Page 13 of Fast Lane

“Me too. I was just lucky it was my night off,” I tell him as he leads me to his table where Kenndrix, Kynlee, Ace, Bowie, Hollis, Lane, and Roscoe are all sitting. “Wow, you’ve got a packed table already. I can sit somewhere else.”

“Don’t be silly there’s plenty of room,” Hollis tells me.

I give her a smile. “Thank you but I’ve got Baylor and Leif too I think.”

Jaxx shakes his head. “Have a seat. I’m sure they’ll go sit with Jovi and Summer.” After I think about it, he’s probably right so I join them at the table.

A few moments later, Baylor reappears with a drink in each hand. She pouts. “You stole my girl,” she tells Jaxx.

He smirks at her. “I’m pretty sure she was mine first.”

“True,” she admits. “But she was mine tonight.”

“Aww Bay, we’ll squeeze another chair in for you,” Ace offers.

Baylor shakes her head and joins me. “I can sit here.” Baylor takes half the chair and so do I. At first, it’s funny then my butt starts to ache and go to sleep. I’m starting to get frustrated sitting like this when the table starts discussing life, currently my least favorite thing to talk about. As they go around and discuss how fabulous everything is for them, I continue to drink, throwing myself a silent pity party. I don’t drink often so it hits me pretty quickly.

The next thing I know If It Makes You Happy by Sheryl Crow comes on and I’m out of my seat, slightly wobbly. I make my way to the makeshift dance floor, singing completely off tune and dancing. Sober me would be embarrassed by this skeptical, but right now I don’t care. It feels like fun so I’m going to go with it. Before I know it, Kynlee is on the floor with me along with Onyx who is one of the Street Kings and Arbor who usually runs with the Sons of Sin. Somewhere in the middle of the song we end up on the bar top along with Baylor. For the first time in a long time, the smile on my face isn’t forced.

Twelve

Roscoe

I watch as Kosi dances on the bar, singing at the top of her lungs and I can’t get over how different she seems now from the girl I’ve always known. This Kosi is not in control and worrying about being perfect all the time. This Kosi seems carefree and fun. Her blonde hair glistens under the muted lights. Her and Baylor twirl around, and when she stumbles, I’m glad Jaxx is there to catch her. Kosi on the other hand just laughs about it.

A few songs later and the girls have been talked down from their Coyote Ugly moment and are back in their seats. Kosi has the giggles and can’t seem to stop them. It’s the first time I’ve taken a moment to appreciate how good her laugh is. We all hang around for a little while longer before Jaxx gives his keys to Kenndrix who will follow him to Baylor’s apartment. He’s going to drive Kosi and Baylor home since they’ve both had a few too many.

As I head back to my car, I can’t help but wonder if maybe Bowie isn’t right. Maybe I should just ask Kosi if she’d be willing to facelift Free Fall for me. I mean, what’s the worst she could do… say no? If she does, then oh well. I move on and find someone else for the job. No big deal, right? The thing is… what if she says yes? Can Kosi and I really manage to work in the same area for multiple days in a row without one of us ending up needing a funeral? That’s the part that still seems uncertain to me and has me more than a little worried.

On the drive home I try to weigh the pros and cons, but to be honest, when I finally pull into my apartment’s parking lot I’m still not sure what the best decision is. I’ll have to figure it out tomorrow because I’m exhausted tonight. On the bright side, I did win the race and the money so that was good. As soon as I open my front door Mushu is right there, rubbing in and out of my legs in a figure eight motion. I pick him up and yawn which causes him to put his paw in my mouth—something he has always done, ever since he was a kitten. After shutting and locking the door I move to the bedroom where I take a quick shower before opening the sliding glass door that leads to the small balcony off my room. I make sure the sliding screen door is locked before climbing into bed. The humid breeze mixed with the cooler air of the ceiling fan and a purring Mushu beside me has me out quickly.

****

The sun blares through the window waking me up at the crack of dawn. I haven’t been asleep nearly long enough, so I get out of bed and shut the door and blinds before climbing back into the bed. Mushu circles around on the mattress before finding a spot to settle into. Before I know it, we’re both waking up much later. Today is always a slow day at Free Fall so it’s one of those days where we basically just go in whenever, clean and maintain things. No classes or jumps today. I stretch my muscles while lying on my back staring at the ceiling fan. My room is a mixture of horror movie and music posters along with a lot of green, my favorite color. Mushu stirs beside me.

As I lay there, I go back to weighing my options of whether I should ask Kosi or not. It shouldn’t be this complicated. I mean it’s not life or death, but it feels like it. Finally, I sit up in the bed, rub Mushu’s belly, and make a decision. Once I get out of bed I quickly get dressed and head out of my apartment. I stop by a coffee and pastry truck on the way to my destination. After I grab what I need, I continue on. Music blaring, windows down, breeze in my hair. Soon enough I’m turning into the last place I expected.

I march upstairs and hope that Kosi is actually home. After ringing the doorbell, Baylor answers a few moments later. To say she looks shocked would be an understatement. “Roscoe, what are you doing here?” she asks.

“I was hoping to talk with Kosi. Is she around?”

Baylor shakes her head. “You actually just missed her. She left for work about ten minutes ago. I’m sorry.”

I try to wave my hand in dismissal but remember I can’t because of the bag full of pastries and the drink carrier with coffee. “It’s okay. She wasn’t expecting me. Do you want something to drink and a pastry? I bought you one.”

Her eyes light up. “I’d love some. You are a lifesaver, Roscoe.” Baylor steps aside, opening the door wider. “Come on in.”

I do and make my way to the kitchen island. After giving her the coffee and a pastry I take a seat. “Do you know how long Kosi is working today?”

Baylor shakes her head. “I don’t. She normally only has an eight-hour shift but usually ends up staying longer because someone is always calling in and she’s a workaholic. Do you work today?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s always the day the school has been closed but it’s weird now that I think about it. I mean it’s the weekend. We should be busy… maybe I should rethink the operating hours.”

“Maybe,” Baylor agrees, nodding her head. “So, you need to talk to Kosi?”

“Yeah, and trust me I know it’s crazy.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “Crazier things have happened.”

---