Page 23 of Walk on the Wilde Side
"How long has this been going on with Hoffman?" I ask, knowing full well it's not my business but asking anyway.
"Don't think that's any of your business, Mr. Wilde."
"Agreed but I need to warn you—that guy's doing something sketchy. Not sure what yet but?—"
Nev rolls her eyes. "Oh brother. Here we go again. It's Joshua Vickers all over again."
"Joshua Vickers?" I ask.
Kiera smacks the side of my arm and then rubs her hand. "Fuck. You goddamn stone wall. I'm leaving. Why don't you and little miss perfect have a nice conversation, and maybe later she can make you a fucking sandwich."
Nev holds back a smile and moves a few inches to the side as Kiera storms past. "Uh, I think your sure thing date just left you."
"Good riddance. Who the fuck is Josh—Oh that dick in high school who asked you to the prom? He was a dick."
"Yeah, you made that clear. I was thrilled to be going to that stupid dance, and I'm not even sure why. I guess for a moment I was stepping out of my teacher's pet, nerd bubble, and I was going to be—I don't know—normal."
A few customers try to get past us to the bar. I give them a look that lets them know to find another route, so they do.
Nev laughs. "Still the charm of the town. And you ruined the whole night by showing up at that prom. I thought Principal Kirkland was going to fall over from a stroke when you boys walked in."
"His fucking fault. He banned Jameson and me for no damn reason."
"Uh, the two of you did donuts in your old Chevy on the blacktop area for like ten minutes, during the lunch hour, and you ignored all the whistles and teachers who were waving their arms and cussing you guys out. Who knew Mrs. Bowman, the Health Ed teacher, had that kind of language stored up under those floral print dresses."
We laugh. The rest of the noise in the bar fades away, and it feels like I'm standing alone with Nev, just the two of us, with our usual connection. It's always that way when I'm with her.
"I went to that prom to make sure that dickface didn't try anything with you cuz I heard him bragging to his buddies out on the football field that he was buying condoms so he could teach you a thing about having fun. Those were his exact words."
"You remember those, do you?"
I nod emphatically. "Yep. Sure do. I almost laid him flat right then, but the coach walked over right after he said it."
"Well, you did stop him from trying anything. In fact, you basically put an abrupt end to the whole damn prom when you started that fight with him." Nev looks past me. "Oops, there's Dane. I'm on my way to the bathroom. He's waiting. But I am sorry about your date." She smiles at me and tries to walk past.
I move to block her. "Seriously, Nev, Hoffman's not for you. He's dealing with shady people."
She takes a deep breath. "Just stop, Zander. Stop always interfering with my life. Dane treats me well. I'm not an idiot. I know how to take care of myself." The light half of our conversation is over, and she's angry. She stomps past me.
"Nev." I reach for her hand, but she pulls it away and hurries through the crowd to the bathroom.
Screams of joy tell me Nate's back on stage. People start bunching together again in the middle, but they part for me as I barrel through. I'm taller than most of the crowd, so it's easy for me to spot Hoffman in his bright blue shirt. He's standing at a table talking to a few women.
"Nev, Nevvie," I say as I catch up to her in the hallway. There's a line for the women's bathroom.
"Hey, Zander," a blonde says as she tucks her hair behind her ear. I know we've met, but I can't remember her name. There are a few other familiar faces, but I ignore their greetings and take hold of Nev's hand.
"Would you please leave me alone," Nev says as she follows me. She turns back. "Save my place, Lynne. I'll be right back."
We turn the corner where the remnants of an old pay phone are still hanging on the wall along with a door that says emergency exit. Never even knew it was there. I turn Nev to face me.
"Look, I promise I'm not trying to interfere, but I'm working for Hoffman and today?—"
Nev put up her hand. "No, I don't want to hear it. I can take care of myself. Now I'm losing my place in the pee line."
I don't let go of her hand. "Why are you with him anyway? He's not even your type."
Her laugh is dry and angry. She smacks my chest. "What the hell do you know about it? How do you know he's not my type? Every girl in town is your type. Maybe I'm not picky either."
