East Down South

by Eliza Freer

  Blake looks up. “Okay, but what are you qualifications for helping me with this selection? I’ve been the music master for all of our football parties for the past three years, so obviously I’m qualified. How about you?”

  If I didn’t know he was kidding, his intense gaze might throw me off. I dial the number for the restaurant and start placing our order, watching Blake and Wilder the whole time. Wilder seems to think on this a little longer than he should, considering he’s a musician so I pipe up.

  “He’s a musician, B. No offense to your football parties, but he might be more qualified than you.” Blake narrows his eyes at me. “But, I’ll never love anyone’s playlists more than yours. You’re number one in my mix tape heart.”

  Wilder turns and looks at me. I can’t tell what he’s surprised by. As his expression morphs, I realize maybe I shouldn’t have dropped the musician bomb, but I didn’t ask him to play for the guys or anything.

  Blake appraises Wilder and a smile grows across his face. “A musician, huh? That’s awesome. I can’t play anything. What do you play? Do you sing too?”

  Wilder relaxes at Blake’s words, I think realizing he’s not going to be judged in this house for something like that. I mean, maybe if he was a Kenny G or something, that’d be a different story. “Yeah, I do. Play guitar. Write my stuff. I don’t play out or anything, in case you were gonna ask.”

  Blake nods his head. “Cool. Well if you ever change your mind on that last one, let us know.”

  Wilder nods back, and like that the conversation about Wilder’s music is over and they’re back to picking a record. I walk into the kitchen to hang up the cordless phone and see if Riley needs any help with drinks.

  When I walk in I see Riley grabbing four bottles of water, four glasses and a two-liter of Dr. Pepper that we keep in the house for just these occasions. I don’t think any of us really drink pop outside of this. I bump his hip. “You need any help in here, darlin?”

  Riley tucks the two-liter under his arm and palms the four bottles of water. He hands me the glasses to give me something to do. “If you want ice in those that’s up to you, otherwise we’re good.”

  We walk towards the living room and check-in on Blake and Wilder. Riley bumps me with his elbow. “They seem to be getting along, which, is good because he’s not allowed anywhere near you if he can’t even get along with Blake.”

  I laugh, but he’s completely right. We close the rest of the distance into the living room and Riley starts to set the drinks down on the table. I hear the familiar refrains drift from the record player and I cringe at the sound. “B, no. No fingernails. We’ve discussed this, I don’t know, every time you pick a record.”

  Blake feigns ignorance and puts his hands up. “Like when? When have you said, ‘no, Blake, I don’t like Paul Simon’?”

  Riley finishes setting the things on the table and stands to his full height. “Dude, pretty much every single time. You always try and slip it past her and every single time she says ‘no, B, no fingernails.’ I’m with East. Pick again.”

  Wilder tilts his head to the side and watches our interaction with interest. “Can I ask why you call Paul Simon fingernails?”

  The three of us laugh and I fill Wilder in. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at the man’s hands but they’re disgusting. His nails are like witch at Halloween long. And filed kinda pointy like he’s using them as coke spoons. I won’t have it in my house.”

  Wilder laughs. “Then why do you have the record?”

  “Blame my dad. He doesn’t subscribe to my logic, but he doesn’t listen to it when I’m here either. I just can’t hear him and not think about his hands.”

  Riley pipes up. “Besides, try and pick something within the theme of our Fast night. What did we play last time? We watched First Knight, right?”

  Blake laughs. “Yeah, for sure. East made sure we knew it was a laughable romantic drama/comedy with some of the grossest kisses and most ridiculous lines ever, so we said sure, fine, let’s do romance.” He heads back over to the selection of records. “If you haven’t seen it, it’s a highly recommend. It’s ridiculous.”

  I add, “And we listened to Patsy Cline. We made it a longing love slash sad reality theme.” I notice Wilder’s frown. “It’s not as depressing as it sounds.”

  Blake calls over his shoulder. “Okay, Wy, you’re up. She shot me down, so now you can face her iron-fisted rule.”

