Free This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman

him as she tied the bracelet on.
    â€œThere’s beer,” she said, in a way that made Jake wince. It was so eager. He tipped his bottle her way and said, “Thanks. We already partook.” Then he telescoped his neck, looking up and past Daisy. He didn’t see Audrey anywhere. His eyes locked with Henry’s, who shook his head.
    â€œFuck you,” said Jake.
    â€œWhat’s your problem, man?” said Henry. His face was turning red. “I’m just looking out for you. Sheesh, ma-meesh.” He turned away and headed toward the movie.
    Jake took another swig of his beer, almost emptying it.
    â€œDo you want another beer, Jake? I can get you one,” said Daisy. She was smiling up at him.
    All of a sudden, Jake felt a rising swell of anger. Fuck Henry. Fuck Audrey. So what if she was upstairs sucking Luke off ? He didn’t give a flying fuck.
    â€œThat would be great, Daisy,” he said. “I mean, I can get it myself…”
    â€œWe can go get it together,” she said. She gave his hand a little squeeze. Jake looked down at her hand in surprise—he didn’t expect to find it there. Her fingernail polish was chipped and the nail beds themselves still looked square, like a kid’s. For a moment he wondered, at what age do a girl’s fingernails elongate? Was it a puberty thing? Or did it come after, the way beards sometimes did? Coco’s nails looked like this, like little old-fashioned TV sets, tiny boxes. Daisy’s hand even felt like a baby’s. Like a baby bear, he inexplicably thought; he even said this to himself, in his mind, “Her hand feels like a little paw, a teddy bear’s paw.” He was so weird; he couldn’t stand himself sometimes.
    What the fuck. Jake squeezed her hand back. Daisy smiled at him, a big, wide smile, as if the squeeze had fortified her, like it was an extrasensory protein drink. Her reaction alone made him swagger. He started to get hard. She gently tugged on his hand and led him through the throngs of people and toward the tub. He might as well get drunk, he thought. It was a party.
    T hey were making out in the back of the screening room, Jake sitting in an aisle seat, Daisy in his lap, her feet not quite grazing the floor. He had one hand up her tank top, on top of her bra, which was lacey and scratchy. Her whole breast fit inside the circumference of his palm, like a rubber ball. The film was long over, but the screen still displayed light. They weren’t the only couple in there. There were three others, all bathed in that bluish movie afterglow. Jake periodically counted his companions whenever he came up for air or to wipe his mouth. For some reason, he didn’t want to be alone with Daisy. It was like they kept him from going too far. He was hard, and Daisy kept shifting in his lap. She had her arms around his neck and every so often she would stroke his back and shoulders.
    â€œMmmm,” she said. “You feel so good. Your muscles are so big,” she whispered into his ear, her tongue flicking around the rim, hot and wet.
    Jake had drunk a lot and felt dizzy. He did not have big muscles. So it sort of grossed him out when she said that. Plus, he was feeling kind of sick. Like maybe, eventually, before the night was over, he might throw up.
    â€œJacobyyy,” McHenry said, in a funny, fratty voice. “Jacobyyy and fucking Meyers…”
    Jake looked up past Daisy’s blond head, his lips still locked on hers. There were Luke and McHenry, laughing at him.
    Luke said, “Hey, dude, robbing the cradle?” Audrey stood a little behind Luke, but he put his arm around her waist and swung her around in front like a protective shield or a hostage in a standoff. He looked a little trashed, Luke. He was a little wild with her, and her feet flew off the floor before they landed.
    â€œWhee,” Audrey deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
    â€œCome on,” said Daisy, looking up