“I do. It’s six. You and her loser high school boyfriend and a few randoms in between. Know how old she was when she lost her last baby tooth?”
So Ahmed was wrong. Good thing I didn’t hunt them all down and gouge out their eyes for having seen Luce naked. “No.”
“Thirteen. She had to have braces after that. Know what she wore to her senior prom?”
“A dress?” I’m tiring of this game real fast.
“No again. She wore pants. One of our friends came out as a lesbian and didn’t want to wear a dress and so Lucy wore a tux in solidarity.”
That sounds very Luce-like. “Okay.”
“My point is that you don’t know shit about Lucy, and you haven’t spent the time to find this stuff out.”
“When she lost her baby tooth is pertinent how?” I drum my fingers on the table impatiently. Ace is getting to me a tiny bit. I don’t know all this stuff, but I can learn. Doesn’t mean we aren’t right for each other. Doesn’t mean Ace gets to claim her. That sentiment is ridiculous, and if Luce were here, she’d shove that right in his face.
“I know her. She knows me. We’re meant to be together. So step back and let her find her way back to me.”
“No.”
Ace’s fingers curl into fists, and he looks like he’s ready to launch himself over the table. But something changes his mind. Maybe the fact that we’re in the fucking Gas Station, a public place, penetrates his tiny brain. Whatever the reason, he sits back, rolls his shoulders and pretends to relax. “Fine.”
“That it?” I ask flatly.
“Not really. Since you’re determined to fuck up my life, the least you can do is drink a few shots with me.”
Is this an olive branch? I grab at it. “Sounds good.”
* * *
“NO SHMORE.”
“You can do one more,” Ace cajoles.
“No. I can’t.” I can barely sit up. “Where’s our recruit?”
“Sarah and Lara volunteered to take him home.”
I blink at the two blondes. One’s wearing a red dress and the other is in blue, and the garments are so short you’d think we were in the tropics and not knee deep in snow. They’re from a sorority, but I can’t remember the name of it. “That’s solid of you two. Real solid.” I shake my head and it keeps shaking, like a bobblehead. I place a hand on the top of my head to stop it.
“Let’s take some pictures so the boy has some memories he can go home and brag about it to his friends.”
That’s fair. We both know he won’t be back here. Lucious jumps up enthusiastically and grabs both blondes by the waist. Ace snaps a few pictures while I pull out my own phone and text Hammer and Masters.
Me: Dudes. I’m waisted. waisted. fck. waisted. fck. u kno wht I mean. Got a recruit. Make sure he gets home. Gas station.
I tuck the phone away.
“Come on and get your picture taken.”
“Nah.”
“Lucious wants it,” Ace says.
Turing my head toward Lucious is about as easy as steering a crane but I manage it.
“Okay. Okay.” Anything to get the girls to stop squealing. I heave my drunk ass up to their side and lean in.
“Closer,” Ace gestures. “I can’t fit you into the frame.”
“Dude, I can barely stand up.”
“Hold him up, Sarah,” Ace orders.
Sarah slides her arm around my waist. I drape my hand behind her back and rest my hand on Lucious’s shoulder. Nothing about this feels right but I can’t pinpoint exactly what bothers me. The blonde rests her cheek against my shoulder.
“Matty,” she breathes softly. “I heard you were dating someone. Is that true?”
I look down at her, thinking of how much I’d like Luce to be here, holding me up and looking at me with her big brown eyes. I can feel my own face soften. “Yeah, true. I really dig this chick. She’s smart and interesting.” And hot as hell. I can feel my jeans getting tight thinking about her.
“Ahh, that’s sweet.” The girl rises on her tiptoes and kisses me. Right on the lips. Motherfucker!
“Uh huh. No kisses from anyone else.” I let her go and shake my finger at her. “Not cool, Sarah.”
“Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Matty. It was just a kiss.” The girl flounces away.
“We better get the recruit home,” I tell Ace.
“The girls will take him home,” he protests.
“Nah, he’s our responsibility. Come on.” I peel Lucious away from the lips of Blue Dress.
There’s a chorus of disappointed sounds, but somehow I manage to muscle Lucious outside and start pushing him toward the Playground.
“We don’t want to disappoint Coach Lowe,” I tell him.
“Yeah, I hear ya.” The cold air must be blowing some sense into him.
Hammer and Masters meets us halfway home and Ace peels off to his own place.
“How’s it going?” Masters asks, his wary gaze fixed on Ace’s retreating figure.
“With Ace?” I slur. “About as good as you can expect.”
And then I stumble home, type out a few incoherent messages to Luce, and pass out.
31
Lucy
When I get up I see Matt has sent me a text. It’s garbled and the time stamp says two am.
Matty: Im drnk mss u.
Matty: Plc Matty wtns u.
Matty: Lv u