Free This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman Page A

at them, her expression eager. “They’re out of my room now. Jake, we can go upstairs…”
    Jake looked at her baby face. It was like a bright, round moon, glowing and open. He looked at Luke and at Audrey and at McHenry.
    â€œNaw, Daisy,” he said. “It’s late. I better be getting home…”
    â€œWhat’s your hurry, dude,” said McHenry. “Give the lady what she wants.”
    Jake stood up, spilling Daisy out of his lap.
    Audrey caught Daisy’s left arm as she staggered.
    â€œWhoa,” said Audrey.
    â€œJake,” said Daisy.
    â€œSorry, Daisy,” said Jake, actually feeling sorry. “I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have done any of that. I’m drunk, I guess. I got up too fast. Are you all right? God, I’m sorry.”
    â€œI’m fine,” said Daisy, turning pink. “Why are you talking like that?”
    â€œI’m drunk.” He looked around. “Where’s Henry?” he said over her shoulder to McHenry.
    â€œI think he left,” said McHenry.
    â€œHe left?”
    Jake couldn’t believe that Henry would leave without him.
    â€œI think he got a ride with somebody, or they split a Miles taxi. I don’t know, he bounced.”
    â€œJames?”
    â€œWhat do you think,” said McHenry. He shook his head, like Jake was a moron. “They’re twins, man.”
    â€œSo you missed your ride,” said Daisy, giving Jake’s hand a tug. “Let’s go upstairs. My parents are away till tomorrow afternoon. You could sleep over.”
    â€œA regular sleepover date,” said Luke. “Buddy, go for it.” He looked pretty drunk to Jake, a lot drunker than Jake was. Luke kind of slurred his words when he talked. Maybe he was on something?
    Audrey looked at Luke with cool eyes. You couldn’t tell what she was thinking. That he was an asshole or that this was a funny joke; either one, or something different. Audrey didn’t say anything. Maybe she didn’t think anything. Maybe what Jake took for mystery was vacancy; a big blank banner of stretched nothing. Or maybe it was a bandage for inner torment, plastic and gummy, wrapping her up. Maybe she ached inside like he did. She was an enigma. An oracle. A sphinx.
    â€œShe looks like jailbait to me, man,” said McHenry, looking at Daisy. “But then again, you’re not old enough yourself, are you? Luke’s right, go for it. I mean if you’re both statutory, what the fuck?” He shrugged.
    McHenry looked to Luke for approval. The look was too needy to be cool, but Luke seemed too fucked up to notice. He nodded at McHenry with an endorsing grin. That fucking jaw. He could get all the chicks in the world with a jaw like that. No matter how sloppy drunk Luke was, there was no denying his beauty. Luke got better looking, it seemed, the more fucked up he was, with his pink cheeks and glowing blue eyes, his blond hair and red-and-yellow stubble.
    Audrey peeled Luke’s arms away from around her waist. Once released, one of his giant hands went below his nose and he sniffed hard. A little thread of clear mucus clung to his knuckles in the moment it took to brush it away. Maybe they were all on coke.
    â€œDaisy,” said Audrey, standing up and stretching. Her black T-shirt lifted up with her arms and Jake could see she had a little gold ring piercing her navel. God, he hated her. It was as if she’d pierced her navel just to get at him. “I have to pee. Wanna come with?” she said.
    So she was human after all: she had to pee. Hot, golden pee came sluicing out of her. He thought about getting down on his knees and catching it in a cup made of his hands. And she could be nice. Nice to Daisy. Nicer than Jake was.
    He loved her again. Suddenly he loved Audrey with all his heart. He would do anything just to touch her. To smell her skin.
    â€œYeah, go pee with Audrey,” said Luke,