Page 10 of Baby, It's You
“Okay, this song is seven minutes long. You’ve paid your dues. You’re done!” I yell out and begin clapping. He bows and gently walks Mrs. Frett back to her seat as the bar erupts in cheers. He joins his friends once more and the tallest of the three guys claps him on the back and says, “I’ll go next.”
Walking up to the bucket, he shuffles his hand around inside and pulls out a crumpled sheet. As he reads the paper, I can see his face fall. “Hell no,” he says, and hands the paper to his blond friend.
The blond reads it and lets out a bark of a laugh, then says aloud, “Drink a shot of whatever liquid is in the bar mat.”
The bar is full of “ewwws” and laughter. My stomach churns just thinking about it.
Mike Layner, wearing a ski mask, proudly stands up and says, “I wrote that one down!”
The tall guy shoots him a look. “Thanks, man,” he says sarcastically. “It’s my birthday today.”
Hearing that, Rick, in a fox mask, pushes back from the bar and stands up. “I will do it for him.”
Everyone turns and looks at him.
“I can’t let you do that,” the tall guy says.
Mike Layner pipes up again, “Well, someone's got to do it! It’s a task.”
I peer at Mike through my cereal box. “Oh shut up and sit down, Mike. Unless you’re gonna take one for the team,” I say.
At that he quickly sits back down. The tall guy runs his hands over his buzzed head and then rubs the side of his face, thinking.
“How about we do it together. Half and half?” he asks Rick.
Rick smiles back. “Great idea, son. What’s your name?”
“Eddie.”
“Eddie, I’m Rick.” He reaches out to shake his hand and then looks over at me and nods.
I stare down at the bar before I pick it up, trying to think of every drink I’ve poured tonight as I turn it sideways into two glasses. Muddy looking liquid swirls in the two cups and the men step forward, together. The bar is completely silent. Why is this one of the most dramatic things I've ever witnessed?
“Cheers,” Eddie says, holding his glass out to Rick’s. They clink them together and throw the drinks back in unison. Both men make a sound, and Rick chokes out a cough.
“Wheewwwwww,” Eddie shouts as he slams his glass back down on the counter and wipes his mouth. “You guys better have some Creed on karaoke to make up for that shit.”
Laughing, Johnny walks over and reassures him that this bar has many nights of Creed serenades. Eddie smiles, falling into conversation with him once more. Everyone begins to turn back to their friends, the bar filling up with voices again.
Suddenly, someone yells from the other side of the bar, “There’s one more guy!”
I turn to see the final guy with brown hair standing in the corner by the bar exit. His eyes are as wide as saucers when he realizes that everyone's attention turns to him.
Chapter 8
Hunter
All eyes are on me. This is literally my worst nightmare. I decided to step out of my comfort zone tonight, to be a good friend to Eddie and celebrate his birthday with him. Now look at where it’s got me. I have a bunch of faceless, mask-wearing people glaring at me expectantly. I can’t back out at this point; Wes has stripped for an old cougar and Eddie just drank mystery slush. As much as I would love to bail, I can’t do that to my friends.
Giving myself a quick pep talk about how I never have to see any of these people again, I walk over to the bucket of papers and pull one off the top.Perform a random talent on stage that no one knows you have, the crumpled sheet says.Great.
“What does it say, kid?” the mouthy guy that was heckling Eddie shouts at me.
“It says I have to do a secret talent on stage,” I tell the crowd.
The bartender—the talking box of fruit cereal, who is also wearing a bow tie—yells out, “Ooo! I put that one in!”
I give her a quick glance in acknowledgment and rub my hands together, trying to shake off my anxiety. The crowd parts as I head up to the stage, telling myself I might as well get this over with.
