For The Least Of These

by Jennifer Davis

  “Skylar told you he was a roadie?” he remarked with a laugh. His tone had changed, I thought, and I feared that the demon from the night before had returned.

  “He’s not a roadie?” I asked nervously. “Why would he lie about that?”

  “I’m sure he wanted to impress you and your friend so you two would show up. This party isn’t about Rick Hartwood. It’s Skylar’s party. Last time he was in town, he made quite a few friends, so he decided to throw a party for us.”

  “So, he doesn’t even know Rick Hartwood. I should have known. But I wonder where he got those concert tickets.”

  “Oh, he knows Rick Hartwood. His brother plays drums in the band. But Rick isn’t too fond of Skylar. And the concert tickets – Skylar always manages to get a few so that he can pass them out to friends or people he thinks he might like to impress.”

  So Dylan Sims was Skylar’s brother. Dylan had been with Rick since the beginning. “Why is Skylar here if he doesn’t work for the band? Is he traveling with his brother?” I asked.

  “Yeah, Skylar always tags along with Dylan. Dylan feels that he needs to take care of his baby brother.”

  Just then, Alicia showed up. “Hey, Brand. Who’s your new friend?”

  “Alicia, this is Fisher.” I noticed Skylar was not with Alicia, but I felt certain he would turn up momentarily.

  “Hello, Fisher – is that your first or last name? Either way, it’s nice to meet you.” I could tell from Alicia’s demeanor that she hadn’t recognized Fisher.

  “So, you’re here with Skylar? He and I are pretty good friends.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t brag about that if I were you,” Alicia said.

  “Why is that?” Fisher asked.

  “He’s a jerk. I just told him to take a short walk off a long bridge.” Alicia wasn’t even aware that she’d gotten the adage backwards – she wouldn’t have cared anyway.

  Fisher was amused. Apparently, he was easily amused. It was time to forget about him and this party and get back to my search for Rick. Perhaps Fisher could tell me where to find him. Just then, it occurred to me that Alicia had dumped Skylar and I had to wonder why. She usually stuck with one of “her men” at least long enough for a visit to her bedroom.

  “You discarded Skylar? What did he do to deserve that?” I asked.

  “He called you a sick elephant or something like that. I know you’re a little overweight, but no one is going to call my friend any kind of elephant,” she replied affectionately. It was enough to make me feel tons of remorse for all the ill thoughts I’d ever had about Alicia, even if she had misunderstood Skylar.

  “He meant sycophant, I believe,” I corrected her, but in the kindest tone I could find. “I doubt he really understood what it means. He’s using it to call me a fanatic, but it usually means a self-seeking flatterer. Similar, but not the same.”

  “No, he used it correctly, if that’s what it means. He said you were kissing up to everyone here so someone would introduce you to Rick.”

  My blood was starting to boil. “Why that rude, ignorant, big-mouthed, jackass! He doesn’t even know me, and he had no right making an assumption like that! What a hateful thing for him to say.”

  “Well, he probably got the idea from me. I told him you would stop at nothing to meet Rick. Like coming to this party only because Rick was supposed to be here – and by the way, he isn’t. If I’d realized that Skylar wasn’t calling you an elephant, I might not have dumped him so quickly. I mean, it isn’t above you to get to Rick through any means. You did follow Rick’s tour buses all the way from Pensacola…”

  By now, I knew my face was blood red. Alicia had succeeded in making me angry and in embarrassing me – all in front of a stranger. A stranger who seemed to know a lot about Rick and his band. A stranger that might have been able to get me close to Rick. Oh my gosh! Maybe I was a sycophant! It was beginning to look that way even to me.

  “Why don’t you go make up with Skylar,” Fisher was saying. “Then maybe the four of us can go back to my place. I have a nice motel room with a view of the beach. I’d love to show it to you.”

  Well, there it was. The true Fisher was finally here. We had to get away from him and Skylar.

  “Fisher, I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m not interested in seeing your room. In fact, I’m not interested in you at all.” I then turned to Alicia and said, “Let’s get out of here. Skylar lied – Rick is not going to be at this party.”

