needed some occasional fun. At twenty, he was raising his son alone, and that had to count for something big.
This little show of force ended quickly, and the other girls introduced themselves one by one to him. I saw the look in his eyes, though. He was either scared shitless or oblivious to girls since he didn’t have much of a response other than a brief, strangled hello for each of them. Maybe small talk around the women wasn’t Hayden’s strong suit. Guess we would see before the night was over.
“So, ladies, are we ready to have some fun?” I asked after the introductions.
Ivy piped up immediately. “Uh, no. We haven’t had a shot. We always have a shot before we go clubbing. Where’s the tequila, Gunner?”
I looked at Lola for help. I drank a lot at twenty-one, too. Probably more than these girls had ever consumed. We played every venue we could find back then, but I didn’t want to be responsible for a bunch of drunken chicks in a club.
Lola jumped in. “Journey, is this what y’all do all the time?”
“Hell yeah, it’s what we’ve been doing since we partied in high school, Lola. Of course, I would never admit that to Mom, but you’re not her, now are you? And besides, it’s legal now. I don’t need your permission.” The other girls chimed in with some ‘hell yeahs.’ I wondered at this point how well Journey and Lola knew each other. Obviously, Lola was more on the conservative side growing up where Journey often took a walk on the wild side.
“Oh, my God, it’s just one shot.” Ivy got in the middle of it again. She opened a purse resembling a piece of carry-on luggage and produced airplane-sized liquor bottles. She passed something clear out to the girls and Hayden before they clank them together and knock them back. From the girls’ faces, I could tell the liquor didn’t faze them, so I kept quiet about it. The look Hayden gave me was exactly what I was thinking; it was going to be a long night for some of us. He was still underage, and I knew for a fact he rarely went out partying with friends. Of course, all of his friends were associated with AD, so he drank as often as he wanted. Now that he had little Crew to take care of, though, the stakes were a lot higher on keeping custody. One DUI or MIP and something could go wrong for him, so that was always in the back of Hayden’s mind.
“The limo awaits, ladies,” I announced, and they all deposited their phones in little purses while heading out the door. Even Ivy dropped the carry-on after she pulled out something she dangled from her wrist.
I stayed behind to lock up, and when I turned, Lola stood there looking at me. I could see by her face she was not happy. “Hey, what’s the matter?” I pulled her to me and hugged her.
“What have I gotten myself into here? Ivy is going to cause trouble the entire time we’re here. I can already see it.”
“Yeah, she’s got the potential for leading others down a path to destruction, but let’s roll with it for now. Journey doesn’t strike me as a girl easily led by others. If she’s anything like her sister, she’ll be fine.” I wanted to reassure Lola, but we both entertained the same thoughts.
When we climbed in the limo, they had popped the top on the champagne. Oh, yeah, what was it I’d just said?
“To Journey’s fucking twenty-first year of fun and games,” Lauren said, and they all clinked glasses. I looked at Lola and smiled.
Chapter Ten
If I said, “Maybe we better not” one time that night, I repeated it a thousand damn times. The limo dropped us at the front door of the first club, which was great because even with sunglasses and a ball cap on, fans recognized Gunner before we walked in the door. Girls were everywhere screaming his name, asking for autographs, and wanting pictures. This continued until we got inside. Apparently, the word got out fast that he was out in Austin, so the fans wanted to see and touch him.
The t-shirt he wore
This little show of force ended quickly, and the other girls introduced themselves one by one to him. I saw the look in his eyes, though. He was either scared shitless or oblivious to girls since he didn’t have much of a response other than a brief, strangled hello for each of them. Maybe small talk around the women wasn’t Hayden’s strong suit. Guess we would see before the night was over.
“So, ladies, are we ready to have some fun?” I asked after the introductions.
Ivy piped up immediately. “Uh, no. We haven’t had a shot. We always have a shot before we go clubbing. Where’s the tequila, Gunner?”
I looked at Lola for help. I drank a lot at twenty-one, too. Probably more than these girls had ever consumed. We played every venue we could find back then, but I didn’t want to be responsible for a bunch of drunken chicks in a club.
Lola jumped in. “Journey, is this what y’all do all the time?”
“Hell yeah, it’s what we’ve been doing since we partied in high school, Lola. Of course, I would never admit that to Mom, but you’re not her, now are you? And besides, it’s legal now. I don’t need your permission.” The other girls chimed in with some ‘hell yeahs.’ I wondered at this point how well Journey and Lola knew each other. Obviously, Lola was more on the conservative side growing up where Journey often took a walk on the wild side.
“Oh, my God, it’s just one shot.” Ivy got in the middle of it again. She opened a purse resembling a piece of carry-on luggage and produced airplane-sized liquor bottles. She passed something clear out to the girls and Hayden before they clank them together and knock them back. From the girls’ faces, I could tell the liquor didn’t faze them, so I kept quiet about it. The look Hayden gave me was exactly what I was thinking; it was going to be a long night for some of us. He was still underage, and I knew for a fact he rarely went out partying with friends. Of course, all of his friends were associated with AD, so he drank as often as he wanted. Now that he had little Crew to take care of, though, the stakes were a lot higher on keeping custody. One DUI or MIP and something could go wrong for him, so that was always in the back of Hayden’s mind.
“The limo awaits, ladies,” I announced, and they all deposited their phones in little purses while heading out the door. Even Ivy dropped the carry-on after she pulled out something she dangled from her wrist.
I stayed behind to lock up, and when I turned, Lola stood there looking at me. I could see by her face she was not happy. “Hey, what’s the matter?” I pulled her to me and hugged her.
“What have I gotten myself into here? Ivy is going to cause trouble the entire time we’re here. I can already see it.”
“Yeah, she’s got the potential for leading others down a path to destruction, but let’s roll with it for now. Journey doesn’t strike me as a girl easily led by others. If she’s anything like her sister, she’ll be fine.” I wanted to reassure Lola, but we both entertained the same thoughts.
When we climbed in the limo, they had popped the top on the champagne. Oh, yeah, what was it I’d just said?
“To Journey’s fucking twenty-first year of fun and games,” Lauren said, and they all clinked glasses. I looked at Lola and smiled.
Chapter Ten
If I said, “Maybe we better not” one time that night, I repeated it a thousand damn times. The limo dropped us at the front door of the first club, which was great because even with sunglasses and a ball cap on, fans recognized Gunner before we walked in the door. Girls were everywhere screaming his name, asking for autographs, and wanting pictures. This continued until we got inside. Apparently, the word got out fast that he was out in Austin, so the fans wanted to see and touch him.
The t-shirt he wore
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