“Is this like a fun run type thing? Adventure courses or some shit?” I ask, and she grins, giving me a playful shrug.
“Or some shit. But it’ll be fun, I promise. Plus, it’s for a good cause. So be a good sport, okay?” she demands.
“I’m always a good sport.”
“Uh-huh, we’ll see about that when you’re losing,” she says as we walk up to what looks like the starting line. There are lines marked out on the grass in rows, and I watch as everyone comes around us. Nora with a megaphone, a man who looks eerily like Sideshow Bob is taking bets, which I’m assuming are actually donations, and people are lining up.
Alex comes to my side, smiling widely. “How do you like your eggs in the morning, Matt?” she asks.
I raise my brow at her question. What the fuck is she asking that for, and why is she asking it right now?What the hell?
Suddenly, a woman steps out with a bucket of eggs, and another follows behind her with a tub of spoons. I relax slightly as Alex chuckles.
“Geez, Matt, breathe, you look so tense. It’s just an egg and spoon race,” she yells while grabbing an egg and spoon.
I take up my position next to Alex after grabbing my egg and spoon, and she glances at me sideways.
“So now you get it, Matt. A night of crazy games and chaos…” Alex giggles. “Are you up for the challenge, rocker boy?”
I grin, ready to race. “Fuck, yeah, doodle bug. I’m gonna scramble you.” I chuckle. “Get it?”
She bursts out laughing, almost causing her egg to topple off her spoon. Alex quickly steadies the egg back on her spoon. “Oh, I get it. Playing hardball, eh? Well, you’ll never defeat me. I am the champion in these parts and—”
The gun goes off, interrupting her, and I don’t wait around for her to finish the sentence before I take off, racing at a fast pace but maintaining an even tempo, trying not to drop my egg.
“Hey, not fair!” Alex calls from behind me.
There’s a woman to my right and another three people off to Alex’s left. I’m in front, and my egg is wobbling on the spoon but staying the course. I stop at the end of the track and send out a victory cheer, knowing I’ve reached it first. But then everyone starts screaming at me as I turn around and watch the others spin around their witches’ hats, then head back down to the start line.
“Oh shit!” I call out, not realizing it was a return trip.
I probably should have checked the rules before I started.
“Ha-ha, dumb ass, serves you right,” Alex screams out as she reaches the end, and we head off at the same time, back toward the start line. We’re neck and neck as we overtake the others. It’s between us as we get closer and closer to the finish line. Trying to get ahead of each other, we laugh as we push harder and faster to outwalk one another. The increased tempo has our eggs teetering on the edge.
“Alex, a bee,” I call out.
She looks up just before the finish line, making her egg tip off her spoon and tumble to the ground. It smashes as she groans out loud, and I race forward, rushing over the finish line and bursting into laughter while everyone cheers.
Alex stomps her foot on the ground. “Matthew!” she calls out, and I chuckle, throwing my hand in the air. She walks over to me, furrowing her brow, looking right at my chin strangely.
“What?” I ask.
“What’s that on your face?” she asks, and I jolt back while wiping at my chin.
“What?” I ask again.
Alex smirks. It’s not a happy smirk—it’s a mischievous, devilish one—but I don’t have time to react before her hand moves to mine, the one holding the spoon and egg. She thrusts my hand up, and the egg slaps into my chin, breaking open all over my face. Everyone around us bursts out into hysterics as Alex laughs her ass off, and the egg literally drips from my chin.
“Oh, I think you have egg on your face,” Alex says with the biggest smile, and I look right at her, raising my brow. She seems to know exactly what I’m thinking, and her smile falls. “Don’t you dare,” she says, stepping back to run from me.
I reach out, grabbing her arms and pulling her to me as she begins to squeal and pull away, but I’m far too strong for her, and I run my face along hers. Caught up in the moment and not paying attention, my lips slide over hers in my attempt to rub as much of the egg off as I can. Everyone is laughing and cheering us on.
Our eyes lock for a moment, and her breath hitches. Unsure of what to do, I swipe the remaining egg off my chin and smear it across her cheek. She crinkles her nose as she pulls away, and I laugh almost hysterically. My laughter must be contagious because she joins in, trying to wipe her face.
This will be a memory I don’t think I couldeverforget. Sure, it is sticky, messy, and it’s gross as fuck, but it’s fun, and I wouldn’t want to share this experience with anyone else.
“Matt, ew, stop it, you freak!” she calls out with egg now smeared all over her chin and cheeks. I pull back and look into her eyes while she grins and shakes her head. “You goose,” she says, grabbing a towel from a woman she obviously knows and wipes her face. The same woman hands me a towel, too.
