“You suck. If I didn’t like you, I might have to stuff you into a garbage can or lock you in your locker,” Tracy complained.
Precious made a reappearance, sauntered over to the back door, and stuck her head out the kitty door. She pulled it back and began to pace.
“Cassidy’s home,” Tracy explained.
David made another drink and handed it to his little ninja as she came in. Of course, she had to love-up the evil cat first.
“Welcome home, Buttercup,” David said.
Cassidy took a sip, and both her eyebrows went up as she dropped her book bag.
“This is yummy,” she said to Tracy, not even looking towards David. “It might not be that bad having him move in.”
“I was going to make lunch,” he said, not put out at all by Cassidy’s antics. Then he remembered something. “Oh, and my cleaning lady wanted to know if it would be okay if she cleaned the townhouse over the summer. She needs the money, but I said I had to ask you guys first.”
Both Cassidy and Tracy just stared at him for a second before breaking out into laughter. Tracy hopped off her stool and sauntered over to him.
“Come on. There’s another rite of passage you need to have before we eat lunch.”
“Bitch,” Cassidy complained.
“You snooze, you lose,” Tracy said as she pulled David to his feet and led him upstairs.
It was going to be a good summer.
By the time they made it downstairs, Pam had returned and had consumed a cocktail. Cassidy had taken over as bartender and had found the alcohol David had bought. They were on to vodka and cranberry juice.
“Did you two...?” Pam asked as she gave her roommate the evil eye.
“You have a boyfriend to satisfy your every desire,” Tracy fired back.
That got a bark of laughter from Cassidy.
“David, they’re being mean to me,” Pam complained.
“Be nice to Pam. I love her best,” he dutifully said.
“You just did a pretty good job with me. If that wasn’t your best, we should go back upstairs,” Tracy said to wipe the smile off Pam’s face.
“I already called her a bitch,” Cassidy shared with Pam.
David left them to bicker. He could tell it was just the usual teasing between friends.
His grocery order had included a crab quiche, Caesar salad, and loaded baked potato soup. After he heated up the soup and quiche, he served them.
“He’s getting us a cleaning lady, too,” Cassidy told Pam.
“And we decided to go home for the summer,” Pam said to Tracy.
“That will leave David and me in this big old place all summer,” Cassidy said.
“You’ll never make your move,” Tracy predicted.
“I’m right here,” David reminded them.
He’d almost forgotten what it felt like to get ‘the look.’ Getting it from all three of them had him sitting back and reaching for his fork to defend himself.
Word got out that David was drinking at the townhouse, and there was soon a party up on the roof. He momentarily worried about what his grocery bill was going to be because Cassidy had placed another order for booze, beer, wine, and mixers when people started to show up. Then he looked around and recognized that they were all friends.
It was an eclectic group that ranged from people in his business classes to football and baseball players, to the Alpha Mu sorority girls, to his friends at his dorm.
When the party began to get too big for the roof, Tracy had gone to the neighbors. There were privacy fences with gates between each unit. They all opened them up so that people could spread out. Somehow, the neighbors had been convinced to help out.
David, Andres, and Percy had claimed three chairs on the edge so they could people-watch the street below. Andres moaned when he spotted Crystal with her boyfriend, Matt. David and Percy did the same when they saw John was with them.
“Andres has the hots for Crystal,” David explained to Percy.
“We could grab them and toss them off the roof to give you your shot,” Percy joked.
Andres, and his trigger words, made David chuckle.
“Did you sign with an agent yet?” David asked Andres to get his teammate’s mind off his crush.
“Coach Deneau recommended one who seems to be okay. He wants me to talk to some financial guy on Monday,” Andres shared.
“No need. Talk to my people. They offer full-service wealth management. Full disclosure, I own a piece of it, but all the football guys trying to go pro signed with them. I can give you their number if you want to hear what they think,” David offered.
“I don’t know. My mom and dad have been on me to be careful. I keep telling them that my initial contract might not be that big,” Andres shared.
“It might not be, but get your own support team in place for when you do sign the big one,” David suggested.
“You own a wealth management company?” Percy asked.
“Tell him what a big wheel you are,” Andres prodded.
“I only own part of that. I also own some farms, a real estate company, and a restaurant. I have partners in all of them that run the day-to-day,” David shared.
“Tell him about all the real estate you own,” Andres said.
David gave Percy a defeated look.
“Let’s just say that I have money and leave it at that.”
“I should have known that, but you never really flaunt it,” Percy said.
“Did I tell you that Crystal wanted to move in with me this summer?” David asked Andres as payback, conveniently forgetting to mention she’d also wanted to move Matt in with her.
Andres gave him a disgusted look and went to get another drink.
“He is seriously into her?” Percy asked, throwing a face.
David nodded and rolled his eyes in agreement.
“The heart wants what the heart wants,” was all he had to say.
From that point forward, the evening got a bit rowdy, and David’s memory of events got sketchy. He did recall talking to the police at one point. And he recollected making out with someone. Apparently, some things never changed.
Developmental Editors: XofDallas and Bud Ugly
Line / Copy Editors: Bud Ugly, TheMikeBomb, Zom, and Old Rotorhead
Continuity Editor: Rusty
Last One Through: Bud Ugly
Chapter 72
David
David jolted awake to a loud booming noise so intense that it actually made the window vibrate. His first thought was thunder, but that was a rarity in LA. Then he heard the first raindrops splatter on the windowpane, which made him think it might have been thunder after all.
David rolled over and immediately regretted it. His body felt like he’d been beaten, he was nauseous, and his head ... decapitation might be necessary. And perhaps preferable.
He tried to sit upright, intending to ease himself out of bed. When the world tilted with him, David put his palm against his forehead and moaned.
’Where the heck am I?’ he wondered.
His stomach woke up and roiled as he fought a wave of sickness that he feared might cause him to puke on himself. David huffed several deep breaths to stave off that unhappy outcome. When the feeling subsided, he looked around to figure out where he was. David didn’t recognize his surroundings. Then it hit him: he was in his bedroom at the townhouse. He didn’t remember getting there.
Several thoughts rushed through his mind.
’How did I get here?’ ‘Did I drive last night?’ ‘Am I still drunk?’ ‘I have to pee—NOW!’
With that last thought, David got out of bed and almost fell down again when the world got all wobbly and tilted to the left. He managed to right himself and stumbled to the bathroom. He struggled to get his pants undone so he could relieve himself. David’s head pounded as a steady stream began to flow. He heard the rain suddenly come down much harder as it drummed against the window, distracting him. The momentary lapse in concentration caused him to topple backward and nearly crash into the wall behind him.