“If I get fired for calling in to work sick, I’m blaming Amy.” She laughs. “She’s a bad influence.”
“So, where are we going, ladies?” Ian drapes his arm around me.
“The Blue Stripe? I need a drink,” I reply.
“You heard the woman.” Wendy laughs, and we head down the street. The best thing about the night before the race is the diversity of the people. They come from all over the country. I’ve even met people from Australia and England here. And everyone is trashed and happy.
Ian elbows me. “Ev, look, they caught one.” We all watch with wide smiles while a young guy chases a twenty dollar bill blowing down the road. The crowd parts, letting him through. Just as his fingers almost touch the edge of the bill, it scoots a few more feet. The guy is so focused on getting the money before someone else sees it, he doesn’t realize he’s being watched by a crowd of people.
When he reaches for the bill a third time and it moves again, he looks up and realizes he’s been tricked. His cheeks redden and he drops his forehead into his hands as the crowd bursts into laughter. The man standing on the curb holding a fishing pole and reeling in the twenty dollar bill waves at him, andthe young guy flips him off before starting toward him.
I watch as the man tosses him a beer and slaps him on the back. The young guy’s buddies join the man and his friends as they set up the bait for the next sucker. “That never gets old.” I laugh.
We’re crossing the parking lot of The Blue Stripe when a thick stream of water douses a woman in front me, turning her shirt nearly transparent. “Asshole!” she screeches, before stalking toward the bar. A line of incredibly hot men are laughing and elbowing each other while she stomps away. Unfortunately, they notice us.
“Ow! That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.” A stocky blond guy gestures toward their sign that readsShow us your tits. “Let’s see them, ladies.”
Amy laughs and shakes her head until I point out the man with the water cannon. Where the hell did he get that thing? It’s a huge syringe, minus the needle, that must hold at least a gallon of water. He submerges it in a cooler and pulls back the plunger, a wicked smile on his face. Okay, so it’s flash them or get soaked.
“Come on,” I yell, smiling. “You don’t want to see mine. They’re little!”
“I want to lick’em baby, but I’ll settle for a peek.”
“Hey,” Ian yells. “I could be her boyfriend.”
“It’s okay,” his buddy replies. “He ain’t the jealous type.” Everyone laughs, and I catch them off guard by jerking my shirt and bra up, giving the guys a look. Hey, this party only happens once a year.
“Beautiful, baby,” the blond calls.
The man with the water cannon points at Amy and Wendy. “Next!”
“Just so you know, you’re ogling lesbian boobs,” Amy teases as she and Wendy raise their shirts. The crowd laughs when Ian stands between them and flashes his chest, squeezing a nipple for good measure.
The men are still yelling when we head away from them. “Did you see the blond? I’d drink her bathwater. I bet I can run faster horny than she can scared.” The comments and laughterfade when we make our way into the bar. Ian finds us a table in the back, and the shots commence. I’m lit up like Times Square when my phone beeps with a text from Mason.
-Evie, just got back in town. Can we talk?-
“Is that him?” Amy demands, noting the look on my face. I nod and stare at the phone, debating whether to reply when it vibrates in my hands. Amy snatches it. “Oh, no, you’re having fun. Don’t let him fuck you up.”
She’s right. He ran out after some other chick and ignored me for a week. “Keep it,” I reply, as it buzzes again.
“I’ll do better than that, hun.” Before I can stop her, she accepts the call. “Everly’s phone.” Her smile is gleeful as she says, “Oh, hello, Jason. Sorry, Ev’s on the dance floor shaking her ass. You’ll have to call back.”
I can’t hear Mason’s reply, but it doesn’t sound cheerful. “She has guys lined up to dance with her, don’t think she needs another tonight. I’ll tell her you called, Jason.”
“Mason!” I hear him shout. He’s still talking when she ends the call and mutes the phone.
“Let him stew on that a bit.” Everyone should have a friend like Amy. “Listen, Ev, I have to tell you something. I’m sort of…moving to New York City with Wendy.”
I nearly choke on my drink. “You’re what? When?”
“Next week.” She looks up with a guilty expression. “I just found out a few days ago. Wendy got her dream job, and since my company has an office there as well, they agreed to transfer me.”
I don’t know what to say. Amy has been a close friend for years. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” She nods, and I lean to give her a hug. “I’m coming to visit you constantly, you bitch.”
“You better. We’ll be dorky tourists together. Now, no more sad talk, let’s dance.” Nearly two hours later, I’m soaked in sweat and exhausted from dancing. I’m also regretting all those shots. I can’t remember ever being so drunk. Of course, at the moment, I can’t remember my own phone number, so it’s not surprising.
Amy and Wendy are getting freaky on the dance floor, andIan is sitting across the room with a giggling girl in his lap. I should go, but I’ll never get a cab on race night. I check my phone and find three text messages from Mason. I’m not reading them. It’s bad enough I’m still thinking about him. The guy at the door even looks like him. Shit on toast, it is him. How did he find me? It doesn’t matter because I’m not talking to him.
