Page 25 of Dirty Chorus

“Noah...” Charlie twirls her foot around in a circle and bites her bottom lip. “Wow... I can’t even describe it... you were...” She puts her hands to her rosy cheeks, tapping those pink nails along soft skin.

“I choked on my hair a few times. I know.”

She tilts her head back, giggling. “No!” She reaches for my upper arm, and I get all warm and mushy inside as her silver eyes glimmer in the moonlight.

“You’re really good,” she’s slurring a bit, “I can’t. Just wow. Wow! I’ve never heard anything like that.” She blows out a tiny gum bubble that pops softly.

“It’s called metal,” I smile as she tugs her shirt down. She might as well forget about it. She needs to showcase her outie belly button and her toned hourglass figure. I almost forgot the lyrics tonight with her standing in the far back, soaking it all in. A little over a hundred people showed up, and they remembered my lyrics better than me, and when it slipped my mind, I’d point the mic at them.

“I’ve listened to metal before, but most of them just scream, and I get so bored with the same thing, but you sang. You have a really good voice. I see why all those girls are obsessed with you. Did you write those lyrics too?” she rambles.

“Yeah, I try to write decent songs.”

“So are you going to go home with anyone?” She sways side to side, and there’s a glint in her eyes. “You know... like with a... with a girl?” There’s a faint hint of alcohol on her breath. The cinnamon gum doesn’t even cover it. She’s a bit intoxicated, and I’m not sure how much she drank.

She looks over my shoulder at Vince, covered in shadow, grabbing the girl’s hair, still going at it. “Do you plan on doing that too?” she asks, grasping my hoodie strings, humming as she tugs me to get closer. “Like at the party. You gonna have someone go down...” she hiccups. “Go down on you again?”

“Are you good to drive?” I reach out to touch her face, and end up stroking her hair. She moans, grasping my hand, squeezing it. When her eyes close and her head spins, I don’t think I’ll trust her answer.

“I can be that girl... like the one at the party.”

My dick twitches. “I don’t think you should drive.”

“Hmm, yeah. I’m good... but are you? Are you leaving here with a...with a...”

Now I regret letting the bartender shower her with drinks. “Where are your car keys?”

“Umm...” Her purse falls to her wrist as she struggles to unzip it, and she digs around. I’m tempted to grab it and pour everything out onto the wet concrete. The keys jingle, but she ends up pulling out a Sharpie instead. “Oh look,” she chuckles with a snort, popping off the cap.

“No... no.” I wag a finger at her. “We aren’t going to vandalize anything tonight.”

“I already did...” She bites her bottom lip, swaying back and forth. “I wrote...” she giggles, covering her lips as she hiccups. “I wrote ‘Noah is hot, and I’d bang him,’ in the bathroom.”

Wait what? I blink through those words and let them settle in my head. It’s hard not to laugh with her. “Hand over the marker...” I wiggle my fingers in a give-me motion.

“No, you’ve gotta beg for it.”

I reach for the marker, but she leans her arm away.

“Okay, where are your keys? I can’t let you drive like this.”

“Hmm...” she manages to say and starts pawing through her purse again and manages to pull them out. I snatch them out of her hand as there’s no way she’s getting into her car by herself.

Vince groans in the alley. As I look back he finishes and zips up his jeans.

“Come on!” Omen shouts. He comes back over with Vince and Tony by the ears. They both have their tails between their legs as they open the van doors. “Let’s go! I wanna get out of here,” Omen says.

“Hey.” I swallow the lump in my throat, seeing the angry glint in Omen’s eyes. The second I glance back at Charlie, I have no other choice but to say, “I’m going to drive her home.”

Omen tilts his head back with an eye roll. “You could just be honest and tell us what you're really up to.”

“She’s drunk, and I’m not.”

Omen points a finger at me. “I swear, if you fucking drink anything other than water tonight, it will be your grave. And use a damn condom.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

I take Charlie’s hand and pull her up to the sidewalk as Omen flips me off before getting into the driver’s seat. He ignites the engine. Britney Spears blasts through the speakers again. The red brake lights flash as they pull out and drive off.