  “I know you came for Rick, Brandy. But I came to be with Skylar. I need to talk to him and work this out.”

  “Okay, talk to him. But then let’s go.”

  Fisher grabbed me by the elbow, “What do you mean you aren’t interested in me? You seemed pretty interested a few minutes ago.”

  “That was before I realized that you were the skuzzy delinquent that I saw last night at the Rest Inn. I lost thirty dollars on that room because of you. Now let go of my elbow if you want to take your hand home with you tonight.”

  Fisher released me, and I followed Alicia, stopping a few steps away from where Skylar was standing. Alicia and Skylar spoke for several moments then she came over to me.

  “Brandy,” she said in an excited voice, “Skylar just told me something very interesting. He’s driving one of his friend’s trucks so he can go pick up his brother. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Skylar’s brother is…”

  “Dylan Sims – the drummer in Rick’s band,” I inserted.

  “Yeah, that’s right. Well, anyway, it seems that Rick and the band are rehearsing tonight for tomorrow’s show. Skylar said we could go with him to pick Dylan up and maybe you can see Rick – or even meet him.”

  I hesitated. I didn’t trust Skylar – especially since he was close friends with Fisher. “I…I think we’d better pass, Alicia. I do have the tickets, so I’ll see Rick tomorrow night…”

  “Oh, stop being such a fuddy-duddy. We can take Sam and follow Skylar. We don’t have to ride with him since it makes you so uneasy. What in the world ever happened to the Brandy that I used to know? She never hesitated if she thought a cute guy was involved. Boy, have you changed!”

  Alicia was right. At one time, I would have jumped in the car with anyone if they promised to introduce me to “a cute guy”. But I had changed. I was now old enough to realize how stupid I had been back then. I considered it lucky that I’d never rode away with a serial killer or a rapist. I had been a reckless teenager, but now I had to be more cautious – if not to save me, to save Alicia. Still, if we were going to drive Sam, I felt that the risk was worth taking. “Okay, if we can drive Sam.”

  Alicia, Skylar, and I traveled together through the Isle of Capri. I had thought earlier that I would like to go inside to the gaming floor, but now I was more than ready to leave and go see Rick.

  Outside, I gave my ticket to the valet and he soon brought Sam back to me. Skylar was still waiting for his vehicle, so he walked over as Alicia and I got inside. “This car looks very familiar,” he said.

  Alicia piped up, “It should. It followed you all the way from Pensacola.”

  I thought, if I kill her right now, a sympathetic jury would deem it justifiable homicide.

  Skylar’s eyes lit up. “Crap! This is that car! Damn, I can’t take you to get Dylan if you’re driving that. They’d probably call the cops. Everyone on my bus thought you were stalking us or something.”

  I wasn’t sure if Skylar was kidding or not, but he was starting to worry me.

  “Brandy,” Alicia began, “you heard what Skylar said. We’ll have to ride with him if we want to meet Rick. I don’t want to get arrested, do you?”

  I wanted to scream, “Of course I do. I can think of no better way to end this miserable day than in a jail cell.” Instead, I just said, “No.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” Skylar was saying. “Why don’t I follow you back to the hotel? Then you can leave your car there and ride with me.”

  Alicia figured that she could read my mind, so she quickly
said, “Let us think about it on the way to the Richland. Meet us over there, Skylar.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there shortly.”

  Once in the car, Alicia started pleading her case. “Brandy, just give him a chance. He’s not crazy or anything. I know he won’t kill us. And if he does, you never have to speak to me again.” Alicia’s logic was infallible. “Come on, Brandy. I mean, we know his name. If something happens, we can get the police to arrest him.”

  “It’ll be hard to tell the police his name if we’re dead, Alicia. But okay. I’ll do it. This trip has been one disaster after another, and the only possible good thing that could happen is that I might meet Rick tonight. I can’t give up that opportunity. I know, I know…it will never turn out the way I want it to. Rick has probably already left or something. But I can’t go home knowing that I didn’t try every possible way to meet him. This is probably my last hope.”

  “All right! Now that’s the Brandy I know!”

