I deal and crush her once again.
“How about you? I hear you’re the new pet acquired by the Tobermans. Nice family. I love them all. I haven’t seen Trixy in forever. I’ve seen Knox around a few times. He wants to play football here like his brother.”
My stomach tightens because a part of me half-expects her to cop to a crush. Knox is a great guy. Rock-hard body. I can see it happening.
“He’s like my brother, though.” She makes a face as I whoop her again.
The knot in my stomach straightens right out, and I feel the release that her words afforded. Not sure why. Knox is taken, though. That’s probably it.
“My sister and Rex are throwing the twins a surprise birthday party in a few weeks. You should come. I know they’d love to see you there.”
“Are you kidding?” Her eyes light up like living flowers. My mother used to grow African violets. She had an entire mini farm of pots that she cultivated. It was her favorite flower, and here Lucky’s eyes are the exact representation—lighter, but just as deep and velvety. “I’d love to. It’s a date,” she teases. “A date is when two people go out without any sexual expectations,” she says it slow and dramatic as if she were speaking to the village idiot.
“I know what a date is. They’re not my thing. You can tag along.” I lean in. “That’s when someone annoying shows up and refuses to leave, thus turning a good time into something less than stellar,” I say in the same monotone octave she chose to invoke.
Lucky belts out a laugh just before beating me at a single round of Black Jack. “My work here is done. I’d better get downstairs. I’d hate to improve your reputation and ruin mine all at the same time.” She hops to the door, and her perfume trails her like a scarf.
“Stay away from dolts,” I call after her. I’m in no mood to go down and babysit for the rest of the night.
“That’s why I’m leaving you!” She laughs as she shuts the door, and I can’t help but laugh right along with her. Not sure what was so funny other than Lucky is a party in and of herself.
The room quiets down. The scent of her perfume seeps back under the door as if following her out, and suddenly it’s too quiet, the stench of old sweat socks clotting up my nose once again.
Damn, if I don’t miss her just a little.
She’s still annoying.
Saturday night, the boys and I get together and head over to the Black Bear. There’s no mixer, no dress code, no coach, no professors breathing down our necks. We walked over so we could get as toasted as we wanted, and the best part is the bar will be crawling with a buffet of beautiful women. It’s nights like tonight that I’m glad I’m alive.
“Where’s Ava?” Rush nods to Grant as we make our way inside.
“Movie night with the girls. That means you’re not gettingLuckytonight,” he teases, looking my way.
“I am getting lucky tonight, dude. What I’m not getting is verbally accosted. The girl has a mental vise grip on my balls and she knows just how to squeeze them. And I’m not into her, so don’t even joke like that. Especially don’t joke like that around her beast of a brother.” I sock Rush in the arm. “I’m not talking about this pussy either.”
“Jet?” Grant looks perplexed. “He’s cool, man. That guy would do anything for anyone. He was there for me in one of my darkest hours. He really helped me get through last semester.”
“The dude is a hulk. He paid me a grand to make sure Lucky stays pristine as the day she was born. Now, I can do a lot of things, but turning water into wine isn’t one of them, and neither is maintaining the questionable purity of Lucky Madden. But for the sake of her brother’s peace of mind and my financial stability, I’ve agreed to give it the old college try.” A dark laugh strums from me, but I’m alone in my glee.
Both Rush and Grant take a somber pause before taking their seats.
“You didn’t take the cash, did you?” Rush looks affronted, as if this somehow personally offended him. I’m sure he feels like protecting Lucky’s purity is his civic duty to begin with—at least within the Greek system.
“Of course, I took it. And I don’t need either of you announcing it with a bullhorn. Especially you.” I shoot Grant a look. “She is a virgin, right?”
Grant smirks. “And I would know this because?”
I shrug as if it were no big deal. “Ask Ava.” Not sure why I went there. For some reason, I seem dead set on proving my point—that A she’s a liar, and B she’s a virgin.
“No way, no how.”
Holt comes over and takes our orders. I met Holt over the summer. He’s one of the head bartenders and happens to own this place along with his siblings. He and his brother, Bryson, are twins, thus both of them used to make Grant uncomfortable. Grant’s sister, Stephanie, who passed away, had a huge crush on Bryson, and it eventually led to her demise. I don’t know how Grant managed to push past all the drama and trauma, but he did. Not only is he dating the sister of the girl who murdered Stephanie, but he doesn’t seem to have any more hang-ups about the Black Bear either.
We wait until Holt takes off again before commencing our discussion on Lucky’s carnal standing.
“It’s just a simple question.” I flick a napkin at Grant as if I really didn’t care about the outcome. I don’t, do I?
“Ava and Lucky talk. I’m not about to ask Ava if her best friend is a virgin and then expect her not to say a word.”
