Chapter Five
-Max-
“Minor-friendly karaoke place” my ass. The place smelled of cheap, canned beer as soon as we walked through the doors. I didn’t expect anything different; we all witnessed a thirteen year old boy throwing up while his - what I assumed to be - girlfriend sat in fetal position on the pavement while holding a pregnancy test, eagerly awaiting the answer.
Needless to say, I was fucking terrified of this place, and I hadn’t even been there long enough to identify what heck that type of beer was.
“Someone must’ve brought the six pack of Coors Lite tonight.” Gingerbread said as he took his jacket off.
Okay, so now it was alright to be terrified of this place. But, don’t get me wrong, I played it cool for Dhani, who was chatting to the bartender.
“Yeah, I know,” I hear her saying, “I can’t believe it, either. People from LA, here?! Next thing you know I’ll be getting drunk tonight!”
The bartender is cleaning a shot glass with a dirty rag. “Well, now is the time. Some rich dude from Seattle visited his son and daughter-in-law and they’re here tonight - he bought the entire place free drinks for the entire night.”
Ralph’s face lit up.
“Wha-what did you just say?” Ralph slams his hands against the railing on the bar. “FREE BEER?” He looks at me. “Give this guy as much as you can. Even if he doesn’t want it - give it to him anyways. Tell him its club soda or something.” He flicks his hand to adjust his blond bangs.
I didn’t hear that the night of, that’s just what Ralph told me he said to him.
“Got it, Rainbow.” The muscular bartender says. Why does everyone call him rainbow around here? “Now what do you want?”
“Um, can I get an appletini, heavy on the tini?” He says in probably the gayest way possible. “Extra apple, too.”
“So, like a double appletini?” The bartender replies, sounded agitated; probably because he has no clue how to make one of those.
“Yes, Mr. Bartender-Man.” Ralph sits on one of the bar stools.
The, “appletini” appears in front of him seconds later. Ralph raises an eyebrow. “This doesn’t look like an appletini. It just looks like a fruity-drink glass with club soda poured in it.”
“Hey, I don’t want you getting hurt or anything. No alcohol for you, mister.” He grabs his cheek like my aunt does when she visits from England.
Ralph was a lucky bastard for not being able to drink that night.
But, that was later.
“And what about you, my man?” Muscle-man turns to me.
I try to act 21. “Yeah, I’ll take a Heineken for myself and some sex on the beach for the lady right here.” I wink at her. “Oh, and can you make that drink, too?” I add, feeling my Fernando Rico Suave coming on.
“Sure thing, bro. But, isn’t she a little young?”
“Not at all!” Dhani chimes in. “Can I just have my sex now?”
She would say that more than once tonight.
“Of course,” he says, handing her the drink. “Some sex on the beach for the lovely lady and... a Heineken for the boy.”
“Be a man, Max!” Ralph slaps my back, nursing his cold club soda. “Take shots!” Ralph takes a little too quick glance at the menu. “He’ll have a red dragon.”
