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“I think that’s enough.”
“No—it’s just—Romy, the girl I went to Silverspun with—”
“The one keeping the party going in Palm Springs?”
“The very same. She took my cash when we split up, in addition to my charger. I still have to pay to get my car out of the lot at Union Station, so I just need to do some math.…” It was eight dollars every twenty-four hours you had your car there. So I would need twenty-four for my car. “Okay, I think I have eight left,” I said, tucking the rest of my cash in my pocket. “Should we split something?”
“I have some money. Why don’t you let me get this? It’s my treat.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“You’re not letting me. I’m offering. What if the bus takes forever to get fixed and you need more to get your car out?”
This possibility hadn’t occurred to me, and the thought of it made my stomach drop. “Only if you promise to let me Venmo you. You know, once I get my Ameche charged.”
“It’s really okay. I have…” He spun his backpack around and rifled through it. “Twenty bucks! More than enough for a taco feast.”
“Well—thank you. That’s really nice of you.”
“I can’t believe your friend took your money.”
“Well—friend might be too strong a word. More like gym-class acquaintance.”
Russell’s eyebrows flew up. “You went to a music festival with a gym-class acquaintance?”
“Well, when you put it like that…” He laughed. “On some level, I knew it was a mistake. Didi and Katy certainly told me that enough. We had PE together, but it wasn’t like we ever hung out just the two of us. I must have been really far down the list of people she was asking to go.”
“So… why did you say yes?”
Seriously, Didi grumbled.
“I think I just… wanted this.” I gestured around us.
“Tacos in a parking lot?”
“I mean, not no,” I said, and Russell laughed. “I think… I just wanted an adventure. A little bit of the West to take with me. Especially because I’m leaving. Music and flower crowns and big horizons…” I glanced over at him and smiled. “But really, the main draw was the Nighthawks. When I saw they were closing out the festival, I was in.”
Russell nodded and took a step forward even though the line hadn’t moved much. “Did you guys get along okay?”
“Friday night was good.” I flashed back to how the fairgrounds had looked after we’d first set up the Merediths’ tent, everything still new and well-maintained, the crackle of excitement in the air. We’d dashed back and forth between all the stages, plotting out who we wanted to see. “But then she found some people to party with on Saturday, and I didn’t see her again until I was taking down the tent and she grabbed her stuff.”
“And some of your stuff, too, it sounds like.”
“Yeah. But I really think it was an accident. We were just dividing everything up and she took my pouch by mistake.”
“That’s really frustrating.”
“It’s okay, actually.” I looked over at Russell and gave him a smile. “And if she hadn’t, I might not be here now. So I’m kind of finding it hard to be upset about it.”
Russell looked down at the ground with a smile, the tips of his ears turning red.
We stood there for a moment in comfortable silence, the sound of conversation around us and meat sizzling on the grill. I looked back and saw that since we’d gotten there, three people had stepped into line behind us. I tipped my head toward them. “Looks like we came here at the right time.”
“Have we somehow discovered a hidden Jesse gem?”
“Seems like it. Unless the line is because this is actually a secret speakeasy and we need to know the password.”
“I’m sure someone would tell us. We look like we’re down for a good time.”