  Wilder grabs a record and replaces the Paul Simon currently playing. I nod my head happily and Riley lets out a contented happy sigh as Tom Petty wafts through the speakers.

  I point to Wilder. “See, B. That’s what’s up. Relevant to our theme and while Tom was no looker, his hands seemed pretty normal.”

  Blake waves us off and takes a seat on the floor. “You’re just siding with him because you make out.”

  I look over to Wilder who pauses on his way over to the floor, and I start laughing. “Well, Blake, if you ask most people on campus you and I have done much more than make-out, so by that logic I should be backing up your Simon fascination.”

  The room gets a little quieter after my statement. I take a deep breath. “Okay, guys. If I can’t try and joke about the horribleness of this whole thing with you guys, my favorite circle, then all I’m ever going to do is fret over this.”

  Riley shakes his head. “Okay, E. Point taken. But, just to ask, and then I’ll drop it. Do you know any more than you did?”

  I shake my head. “No. Just still think it’s that nutso redhead Blake was evading at that party. Which, props to you and me apparently. We should be in drama club.”

  Blake jumps up from the floor and runs over and picks me up, spinning me in circles. “Let’s do it!” He stops the spinning but waits to set me down. “As long as it’s not Shakespeare. We’re sexier than Shakespeare.”

  I wiggle down from Blake’s embrace. “I don’t know, Shakespeare had some pretty sexy stuff if you don’t get mired down in the language.”

  Riley pours everyone some Dr. Pepper and passes out the water bottles. The boys are all seated on the floor around the table. It’s what we always do, I don’t know why we don’t use the couches. “Speaking of literature. Which classes did you pick? You have an area you’re gearing towards?”

  My eyes light up. I haven’t gotten to talk about my course schedule with everything that’s been going on, and actually I’m really excited for some of my major centric classes. “Yes! There’s a couple. One is about The Modern Period focusing on literature and revolution. It primarily focuses on Russian revolution, but you know there will be crossover with the current political climate. There has to be, which will either be awesome or terrifying. The other one is Lit of American Cultures focusing on emotions and how they pertain not just to the individual, but greater society as a whole.”

  The boys sit at the table and they all give me the same expression. Amused eyes combined with a complete lack of understanding for my major. Blake nods. “Well you’re for sure a nerd. I wouldn’t trade places with you, but I’m glad you’re happy. However, I will think of you when I’m taking my political ethics class, and maybe then I’ll wish I was taking a class about Russian revolution.”

  Wilder watches me walk to the table and sit on the floor. “I don’t think I actually know what your major is. It has to be something lit heavy with all those courses. I mean those are like, heavy, deep diving into lit, more so than just an elective.”

  Riley grabs my shoulder and shakes it. “Our girl is a comparative literature major. So she reads, reads some more, writes, thinks about what she’s read, then thinks about what she’s written and compares it to other junk that’s been written and read. That’s the gist right, E?”

  I laugh loudly. “Yeah, exactly. I think that was the exact definition in the course catalogue. Junk. I mean, basically it’s what Wy said. It’s a deep dive into the greater expanse and meaning of literature through some of the biggest moments in history, as well as just looking
at the impact it has in today’s society. Or societies past for that matter. I’ll have to take some writing classes and some foreign language, but that’s expected. Spanish would be useful in my day to day, but as far as the major goes, German might be more fitting. A lot of old religious texts were originally written in German.”

  Wilder regards me with wide eyes. They seem tinged with pride and, I don’t know, awe maybe? “You are spectacular. I mean, I knew you were smart, but…damn.”

  I blush under his perusal and am saved by the bell as our Chinese food arrives. I pay the driver and Riley gets up to grab plates and utensils. I lay out all the cartons on the table and Wilder pops them all open. Riley returns with the plates as Blake gets up the switch the record to the B-side. We all settle in and dig into our Chinese food, not speaking much as we eat.

  After scarfing down first and second helpings, I looked around at the group. “Last call.”

  Riley and Blake shake their heads and I glance at Wilder. “Last Call?”

  Blake speaks up. “It means we’re putting the leftovers in the fridge now. If you want more, speak now. Ya know, last call.”

