Page 47 of One More Time
He bolted up and raced into the bedroom. He got on his hands and knees and dug through a closet just like the one he’d been shoved into earlier that morning. His hands closed on his battered carry-on duffel. He unzipped everything he could, searching until he found a crisp, clean Moleskine notebook and a pack of pre-sharpened pencils.
And began to write.
CHAPTER TWENTY
LUCY
Except for the purple penises bobbing over her head and the burning sensation in her thigh, Lucy was feeling pretty good. The bass in the place had made her mostly deaf, but the ringing sound in her ears muffling the house music was actually sort of soothing. The three margaritas she’d had didn’t hurt either.
Lucy tried to look cool and relaxed from her spot on the absurdly long corner booth they’d reserved for the bachelorette party. She stared across the room at the people drunkenly gyrating on the dance floor, keeping her eye out for the one set of bobbing penises that were lit up with flashing LEDs – Chloe.
‘Hey,’ panted Kim as she slid into the booth. Naturally, Kim managed to make her hot pink bouncing penis headband look like some kind of avant-garde Barbie-core fashion statement. Unfair. ‘Brought you another green one,’ she said, handing Lucy a lollipop penis.
‘Score!’ Lucy yelled over the music. ‘The green is surprisingly delightful.’
‘It is,’ replied Kim, licking her own green candy appendage.
‘What are you doing over here?’
‘Can’t dance anymore,’ Lucy grumbled. ‘You’ll be happy to know, I have a sex injury.’
‘Awesome,’ Kim said, clearly impressed. ‘Whatcha got?’
‘Pulled a hammy,’ Lucy replied.
‘Aw, that’s not too bad.’
‘It’s not a concussion,’ Lucy said, waggling her eyebrows.
‘That was not my finest moment.’
‘Ah, but watching you explain it to your dad in the hospital wasmine.’ Lucy opened her lollipop and took a good lick. ‘What was that dude’s name?’
‘Oh, man,’ Kim said, squeezing her eyes together as though forcing her sloshed brain to remember. ‘Derek? Dominik? Something with a D.’
‘Oh, there was a D all right,’ Lucy said before bursting into margarita-induced laughter.
Kim followed her right over, the both of them laughing like teenagers before clinking their green penis-pops together in a toast to good old D-whoever.
‘Is there THC in these dicks?’ Kim gasped through tears of laughter.
This sent them into a whole new round of guffaws that made Lucy’s stomach hurt and wish she hadn’t eaten thewholeburrito at the restaurant beforehand.
As Lucy gulped for air and clutched at her stomach, theentire club went nuts. The song had changed. She could actually feel the vibration of the dancers through the floor, even from across the massive room.
The song was fast, new. But somewhere there in the background was a sample. Something she recognized.
‘Oh, shit,’ Lucy said, dropping her chin in her penis-free hand. She stared at the bright pink bouquet of flowers lying forgotten on the table. The same one that had bounced down the hallway past Nicky’s feet that first day. Lucy mumbled, ‘Is this—?’
‘Your man?’ Kim asked. ‘Yep.’
The sample behind the dance beat was ‘The Breathing Room’ sped up slightly and laid over some other guy’s hip-hop/dance/rap combo. It was different, but it was there. All of it. As familiar as her own name, and just as ever-fucking-present.
Kim scooted closer, leaned in so that her shoulder rested against Lucy’s. A comforting hand came to Lucy’s back.
‘It’s all right, Luce. It’s okay.’
Lucy’s head turned to Kim. Shocked. Panicked.
