Free Incriminated by M. G. Reyes Page B

I’m four days clean. Today makes five, if you help me get through. Tomorrow is six. It just keeps getting better from there. Meantime, you’re still smoking the ol’ ganja, am I right?”
    Lucy flushed with resentment. “My parents threw me out because they caught me smoking. And they gave up on me. They refused to send me back to rehab. Now I’m supposed to get clean all by mysel f ? Hey, I’m trying. All I’ve done is a little weed, one time, and that was at a party.”
    Ariana was immediately contrite. “I’ve absolutely got no right to lecture. Of the two of us, Lucy, I’m the one who started using hard drugs again.”
    A little mollified, Lucy said, “Well, I did smoke weed. But like I said, it was a party.”
    â€œThen you need to learn how to enjoy a party without being high. I bet you did, once.”
    Lucy shrugged. She had a dim memory, probably from when she’d been about thirteen.
    â€œMaybe if you threw a party here, I could be, like,your sponsor, watch over you.”
    â€œOh sure ,” said Lucy with a loud guffaw. “Someone five days clean from cocaine is offering to sponsor a party? That’ll work.”
    â€œNot the party. Just you . Let other people smoke. You and me and probably a few other people, we stay clean, we have a good time anyhow. You and me, we take care of each other. The way we always have.”
    Lucy picked up the spatula and flipped a pancake. “Get clean, huh?”
    â€œOne hundred percent raw.”
    Thoughtfully, Lucy said, “I guess I could be one of those ‘straight-edge’ punks, like Ruben.”
    â€œWho’s he?”
    â€œGuy I know,” Lucy said carelessly. “Plays the drums. Yeah,” she added after a few seconds. “A party. I guess we probably should. I mean, school’s out on Friday. We’ve survived to the end of the school year—six months of official emancipation. That calls for a celebration.”
    Ariana plucked at the top pancake on the stack and popped the fragment into her mouth. “Gotta mark the occasion.” She grinned. “Hand me the syrup. Let’s start talking about how we’re going to throw you your first drug-free party. And sweetie, I wanna hear more about this Ruben .”

JOHN-MICHAEL
BALCONY, VENICE BEACH HOUSE, SATURDAY, JUNE 13
    The idea of a “school’s out” party turned out to be popular with the housemates. They had a house meeting, where Lucy officially welcomed Ariana. John-Michael went along with the smiles and niceties even though he’d much rather be ignoring Ariana. It sucked to have a new person in the house—now more than ever. Lucy knew that he and Grace were going through difficult times. Didn’t it even occur to her to respect their privacy? For the first time in memory, John-Michael found himself feeling distinctly cool toward his former rock-camp buddy.
    John-Michael had planned to cook at the party, but as things got under way, he found himself squeezed out of the kitchen by the gum-cracking, loud-talking southern redhead. She’d been in the house almost a week and was already beginning to act like she was in charge.
    â€œSweetheart, allow me,” Ariana insisted when he tried to object. “You gotta at least let me earn my keep.”
    Candace saw the whole thing and took John-Michael by the elbow, leading him upstairs to the balcony. “Take no notice of the Wicked Witch of Claremont. We need to talk.”
    The balcony had been designated a “chill-out” zone, no drugs or music. Which made it, as far as John-Michael could tell, a “make-out” zone, because no one at the party was interested in engaging in deep and meaningful conversation. At least, not without some chemical aid.
    John-Michael pushed his way past the couple making out on one of two rattan chairs. He vaguely recognized the girl who sat in the boy’s lap. “Hey,