Page 57 of The C*ck Down the Block

Oh no. I knew he had money, but this was getting ridiculous, and he hated to lose more than I hated Rachel’s devious ploys.

Chris closed his mouth with an evil grin and fell silent. Oh. Oh no. Ha. I buried my face in his chest so no one would see the absolute gleeful giggle I was holding back.

When I peeked over at Rachel, expecting another counter bid, looked increasingly uneasy as the seconds ticked by. Stephanie called out, “Twenty-five thousand going once, going twice—”

A tense pause filled the room.

“Sold! For twenty-five thousand to Regina.” Stephanie gave me a sorry-not-sorry look for saying the wrong name that had me holding in another laugh.

The room erupted into both applause and a round of chuckles and murmurs, but Rachel looked less than thrilled. Chris leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Sometimes the best move is not to play.”

“Good job, Rachel, you’re going to Vegas!” Lulu called out, her voice sugared with faux enthusiasm.

Rachel turned, pasting a smile on her face as if it were an accessory. “Thank you. It’s always nice to have a little vacation,” she said, although her eyes couldn’t hide her resentment.

“Congratulations, Rachel,” Chris said, the words wrapped in a layer of irony so thick it could smother a lesser man.

“Why thank you, Chris,” she replied, drawing his name out like they were old frenemies, making eye contact for just a second too long.

Her eyes slid to mine, and then she gave Lulu a once-over, as if assessing. “Funny how everything seems to work out, isn’t it? We all think we know how things are going to play out, and then, surprise.”

“Surprise is my middle name. Didn’t you know?” Lulu took a step toward Rachel and Mina grabbed her arms, holding her back.

Rachel’s smile tightened, just a little. “I love surprises. Keeps things interesting. Don’t you agree?”

Before anyone could respond, she turned toward me and pointed. “See you tomorrow night at the dance. It’s going to be a truly surprising evening.”

And with that ambiguous yet somehow menacing statement hanging in the air, she pivoted and retreated, leaving me with a sense of unease that lingered like an uninvited guest.

She dragged Amanda and Lacey, her trusty sidekicks, with her, and they huddled together near the exit. Though I couldn’t hear a word from our spot near the stage, their body language spoke volumes.

Amanda seemed eager, almost gleeful, as Rachel talked to them. She’d always been a sycophantic echo to Rachel’s malevolence. But it was Lacey who caught my attention. Her eyes flicked toward me for just a moment, meeting mine before dropping away. She seemed less animated than Amanda, her face inscrutable. Was that hesitance I saw? Discomfort?

Rachel said something sternly to Lacey, and for the briefest moment, I saw her mouth tighten. But then she fell back in line, nodding along with whatever nefarious plan Rachel was cooking up. Rachel and Amanda finally walked away, and their exit felt like the lifting of a dark cloud.

Lacey was joined by a nice-looking man in a suit. He cupped her chin, and, I wasn’t totally sure, but there might have been tears bubbling up on her lashes. He gave her a soft kiss, and then they left too.

The last few items of the night were auctioned off, and there were no more crazy bids. After the auction ended and the crowd began to disperse, Marie and a few of the other football wives gathered around Lulu, Mina, Chris, and me.

“Oh my god, Trix, you did so well up there,” a cowgirl named Orma said.

“You looked amazing, and you were so composed, even with all the drama,” another cowgirl named Jeanette gushed, hugging me tightly.

Marie chimed in, “I have to agree. Tonight was fabulous. You’ve set the bar pretty high for fundraisers. I will definitely be recruiting you to help with the other ones we do for the Mustangs and their foundations this year.”

“And let’s talk about that Ramona, the Pest.” said the cowgirl Melissa, with a satisfied grin. “You let me know if she doesn’t actually pay up for that trip. I wanted my hubby to take me for our anniversary, so we’ll buy it.”

They all full-well knew her name was Rachel and I was completely tickled they all collectively kept calling her the wrong name. It would drive her insane. If I didn’t love Beverly Cleary so much, I’d probably call her Ramona, the Pest for the rest of my life.

I couldn’t help but smile, their utter support made me feel all fluffy and nice on the inside. “I really appreciate all the help, you guys. I couldn’t have pulled this off without all of you.”

Chris pulled me in closer to him, his arm wrapping around my waist. “You’re the star tonight and I’m incredibly proud of you for facing that particular demon.”

Lulu gave a mock salute to Chris. “Well done, Quarterback. But I’m keeping my eye on you. Bring your A-game for my girl, or I will take you down when we’re on that field together.”

I thought he’d just grin and tease her back. This was the standard be good to my friend and don’t break her heart talk that BFFs were required to give. But he didn’t even smile. He got all serious and said, “She’s my girl now, Lu, and I promise to take care of her with everything I have for the rest of our lives.”

Was that a proposal?

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