Page 207 of Something Rad
“Why?” I ask, the question blurting out of me.
“Just wondering,” Jesse says with a grin, glancing over to his car that I realize now is full of people. I try to see if I can recognize anyone, but I can’t see who’s inside through the dark windows.
“I’m throwing a little party tonight at my place.”
Now it’s coming back to me. I thought I overheard him saying something about a party in the locker room earlier this week. “It should be pretty cool. My parents are gone this weekend.”
Of course they are.
“You can come, if you’d like,” Jesse says, making me return my attention to his face.
“Oh,” I mutter, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “Thanks, man, but I can’t.”
“You sure?” Jesse asks. “Lots of people will be coming out. It’s just about to start up. We just stopped here to fill up and get some rations.” He holds up the beer cases in his hand, which I assume is what he’s referring to as rations. “I really don’t think you’re gonna want to miss this.”
“I’m sure it’d be fun, but I’ve got plans.”
“Okay,” Jesse nods. I think for a minute that he’s going to turn away, but then he says, “With who?”
“Oh…um…Brad. And some of the guys,” I stammer, caught off guard by the question.Why does it matter?
“Huh. Alright,” Jesse says, tilting his head at me. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where my place is.”
“Yep,” I agree. “I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks, man.”
And with that, we both get in our cars and drive in opposite directions.
* * *
When I walk in the front door of Brad’s place about ten minutes later, Van Halen is blasting from the crackling speakers of a record player and Brad, Billy, and Michael are well on their way to tipsy.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’tRobbie the Heartthrob-ie!” Brad slurs, throwing his hand in the air and hopping off his couch as soon as I make it into the living room.
I bark out a laugh. “Excuse me? What the hell did you just say?”
“Only what everyone else is already thinking,” Brad replies, giving me a lazy wink and patting a hand against the side of my cheek.
“That’s a good one,” Billy calls from his spot on the couch.
“We should do something with that,” Michael agrees.
“I clearly have some catching up to do here,” I say, nodding towards the cup in Brad’s hand.
“You sure do,” Brad agrees enthusiastically. “That’s what happens when you’re late. You miss out.”
So I guess they did notice. Oops.
“Here, I’ll go get you something to get started with,” Brad says, pushing me towards the couch. “Just make yourself at home,Heartthrob-ie.”
“You know, we don’t have to make that a thing,” I insist.
“Too late,” Billy drawls, yanking me down to the couch.
Brad makes his way into the kitchen, and I can hear him in the background tinkering around with some cups and liquor bottles as Michael starts off on some story about a girl he met at Dusty’s Drive-In last night and how he and that same girl proceeded to nearly get banned for life. The shrill sound of a phone ringing breaks through the air, and it must startle Brad in the kitchen, because I hear something that sounds like a cup full of liquid hitting the floor and him letting out a curse. He must pick up the phone, because the ringing cuts off a few seconds later. Michael’s just getting to a part in his story where I’m equally invested but also desperately in need of a drink now to continue, when Brad reappears in the doorway.
“Uh, did you forget something, Brad?” I ask him, motioning to his empty hands.
“Change of plans, losers,” Brad says, walking forward and swinging over the back of the armchair in front of him.
