“Beer?” Austin flings open the fridge and glances over his shoulder. A chorus of yeahs answer him and he joins us at the table with three beers and one water bottle. “Sorry, kid.” He pushes the water to me but he doesn’t appear sorry at all.
Part of me wants to flaunt that I’ve been drinking alcohol since I was twelve, but then I’d have to explain about my parents and how easy it is to swipe liquor from their parties. I’m smart enough to leave that alone. Drawing attention to myself and my background will only lead to more questions.
Trent cuts the deck. “What should we play?”
“Five card, man.” Austin shakes his head. “I drank too much for hold ’em.”
Trent distributes the deck with the practice of a Vegas dealer. “Leighton, we know nothing about you.”
I pick up my cards. “What do you want to know?”
Sean cusses at whatever cards he’s been dealt, discarding four of them before lifting his gaze to mine. “First album you fell in love with?”
“Black Sabbath. Heaven and Hell.”
“A man for the classics. I can appreciate that.” He nods.
Trent lifts his brows. “First concert?”
Shit. Can’t very well admit my first were of the classical music variety. But thanks to a secret gift from my uncle for my fifteenth birthday I don’t have to completely lie. “First rock concert. Foo Fighters.”
“Nice.” Sean drags out the word and holds his knuckles out for me to bump.
“Worst place you’ve had sex?” Austin discards two of his cards, peering over the rest with a shit eating grin. “Youhavehad sex, right?”
The guys chuckle and I roll my eyes. I get that he’s giving me shit because he can. If anything, it makes me feel less an outsider and more a real member of the band. “Yeah, I ditched my virginity years ago. Okay, strangest place . . .” I race through my experiences of pool houses, closets, and bathrooms, none of which seem strange or exotic in the least.
“Please don’t say bed.” Austin shakes his head as if that’d be the most embarrassing answer possible.
“I got it.” My face lights up with the memory. It was a stupid fucking party, but a great story. “A yacht. On a deck. With my Spanish teacher.”
A chorus of “ohhs!” erupt as I knew they would. This story works every time.
“Details, man. We need details,” Austin goads.
“Last year, my friend invited me to some fancy yacht party for his father’s fiftieth, when lo and behold, who shows up? The hot student teacher from my Spanish class. And hell, we all thought she was banging with those long pencil skirts, but that held nothing to her in a fire-engine red bikini. Ended up she was working the event serving food, but that didn’t stop me from working my charms.”
“You nailed her on the deck?” Sean’s brows rise.
“Yeah, at the end of the night. The party was mostly over anyway, the boat was docked, and only a few people were hanging around. I could tell she was into me, though. We’d been eye-fucking each other the entire day. Add in a few drinks, a shared hatred for a fucked up school administration . . .”
“Our little boy’s all grown up.” Austin mimes wiping fake tears from beneath his eyes, “I’m so proud.”
Trent slaps the back of Austin’s head. “You’re such an idiot.”
Austin levels Trent with a stare. “You have to admit that’s a baller move.”
“It’s impressive.” Trent nods, his lips pulling wide with a smirk. “If it’s true.”
Austin and Sean let loose a chorus of “ohhs” and they all watch for my reaction. I get it. The story seems far-fetched, but it’s the truth. “I wouldn’t make this up.”
“You’re telling me a woman who is what, at least a solid four years your senior is gonna risk her future career to play with your dick?”
“About that. . .” I wince at the truth, not my proudest moment. “I lied about my age. Told her I’d just turned eighteen. She’d finished her semester, so in her defense she didn’t think she was breaking any rules.”
“That’s bad, Leighton.” Trent shakes his head but he’s smiling.
“Like this one can talk.” Austin shoves his thumb in Trent’s direction. “He was the biggest dick before he started dating Lexi. Remember Tasty Tuesdays?” He stares whimsically out the bus window.
