"Don't be out too late," Joel instructed. "And I don't want you seeing that Dina girl. She's trouble."
Ellie sighed. Of course she'd be seeing Dina tonight. No one else could have convinced her to interact with Joel enough that he'd let her leave. Especially if it was to go to a party.
But Joel's body blocked the doorway and Ellie wasn't getting anywhere without being cooperative. Plus, a little fib never hurt anyone.
"She won't be there," Ellie lied, fidgeting with her fingers. "I think I heard she's staying in tonight. Early patrol tomorrow, or something."
The lie burned in her throat and she was forced to avert her gaze as to not give herself away.
Everyone in Jackson knew about Dina's smoking habits, especially since she'd been going on patrol with Eugene. The old man was infamous for smoking out his patrol partners, and Ellie always secretly wished she'd be paired with him one day. But with Joel around, the possibility of Ellie getting her hands on anything was slim.
Joel eyed the young girl, raising an eyebrow, but eventually shifted his eight from in front of the door to just outside, allowing Ellie enough space to pass in front of him. She didn't meet his eyes as she walked out, adjusting her backpack on her back and averting her gaze to the floor.
"Midnight," Joel called after Ellie as she quickly carried herself further away.
"Midnight!" she yelled back, still not turning to look at him. The blush on her face paired with the grin from getting away with a lie would only give her away. When she could no longer see the light emanating from her and Joel's shared corner of the neighborhood, Ellie broke into a sprint, flashlight illuminating the path of the woods in front of her.
She eventually ended up at a dilapidated cabin, windows boarded up with rotted wood panels, and steadied her breath as she climbed the creaky steps.
Soft light seeped from the cracks in the wood and Ellie knew she was at the right place, even if she'd never attended one of these before.
Dina and Jesse had been throwing small parties in the old cabin for years, and Joel had never allowed Ellie to go. But Ellie was freshly 18 and Joel didn't really have authority over her, anyways. Not after what he did.
Ellie raised her fist up to the door, poised to knock when it opened.
The dark-haired girl stood on the other side, grin already plastered on her face and arms reaching out to pull Ellie inside.
"You made it!" Dina exclaimed, wrapping Ellie in a too-tight hug. Ellie could smell the alcohol on Dina's breath when the two of them were close, and the hug lingered a bit too long.
"Sure did," Ellie laughed, pulling away from the other girl. She looked around the space. There were string lights hung along the corners of the room and an old couch along one wall, which now sat Jesse and a girl Ellie had seen around town.
"Don't pay him any attention," Dina said, directing Ellie's attention away from Jesse and the girl. "He'll flirt with anything that walks when he's had a drink."
Ellie laughed again, her attention back at Dina who stared at Ellie a little too intently.
"Speaking of, can I get you something?" the girl asked, holding up a metal cup filled with liquid.
Ellie nodded and let Dina lead her over to a table of jars and bottles, all varying levels of liquid inside.
Ellie was no stranger to alcohol. Joel had let her have tiny sips whenever she'd asked and, of course, there was that time with Riley. Ellie shook the thought from her head before returning back to Dina.
"Surprise me," Ellie replies simply, eyes scanning over the table.
Dina's eyes widened and she sloppily grabbed a jar off the table, the brown liquid inside sloshing.
"Here," she said, handing a cup to Ellie. "Try it."
Ellie raised the cup to her mouth, the metal feeling cool against her lips as the scent of alcohol filled her nose.
The liquid was like fire going down her throat, and Ellie wonders how Dina's been sipping on stuff like this every weekend.
The auburn-haired girl grimaced, trying to stay cool in front of her friend while also swallowing down the burning liquid.
"It's..." Ellie began, Dina's eyebrows raised. "It's really bad, Dina, I can't lie."
The other girl giggled and took the cup from Ellie, downing a gulp of it herself. Dina's face remains unchanged, as she swallows and hands the cup back to Ellie.
"You get used to it," she replied, grabbing Ellie's bicep and leading her over to two mismatch chairs, where she sits the both of them down.
Dina's grip feels hot against Ellie's arm, and she has to steady herself after the simple touch.
Ellie takes another sip of her drink.
"So," Dina began, slouching back in her chair so her legs spread and brushed against Ellie's. "Old man finally let you out of the house, huh?"
Ellie laughed, trying to ignore the burning touch of Dina's skin. "I'm pretty convincing when it comes to getting what I want," Ellie said, her voice calm.
In reality, Ellie had lied to Joel, and it took weeks of begging him until he finally obliged. She'd tried sneaking out a couple of times, only to come face-to-face with Joel on his porch, plucking away at the strings of his guitar and being forced to sit with him, talking her way out of her lie.
