Lily was like that. Worse, she flirted for the attention more than any real interest. Oh, she was friendly enough and clearly attracted to me, but I never felt a spark of connection like I did with Terri. I didn’t give Lily the cold shoulder, but I didn’t go out of my way to encourage her either. She had a nice body, and part of me wanted to sleep with her, but we really didn’t have a lot in common otherwise.
Christy eventually decided that her clay models were finished and ready for the molding process. I didn’t have time during the day, so we planned to start the following evening, after dance practice. Lily invited herself, and Christy recruited her friend Nikki (“punk girl” from the Replicant project) and another artist to help. The new guy was a spacey freshman named Zoah.
“Like Noah,” he explained, “but with a Z.”
Gee, I thought sarcastically, I never would’ve figured that out.
He was eager to help but a bit clueless. I suspected that Siobhan wanted to get him out of her hair so he could find what he was good at.
I quickly made a list of things he wasn’t good at, such as following instructions, paying attention, and thinking ahead. At least he didn’t have a problem being quiet, but that was only helpful in the abstract.
“Listen,” I told him at last, “these boxes are really a two-person job. Any more and we get in each other’s way. Nikki and I can handle it. Christy and Lily could really use your help.”
They were in the process of mounting the first clay sculpture on a base that Nikki and I had already cut. They were struggling because of its size and weight.
“Sure,” Zoah said cheerfully.
“Thank God,” Nikki said under her breath.
“Be nice,” I told her.
“Whatever. Let’s get a move on.”
She and I worked well together. She was a little militant about her politics, especially anything feminist, but I didn’t have a problem with that. Besides, she worked hard and didn’t make snarky comments about me. Instead, she wanted to learn everything I could teach her. Her own art was constructed more than sculpted, which probably explained why Siobhan had asked her to help us in the first place.
The time passed quickly as we measured and cut all the wood according to my sketches. We labeled the pieces and then stacked everything so we could assemble the boxes the following evening.
Christy and I returned after dance practice on Friday and found the others waiting for us. Nikki and Lily were chatting, while Zoah was eating some kind of homemade nut bread. He looked even spacier than usual.
“’Bout time,” Nikki said. “Y’all ready? We don’t have all night.”
She and I set to work. The others didn’t have much to do, so they fetched pieces for us and helped hold the larger sheets of plywood while Nikki and I screwed them to the frame. We assembled the sides and top of each box first. We wouldn’t enclose the bases until the following day, and only after we’d liberally sprayed the clay models with release agent. With all five of us working, we finished by ten o’clock.
“What’s your schedule tomorrow?” I asked Nikki as we cleaned up.
“Any time after noon. I don’t do mornings.”
“Fine by me,” I said. “Does that work for you, Little Bit?”
“Sure.”
“I can make it,” Lily said.
Zoah piped up, “Me too.”
Nikki rolled her eyes and shot me a baleful look. Zoah wasn’t my favorite person either, but he was nice enough when he wasn’t trying to be helpful.
I looked at my watch and said, “It’s still early. Anyone want a drink to celebrate?”
“You buying?” Nikki asked.
“I’d be a lousy boss if I didn’t.”
“You aren’t the boss,” she said, “but you can buy me a beer.”
“Deal. Christy, I know you’re in. Lily? Zoah?”
“Sure!” Lily said immediately.
“Thanks, but I’m bushed,” Zoah said. “You guys have fun without me.”
We said goodbye to him and headed down to the Strip. Most of the bars were packed, so we ended up at the Old College Inn. It hadn’t been my first choice or even my second, but Lily suggested it and I couldn’t really say no unless I wanted to explain why.
I’d had a brief relationship with one of the waitresses a year earlier. I privately called it my “notches on the bedpost” phase, because Christy invariably used that phrase when she mentioned one of the girls I’d dated at the time. The waitress in question had quit the bar and my life at the same time, but the bartender recognized me. She was a redhead who sort of reminded me of Brooke, only not quite as pretty and with an Aussie accent instead of a Texas-California hybrid.
“Hey, wild man!” she called over the crowd at the bar.
I waved and tried to remember her name.
“How do you know her?” Christy shouted up at me.
“I used to hang out here,” I yelled back. “It was a good place to do homework in the afternoon.”
“When?”
“About a year ago. Maybe more.”
“She’s cute,” she shouted innocuously.
Nikki grabbed a booth just as several people left it. We chatted and drank a pitcher of beer over the next hour. I was ready to go home at that point, but none of the girls were, so we ordered another pitcher. I settled in, sipped my beer, and decided to relax and enjoy myself.
The bartender kept an eye on us and sent over a new pitcher whenever we ran low. We left a couple of hours later, around one o’clock. I’d remembered the bartender’s name by then, so I stopped by to say goodnight.
“Miranda!” I shouted over the noise. “Thanks for taking care of us.”
“No problem, mate! Good to see ya. Take care.”
“You too!”
“She was nice,” Christy said once we reached the sidewalk and could talk without shouting.
“Cute, too,” Nikki agreed. “Those freckles…”
Lily just grinned.
Nikki looked at her watch. “I’m’a stop by a friend’s place on the way home. I’ll see y’all tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “G’night.”
She shoved her hands in her pockets and started up the Strip.
“You want us to walk you home?” I asked Lily.
“That’s all right.”
Christy gave me a look, so I insisted.
“Sure,” Lily said. “Thanks. I live in Hess.”
“So, where’s Will tonight?” I asked as we headed that direction.
“He went home for the weekend.”
“That’s a shame,” Christy said. “He’s missing all the fun.”
Lily gave her an encouraging smile, and we made small talk until we reached her dorm. She and Christy hugged goodnight, and I got one as well. The little head wanted to get to know her better, but the big head wasn’t convinced.
“I had fun,” she said. “Thanks again for the beers. See you tomorrow.”
We waited until she made it safely into the building. Then Christy slipped her arm through mine.
“I wanted to invite her to spend the night,” she said as we walked, “but I couldn’t think of a way to ask you without making it obvious.”
“Hold on,” I said, “spend the night?”
“Yes, dear. In my old room.” She felt me relax and then laughed. “Oh my gosh! You didn’t think…?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“No! What kind of girl do you think I am?”
“Well… I thought…”
“Oh my gosh, no. I wouldn’t even know how to ask her to spend the night with you and me.”
“You don’t have a problem asking Wren or Brooke.”
“Yeah, but they already know. About me, I mean.”
“I think Lily’s figured it out,” I chuckled. “Nikki too. You were the center of attention tonight. My hair could’ve caught on fire and no one would’ve noticed.”