Page 43 of Bring You Back

But since I haven’t written off drinking entirely, like I have with smoking, I should be on my third beer, at least. I haven’t picked up another one since Camille ripped the first from my hand to give Banks a shower.

I don’t stop the laugh that escapes my mouth at the image of it.

The high guy laughs with me like we’re in this together, and takes another hit. Watching this guy blow smoke from his mouth isn’t exactly how I envisioned myselfblowing off steam. I should be feeling as good as he is right now. Or not feeling anything at all.

Then again, if I really wanted to blow off steam, I wouldn’t have brought my Jeep.

“Dude.” Banks appears at my side with a nudge to my shoulder. “They’re here.”

When I don’t respond, he nods toward the skaters who have planted their asses in the sand a few feet to our left to chat up the girls who have also planted their asses in the sand. Scratch that. Landon Peake, the leader of their pack, is sitting on his board. Who brings a skateboard to the sand?

I guess the guy has to compensate for something if he’s trying to get laid. From the looks of it, he is. And from my time hanging with their little group, I heard in passing that he’s apparentlyshortin the pants department. What he lacks in dick, he has to make up for in wheels. Wheels his girl of choice can’t keep her hands off of.

“Ignore them.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Banks makes a face, then points at me. “And that’s your job. I still have my wheels.” He looks down at my empty hands. “Where’s your beer?”

“You’re wearing it.”

“Seriously?” he says with a disappointed face. “Stop being a drywall.”

“Awhat?”

“You’re standing here like a wall and you’re dry. Drink this.” He offers his beer, but I know better than to put my mouth on anything that has touched his.

“I’m good, man.”

“Yeah, but you’ll bebetterafter you drink this.”

When all I do is stare at him, he changes the topic back to himself. “Whatever. So, you think if I beckon a girl with my middle finger that she’ll get the hint and let me fuck her?”

I blink. “If you beckon a girl with your middle finger. . .”

“Yeah, like. . .” Banks stares toward the fire with a squinty, come hither look on his face as his middle finger moves in a slow, beckoning motion. It’s a three second performance that has my jaw falling open. “Think that’ll work?”

I clamp my mouth shut on a chuckle. “Not a chance.”

His face scrunches in offense. “Why not?”

“Why don’t you ask for agirl’sopinion? A girl you’renottrying to fuck,” I clarify before he can practice on whoever this girl is and ruin his chances.

“Oh, that’ll be hard.” He looks around, eyes roving female faces, and here I am, laughing again.

So, right here, in this moment, I commit to the thought of rekindling my friendship with Banks. I haven’t laughed this much in months. I acknowledge how dull my life can be without the strangest, most entertaining friend I’ve ever had. I also acknowledge that the reason behind us going our separate ways was stupid. Bankswasa baby about the whole thing, as Tommy said, but that’s Banks.

Of course, the skateboarding assholes played their hand in keeping us on the outs. I wonder what they’ll try now when word gets around that we’re talking again.

“There’sa girl I definitely don’t wanna fuck,” Banks announces with a gesture at Camille, “ortalk to.” He downs the last of his beer in three chugs, then releases his signatureahhhh. “And our other girl isn’t here.”

Reyna.

My head jerks up as my eyes search the faces for hers. I pull my phone from my pocket and check my texts when I don’t spot her, the couple I’ve sent gone unanswered. I search the faces again. She’s normally the first one to show. It doesn’t make sense.

Until it does.

I dart past Banks toward Tommy as alarm bells sound off in my head, red flashes in the form of Randall’s face, in the crack of his palm against Reyna’s ass.

I should’ve been paying more attention.

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