"Is that right?" Dina pushed, leaning closer to Ellie. "And what is it that you want?"
Ellie gulped, leaning backwards so she could see Dina fully. "To be treated like an adult, I guess." Her voice wavered now, and whether it was the alcohol sinking in or the proximity of the two girls, Ellie couldn't tell.
"I mean, you work, you've got a girlfriend, you help around town," Dina said, eyes fixated on Ellie's. "You've survived this long, he might as well let you have a little fun."
Ellie laughed again, and cursed herself for being so nervous around the other girl. "Cat isn't my girlfriend," she replied, taking a sip of her drink. The liquid scorching her throat and bringing her back down slightly.
"You've been spending a lot of time together," Dina inquired and Ellie just shrugged. "How's that tattoo coming along, anyways?"
Ellie hesitated slightly before pulling her sleeve up, exposing the line work Cat had laid down a couple of days before. It was still slightly red, the swelling fading and little scabs appearing over the dark lines of ink.
"Only a couple more sessions and she'll probably be done," Ellie explained as Dina admired the art. The rough skin underneath was still quite visible, and Ellie held her breath as Dina's hands travelled over the tender skin, fingers brushing it lightly.
"It's gonna be beautiful," Dina says, gaze flicking up to meet Ellie's, who was sure the blush on her cheeks was giving her away. Dina let her fingers brush over the tattoo once before before lifting her hand off of Ellie's arm and taking a deep drink from her cup.
"Where is she tonight?" Dina asked.
Ellie cocked her head to the side in confusion.
"Cat..."
"Oh!" Ellie exclaimed. "Right, Cat."
Her ears felt warm and her legs felt lighter than usual. She set down her drink for the time being.
"I don't know," Ellie continued. "I didn't see her at dinner tonight."
"Maybe she'll show up," Dina offered. "She's been to a couple of these before."
Ellie lifted her gaze. "She has?"
Dina nodded, eyes averting to her drink. "Jesse sometimes invites her. She's cool, I guess."
"I get the sense that you're not her biggest fan," Ellie pries, suddenly aware of Dina's aloofness.
Dina shrugs and still refuses to meet Ellie's gaze. "I'm not the one dating her."
Ellie starts to protest but closes her mouth, opting to pick her drink back up and start sipping it again.
Dina was right, though. The more she drinks, the less it burns and eventually she can't really feel it at all.
"I wanna show you something," Dina says eventually, standing up out of the blue and holding out her hand.
Ellie takes it, following Dina through a door of the cabin to the back porch.
Ellie can see trees for miles. She never really ventures this far from town, and all she's met with is quiet. She can see the slight outline of a couple in the woods, probably doing God knows what, but beyond that it's crickets and toads and the slight whistle of wind.
Ellie turns to Dina, mouth open to say something but stops when she sees what Dina's led her out here to show her.
"What do you think?" Dina asks, holding the object up in both hands. Ellie had seen a bong before, maybe sitting somewhere in town or in an abandoned building on patrol, but never one up close.
"It's... cool," Ellie says, stepping closer to Dina, who holds the bong out to Ellie. "I don't want to break it," she adds with a laugh.
"You won't," Dina replies, handing the bong to Ellie.
The glass is cool in Ellie's hands, and she shakes it slightly to hear the water slosh inside.
Her attention is pulled back to Dina, who grabs a small pouch from her back pocket and shakes it in front of Ellie.
"Wanna try it?" she asks, unwrapping the leather bag to reveal a small amount of little green nuggets inside.
Ellie had definitely never seen weed up close. She was almost scared to breathe the same air that it touched.
"I don't know," she says. "Joel would kill me if I came home smelling like weed."
"What he doesn't know won't kill him," Dina adds, taking the bong from Ellie and sitting on the ground. "Besides, won't he be in bed by the time you leave?"
"I have a curfew. Midnight. He'll probably be up waiting for me, for all I know."
Dina scoffs and rolls her eyes, plucking a pin from her hair and patting the wood next to her to prompt Ellie to sit.
Ellie watches as Dina picks up a piece from the bong and scrapes the inside of it with the pin, letting the ash fall from it onto the grass below the patio. Some of it falls onto Ellie's shoe and she quickly shakes it off, much to Dina's amusement.
"It's just ash, El," Dina explains. "Damn, he's really got you sheltered, doesn't he?"
Ellie blushes.
Dina pinches some of the weed between her fingers, and Ellie watches intensely as Dina sprinkles it into the little bowl on the bong, pushing it down with the smallest bit of pressure. She continues this until the bowl is full, placing the little piece back onto the bong.