  Skylar pulled into the Richland parking lot shortly after we did. He was driving a powder blue 1990 Ford Ranger with a super cab. I didn’t know that much about trucks, but it looked a little snug for three people to fit into. Still, I remained optimistic. I handed Alicia the keys to Sam. “I don’t have anywhere to keep these. This dress doesn’t have pockets.” Alicia took them and placed them in her purse where she was already carrying my wallet. We headed over to the truck.

  “I’ll sit in the backseat,” Alicia offered. “It might be a tad snug for you, Brand.”

  Gee, thanks, I thought. But I didn’t argue either. The “backseat”, as Alicia referred to it, was little more than a storage area. It certainly didn’t qualify as a seat of any kind.

  Alicia got in on Skylar’s side, so I sat down in the front passenger’s seat. We drove along at a moderate pace, and I became lost in my thoughts of Rick. The truck jerked to a halt and I was a little surprised that we’d arrived so soon. I noticed that we were sitting in a parking lot in front of a bank.

  “I need to run up to the ATM,” Skylar said. “It’ll only take a minute.”

  Alicia had slid over to my side of the truck. “Brandy, can you let me out for a minute? My legs are really cramping up back here, and I can’t get Skylar’s seat to go up with the door closed.”

  I opened the door, flipped the latch on the seat, and helped Alicia crawl out. She seemed to be in pain, and I began to feel sorry for her. “Why don’t we switch places for the rest of the ride?” I suggested.

  “No, no. That’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

  “I really don’t mind, Alicia. In fact, I would have gotten back there from the beginning, but you insisted.”

  “I said I would be fine. Let me get back in.”

  Skylar had returned to the truck and was getting in, so I gave Alicia my hand and helped her back inside. I went to put the passenger seat back, but it wouldn’t lock into place. I sat on the seat and tried to force it, but it felt as if something was blocking the latch.

  “Alicia, see if there is something under the seat that is keeping it from locking,” I said.

  Alicia leaned over, but it was clear that she didn’t have enough room to see up under the seat. “I don’t see anything. Push it again.”

  “No, I don’t want to break something. Feel up under there with your hand.”

  Skylar leaned over from his seat and said, “Here, let me do it. Sometimes it just won’t catch.”

  He took a firm hold on the back of the seat and used all of his strength to snap it into place. Underneath me, I heard a sound that reminded me of opening a carbonated soda can. Then the loud hissing noise began.

  I jumped out of the seat and back into the parking lot. I had planned to jerk the seat up and find what was causing the noise, but that became completely unnecessary. Red paint was already spewing out the front and side of the seat – most of it splattering on my face, hair, and dress.

  Somehow I remained calm. After several tugs and a face full of paint, I finally got the latch on the seat to open, and I pulled the seat up. It was very difficult to see because my glasses were almost completely covered by the paint, but I saw enough to grab the punctured spray paint can and jerk it out of the truck. Alicia reached up and slammed the truck door – ostensibly to prevent any further damage to the truck’s interior. Now the paint hissed and spewed all over the outside of the truck as I desperately searched for a place to throw the violently secreting container. It was difficult for me to see, but I finally spotted a trashcan two parking spots away from me. I ran over and tossed the hissing can into it. The can only sputtered now as the last bit of paint found its way out.

  I turned towards the truck. The urgency of the situation had left me in shock, but my shock was starting to give way to anger. Through my coated glasses, I could barely make out the truck and the outline of Alicia standing beside it, but I barreled towards them at a heart pounding rate, and I began yelling. “Look at me! Oh, just look at me. I’m coated in paint, my new dress and – more importantly – my glasses are ruined. This night – no this whole weekend – has been one disaster after another. I should have just gone straight home after the concert. I’d be in my bedroom right now enjoying an old movie or reading a good book. But no, I had to for once be impetuous, and just look at me!” I wanted to cry, but I refused to do so in front of Skylar. It was really him I wanted to ream out, but I hesitated because I didn’t know him that well. I also knew that he hadn’t meant to puncture the paint can. He probably hadn’t even known it was there since the truck wasn’t his.

