The following Saturday was the first home game of the season for the Brentwood Bulldogs. I've never been a huge football fan. I've had friends and dated guys that are super into the whole thing, it's just never really appealed to me. I don't mind it, though. It's fun to cheer along with the rest of the student body while our QB wins some points with the sportsball.
Today, I'm here less for the football, and more for the tailgating. I haven't even decided if I'm going to watch the game or not, but it is the Homecoming game, so it's a big deal. The tailgate lot is overflowings with buzzed college kids and locals alike, sharing the space and having a great time.
The energy at tailgating is always electric. It's easy to get caught up with everyone's optimistically hopeful attitudes. It's all hugs, manly backslaps, beers, and cheerleaders. It's the perfect atmosphere to unload some goods.
Travis gave me a ride after our shift ended at the station earlier today, and he was my first customer. I gave him one at cost, however. It seemed only fair as he was the reason I was currently flush with cash unlike I ever have experienced in my life.
I slide up to a setup that some of the junior guys have designed. They all went in on an old bus, hollowed it out, and turned the inside into an awesome little pub outfitted in our school colors and pieces of homage to the mascot. It was very creative. Gotta give props where they're due.
I spot a familiar face sitting at one of the barstools at their makeshift bar top and decide to head that way first, stepping up into the bus and sitting down next to Dave, who is already a few beers in.
It takes him a minute to realize I've sat down next to him, but once he does he's all smiles. "Vale," he purrs, "What brings you to this beautiful bar on this beautiful afternoon?"
I know now that the flirty tone Dave takes is only that; a flirty tone. I don't take it seriously nor do I stress about it. "Well, I'm working, Dave." I turn my head, shooting him a look of mischief, which he returns in kind.
"I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Kaden was already by here spreading the joy. He's also telling people that if he busts them buying elsewhere, which I assume means you, that he's going to yadda, yadda, yadda. The threats varied by person, but the meaning was clear. He's moving to put you out of business."
I huff in exasperation. "Fucking asshole." This means war. "Guess I'll just have to make it a good enough deal that people are willing to take that chance."
Dave leans in like we're sharing a secret that no one else can know, which I guess we kind of are. "What are you going to do, my sweet Vale?"
"Well, I'm going to drop my prices. He's selling his for forty. I'll sell mine for thirty, or even twenty-five if they're bought in a group of five or more. You know what they say about business competitors."
Dave laughs, "No, I don't know what they say about business. I'm a music major and not the business side."
I give a shrug. "If you see your competitor drowning…stick a firehose in their mouth."
The corners of his lips quirk in a mischievous grin. "Hell. Yes."
His encouragement helps cement my decision. Truthfully, I'm nowhere near my goal, financially. I needed to turn up the heat anyway. I've only got about two months to get that money into the clerk. It's going to happen come hell or high water.
"Spread the word my little canary," I say to Dave with an exaggerated flourish, before standing up and wandering off into the crowds.
I walk up and down the aisles of tailgaters, stopping intermittently to mingle with people I know or get introduced to new people I've yet to meet. My pricing goal has been laid out to those that I trust and I just have to hope that they're going to do the legwork for me in spreading the news.
I'd be lying if I said this is only about the money. I'm trying to beat Kaden, and I know it. It's stupid and immature, but my god do I want to take that boy down a notch. I don't know how I can simultaneously loathe and desire the man, but I do. It's a heady feeling.
I stop at a particularly poppin' site where there are a variety of coeds, frat guys, and an ice luge they've carved out of a large block of ice. Students and townies are lined up to take their turn getting a shot that is chilled by being poured down the luge before gliding into the recipient's mouth. It looks fun, although not particularly hygienic. If I'm being honest there's almost something a little sexy about it. I wince at the direction of my own internal thoughts.
"Hey Vale," Jenna, a girl that I had English Lit with last year greets me with friendly enthusiasm. I hadn't seen her since the end of the year last year, but she's a nice girl and a welcome sight. She's sitting at a table selling little scarves, beanies, and some candy that she's made in school colors.
"These are awesome, Jenna. Do you knit?"
"Crochet," she replies, "The scarves are all fifteen, the beanies ten, and the homemade suckers are two dollars a piece or three for five."
I smile. "I like your business model, I'm employing a similar one of my own. I'll take three suckers."
Although the day isn't too hot, and I did think to bring a water bottle, the air is arid leaving my mouth with dryness I can't quite seem to abate. I unwrap it and stick a heart-shaped green sucker in my mouth, feeling my mouth pucker at the sour apple flavor. My favorite. I toss her a five.
"Have you seen Kendrik around? He came by earlier. He was asking about you."
I feel a frown pulling my lips at the mention of my ex. It wasn't a bad breakup or anything, it was just a nothing. If I'm honest. I'm not sure why he's asking around about me, but the thought makes me uneasy. "No. I haven't run into him this year. Do you know what he wanted?"
