s like they’re not even there.”
I nodded again. I didn’t need to see. I knew what it was like.
I used to live there.
The only thing that was making me hesitant to go was if someone recognized me.
Still, I needed to get rid of the evidence before the place was redeveloped later when my dad took the contract.
This might be my last chance.
When we were approaching the lighthouse, Stacey texted to tell us to turn off our headlights. When the road was in complete darkness, we moved slowly into the tourist parking lot a little bit down the lighthouse road. Trees and shrubs surrounded it, so it provided the perfect camouflage for our little clandestine party.
When we got out of the car, Dane made his way to the trunk of his car and popped it open. When I joined him there, I saw it was filled with beer kegs and bottles of wine and spirits.
My eyes widened.
“Where’d you get those?”
He winked at me and touched his nose. Ashton ran over and high fived and hugged him.
“It’s who you know. Nah, Ashton’s older brother got them for us, and we paid him back.”
“Let’s rock this joint!” hollered Ashton, taking a keg out of the trunk and hoisting it onto his shoulder. I wasn’t surprised he could carry that thing. He was used to carrying band equipment and speakers around to gigs.
The other guys grabbed the other kegs, and we girls stashed the wine and spirit bottles in shopping bags one of the blonde girls provided. Kelsey and Ashlea if I remember correctly.
Just as I remembered also, there was a chain-link fence with barbed wire on the top, surrounding the facility. But the guys found the gap in the fence someone had created before and snuck through.
It was surprisingly easy to sneak into the psych hospital.
Where was all the security that used to be around when I was there? We crossed the courtyard and opened a window at the side of the building, climbing in and hoisting our booze stash through, taking turns to drop our load through, and climbing in after it.
“Why isn’t there any security?” I had to ask.
“No one cares about a couple of little old crazy ladies.” Ashlea laughed.
“Due to cost-cutting by the government, they got rid of the security guards and night staff years ago,” explained Dane. “My mom told me it’s recently been sold to a developer from the city. It’s soon going to be turned into luxury condos, a resort, and a golf course.”
“Ah. I see.” I nodded, pretending I knew nothing about it. “So what about the residents?”
“What do you mean? They’re fine. You’ll see,” said Kelsey.
We made our way down a long corridor past many locked doorways and abandoned rooms when we came across our first resident of Summervale Cove Psych hospital.
A record player was on in one of the rooms, and through the open doorway, we saw an elderly lady turning in slow circles in her wheelchair to the beat of the music. It was jazz and probably from the era the older woman grew up in.
