Page 70 of Puck Me Back to Life

The response is automatic enough to make me smile.

Dante notices too. “Oh, that's crazy.”

“Get up.”

“I'm getting up.” Dante says, not moving at all.

Kai stands and looks down at his drunk friend.

I grab Dante by the back of his jacket, pulling him up. Eventually I manage to herd both of them toward the door.

The cold night air hits us immediately. Kai shoves his hands into his pockets.

Dante nearly misses a curb.

I catch him by the shoulder before he can embarrass himself. “You're welcome.”

“My hero!”

The ride starts quietly. Kai claims the passenger seat to my delight. Dante sprawls across the back like a man who has forgotten how vehicles work.

Ten minutes later, an Ariana Grande song comes on. The silence immediately ends.

Kai starts singing first. Dante joins him halfway through the chorus. The result is catastrophic. Neither of them can actually sing. Neither seems concerned about that fact. I spend the next four minutes trapped in a moving concert.

At one point, Kai misses an entire lyric and replaces it with complete nonsense. Dante applauds. The song somehow gets louder.

I briefly consider driving into a lake.

The annoying part is that they're having fun. By the time the song ends, Kai is laughing so hard he's wiping tears from his eyes. I haven't seen him look this relaxed since I've met him.

The sight makes the headache worth it.

Almost.

Dante is still humming when we pull up outside his townhouse. He opens the door. Stops. Then points at both of us.

“I love you guys.”

I immediately regret bringing him.

“Wear protection, you two.” Dante clammers out of the car.

Kai nearly chokes. “Fuck you.”

The response comes so fast and so naturally that I actually laugh.

Kai looks surprised he managed it.

Dante looks proud of himself. Then he stumbles toward his front door. Somehow he makes it inside without injury.

The second the door closes, the car becomes quiet. I pull away from the curb. For a minute neither of us says anything.

The city lights slide across the windshield.

Then Kai speaks. “Where do you live?”

I glance over. “Why?”