She lifts her middle finger back with a groan, and Gio just shouts louder: "FUCK YOU!"
I grab his arm, yank him close, chest to chest. "That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen!" I scream. He smirks. I kiss his jaw. "But," I say, pulling back, "we need to find Lorenzo and Noah. I don't know where the fuck they went!"
Gio groans. "Of course we do. They probably joined a gang again."
…
We push open a side door into what looks like a storage room turned temple of chaos. Low lighting. Candles. Rugs everywhere. Bodies sitting cross-legged. Music completely gone. Replaced by a soft beat and whisper chanting. Holy fuck, whatisthis place. There are people shirtless.
One guy with glitter in his beard. And dead center, Noah and Lorenzo. Both shirtless. Both sitting on cushions. Lorenzo holding a lemon slice. Noah holding…what looks like a ladle? They turn to us like they expected us. Noah smiles way too wide.
"Sit. You're late."
I blink. "Late for what?"
Lorenzo nods solemnly. "The body shot ritual of fire."
Gio bursts out laughing. "What the fuck are you two on?"
"Tradition," Lorenzo says, dead serious. "Respect it."
We look around. Everyone in the room is so fucking high. Some girl is painting someone else's shoulder with hot sauce. A guy across from us has a tequila shot resting on his abs. I turn to Gio. "We should go."
"We should definitely go. Smells like weed in here."
We stay. We sit. Cross-legged. Confused. Whispering.
"Is that guy asleep or just transcending?" I whisper.
"Both." We giggle.
"Shhh!" someone hisses. "This is sacred."
"You're wearing a SpongeBob tank top," Gio mutters.
Noah leans forward, eyes glassy. "Don't mock the process. In ten minutes we ascend."
"Ascend where?" Gio asks.
"Doesn't matter," Lorenzo answers, eyes locked on the candle flame. "I'm ready."
"He's gone," Gio whispers to me, wheezing.
"We've lost him." We both collapse in silent laughter. And then, someone claps their hands. "Everyone switch partners!"
"For what?!" I hiss.
"TRUST."
Gio and I just stare at each other, holding back tears of joy and terror. "We need to leave."
"We can't."
"Why?"
"Because…Lorenzo's crying and hugging a stranger named Suzana."
"Fuck." And so we stay.
