“Good. We’re gonna have a great time,” she replied.
I smiled back Just before Deanna turned to walk back over toward Karl. Across from me, through the fire, I could see Leila staring directly at me. As the flames danced wildly just like her red hair, they seemed to engulf her face. I didn’t shy away from her gaze. There was a hatred simmering between the two of us, no doubt about that. I wanted more than anything to X her out of the picture altogether, but I didn’t see how that could happen. We’d somehow have to learn to coexist, but that’s like telling oil to mix with water.
“Come and get it!” Mr. Holmes yelled from the picnic table where he’d prepared a large spread fit for royalty.
Randy was the first one there with his plate in hand, looking over the food like he hadn’t had a thing to eat in days. Without hesitation, he reached forward with his heart set on the large burger before him.
“Get back boy! Didn’t your momma teach you any manners?” Mr. Holmes asked gruffly before turning to address me. “Ladies first.” His tone was far more gentle now, his heavy southern drawl slowing his sentence. He handed Deanna and I a plate and I saw his eyes look up without lifting his head. Leila was coming toward the table and Mr. Holmes rolled his eyes and sighed. “Even the crazy ones,” he mumbled in a voice low enough that I knew he didn’t intend for anyone to hear. I laughed quietly to myself and went on about my business.
Nearly an hour later, Randy was the only one still eating. He’d fixed three or four plates and was finally showing signs of slowing down. It amazed me that this boy, who couldn’t weigh more than 140 pounds even at his height of over six foot, could eat so much. The others stared at him as he inhaled his last hotdog in less than a minute.
“Does he eat like that all the time?” I asked.
AJ nodded and laughed. “Yeah, when we order pizza, we make sure that he has one to himself. Even then we still have to fight him off from eating ours.”
It just didn’t seem possible. I smiled at Randy as he wiped the ketchup and mustard from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He didn’t even seem embarrassed when he let out a belch loud enough to startle those sitting close by. I couldn’t control my laughter anymore. Deanna, grossed out by his actions, rolled her eyes and turned her chair around so that her back was to him.
We sat outside until about ten or so before packing up and going back in the house. Once downstairs, Deanna suggested that she and I play cards to keep ourselves busy while the guys hogged the TV playing their videogames.
“So, has Leila said anything to you yet?” Deanna asked in a low voice as she shuffled the cards.
“No, I’m not expecting her to,” I replied.
“Did AJ tell you what he said to her?”
“No, why? Did you hear something?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know the details, but Karl was with him when he called her and he said it was pretty brutal. When it was all over with she was crying and everything. Karl said he could hear her through AJ’s phone.”
It made me feel good that he stood up for me. Leila needed to be put in her place. I tried to fight back a smile to no avail. “Good. She deserved it! I hate her! I mean, what kind of nut job would go through all that trouble to hold on to someone who doesn’t want them?”
“Well, Leila’s a special brand of nut. One of a kind.”
Deanna and I burst out laughing prompting Leila to roll her eyes at us. She didn’t hear our conversation, but she appeared to be annoyed by my and Deanna’s friendship nonetheless.