Baited

Chapter 12. Randy's

"The guys come back this week. They should be in by Wednesday night." Jessica informed us, her brown eyes locked on her iPhone texting with who I assume to be Luke.

Cooper, Jessica and I sat in her backyard, laid out in lounge chairs, soaking up the August sun.

"Oh, and..." She looked up from her phone when neither Cooper nor I responded. I squinted my eyes in her direction and held my hand over my brows to shade my eyes from the blinding sun.

"Thursday night is 18-plus at Randy's." Jessica continued. "I know it's not your guys fav-"

"I'm down!" Cooper enthusiastically cut her off, sitting up in the lounge chair he occupied with a jolt.

Randy's Bar and Grill's is a hole in the wall bar on the outskirts of town. Once a month they host a party for those of us old enough to vote but not old enough to drink. Sitting between a college town and our small town, they tend to attract a wide mix of patrons, from our town's local drunks to college kids who venture outside the comfort of their campus.

For us, on the side of nothingness, the once a month party was a big deal. With little in our area, it was the only night we youngsters got a taste of what adult night life had to offer. Cooper and I usually dreaded going but for one reason and one reason only... Minny, Coopers ex. She and anyone else still in town would most definitely be there. Thus the reason we are usually hesitant to go. Which is why at the moment, I am a little surprised Cooper is so excited about the idea.

Jessica laughed at his outburst before she continued. "Ok, so I guess we're going to Randy's then." She shook her head still reeling from Cooper's outburst. It was not so much his excitement about the night out but the eagerness in his voice. Like it was a need to go or the answer to something. "You're down too, right Spence? I mean, Cooper's clearly down so I'm assuminggggg..."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure. Why not?" My tone matched my shrug, indifferent.

***

I was relieved when I entered Randy's to find it was not as busy as I had anticipated. During the months school is in progress, there is usually a line to get in. Being mid-August, many of the locals were probably away on family trips with the neighboring college kids just returning and settling into campus or yet to arrive. Still, it was busy enough for those who attended to feel celebratory.

"You asses!" Cooper came storming through the bar entrance after Jessica and I had left him to handle paying for our Uber.

We might be underage and unable to drink at the bar but that didn't stop us from having a few beers before we left. Jessica also had her handy dandy flask hidden in her bra for us to share throughout the evening.

"You left me!" Cooper shouted over the loud chatter and music.

The bar itself was not that large. It was your typical pub with one long bar to the left with some high circular table and chairs scattered about. Towards the back, there were two run down single use bathrooms and just beyond the bathroom's, the space opened up to another room that was generally set up with more tables and chairs to accommodate their "grill" offerings. Not that many eat here and on nights like tonight, the tables are removed for a makeshift dance floor.

"It was your turn to pay." I shouted over my shoulder in response to Cooper, my eyes combing through the crowd looking for-

"They've arrived!" Luke's voice startled me; approaching us with a grin that could warm the coldest of hearts. His bright green eyes lit with excitement; always a show stopper against his dark brows, dark hair and smooth chocolate skin. He was the epitome of perfection - inside and out.