Page 30 of Kiss Collector
The pavilion is a forty-five-minute drive in a town that’s on the cusp between northern Virginia’s built-up suburbia and mid-Virginia’s sprawling countryside. We listen to Kenz’s music the whole way. Some of the songs are catchy and sexy and sassy. We end up singing along before we know it. By the time we roll up, I feel like we’ve been country girls for ages, and I’m ready to do this.
Kenz was not lying. The first thing we notice in the parking lot are the hordes of young people everywhere. We smile at the big groups who are tailgating as we pass, and everyone returns the smiles. Some linger on us longer than others, and we soak up the looks.
Lin says, “There are, for real, hot guys in hats everywhere!”
“Right?” Kenzie laughs. “I told you! And legit Wrangler jeans!” I catch sight of theWs on the pockets of the guys moseying in front of us.
A natural buzz builds among the four of us, and we’re giddy as we walk up hundreds of steps and enter the lawn of the pavilion. Kenzie buys us all sodas and we find a spot to sit on the grassy hill looking down at the stage. The way we’re laughing and carrying on, people around us probably think we slipped a little something in our drinks.
The music starts with a kick-ass female artist singing about throwing her man’s no-good, cheating tail out the door. I’m immediately on my feet, arm raised, learning every word of the song. Kenzie shouts the lyrics and we dance, shaking our hips and punching the sky as the singer’s ex-boyfriend undergoes a series of mishaps: being fed to the crocs in the lake, getting tossed onto the old railroad tracks, losing all his hair to a newbie barber. I’m ridiculously entertained.
As the next song comes on, one we recognize from the car ride, we move into a circle to dance and sing the words at the top of our lungs. I spot a group of guys a little way behind us, sitting in a row on the ground. It’s almost comical how they’re each on their bottoms, legs bent, boots down, arms draped over their knees or leaning back, each of them totally at ease. But what I notice first is that every pair of their eyes is watching us. I freeze, which makes Monica start to turn, but I grab her hand to stop her.
“We’re being watched. Don’t all look at once... but definitely look.”
Kenzie is first to sneak a peek. “Oh my gosh,” she says,turning back to us. “The one in the brown hat is mine because we’re matchy.”
I dart my gaze stealthily. Brown Hat Boy is kind of small and wiry muscled, a good fit for her petite form. Before I can look away, my eyes are drawn to the guy next to him.
Black Hat Boy. Yes, that’s his name.
He’s got a Styrofoam cup dangling from his hand, which is lazily draped on his knee, and he totally watches me as he brings the drink to his mouth and sips. His eyes look dark from here, and his jaw is a rugged, sexy line. I give him a wry grin and slowly turn away, feeling the heat of his attention.
“Black hat,” I say under my breath.
“I knew you would go for him,” Kenzie tells me with a giggle. “He looks bad. You should just wreck every bad boy, Zae.”
“With pleasure.”
We pucker our fingers and touch them for a kiss.
“They don’t have girls with them,” Lin says. “That’s good.”
“Okay, theyarekind of hot,” Monica admits reluctantly. “But I don’t want a hat boy. I like the guy on the end with the black ponytail. He looks Native American or something.” She stares hard until Lin elbows her. “Sorry, but look at him! He’s got that lost-in-thought look, like he’s... deep.”
Lin bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach like Monica said something dirty. It makes me laugh, too.
“Shut up,” Monica says. “Which one do you want?”
Lin shrugs, and I can tell she’s still kind of nervous after her breakup with John.
“Wait and see once we meet them,” I tell her.
“Should we go now?” Kenzie asks.
I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “We definitely do not go now. We have their attention. If we move too fast, they’ll think we’re desperate.”
“But you moved fast with Rex,” she points out.
“That was different. I know him. He would have never come to me, and I didn’t want to play games. We don’t know these guys. Let’s flirt from a distance, act like we don’t care too much, and make them come to us. Tonight, a little gaming is in order.”
Kenzie sips her soda daintily and peers over at Brown Hat Boy. She gives him a naughty sort of smile with the straw between her lips, and I’m hit with a burst of pride as she looks back at the stage and says, “Oh, we are so winning this game.”
For the next half hour we dance to the sounds of guitars and fast fiddling. We’re careful to keep the boys in our sights and to cast glances and smiles in their direction. The pavilion fills up even more as the sun begins to drop and the lights illuminate the sky. The guys are forced to stand.
“Oh, they’ve got a stash,” Monica says. “I just saw Black Hat Boy pull something out of his pocket and pour it in his drink. The others moved around him to block him.”
Nice.
