Page 60 of Found

I wrap my arm around Boss to my left and Cam to my right. We collectively sway to the music, yelling out the lyrics in complete confidence as if we were destined to be Billy’s very own backup singers. It’s so much fun, and my heart soars with joy.

After the song has ended and the lights have been turned on, we retrieve our items from our tables and congregate outside, grabbing a sparkler on the way out. The night air is chilly, more characteristic of this time of year. Boss holds his jacket out for me, and I gladly slip my arms into it.

“Thanks,” I say.

The group of us make a tunnel for Claire and Ben to walk through. Lighters are passed down the lines, and we light our extra-long sparklers. We hold up the burning wands, connecting the ends of them to the person’s sparkler opposite us as the newlyweds run through the sparkling tunnel to the limo that awaits them at the end.

As the sparklers fizzle out, the limo takes the couple away from the reception.

“Aw. Well, that was fun.” Tiny is the first to speak. “So Johnny’s…yes?”

We organize who is going to be riding with which designated driver. I give Cam a hug before hopping in the back of Tiny’s car with Boss on our way to the hot dog stand.

Somehow, Pauly’s group beats us to Johnny’s and has already ordered their food when we arrive.

“I can do it myself,” he growls toward Victoria who is trying to shove a hot dog dripping with red chili sauce and nacho cheese into his mouth.

“No. You’ll lose your balance and fall. I am going to help you!” she snaps.

“I’m not a child, Vic. I can feed myself.”

“You’re not getting this unless I’m the one putting it in your mouth!” she says.

I look at Boss, suppressing a laugh.

He rolls his eyes and shrugs. “Always,” he says under his breath.

We stand in line behind Tiny and Mila as he orders their food.

“How many do you want?” Boss asks when it’s our turn to order.

“One.”

Our congregated group of friends falls silent, everyone’s eyes on me.

“What?” I look around.

Johnny is the one to answer as he hands me a tray of chili dogs. “You can’t just eat one, my dear. It’s an unspoken rule.”

“Really?” I huff out a laugh. “But what if I’m only hungry for one?”

“See, that’s the thing,” Tiny says through a mouthful of food. “They’re so good that your stomach makes room for more.”

“How many are you eating?” I ask him.

“Twelve,” Tiny answers.

My eyes go wide. “Twelve!” I look around, expecting to see the others laughing at his joke. I’m met with serious faces telling me that he’s not joking. “Well.” I shrug. “You’re a giant. So…”

Tiny shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re going to need at least five.”

“No way.” I shake my head.

Boss takes the tray of food from me, and I count ten chili cheese dogs. Johnny mentions something about coming back for seconds, and I look at him confused.

The weird thing about this place is that there is nowhere to sit. We all have trays of messy hot dogs with zero places to set them. Everyone seems to be holding a tray with one hand and stuffing their faces with the other.

“Here you go.” Boss hands me a warm hot dog.

---