You Always Remember Vegas

Chapter 9

"And 100, 200, 300, 400," Stu counts the money Alan won as we drive to the desert at dawn. "With all this, that's  $82,400."

"Goddamit!" Phil curses excitedly. "I can't fucking believe it."

The large smile on Phil's face as he drives, makes one grow on mine. I look back from the passenger seat at Alan. "How the hell did you do that?" He shrugs as if he's being humble. Odd.

"Alan, you're the man!" Phil announces. 

"You are too, Phil," Alan tells him. 

"We should come back next week, take the whole city down," Phil states. 

"Oh, I'm free next week," Alan quickly says. 

"Slow your roll loverboy and..." I glance at Alan through the rearview mirror. I smirk. "Poker genius. I, unfortunately, have a depo I need to prepare for."

I love my job. Really. It's just completely draining with all of the different documents and calls. I also don't have much luck getting a semi-nice judge. They're all so bitter. I don't know how I've won the cases I have. 

"We also could just focus on getting Doug back right now," Stu suggests. 

"I like that idea," I nod in agreement. 

"Uh, you know what?" Alan begins. "Next week's no good, the Jonas Brothers are in town, but any week after that is totally fine."

"I think it's safe to say our luck has officially turned around, guys," Phil says. "We are back, baby. We are fucking back."

"We're back," Stu joins in, ruffling Alan's shirt. "Classic," I chuckle as my brother begins singing, "We are back."

"Come on, Ash," Phil looks at me. 

"Yeah, Ash, you're getting your best friend back," Stu places his hands on my seat, rocking it. 

I roll my eyes at their excitement but I can't help to be excited myself. I slug back into my seat, looking at the open window. I jump forward, bringing my upper body outside of it. I place my arms out. 

"We are back, bitches!" I yell as humanly as possible. I see Alan sticking his head out from the other window. I turn around like I'm going to sit on the window but don't, holding myself out of it by the hood of the roof. I let my head fall back, breathing in the quick, cool wind of a beautiful morning. I climb back inside to my seat, catching Phil who appears to have been staring at me. "Are you staring at me?"

"Yes," He responds as confidently as I did the previous night. 

We smile softly at each other, faintly hearing Alan sing about us all being the "four best friends anybody could have." I don't even know if I was admiring Phil the entire drive, I just know that I was wishing that his shades would come off the entire time so I could see his mesmerizing blue eyes. 

We reach the black SUV in the middle of the desert. Phil parks the very damaged Mercedes as we just sit here. 

"No one," He sighs. 

"Give him the signal," Alan tells him. 

"What signal?"

"Flash your lights," Alan answers. "Let him know it's on." 

"What's on?"

"The deal." 

"Of course it's on," Phil says. "We just drove 30 miles into the desert. He knows it's on." 

"Phil, just do something," Stu snaps. 

"Jesus," I reach over to Phil's side, flashing the lights a couple of times. I look at the three men. "Wasn't so hard, was it?"