Throughout their many years of friendship, Jessica had been dragged by Clair into more scrapes than she could count - and not always too willingly. From stealing cigars from her father's suit pockets to sneaking out at night to experiment with boys, Clair had done it all.
She'd done it with gusto. No kind of punishment had ever deterred her.
Jessica had always felt like it was some weird duty of hers to take part in everything as well. Even when she hadn't really wanted to do it or it went against her gut.
Clair was the unspoken leader and always had been. It was an undisputed truth. It may as well have been carved on a stone tablet as one of Moses' commandments.
Everyone else needed to either get into line with what she wanted, or risked being left behind.
That included the best friend.
And that had always been Jessica's great fear.
As much as she cared for Clair like a sister and cherished their bond, she sometimes felt like their friendship was more of a need in her life than an actual want. What's more, it was a one way need.
Because who was she if she wasn't Clair McKinley's deputy? If the two of them weren't inseparable?
A nobody. That's probably who she'd be. And who ever wanted to be that?
Only a second later, the loaded silence between the two girls was broken by the toot of distant car horns.
They exchanged a look of tacit understanding, the tension between them melting away in an instant.
Ever since the day they'd accidentally discovered the cave, the two of them had vowed to never tell anyone else about their secret meeting place.
They quickly started scrambling up the small rock ledge leading from their cave to the wide sandy plane. Jessica reached the top first and seeing that her friend was a little unsteady on her climb, she reached out and helped haul Clair up beside her.
Clair smiled her gratitude and pecked her on the cheek. "Thanks, bestie. I was about to skin the hell out of my knees without your help." The two of them looked at Clair's miniskirt, now streaked with pale brown dirt, and giggled. She brushed the plaid fabric with her hands until most the dust had come off.
Then they turned to look at the source of the noise.
About a hundred metres away, there was a circle of scraggly Joshua trees, which had long been a hangout for the local youth. Jessica could see a couple of familiar looking cars revving their engines loudly as they parked near the trees.
"What a bunch of pretentious losers. But what do you say, Jess? Should we join them?"
"It won't be much of a gathering if we don't grace them with our sparkling presence, will it?" Jessica smirked back. "Besides, they'll have more drinks."
Clair grinned. "That's the truth and then some. And we're always the best part of any group. So let's go liven up their night and drive the stupid boys a little wild."
The two young women kept walking, arm in arm, towards the cluster of trees. Clair was a little wobbly on her feet, but nothing too serious.
Jessica watched as several of their classmates began spilling out of the cars and milling around. A couple of them had started gathering fallen branches into a central pile, to light a bonfire.
It was ironic, she thought, that the clump of Joshua trees were known around town as the fae's circle.
Fuck, that was such a weird conversation Clair and I were having just before. They were probably some weird ramblings of hers that she won't even remember tomorrow morning. She does seem pretty drunk already.
"Hey there, pretty ladies!" a male voice from the group called out. The other students all turned towards the duo. "Where the hell did you two suddenly come from?"
"Oh, you know. We were just out for a walk and heard the engines." Jessica said casually.
"Really? You two just like walking around the desert in the dark?"
Clair jutted out her sharp chin. "Yeah, we do. Do you have a problem with that? Are you going to offer us a drink or are you going to stand there asking stupid questions all night?"
Some of the other boys chuckled at her words. People shuffled around in their seats so there was room for the two girls to join the bonfire circle. As if anyone was going to snub the most popular girl in the school from ain impromptu party.
Jessica found herself sitting next to James Ernest again. He smiled at her and offered her a beer. The next moment though, he was making pathetic puppy dog eyes in Clair's direction.
Jessica wasn't the only one who noticed. James's clingy, whiny girlfriend was sitting on his other side and she followed his gaze. Then she gave Jessica a furious look.
Sorry, honey. It has nothing to do with me. If you're upset that you can't hold your boyfriend's attention, I suggest you take it up with the girl he's really interested in. But we both know you won't dare approach her. Because Clair can and will reduce you to a blubbering mess, any day of the week.
Jessica cracked open the can in her hand and took a sip of semi cold beer. She was determined to enjoy the drink and also the petty drama happening in front of her.
The teenagers all made themselves comfortable around the bonfire's hypnotic flames. It was going to be yet another night of lazy drinking and silly antics in the desert.
Who knew where the night might take them?