Dirty Secrets

Part 48

Despite Darcy's persuasive selling, the messy bun just wasn't working for Lyla.

"What? It's cute," said Darcy.

Lyla muttered as she yanked out the clips.

"Well, I'm not gonna wait for you to wash and dry your hair," Darcy grumbled, flopping on the bed. "I'm mad hungry. I'll be a skeleton by the time you get out of the shower."

"Then go without me."

"That's just not gonna work for me. C'mere."

"What?"

"Let's braid that hair."

Twenty minutes later, they were ready to ride. Darcy had not only talked Lyla into the braid but also a halter top under a denim jacket.

"Feels like I'm trying too hard," Lyla moaned.

"Let's go." Darcy grabbed her sleeve. "Put your makeup on in the car."

For a Monday afternoon, the food truck festival was surprisingly jam-packed. They drove around the surrounding neighborhood, block-after-block, searching for a parking spot until, in an act of desperation, Darcy managed to squeeze her car into an "iffy" parking space.

Lyla pointed. "I think only the spots after that sign are legit."

"Well, this is a medical emergency," Darcy replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "If I don't get foodstuffs in me ASAP, there will be dire consequences."

"Hope you don't get a ticket. Or towed."

"Don't be such a pessimist."

"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. There's a difference."

"Mmmmm. You smell that barbecue?"

"Thought you had a taco crave."

"I like to keep an open mind." Darcy reached into her bag and produced a joint. "Wanna hit this?"

"Dude, I'm still getting pee tested."

"Whoops. Forgot."

"You go ahead."

"Nah." She put it away. "No fun flying solo."

The lines at the food trucks were ridiculously long, but eventually, the girls carried their tacos through the crowd searching for a place to sit. Ravenous customers sat shoulder-to-shoulder at rows of picnic tables covered with bountiful varieties of delicious edibles.

As she walked past a table, growing hungrier and hungrier, Lyla didn't recognize Natalie, seeing her out of the context of the hospital environment. Natalie sat, elbows planted on a table, devouring a drippy gyro sandwich. "Sup," she said when they made eye contact.

"Oh, hey, Natalie," Lyla replied.

Seated across from her was a girl with broader shoulders than Natalie, tearing through a humongous burger.

At the very end of the pavement, twenty yards from the last truck, they lucked out when two guys got up from a picnic table and offered their seats. A young couple with a sleeping baby in a stroller and a blonde-haired boy shared a pizza at the other end of the table.

When Lyla bit into her taco, she moaned involuntarily. "So good," she said through a mouthful of food.

"Street food," Darcy said, licking her fingers. "Better than sex. Not that I'd know."

The blonde-haired boy gave her a disapproving look then huddled closer to his mom.

Lyla wiped a smear of spicy cabbage slaw from her cheek and took another bite.