The bartender returned with his drinks, and Kaiden quickly grabbed them and left. When the guy turned to say something, Kaiden pressed ahead. He wasn’t sure why this guy wanted to talk to him, but it didn’t make any sense.
“Dude, what was that?” Rus asked, grabbing his blue cocktail and biting the rim of the plastic cup. “He was flirting with you.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“Yes, he was.” Daysha nodded. “Even I saw that. He’s still staring at you.”
“Kind of creepy,” Dylan said. “But in a cute weirdo way.”
“You should go back and flirt with him,” Rus said.
“No, he’s just looking for a lighter. He’s heading outside anyway.”
“Then you can be his hero.” Rus withdrew a lighter from his pocket. “Always carry a spare.”
“No, it’s too late.”
“It’s never too late.” Rus tossed the lighter to Kaiden, which bounced against his palm a few times as he bopped it, trying and failing to catch it.
“I’m really bad at flirting,” Kaiden admitted a bit too readily as he knelt to pick up the lighter.
The vodka water with raspberry flavoring had a strong bite and an even stronger boozy afterglow. It made his words spill more freely. It didn’t help that Rus kept digging in.
“We’re all bad at flirting,” he said. “Well, with people we like. If you don’t like the person, the banter just pours out, no awkward delay or secondhand embarrassment.”
“Truth,” Daysha said, lifting her cranberry vodka. “I apparently give off flirty vibes all the time, even when I think I’m just being friendly.”
“Oh no, sweetie.” Rus patted Daysha’s leg. “That’s just because you have tits and a vagina. You could literally just stand there minding your own business, and some guy somewhere would assume you’re flirting with him.”
“Gross,” Daysha said.
“And with that beautiful commentary, I think it’s time we dance away the awkward.” Dylan nodded to the dance floor, which was slowly growing.
Kaiden mostly hated dancing, knowing he lacked rhythm and didn’t feel cute enough to pull off awkward movements. Still, he enjoyed the carefree nonsense when dragged out with Dylan, so he let his friend lead the way.
Daysha and Dylan had the most grace, each moving in sync with each other and anyone who joined them for a moment. Rus thrashed about like a wild beast fighting the air. Kaiden recalled briefly learning about mosh pits, where deranged people beat each other up and called it dancing. That seemed very much like Rus’ style. Kudos to him; he definitely cleared the floor and made room. Also, despite his chaotic attitude and wild behavior, he looked like he was having a blast.
Kaiden definitely disappeared twice to grab another drink. He wasn’t the only one. It seemed Rus required more of his blue motor fuel to kick back. The looser Kaiden got, the easier he swayed, enjoying the loud music and random people bumping into him.
Hours passed on the dance floor, booze blurred the night away, and laughter made for a carefree freedom Kaiden had almost forgotten. Each time he jumped up with Rus, he forgot about his job. Every time Daysha pulled him in to sing lyrics he didn’t quite understand, he forgot his sister’s complaints. When Dylan dragged him into a dance number his body couldn’t follow, he let the nonstop babysitting wash away. It was just a night for him, for his friends, for fun.
Goddamn, Kaiden loved every drunken second of the nonsense.
The lights went up momentarily, flashing to announce the shift in the evening. When everything dimmed again, spotlights went to the stage where a drag queen stepped out. She wore a glittering dress, flowy and big in all the most dramatic ways. Herheels were huge, yet she stepped with grace. Her makeup was vibrant, her hair done up.
“Welcome everyone’s favorite queen to the stage!” said the MC who’d handled the music earlier.
“Fuck you, Charlie.” Amber Ale pointed at the MC as she strutted onto the stage.
Laughter followed her entrance.
“Heeeeeey, you ugly bitches.” Amber Ale posed for the applause. “Why are you cheering? I just insulted you.”
The roars of the audience increased, accompanied by a few hecklers, but they were drowned out quicker than Kaiden or anyone could hear.
“This is why I hate this goddamn generation,” Amber Ale shook her head disapprovingly. “Ugly, dumb, and annoying as hell. But damn, at least y’all know what you’re doing in bed.”
“Wooo!” Rus shouted alongside a whole slew of hyped, drunken fools.