  Just then Skylar jumped out and started talking very nervously. “Fisher is going to kill me. This is his truck. He treats this thing like a baby. He just had a new paint job done on it and it has brand new upholstery. What am I going to do?”

  As I walked up to Alicia, she reached out, grabbed hold of my arms, and held me at arm’s length – possibly to prevent me from getting paint on her, but probably to keep me from killing her. “Listen, Brandy. I’ve got it all worked out. I know how to make this right. First of all, you don’t have very much paint on your dress. Most of it is on your face, neck, and shoulders. Good thing you got a low cut dress, right? Anyway, a friend of mine had this same thing happen. Well, maybe not exactly the same thing. I’m almost certain it wasn’t this bad. But he told me that he bought some carb cleaner, and it took the paint off his car, the windshield, and him. There’s a grocery store just down the street. I’m sure we can buy some there.”

  “Carb cleaner – as in carburetor cleaner?”

  “Yeah. It’s supposed to work miracles. According to this guy I know.”

  “What guy is that? Does he still have skin in the places he removed the paint from?”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t know him. And yes, he still has skin.”

  “That’s a great idea, Alicia,” Skylar said, calming a little. “We can get two cans and clean up the truck, too.”

  I ignored the fact that he was insinuating that I needed a whole can to clean me, and I agreed to go with them to the store. I didn’t like this idea, but I didn’t really know what else to do.

  When we parked the truck, Skylar switched off the engine and said, “Okay, girls. Get two cans. Here’s ten dollars for my can.”

  Once again, my anger flared. This time I didn’t hold back. “So, you expect us to go in and buy the cleaner – me looking like…like this – and I have to pay for my can, too? Boy, Alicia, you sure know how to pick ‘em.”

  Skylar was obviously too dim-witted to realize that I was angry. He just smiled and said, “Thank you.”

  I removed my glasses so I could see a little bit, and Alicia and I went into the store. We found the automotive aisle fairly easily, and very few people seemed to be around to notice my new look. Luckily, they had three cans of carburetor cleaner, and the price for each can was only three-ninety-nine. I quickly decided that I’d destroy the receipt and tell Skylar that one can took the whole ten dollars – that way he could pay for my can, too. He also treated us to
some paper towels. Once outside, I didn’t even mention money. Skylar didn’t seem to notice, and he didn’t ask for any change.

  We pulled the truck to the far side of the parking lot under some bright lights and then began to furiously clean. I was pleasantly surprised when the paint disappeared from my glasses, and I could see again. I was a little hesitant to use the cleaner on my skin, but Alicia rubbed some on my arm, and it didn’t seem to hurt. It did remove all the paint in that spot, so I decided to use it. Soon I had removed all of the paint from my skin, and it hadn’t taken my skin off either.

  Skylar and Alicia had been working frantically on the truck, and I started helping them. Alicia had moved the seat back and was getting the paint off of the metal frame under the seat. Skylar was working on the rest of the interior, so I started on the outside of the truck. When we were finally satisfied with our effort, Skylar was certain it was too late to pick up his brother. However, when he checked the time, we’d only been working for about twenty minutes, and Skylar decided that the band would still be practicing or just finishing up.

  I asked Skylar to take Alicia and me back to the Richland. I had no more adventure left in me. I was all used up – and my clothes and hair were still flecked with red.

  “I can’t do that,” Skylar said. “By the time I take you back, the guys would have left. And Dylan would not be happy with me. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to go with me.”

  I was too tired to argue, so once again, Alicia got in the backseat and I sat up front. I was almost too tired to pull the truck door shut, but I managed somehow. I must have fallen asleep as soon as the truck started up, and before I knew it, Alicia was tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “Brandy, we’re here. The guys are standing up by the door talking. I made Skylar park away from them in case you didn’t want to meet Rick after all…”

  I jumped up as if I’d been shot. Was Rick in sight? I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and glanced around looking for the door Alicia was talking about. As my eyes began to focus, I recognized Rick and several of the band members – including Dylan. Skylar had approached them, and now they were all laughing about something. Skylar had probably told them about our evening – that would make anyone laugh.