Part 17: The Previous Night.
He turns like a recoiling spring and glares with a burning intensity, lips pulled tight over his teeth. “People think you’re a little crazy when you talk about that in public,” he spits, building emphasis to the words ‘crazy’ and ‘public.’ He was drinking whiskey when we met up tonight and has not stopped since.
I scowl and cross my arms. “You’re the one who said we should leave. Why did you even bring me out if you wanted to stay? Didn’t you see me mackin’ to the little hottie in the Mastodon T-shirt?”
“That was an hour ago, and she’s already nailed some dude in the bathroom. Just forget I said anything,” he mumbles. “St. Eva is here. We need to keep an eye on her.”
“Jesus, man,” I grumble, eyes working over the dismayed stragglers coming to or leaving the spectacle. Even out here, the band is deafening, magnified by the house broadcasting it to the neighborhood. “Eva quit Lapis Exilis. She’s an exile like us.”
His sinister laugh almost sounds like a growl. He leans forward, whispering.“Don’t tell me the Doctor is that naive. That girl is here to kill you.”
“Why would she do that?” I ask, slightly disinterested, zipping my jacket.
“Because you figured out the method of making kings.” His pauses without the drama he intended.
“If you think I’ve figured that out, you’re in for a surprise...”
“Venus, man,” he says, pointing up. Even in a town as small as Parlor City, there is too much light pollution to see more than the full moon led across the sky by our sister planet. “Think about it, it’s the next brightest light after the Sun and Moon.”
“People think you’re crazy when you talk about this in public,” I hiss, watching this cute brunette number stumbling outside, steam rolling off her body, so drunk she won’t remember who she went home with. There’s more than enough cleavage to keep me interested. I’m curious how they appear unsheathed and bouncing.
“So, you want to come back to my house and smoke a blunt, and I could, uh... enlighten you a little more on the subject?” he questions with a sideways glance to the same girl. “Fill in a few of those gaps for you?”
“I don’t know, man,” I say, eyes following the hottie. “I think I’ve found some other gaps I’m gonna fill.” She lifts her head, one eyebrow raised and smiles in my direction, stumbling past past and out of my life. “Oh well,” I declare, shrugging. “My love moved on. The moments we shared were beautiful. I’ll miss her.”
“I’m sure Eva Lorraine will be happy to comfort you,” he says bitterly. “Then she can put a bullet in your brain when you fall asleep.” Nep checks the time on his cell phone. “Come on, let’s go back to mi casa and smoke a blunt.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, eyes scanning the yard again. “Yeah, let’s blow this pop stand. ” I sigh and deflate. “I can’t take another minute of these frauds.”
She managed to get outside without me even seeing it, maybe through a window, or flowing through the wall, but she walks by, face down, eyes up. Her lips twist up into a luscious smirk screaming the invitation across the yard, but only I notice. I no longer want to find out why my life is imperiled. I don’t even want to smoke a blunt. All I want to do is put my hands on Eva Lorraine. I don’t think I could follow Nepotism if I tried.
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