Jaron may be a hater, but he was right about one thing. I’d been in solitude for too long. I felt particularly good one night, so I put on a dress and went to the Blue Velvet Lounge in Willow Creek. I didn’t want high energy and flashing lights that night. I simply wanted to be out, vibe to some music, observe, sip, dance. And my dress was definitely too nice for a nightclub anyway.
When I arrived, I went straight for the bar. I laughed to myself at a memory. Both parents used to let me sip drinks as long as I didn’t tell the other. Mommy would make kava and say, “Don’t tell your father!” Daddy would mix whatever at the bar and let me have the first sip. As I reached out for the glass, he’d snatch it back and say, “You tell your mama, we’re both dead.” Maybe one day I’ll tell her. Surely she’d get a good laugh.
As I ordered, I heard an all too familiar voice behind me say, “You know it’s illegal to look that good in Willow Creek. No lie.”
Good ol Dwayne Pancakes. He’s my friend I play with. We both find each other attractive, but we don’t want to be together. Frankly, I think we’d get on each other’s nerves in a relationship. But honestly? I think if we were ever both wasted, we’d totally end up in a closet somewhere. I could do that with him and not feel awkward because we have an open and honest friendship. That’s how we play with each other. He says something snarky about how pretty I am, and I return the compliment with the same snark. We both mean what we say, but it doesn’t mean anything…if that makes any kind of sense.
I turned to him and said, “That’s good to know. Good thing I have money. I may have to bail you out.”
He patted me on the shoulder. “Good to know who my true friends are.”
Another thing we joke about is our moms. I thought my mom was bad about hovering, but Miss Eliza is over the top. She’ll show up wherever he goes and try to act like it was a casual coincidence. My mom may not have let me go anywhere, but she’d never follow me. He doesn’t like it when I suggest he’s just like his mom, but it’s the Watcher’s honest truth. He wants to be an archaeologist, but I think he’s too pretty for the jungle. Plus, he’s a neat freak—just like Miss Eliza. He has her snobby attitude too. Overall, he’s a good egg. After he grows up a little more, he’ll make a fine partner for someone.
Everything was going great until Jayce Lewis showed up. UGH! Talk about buzz kill! He’s always trying to get something from somebody…as if he didn’t live in the biggest house in Willow Creek! To be clear? He is not a friend. He is a pest!