"See?" she holds the bong up for Ellie to see, who inspects it like she's seen it before. Dina pulls a lighter from her pocket and opens it, lighting it with ease. She holds one end of the bong to her lips and breathes in, holding the flame over the weed she's just packed. Still breathing, she pulls the little attachment out and Ellie hears the faint sound of bubbling before Dina exhales, the cloud of smoke easily visible against the night sky.
Dina presses her lips to the bong again, inhaling, and Ellie sees the weed light up a bright red before fading as Dina exhales again.
The girl sits back, placing the bong on the patio between them and looking out into the woods.
Silence settles between them, and Ellie fixes her gaze into the trees as well.
She plays the images of Dina smoking in her head like a movie, contemplating asking to try it. The last thing the wants is for Dina of all people to think she's a loser. Let alone let anyone think Joel's controlling what she can and can't do.
"I wanna try it," Ellie says abruptly, facing towards Dina.
The other girl's face lights up, and she turns, sitting with her legs crossed and facing Ellie, who does the same.
She wastes no time picking up the bong and putting it in Ellie's hands.
"Put your mouth here," Dina instructs, guiding Ellie's head towards the glass mouthpiece of the bong.
"I'm gonna light it and you need to suck in," she adds. "Keep sucking until I pull the bowl out and then inhale until you hear the bubbles, okay?"
"Easy enough," Ellie says with a laugh, raising the bong to her lips. Her heart should be beating, especially with the added closeness of Dina and the way her eyes are fixated so carefully on Ellie's face, but with the added crutch of the alcohol Ellie feels only slightly fluttery.
"Ready?" Dina whispers and Ellie nods, breathing deeply as Dina runs the lighter over the weed, taking it off after just a second. Then, prompted by a nod from Dina, Ellie pulls the bowl out and inhales again, feeling the thick smoke fill her lungs. She exhales quickly, coughing up the stuff until she feels like she might throw up.
Dina laughs, handing Ellie a glass of water that she's conveniently brought out with them, like she knew Ellie would give in and take a hit. Ellie chugs it down, the water cooling the burning in her throat.
After the coughing has settled, she lays back on the patio, suddenly getting the slight feeling that her legs and arms are floating.
Ellie raises an arm, feeling like the limb is moving on its own, and lets it hang in the air. Dina giggles beside her.
"Feelin it?" she asks, glancing over at the other girl.
"Mhmm," Ellie responds, her eyes still closed and arm raised in the air. It lowers on its own accord. Ellie wiggles her fingers and toes and sits up, a slight but not unpleasant dizziness in her head.
"You okay?" Dina asks, sitting up as well. Ellie turns to her, her hooded eyes and weak smile sending Ellie's stomach for a loop.
"Yeah," she says breathlessly, eyes trained on Dina's. "Just wanted to look at the trees."
"They're pretty, huh?" Dina adds, but neither of their gazes break to look towards the woods in front of them.
"I think I like getting high," Ellie adds, her voice coming out slow and she can't tell how long it takes to get the statement out.
"People usually do," Dina giggles again and Ellie can't get enough of the sound.
They sit like that for a while. Could be seconds, hours, years, their gazes unwavering.
"I have no idea what time it is," Ellie whispers, face inches away from Dina's.
"I don't have a watch," Dina replies, blinking slowly. "I hope it isn't midnight."
"Me too," Ellie replies. "I want to stay here forever."
The girls laugh, and Ellie's eyes flit all over Dina's face, studying every scar and freckle and blemish that calls her skin home.
She opens her mouth to speak before they're interrupted, the loud creak of the door pulling Ellie back to reality.
Reality is Cat, standing in the doorway, cheeky smile plastered on her face.
"There you are," the girl says, looking between Ellie and Dina before her eyes settle on the former.
Ellie blushes and feels somewhat exposed all of the sudden, her heart beating too hard she thinks it might come straight out of her chest.
"You smoke her out?" Cat asks, directing her attention at Dina as she helps Ellie to her feet, holding her tight when Ellie's legs threaten to stop working.
Dina nods and gets up herself, but says nothing more.
"Look what we have here," Cat says, rubbing soft circles into Ellie's skin. "My girl is crossed!"
"How can you tell?" Ellie asks, speech still coming out in slow motion.
"You reek of moonshine and you can barely keep your eyes open," Cat explains. "Better sober you up before we get you home to Joel."
Ellie nods and lets Cat lead her inside, the atmosphere of the old cabin feeling slightly fuzzy.
She doesn't know it then, but Dina comes back inside, too, downing the rest of her drink quickly and spending the rest of the night in the corner.
Later that night, when Ellie lays under the covers of her bed, her limbs still slightly warm and her head slightly fuzzy, she'll fall asleep to the sound of crickets, the thought of Dina's half-lidded eyes being the last thing the thinks of before she drifts off.