“It’s gonna happen. I’ll make you have some fun if it kills us both.”
“Don’t tempt fate, grandpa.”
“I… can’t believe it. He’s actually good,” I said, my eyes locked on Roscoe as he took command of the stage, his powerful voice effortlessly changing pitch while singingThriller. He was so precise in his imitation that I thought he was lip syncing at first. Once more people started crowding in off the street to see theperformance, I could have sworn I saw dollar signs flash in the owner’s eyes. It really felt kind of odd envying Roscoe for once. I’d have given anything to have enough confidence to do that.
“The ham always knew how to work a crowd,” Darryl said, taking another swig of beer. He’d been fending off friends all night just to keep me company. “You should have another drink.”
“Am I that obvious?”
Darryl put his arm around me, patting me on the back. “You’re a hell of a good-looking guy, and you’re fun to talk to when you aren’t shutting people out.” He picked up a pitcher of pale-yellow ale and poured it into my glass.
“I’m just worried,” I muttered, eyeing Roscoe before drinking half of the glass in one go. “He’s got that look in his eyes. He’s going to embarrass me; I just know it.”
“Been thinking about him a lot today, and I’ve gotta try to let this shit go.”
“He and I talked after you left, and he’s scared.”
“Well, I did knock all of his teeth out.”
“Not of that… well, kind of that,” I corrected. “He’s scared of facing you and apologizing. Knowing you still hate him probably hurts him worse than any beating could. He knows he fucked up, but you have to hear it from him.”
His eyes followed the singing werewolf as he began belting out the high notes of Bohemian Rhapsody. “He’s really changed. Even though he could sing all those years ago, he’d slur and forget lyrics, usually making shit up on the spot. The old wolf’s got more life in him now than he did decades ago.” He looked back at me and took the beer out of my hand.
“Hey, I was about to drink that.”
“It’syou! Being all uptight and boring is making him a better person.”
“I need alcohol, Darryl. He’s looking at me again.”
“There’s a half-turn in here that’s just itching to come sing,” Roscoe barked through the microphone.
“Darryl, you need to kill him before he—” Roscoe’s huge hand grabbed a hold of my arm, and he lifted me up on the stage. At first, I locked up, feeling like I was going to throw up at any moment. Then I saw the reassuring look on Darryl’s face, and that no one in that noisy bar was paying much attention. “Roscoe, please,” I whispered, trying to inch back off the stage, but the werewolf held me tight.
“What’s a song you love to sing?”
“Let me go.”
“Don’t know that one. How ‘bout some Aqua? You’re Barbie and I’ll be Ken.”
“I swear to God,” I said, keeping my voice low while covering the microphone. “Please don’t make me do this.”
He draped his heavy arm over my shoulders, leaning in close to whisper. “Everyone’s here to have fun and pretend like they’re famous. If you can sing, they cheer. If you can’t, they cheer anyway, because fuck it, we’re all drunk as hell.”
I scanned the bar again, and he was right, everyone was having fun. They all seemed to like Roscoe, and tonight, he was a lot more than that bum I’d seen at the bus stop not too long ago.
“Fine. I’ve got a song.”
The three of us staggered out of the bar, laughing with a few of Darryl’s friends. I never thought I’d be able to find my voice in front of a crowd, but when Roscoe and I sang together, the chemistry was incredible.
“Wow,” I said, tripping over my feet before Roscoe grabbed the collar of my shirt to keep me upright. “I actually had fun.”
“I knew you would,” Roscoe said, supporting me as we stumbled toward the beach house. “You sure as hell surprised me. I didn’t know you could harmonize like that. I think I’m in love,” he slurred, his tongue leaving a slobbery trail along my cheek.
I laughed and pushed him away.
“I bet you two could actually make a living doing that,” Darryl chimed in. “I think we all needed this.”
“This was a one-time thing,” I said as we stepped up the wooden deck, Darryl leading the way. “Are you guys tired? Cuz I’m not.”
