Page 52 of The Summer of ’98

“About what?”

“All the hostile language and shouting.”

I laughed at his sincere apology, and he continued past the cars so that he could find a spare space. “It’s fine. I’m not offended.”

We parked the car and the boys took the luggage for us. Cass was definitely a little bit tipsy, but she managed not to draw too much attention to herself as we took the basement elevator up to the hotel reception. We went through the check-in procedures and all the other requirements. Our room was on the fourth floor and it was nicer than anything I had stayed in before. Momma and I hadn’t traveled a lot, apart from the occasional weekends on her brother’s farm. We did go on one of the science class trips in junior year—Momma was a chaperone, but we stayed in cabins with stale mattresses and communal bathrooms. That was the extent of my traveling.

The other three didn’t seem all that fazed by our accommodation, so I maintained a natural reaction, but quietly admired the large room that was decked out with two comfortable-looking beds, a kitchen/dining space, rich textured curtains, and soft patterned carpet. It was beautifully decorated and vibrant with hues of red and orange in the decor that contrasted with the soft-blue walls.

“Shotgun the bed closest to the window!” Cass pushed past us and dived face-first into the white bedspread.

“You should sleep before we leave,” Leroy suggested as he set our bags down beside the other bed where I was sitting. “You’ll be denied entrance if you’re too wacked.”

“I’m fine,” she dismissed him and sat up. “You dudes should leave for an hour so that we can get dressed and ready.”

“An hour,” Noah said sarcastically from where he was leaning on the little round dining table. “It takes that long for you to decide what to wear when we hang out. And the clothes don’t even stay on for that long.”

“We’ll go and get something to eat and bring it back.” Leroy leaned down and gave me a quick kiss before he started toward the door. Noah followed him and Cass gave them a sarcastic wave as the door closed behind them.

As soon as we were alone, we dug through our bags, and it wasn’t long before there were clothes scattered all over the floor and bed while we decided what to wear. We swapped our clothes and mixed and matched until we created two perfect combinations.

It would be hot in the concert. It was the middle of summer and the arena would be packed. So, I wore a sheer black top over a bra the same color, and pulled it together with a navy-blue, high-waisted skirt. It seemed like the right kind of look for an Aerosmith concert. There was no chance I wanted to end up with broken toes, so I wore a pair of combat boots over some thigh-high socks.

Cass went in a similar direction with a darker look, but she borrowed my KISS shirt and tucked it into a pair of black shorts that she wore over sheer stockings. She was tall enough not to need high heels, so she wore her sneakers and of course her hair sat in its signature tight curls.

I used a wand to add some volume to my hair and teased it out with a comb before I let Cass attack me with more makeup than I had ever worn before. She laid it on thick: foundation, some nude lipstick, and a bit of blush. She gave me a darker eye look with a kohl liner pencil, and of course I added a few coats of mascara because I didn’t think that I could ever leave the house without decent lashes.

We were in the bathroom fluffing and adding final touches to our looks when the hotel door opened, and we heard Noah and Leroy coming through. The aroma of hot food came in with them and we shared a look of delight before we ventured out into the main room.

Leroy was busy taking items out of the bag and placing them on the table. Cass skipped straight over to Noah and fell into his lap as he helped himself to a burger. He gripped her thigh and murmured something that made her blush. I had to admit that it was cute to see them being so affectionate.

Leroy glanced toward me and then back to the food before he did a double take and his gaze became awestruck. He stopped what he was doing, and his jaw dropped as his eyes drank me in. “Ellie,” he swallowed and walked toward me. “Shit, you look stunning.”

“Lee,” Cass scolded. “You’re sweet. But wrong compliment. Right now, she looks smoking hot. A sex bomb. A straight-up betty.”

“I’m trying to eat here,” Noah muttered. Leroy shot them a curt glance but didn’t pay them a lot of mind as he stopped in front of me and his sights settled on my chest, which was nice and visible through the sheer fabric. Heat crept up my neck and into my face as he stared at me. I was definitely disappointed that we weren’t alone.

He inhaled a deep breath after a moment and wound an arm around my back. “Come on, food before we have to leave for the arena,” he led me to the table so that we could sit down.

After we’d finished eating, Cass revealed the box of beer that she had brought along. She and Noah were fast to pop the lids and of course offered us a drink as well.

“I’m driving,” Leroy declined, pulling his shirt up and over his head so that he could swap it for a black tank top that went under his black, short-sleeve button-up that he left undone. I was practically salivating over his defined chest while he was topless. A cold bottle being touched to my shoulder gave me a fright and I turned to see Cass waving it at me.

“Oh, no,” I said. “I promised Eleanor that I wouldn’t drink again while I’m here.”

“She won’t know,” Noah shrugged and guzzled back the entire contents of his bottle in about ten seconds flat.

“I’d rather not.”

“Fair enough,” Cass said. “Momma Eleanor can be kind of scary when she gets pissed off.”

I was glad that she dropped it. Eleanor wasn’t the only reason that I declined the offer. We were going to a concert. I wanted to remember the experience, not black out or embarrass myself in front of thousands of people. It was one thing to go to a house party with people that we knew and down a few beers. It was another to go somewhere that was completely unfamiliar while battling the wobbles.

Leroy pulled on his Chucks and buckled the belt on his black jeans before he suggested that we leave. He looked incredible. His arms were glowing from the amount of sun that he’d had, the firm bulge of his biceps making me weak whenever he gestured or unintentionally flexed.

I was unequivocally grateful that Cass had eyes only for the younger brother. But I still couldn’t understand it. He was attractive in a sense. But his personality marred whatever physical attributes he had. He would be a total catch if he wasn’t such a gross, self-righteous pig.

We piled into the car downstairs and set a tape to play. Leroy turned in his seat. “Ready?”

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