“I told you I don’t drink.”
“Matty, trust me, okay?” Coop said, a little annoyed. “I didn’t bring you here to trick you into getting wasted or to embarrass you. I want you to have a good time.”
Matty followed him to a display table that had at one time showed off fall sweaters. Now, two girls were on their knees as a guy poured a shot down a twisty, icy trail, straight into their mouths.
“He’s next!” Coop pointed at Matty. The shot pourer got out of the way.
“What? I can’t do that,” Matty whispered to him. He was still adjusting to the space, and Coop wanted him to do shots?
“We only have twenty-seven minutes. Now get on your knees.”
Matty was a little turned on by his stern direction. He didn’t want to be laughed at by everyone, but Coop’s encouraging gaze told him that he wouldn’t let that happen.
“Don’t switch out my drink with someone else,” Matty warned.
“I won’t. Promise.”
Coop pointed to the spot at the end of the ice luge. Matty handed Coop his drink and got on his knees. He avoided looking at anyone around them. Coop took the shot pourer position.
“Is that just a screwdriver?” A girl who just did the ice luge asked.
“You wish,” Coop said. “This is a…sunshine bomb. It’s vodka, whiskey, sprite, and a splash of orange juice for color.”
“I’ve never heard of that,” a guy in a pink polo said. “That’s not a real drink.”
“It is now. Matty over here is a chemistry major. He devises drinks in his spare time, using the properties of science to design the perfect combination. He spent all week crafting the formula for the Sunshine Bomb. He is the first bartender chemist in the world.” Coop took a sip of Matty’s orange juice. “Whoa! That’s some good shit right there.”
Matty wanted to give Coop a death glare, but he found himself smiling. He was the cool chemistry major with the sunshine bomb.
“Now, don’t try to ask Matty what his formula is,” Coop warned the smattering of watchers. “He’s getting a book of them published this fall. You can find out all his secrets then.”
A girl ran over and brushed Matty’s hair from his forehead. She kissed him on the cheek. “I think that’s so cool. My name is Margo.”
“Margo,” Coop said, holding up the drink. “We’re in the middle of something. Are you ready, Matty?”
Matty nodded, feeling his Catan confidence in his bones. He pressed his lips to the ice. Coop’s eyes lingered on him for an extra moment.
“And away, we, go.” Coop poured a sample of the orange juice down the luge. It flowed around the bends and curves and hit Matty’s mouth. A rush of sugar breaking through the cold. The onlookers cheered him on. Matty got into it, swallowing his drink with glee, adrenaline taking over his motor functions.
Coop kept pouring. Matty kept drinking. The crowd kept cheering.
Matty slurped every last sip. He leapt up and wiped his lips off. He didn’t know what was so funny, but he couldn’t stop giggling. Coop whooped and cheered, and the crowd that formed followed suit.
“Andthat’show you luge!” Coop yelled out to rabid applause.
Matty ran to Coop and pulled him to the safety of the wall, where people stacked empty cups on shelves.
“Your first ice luge,” Coop said. “See? Not so bad.”
“That was…”
“Fun?”
Matty processed the moment.Yes, his brain computed,you really just did that and it was enjoyable.
“And yes, I did embarrass you, but it was a good kind of embarrassment. Not pig’s-blood-on-prom-night embarrassment.” Coop leaned against the wall and drank his alcohol.
“People were cheering! To watch me drink! At a party!” Matty was still catching his breath and laughing. He felt a little tipsy and giddy, as if he really did have a sunshine bomb. It didn’t matter because Matty was…bouncy!