She lifts her brows. "I'm not sure. He was saying something about the battle of the bands, but I'm not sure that the two were correlating."
Jenna follows up the statement with a shrug of indifference, so I find myself nodding while I push my sucker into my cheek. "Good seeing you. Awesome suckers, by the way."
I give her a wave and she gives me a smile before I turn around and start meandering back to the school bus. Gabs said she would meet me there at some point, and I have to believe she's here by now. I've been wandering around the lot for at least two hours at this point. I've seen just about the entire student body, with the exception of one particularly annoying guitarist.
I'm traversing the lot when an arm comes up to drape over my shoulder. I tense immediately before turning my head to the side to find a smirking Kaden. "Hey, Val. Having fun?"
Spoke too soon. "You know me, Kade. Fun is my middle name." The humor was so dry it almost got stuck in my throat, but he caught it.
"Hey, you know Jenson and Brandt, but I don't think you've met this guy. This is Amir. He plays rhythm guitar," Kaden explains, reaching over to snatch the sucker stick from my mouth before popping it into his own mouth, letting a glint of playful humor dance in his eyes. I'm so surprised I can't even form a coherent response to the action.
Amir leans forward so that we're able to see each other around Kaden. "Hello, Amir. Kind of you to babysit this one all day. I bet you've had your hands full."
Amir gives me a wink. "You know it."
He's a handsome man that looks to be of middle eastern descent. His warm skin tone glistens with a sheen of sweat in the warm autumn sun. He probably wouldn't be so hot if he wore any other color but black. Gotta appreciate the dedication, though.
"So, where are we going?" Kaden says, leaning into my ear and lowering his voice so that the statement lingers between the two of us alone. I resent the warmth I feel seeping into my bones at the sentiment.
"We aren't going anywhere. I am going to go look for Gabby at the school bus." I pick up his arm and drop it off my shoulder without finesse, watching as it falls to his side before he tucks it into the pocket of his jeans with a smile.
"We'll join you."
"You're not invited."
He shrugs. "It's a free country."
"Yeah, I'll remember that one."
When we make it inside the bus I'm grateful for the shade as well as the fan they have running that helps the air circulate through the large steel box. I find Gabby immediately, laughing along to something Dave had said. Those two have really been hitting it off this year. I'll have to remember to ask Gabby more about it.
"Hey," I say, as I slide up to the bar with Kaden close behind me. Two girls sitting at the bar immediately take notice of his presence and slide off their stools to harass him. I'm grateful to be free of his scrutiny.
Gabby gives me a knowing look, eying Kaden warily. I shake my head as a response and slide onto the barstool beside her. "Whatcha drinkin'?"
"Mai Tai," she says, offering me her glass. I decline. Sweet drinks don't sit well in my stomach. Too much sugar. When the guy playing bartender comes by I grab a beer from him, more just to keep my hands busy than anything else.
"So…. why is he following you around?"
"I assume he's lost. I'll have to take him to the vet to see if he has a chip."
A huff of air escapes Gabby. "I dunno, he seems kind of into you."
I cast my eyes over to where Kaden is still entertaining fans, a number of them which seems to be increasing rather than decreasing. "Yeah. He also seems to kind of hate me, so I'm not sure which one we're doing today."
She chews on the straw of her drink a moment, running her assessing gaze over my face, trying to read me. "Do you like him?"
"I kind of hate him, too."
No sooner do the words leave my mouth than does he sidle up next to me, grab me by my upper arm, and pull me unceremoniously from my stool, before walking me out of the bus and into a wide open area that somehow feels more private than the close quarters did.
"What are you doing?" he spits.
I quirk a brow. He drags me out here and he's going to act like I'm the one in the wrong? "Having a beer. What are you doing?"
His tongue darts out to lick his lips before he sets his fists against his hips, causing his worn-out black Nirvana muscle-t to hang in such a way that I have an unobstructed view of his perfectly cut obliques. Those muscles could be in a magazine, Good Lord.
I force myself to look back into his eyes and there's a glint there that tells me he caught me looking. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with you, Vale? Huh? Just tell me."
I shrug. "Deal with a little competition. As someone so kindly reminded me earlier today, it's a free country."
He looks down at the ground, his features gathering more tension than I would expect for this particular situation. "Those girls were kind enough to inform me you're selling your shit at rock bottom prices."
"Hearsay." I shrug.
"This isn't a courtroom, Vale. If I let you get away with this, then I open it up for anyone else to do the same. I know you're from out of town, but I actually live here year-round. This is my town. My campus. So, Back. The. Fuck. Off." The force he puts behind the last word cuts, but I don't want to let him know it hurts a little. Which it did.
"I'll take it under advisement."
"You'll do as I tell you," he said, before spinning on his heel and stalking off into the crowd behind him.