  Wilder’s eyebrows rise. “Ah. No, I’m good.”

  Riley stands up as Blake takes care of closing all the boxes and grabbing the dirty plates. “East, you get the book ready and pop in Fast, and I’ll make the popcorn. Cool?”

  I jump up. “Yep! Works for me!”

  Blake and Riley disappear into the kitchen and Wilder stands up to walk with me to our DVD shelves where I grab the movie. “Popcorn? After eating a bunch of Chinese food you guys eat popcorn?”

  I laugh “No, we don’t. It’s to throw at the screen. If there’s a particularly ridiculous line, or, I don’t know, just some reason we feel like it we throw popcorn at the TV. Makes us feel like we’re a part of the creative process.”

  Wilder chuckles. “You guys are weird.” He stands behind me while I load the DVD into the DVD player. He circles his hands around my waist and leans down to whisper into my ear. “Thank you for letting me come here. Do this with you. Be with your family.”

  I turn around in his arms and he leans down to kiss my lips. Against his mouth I say “Technically, they invited you, but I’m glad you’re here all the same.”

  Wilder laughs and starts to pull away so I kiss him again to hold him in place. I exhale a breath. “Thanks for wanting to be here. And wanting to be here for ME, ya know?”

  Understanding laces his expression. “I’d be anywhere just for you. Only you. You’ve gotta know that by now.”

  I kiss him one last time and laugh, smacking his arm as I make my way back to the couch, grabbing a notebook under the TV on my way over. “I mean technically I’ve only known you for like…three weeks or something.” I turn to look him in the eye and cup my hand over his cheek. “But, yeah, I know what you mean.”

  I sit down on the couch and Wilder sits beside me, watching me open the notebook. I pull out the cross necklace I use as a bookmark and set it on my knee. I stick out my tongue while I make our BC grid for Fast Five.

  “Do you know you do that? Make that face?”

  I look up at Wilder. “What face?”

  He sighs and smiles. “You have the sexiest thinking face. You trace your mouth with your tongue while you think. That or you bite your lip, which also kills me, just so you know. I just wondered if you do it intentionally so people can’t concentrate around you, or if you’re just so unintentionally sexy you didn’t even know you were doing it.”

  I laugh and look at him. “Honestly, I don’t know I do it. But, that’s funny. No one has ever brought that up to me before. However, I’ll say you’re the only guy that seems to have trouble concentrating or has noticed at all.”

  At that moment I hear Riley and Blake walk in. Riley has a giant bowl of popcorn that he sets on the table and Blake has four bottles of Corona from the fridge. Riley speaks up first. “She doesn’t do it on purpose, but yeah she does it. And East, guys notice. They just know better than to say things because you’re ours and we’ll break their fingers off. Wilder gets to make those observations since you’re dating, and Blake and I have decided we like him, so it’s fine.”

  Wilder laughs out loud and accepts a beer from Blake. “Thanks? I think?”

  Blake passes out the rest of the beers. “You’re welcome. However, we do reserve the right to change our minds, so you’re always kinda on probation. Sorry, man. You get it.”

  I roll my eyes. “Guys, leave him alone. While I love you both, and you are my family, you are not in this relationship.”

  Riley smiles and removes the bottle caps off all the beer. “Beg to differ. But we hear you.”

  Wilder picks up the necklace on my knee and holds it up. “What’s this?”

  Blake laughs and hits Riley’s shoulder so he pays attention. Riley laughs along with him. I shake my head. “For my eighteenth birthday, the guys and my dad threw me a Fast and the Furious themed birthday party. These necklaces are what Dom Toretto wears, and they were the party favors.”

  Blake tosses a couple of pieces of popcorn in his mouth. “Best. Party. Ever. Especially the after party once all the adults had gone to bed.”

  Riley clears his throat and lifts his beer bottle. “Okay, before we hit play, let us toast. RIP.”

  Blake and I in unison say. “To the Buster.”

