The Radiant Rangers

Chapter 22

Corbin looked over at Gwendy. She laughed awkwardly and set her glass of water down on the table. She wasn't sure why the waitress had given them straight up pure alcohol; they were all underage. Cynthia did look older than sixteen though, and Corbin was exceptionally tall.

"Well in Chicago of course," said Gwendy. From the corner of her eye she gave Cynthia a desperate look. "That's what we'll be doing in Chicago, right Cynthia."

"But where in Chicago?" asked Corbin. He picked up his glass of alcohol. "I've been there before plenty of times and I could help you guys find the pl-"

"Well actually we're going to Chicago to find someone..." interrupted Cynthia. Corbin's arm froze and before he could take a sip of the alcohol, he placed the glass back down onto the table. Cynthia wasn't sure why Gwendy had told him they were making a porno. Maybe it was to turn him on or impress him? She wondered.

"Haha," laughed Gwendy. Cynthia obviously wasn't catching on to the lie Gwendy was trying to cover up. "Cynthia-" she made direct eye contact with her. She needed Cynthia to reassure her. "We're making a porno in Chicago."

"What?" Mumbled Cynthia loudly.

Gwendy took a big sip of her alcohol. Cynthia's eyes widened at the sight. Corbin was somewhat impressed with her shot. Gwendy then pulled Cynthia close to her. Corbin assumed that they were about to make out, but he was wrong. What a disappointment to him.

Corbin tilted his head to the side. He wasn't sure what was going on with the two of them. He knew that Gwendy and Cynthia were whispering things to each other but he pretended not to notice. He couldn't even hear what they were saying.

"I told him we were making a porno in Chicago so that he would stop questioning things!" Whispered Gwendy into Cynthia's ear. "We can't tell him that we're the hosts, and that's the best excuse I could come up with..."

"Are you serious?!" Whispered Cynthia back. "I wasn't going to tell him that we are the hosts of the Radiant Ranger's powers," she looked at Corbin across the table from the corner of her eye. He was playing with the napkin on the table. "Telling him that were just searching for someone in Chicago wouldn't sound suspicious...plus making a porno is just gross!"

"Yeah... sorry about that." Whispered Gwendy softly.

"It's fine," whispered Cynthia. She leaned back and glared at Gwendy. "You can tell him the details on this 'porno' though."

The waitress came over with their food. She placed each plate of food in front of them and gave them more shots of alcohol. Cynthia and Corbin's meals were identical; both had huge mounds of meat, covered in gravy with a side of steamed veggies and creamy mashed potatoes with melted butter on the top. Gwendy had gotten a salad. There was lettuce, cucumber, tomato, walnut, toasted seeds, fresh herb leaves, cheese, celery and radish. The salad was tossed in a rich creamy dressing and served with fresh bread.

"We're going to Chicago in Illinois" said Gwendy with her mouth full of salad. "The host, I-I mean the porno shooting place..." Gwendy was clearly drunk. Her manners had decreased and she was spitting out nonsense. She continued to drink. Gwendy was used to drinking; for rich kids did it often for fun. "...the shooting place... is in a building or some buildings around in Chicago... the big building. Yeah... big, the big building...I think...?"

Corbin's eyebrows lowered and he put his fork down. "A building..." he spoke up. "Which building in Chicago..."

"The big one," giggled Gwendy in a joyful slur. "I think they are somewhere near that building... that's what he told me... oh how I miss him..."