Crushing It by Lorelei Parker

Author:Lorelei Parker [Parker, Lorelei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781496725714
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2020-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Bryce was called up, and I went in search of Alfie. Instead, I found Reynold sipping some kind of brown liquid. Scotch, I guessed. He indicated a free stool. “You ready?”

“I think so.”

“What did you decide to do?”

“You’ll see.” I acted cocky. I was anything but. I couldn’t let Reynold see me sweat, although if he stuck around he might see me puke.

Bryce left the stage to thunderous applause. Gary was called up.

When I got to the table, I caught Tristan flipping through my journal. I snatched it back. “Mind your business,” I whispered, with a soft smack to his hand.

“Scoping out the competition.” He didn’t even look abashed. He reached over and turned it around, pointing at the cover. “Did I draw this?”

“Did you?” It looked a lot like the ones on his own notebook. I searched my brain for any occasion when Tristan might have doodled my image on my journal. Maybe we’d sat next to each other in class more than once. Or had we hung out on that same brick wall between classes? I would have remembered if we’d ever gone out on anything resembling a date. Even if he’d just asked me to drive over to his place for mysterious purposes. I shook my head. “I can’t remember.”

“It looks like you.” He turned back to face the stage, and I stared at the drawing again, but my traitorous memory had left me with more questions than answers. I’d have to dig through the journal later to see if it held a clue. I’d intended to read the entire thing, but every time I sought out a single entry for the contest, I broke out in hives. It was worse than watching videos of myself or hearing myself speak. My own prior private thoughts gave me the willies.

Gary was followed by Heather. I spotted Alfie carrying a massive bag of ice over his shoulder to the bar and watched as he set it down with a gravity-intense thud. His Henley did a poor job of camouflaging his back muscles, and I had to drag my eyes back to the stage.

Porter spoke, and I couldn’t resist another glance at the bar, where Alfie mixed drinks while chatting amiably.

Quinn was called up. Alfie headed back to the kitchen, carrying a bin I assumed held dirty dishes. It wasn’t my fault if his shirt rode up and allowed me to ogle his ass, which was far more entertaining.

Shannon read about the day at camp in middle school when she’d been talked into streaking. The counselors had called her parents, and then she’d been sent to vacation bible school with the elementary school kids. It sounded like the worst summer on record, and I knew my story wasn’t remotely close to that level of cringeworthy. But it didn’t involve Tristan, and it did relate to my video games. And that was the only requirement I had tonight.

Miranda called my name, and I stood for the third time in as many weeks at a microphone in front of an audience of mostly strangers.

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