  Wilder looks confused but clinks his bottle with the three of ours. Riley explains “Paul Walker. We toast to his memory every time we watch a Fast movie. Corona is the beer of the Toretto family, so it’s what we drink. We always only have the one, just to toast, also cause Coach could always come home and we don’t wanna die.”

  I laugh. “So true. Also, guys, we haven’t done a BC for Five yet. I thought we’d started one, but I think that’s just Six we took the breather because there were so many. Five is a clean slate.” I turn to face Wilder. “Rules of the game. Each car is a different number of people. It’s a law of averages thing that our brilliant minds came up with. I’ve written it down for you here, so you can see.”

  I lay the notebook in Wilder’s lap so he can read.

  Van- 4 people

  Sedan- 1.5 people

  Cop car- 2 people

  Jeep- 2 people

  SUV- 2 people

  Motorcycle- 1 person

  Sports car- 1 person

  Blake picks up. “Now, we only count vehicular casualties. Of course, people are shot and punched and all that stuff, but we only count people who would’ve been killed during these crazy car chases. They just never mention or reflect on how many people would die if all this stuff really happened so we guesstimate.”

  Riley adds, “Also, in the beginning of this movie, you’ll get a good idea because there’s a newscast that tells you how many people were miraculously not injured, so it’s a good lead in for you.”

  Wilder looks inundated with information, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. I grab the notebook from his lap and Blake hits play. “You ready, Wy?”

  Wilder kisses the space right below my ear and looks up to the TV. “Let’s do it.”

  After about thirty minutes Blake pipes up. “Pause for bathroom break!”

  I smack his shoulder, as he’s sitting right underneath me on the floor. “Just wait until the Rock folder throw and then we can pause.”

  Blake sighs. “Fine.”

  Wilder leans in to me. “Rock folder throw?”

  I laugh. “You’ll understand when it comes.”

  Shortly thereafter we hear The Rock say “here’s what makes sense” and watch him toss a folder to the side for no reason. The four of us cackle at the screen, and Riley pauses it for bathroom breaks.

  I’m throwing bottles away and putting plates in the dishwasher when I hear the front door.

  “Hey, Coach.”

  “Riley. Wilder.”

  Then I hear footsteps running down the hall. “Hey, Coach.”

  “Blake. Where might the light of our life be?”
/>   I laugh and yell, “In here, Dad!”

  Dad walks into the kitchen and kisses the side of my head. “Chinese leftovers in the fridge if you’re interested.”

  Dad opens the refrigerator door and I hand him a plate from the cabinet on my side. “TATT night?”

  “Yep!” I let the P pop in my word.

  “So…the boy got an invite huh?”

  I roll my eyes. “You know the boy’s name. But, honestly, it was Blake who invited him since Wilder was there when Blake and Riley begged me to do this.”

  Dad finishes dumping leftovers onto his plate and putting it in the microwave. “So, you’re all good? Everyone behaving?”

  I nod my head and look him in the eyes. “It’s all good, Dad.”

  He grabs a bottle of water and a fork, and pulls his plate out of the microwave. “Okay, kid. I’m gonna go take this to my man cave. You kids have fun.”

  I follow Dad into the hall stopping in the living room. “Pops, are you sure you don’t wanna stay and finish the movie with us?”

  Dad laughs and turns before heading to his den. “That’s okay. But don’t you all forget.” Dad spears us each with a look, “Live your lives a quarter mile at a time.”

  I laugh and clap my hands and the guys woot in appreciation. “Love you, Dad.”

  “You too, East.” Then the door for his man cave closes behind him and we resume our TATT night.

  ********************

  After the movie ends and we’ve finished tallying our BC, the four of us are all in some sort of prostrate position. Blake and Riley are lying on the floor, Wilder is fully reclined on one side of the couch, and I’m taking up the rest, laying my feet across his lap. We’ve settled into a comfortable conversation including Fast facts and catching Wilder up on our history.

  Wilder rubs his hands up and down my calves and addresses Blake and Riley. “So, how did this become a thing? I mean, before I got to know you guys at all I expected you to spend all your free time with girls falling all over you at some party. Stereotyping, sure, but you spend your time with East when you’re probably the most popular guys on campus.”