Free Complicated by You by Kenya Wright Page B

sleeps with me. Pipe is over with Evie in her bed.”
    “Hell yes. And we can buy popcorn, paint our toenails, talk about boys, and when the first person goes to sleep, we grab all of their underwear, wet it, and put them all in the freezer.” Pipe hopped in the back of the car. “Then we’ll throw them at the window and watch the icy underwear burst into tiny little pieces.”
    Cynthia had an odd expression on her face as if she wasn’t sure if Pipe was joking or not. I didn’t know either. Pipe probably would do all the things he said, and smoke a joint the whole time while he did it.
    “Get in, please.” Jay looked me up and down, stirring lust inside my core.
    “Bossy,” I muttered under my breath.
    He slapped my behind. A simple friendly hit to everyone around us, but when I directed my attention to his eyes, I spied the wide outline of his dilated pupils, signaling his arousal. I dragged myself away from watching him any further.
    We kissed hours ago and already everything has changed.
    “Does this town have a beach?” Pipe asked.
    “Of course it does. It’s Florida.” I didn’t glance Jay’s way anymore.
    “Then let’s go to the beach. When in doubt, head toward sand and ocean, baby!”
    “Shouldn’t we go get our swimsuits first?” Cynthia asked.
    “Fuck no.” Pipe lit another cigarette. “We’re skinny dipping like the old days, baby.”
    “No, Pipe.” I held my hand to my forehead. “That’s crazy. Every time we go to the beach you yell that out and we tell you no.”
    “It’ll be fun,” he countered. “Right, Jay?”
    Jay closed the door on my side and pierced me with another hungry gaze. “Skinny dipping sounds good to me.”
    Oh god. This isn’t going to be good.
     
    * * *
     
    Darkness painted the sky and hid the ocean in waves of black as we all sat on the beach. Wind blew through our hair, lifting up my curly strands and bringing the salty aroma of the sea to our noses. If I hadn’t been with my best friends, I would’ve simply sat in a Buddha-like position and meditated on the soothing sound of water splashing against water.
    Something about nature made everything okay when things were going wrong.
    Jay and I had sat out on the beach for days after his parents died. He’d claimed I helped him heal, but it was always the sensation of nature around him—birds soaring above us in a layered sky of blues and whites, the crystal clear surface of the Pacific Ocean, the sand skittering by our feet as the wind guided it around. Nature reminded us that something greater moved around, God, powerful beings, or a unity of many great things. I kept him near the sea as he mourned, believing that Jay being around nature would confirm to him that he didn’t have to deal with his parents’ deaths all by himself, that there was something surrounding his grief and nurturing his journey the whole time, something greater than himself.
    “What are you thinking about, Evie?” Pipe rested his head on my lap.
    “About the power of nature.”
    “Don’t start that mess again.”
    “What?”
    He wagged his arm around and imitated my voice, “There’s something so great out here, Pipe. Look how the water flows in waves.”
    “Shut up.”
    “I swear sometimes I think you’re one of those Wiccan hippies.”
    “You’re the one that claims you can read auras.”
    “It’s not a claim. It’s a fact. I happen to be cursed with two things, beauty and the power to see auras.” Pipe lifted his head and turned in Jay and Cynthia’s direction. They sat six or so feet in front of us, mumbling about whatever they needed to discuss. “What do you think they are talking about over there?”
    “I don’t care.”
    “Excuse me, Ms. Uptight. What’s wrong with you?”
    “Nothing. I’m feeling the vibe of the sea.”
    “Hey, Jay! You want to partake in a smoke?” Pipe wagged his joint in front of Jay’s view. Jay waved him away and returned to his conversation.
    “Leave him alone.” I