“How about a drink?”
Matthew nodded, “Yeah, you think they have a soda fountain or something here?”
James looked around, “Probably,” he spotted what looked like a bar wrapped in beams of neon and pointed, “there. Even themed like a bar. Nice.”
The two headed over, intent on grabbing a soda and continuing on their way. However, as they got closer, they spotted a girl from their class, Layla, approach the bar and slam down an empty brown bottle.
“Hey, barkeep,” she shouted forcefully, but not aggressively, “another brewski when you got a moment.” As she waited, she turned and leaned back against the bar, resting her arms on it as her buzzed gaze fell on the pair, “Heyya guys. Enjoying the park so far? It’s pretty great, isn’t it?”
James paused for a moment, something feeling off about Layla. It took him a few seconds, but he realized her jeans looked like they didn’t fit quite right. They were tight in the thighs, but hanging loosely around her hips. Additionally, the front of her shirt sagged slightly.
Matthew chuckled, “Lose your stuffers?”
Layla stood up, glancing down at her chest and pulling the collar of her shirt forward, exposing her bra straps to the boys, “I don’t stuff. I think this damn shirt just got stretched out in the wash or in that damn bus or something.”
Matthew nodded, “Sure it did.”
The bartender set a beer on the counter and popped the cap before handing it to Layla. The young woman thanked him and upended the bottle, drinking about half of it before slamming it back down, a small stream of amber liquid springing from the bottle and landing on the bartop.
She let out a refreshed sigh, “This is the good shit, isn’t it?”
James looked from the bottle to Layla’s relaxed expression, “That’s not real beer, is it?”
Layla held the bottle up to her face, both of which wobbled slightly as she focused on it, “It fuckin’ better be. I’m getting drunk off it.” She chuckled a bit, her long, thin black hair bouncing as she did.
Matthew slammed a hand on the bar, “Hot damn.” He turned to the bartender, holding up two fingers.
James was less enthusiastic, “That’s insane, we’re all underage. We could get arrested for this.”
Layla held up a finger to shush the young man, pouring the rest of the beer down her throat with her other hand before slamming that bottle down as well. “Selling beer to minors would get them in trouble, not us. Besides, they’re not selling it, it’s free. Also,” She stammered slightly, adjusting the waistband of her jeans absently, “we’re all adults here anyway, so who gives a shit?”
James and Matthew shared a brief glance as Layla stood up and closed the small distance between them. Matthew picked up the beers and handed one to James before turning back to Layla just in time for the young woman to slap an open palm on each of their cheeks, jostling their heads playfully.
“Now you two cuties go and have fun, I’ll meet up with ya later,” her eyes drifted down their bodies then snapped back to their faces, “maybe we can play around a bit.”
The two stood silently as she staggered away, vanishing between rows of arcade machines and a layer of neon effused smoke.
Matthew swirled the beer bottle in his hand, “I always thought Layla was the quiet type.”
James nodded as he stared into the fog the young woman had vanished beyond, “Me too. I could have sworn she was planning to save herself for marriage or some crap like that.”
Matthew shrugged, then took a long swig of beer. He let out a forced sigh as he lowered the bottle, “Hey, that means she’s made herself available now, right?”
James sipped the beer, cringing a little at the sharp bitterness of the beverage.
“Hey,” Matthew continued after another drink, “maybe you should text Danielle. If this place woke up Layla, maybe Danielle’s feelin’ a bit more open about stoking the kindling, if you know what I mean.”
James shook his head, “I don’t think so, Matthew. Things’d never work out between us, we just don’t get along that well.” Despite his protests, he did pull out his phone and check for messages.
“Who said anything about getting along?” Matthew laughed, placing his empty bottle on the table, “I’m saying the two of you should meet up, find a storage closet or an empty ride car somewhere and just have the fucking hottest one night stand you can muster.”
The thought made James blush, but he shook his head, “I don’t think that’d be the healthiest thing, for either of us.”
Matthew shrugged, “Then I guess that means she’s available too.”
The taller man gasped as a fist jabbed him in the side, residue beer foam dribbling down his chin a bit before he wiped it with his sleeve. James held up his phone, “Doesn’t matter either way, no signal in here.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket and took another small sip of beer.
Still carrying his half-filled bottle, James headed for the door out of the arcade with Matthew following as soon as he had a replacement for the empty bottle he’d left on the bar. As he caught up to his friend, his eyes lingered on James’s backside, his posterior holding his gaze a little longer than it should.
He shrugged the distraction off, as well as the soft pangs of warmth that came with it, and quickly reached James’s side as they left the building to continue their adventure in the park.
Returning to the central area, the pair took in their options for their next stop. The other neon-lit buildings near them included a themed restaurant called the Kennel Club, a gift shop with a giant inflatable satyr in sunglasses and an aloha shirt sitting above the door, a classic theater complete with flashing marque advertising some show called "The Feminine Mystique," and a neon drenched dance hall. Beyond the buildings, they could make out several large circus tents, a funhouse, and what looked like a park or small forest. What stood out the most, however, were park’s landmarks, the roller coaster and the carousel.