The Education of Sebastian & the Education of Caroline(309)

I’d tried to find her but got nowhere: turns out you need to know someone’s name if you want to find them. Yeah, right. But I knew she’d be able to find me back in San Diego. That’s why I’d cashed in every favor I could to make sure I was here for my 21st birthday. I’d left messages at all the places that had meant something to us: she had to find one of them. All I could do was wait. Yeah. That’s all. It was fucking killing me.

Ches understood. He’d been there, and he’d been the one who picked up the pieces after Caro had left. I was a fucking wreck, but he and his mom and dad all helped. I even lived with them for a few months until I enlisted. They were my real family.

I couldn’t be bothered to explain everything to Stacey. But I was a Marine, and trained in evasive tactics.

“Do you want to dance?”

She looked surprised.

“Sure! I’d love to. I didn’t know Marines danced.”

I smiled at her and winked. “This one does.”

Stacey was a pretty good dancer and followed my lead easily. I kind of enjoyed having a girl in my arms again, even though it wasn’t the girl I was waiting for. Her hands crept around my neck and I pulled her into my chest. It occurred to me later that she probably wanted me to kiss her. Like that was going to happen.

She must have sensed my mood, because she started talking instead.

“Wow, you can really dance, Seb! Where’d you learn those moves?”

I laughed. “Ches’s mom and dad.”

“You’re kidding me!”

“Nope: Base salsa champions back in the day.”

“I’ve never seen Ches dance,” she said, eyeing him speculatively.

“Yeah, well, I think that talent skipped a generation.”

Stacey laughed. “I’ll tell him you said that.”

I smiled back. “He already knows.”

We’d danced for a couple of songs when I saw two girls join the table: one was a girl with light brown hair who threw herself into Ches’s lap. He kissed her like he needed her air to breathe, and I guessed this must be Amy.

Stacey turned to see what had caught my attention, then grinned up at me.

“Looks like Amy’s here.”

“You know her?”

“Sure! She’s my roommate. Let’s go say ‘hi’ before their lips get permanently locked together.”

“I think it’s too late for that,” I muttered, but she just laughed.

“Hey, Ames!” she called.

Reluctantly, Amy pulled her mouth off of Ches and leaned back. I saw him shifting uncomfortably and couldn’t help smiling. Dude must have had a helluva boner after that make-out session.

“Hey, Stacey,” said Amy, slightly breathless, then turned to me. “You must be Seb. I’ve heard sooo much about you: it’s really good to meet you.”

“You, too,” I said grinning, as we shook hands. “Although you look too smart to be going out with this asshole.”

Ches tried to punch me on the arm, but I ducked away and Amy laughed.

“Oh, happy birthday, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, not really wanting to be reminded.

A look of sympathy crossed her face and I realized that Ches must have told her everything. It made me slightly uncomfortable but that’s what couples did, right? Shared their secrets. At least she hadn’t said anything to Stacey, and I appreciated that. Seemed like Ches’s girl was cool. I was glad about that. Ches was family: he was my brother.

“By the way, man,” said Ches. “Mom sent you a birthday card. It’s back at my place. Remind me to give it to you later.”

“Really?” I couldn’t help smiling. Shirley, Ches’s mom, always did stuff like that. “Tell her I said thanks.”

“Tell her yourself, you lazy bastard. You do know how to use email, right?”

I gave him the finger and he laughed at me.

I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to either Ches or Amy after that, because they spent the rest of the evening making out. It was kind of strange for me, seeing my friend like that, and remembering that Caro and I had never been able to behave like that in public. I really resented that we’d hardly had any time to just be us. I wished again that she was here. Now that there was nothing stopping us, I missed her even more. I knew it was dumb to expect her to walk into the bar, but I couldn’t help looking anyway. Every time I saw a woman with long, brown hair, my stomach flipped over—but it was never her.

I checked my phone again: no messages.

I’d just decided to wallow in misery and get shitfaced, when Ches announced that the party was moving to his place. I groaned, inwardly. I’d really hoped we could just go back and chill.