quiet and close as he sits at my feet in the sand. I listen to their stories about setting a fire in Santoâs back room in an unfortunate silverware-in-the-microwave incident. Abe launches into one about an ex-server who was caught hooking up in the walk-in freezer, and soon Iâm laughing so hard I can barely hold on to my marshmallow stick.
âHe wasnât always so cool, you know?â Marissa calls out to me suddenly.
âWhatâs that?â I ask, still chuckling a little bit.
Her face tightens in the orange glow of the fire. âAbe,â she goes on. âHe wasnât always like this. He used to be quiet.â She meets his eyes. âNot nearly as sexy.â
Next to me, Abe is sliding sand away from his sneaker, silent.
âUh . . . okay,â I answer. Iâm not exactly sure what reaction she expects from me, but I want to defend Abe. Heâs been nothing but nice to me, no matter what heâs done in the past.
âIn fact,â Marissa says, her voice beginning to drip with contempt, âAbe used to be in love with me. But I wouldnât give him the time of day.â
âGive it a rest, Marissa,â Craig says from next to her, taking a sip from his drink. But Marissaâs watching Abe, a story obviously under the surface. I hate that heâs silent in return, as if sheâs demeaning him somehow. I want to punch her for that.
âThings have obviously changed since then,â I say seriously. âAs far as I can tell, youâre the one in love now.â
Her eyes snap to mine, and from next to me I hear Abe snort back a laugh.
âIt would seem that way,â she says. âThe question is, why?â
âBe quiet now,â Abe murmurs. I wonder if he broke her heart and if thatâs why sheâs lashing out now.
Marissaâs eyes blaze, but she falls silent, opting to watch the fire instead. Craig changes the subject, something about Margie once coming on to him when Santo was out of town.
The party goes on for another hour, the laughs slowly coming back. Abe does a dead-on impression of Santo, and itâs hilarious to hear about Mollyâs new job at a local breakfast place. Turns out theyâre all servers somewhere.
Marissa doesnât participate in any of the stories, and she avoids any conversation with Abe altogether. She wonât even look at him. This entire night would be uncomfortable, it should be, but Iâm wrapped up in the moment. Itâs the first time since Colorado that I feel like I have friends.
Next to me Abe yawns, lifting his arms over his head before resting one casually across my lap. He bends his head closer. âWe should go,â he says. âItâs late.â
I nod, checking the time. If we leave now, Iâll still make curfew. Abe gets up and says good-bye to his friends. Across the fire Marissa sits motionless, not acknowledging any of us.
I try not to stare at her as I say good-bye to the rest of the party, but her eyes have glazed over, the lower lids brimming with tears. Sorrow fills me, and I take a step toward her before Abe takes my hand, pulling me in the other direction.
We walk back to the car, the desert air getting crisp the farther away from the fire we get. âDid you have fun?â Abe asks, opening the door for me.
âI really did. Maybe next time Iâll actually camp?â
âIntriguing thought.â
I catch something out of the corner of my eye and turn to see Marissa standing on the hill, the light from the fire illuminating her from behind. Her arms hang at her sides and her shoulders are slumped. She looks absolutely desperate.
âElise,â Abe says, smiling softly at me. âIâm gonna go say good-bye.â
âSure.â
He leaves, walking toward Marissa as she moves to meet him halfway. I open the passenger door and get in, closing it quietly. My window is still down from the drive up and I can hear