“Why are you nice to me? After that article came out?” I asked her.
“Natalie told everyone what happened. I’ve been there with bosses who do everything possible to ruin your career. It sucks. And you don’t deserve to be blamed for it,” Goldie said.
“We don’t judge people based on one thing either. We know you’re a friend to Natalie. She really wanted you here,” Valentina added.
“I am a friend to her. I like both Natalie and Omar. A lot. I want their love to inspire others. It inspires me.”
“They are pretty great,” Goldie agreed.
I washed my hands and left while the two of them locked stall doors. I went back to the theater and resumed my seat, finding a fresh pair of drinks in front of my seat.
“Last round, so I got us both two. We’re not driving,” Melody held up one glass for us to toast. “Cheers.”
“Thanks for hanging with me this whole time. I’m sure you had other people you wanted to talk to,” I told her, taking a healthy sip of my drink.
“We’re friends, Casey. You didn’t hold me back from anyone else. I had fun. And I heard you told Natalie to avoid bad dicks. What was that all about?”
I snorted and relayed my conversation with Natalie in the bathroom. Melody laughed and toasted with me again. “To good dicks only.”
“To good dicks!”
“Hurray!” everyone else said, hearing our toast.
Melody and I finished our drinks as the movie finished playing. Daisy asked for help getting Natalie to the door, then poured her into Omar’s SUV with a laugh.
“Did you guys leave any liquor in town for us?” Omar teased Daisy.
Daisy shook her head. “Nope. We drank it all!” Daisy laughed and waved as they left.
Melody asked Daisy if she needed help cleaning up, and all of us pitched in to de-dick the movie theater. Daisy brought out bins to store most of the supplies, telling people to keep anything they wanted.
She handed me a dick centerpiece and a penis shot glass. “Natalie wanted you to have these. I’m not asking questions.”
I snorted and accepted the gifts. “Thank you. It’s the only dick I’m going to get anytime soon, so I’ll enjoy.”
Daisy threw her head back and laughed. “Then you need more dicks. You have your necklace.” She nodded to the light-up necklaces we all wore. “And your glass, straw, and ice cube.” Everyone had their own for the night, and we were all taking them home. “Ooh! Coaster?” Daisy handed one over, then grabbed an inflatable. “This too. And the string of dicks.”
“Sounds like my dating life,” I muttered.
Daisy snorted. “That’s… Sorry. That was funny.”
“Unfortunately true.”
“What’s true?” a voice asked from right behind me. A voice I was beginning to know well. Landon.
“Casey is taking home a string of dicks. She said it’s like her dating life.”
“Ouch,” he said, a smirk teasing the corners of his lips.
“I don’t mean you,” I assured him.
“Well, that’s good to know.” He held my gaze for a long moment. “Are you ready to go?”
“Go where?”
He chuckled. “I’m helping with rides. Andre dragged me out tonight and then coerced me into driving a bunch of drunk women home after a night…” He trailed off as he looked around. “With a bunch of dicks.”
I snorted. “Yes, but none of them were real.”
