August shook his head. “Erin really pulled a number on you, didn’t she?”
The mere mention of her name summoned a circus of emotions in my head. “This has nothing to do with Erin.”
“It’s been over a month,” August insisted. “You need a rebound.” He patted my chest. “You look like a cologne model for Armani or some shit.”
“Sorry, August, but I’m not going to bang you.”
He barked a carefree laugh. “Fuck off. A guy can compliment his best friend without it being gay. The point I’m trying to make is you could have any woman you want. And not just any woman at this party: any woman in Fort Perth. It’s time for you to move on.”
“I’d like to move on from this party,” I muttered, but I knew he was right. Since we had become friends in middle school, August could always read me like a book with size 48 font. I needed to move on from Erin. She had certainly moved on herself—all the way to New York City, some two thousand miles away. I had to get her out of my head.
Easier said than done.
“You wouldn’t understand,” I said, pausing to take a long pull from my whiskey soda. “You’ve never dated anyone longer than two weeks.”
August gripped his chest like he was wounded. “That hurts, Mikey. It’s also completely inaccurate. Audrey and I dated forthreeweeks.”
“Wow, I stand corrected,” I said sarcastically. “You’re a regular Danny Tanner.”
“Who?”
“The dad fromFull House.”
He scrunched up his face. “What’s Full House?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sometimes I wonder how you float through life without knowing these things.”
“Because pop culture is stupid. I know things thatmatter, like the closing price of the NASDAQ today, or the exact amount of assets we’re currently managing at the New Mexico Community Foundation.”
“I thought you said work was off limits tonight?” I pointed out.
August made an annoyed gesture. “Itisoff limits tonight. You got me ranting. Come on, let’s go watch those guys play beer pong.”
We watched beer pong for a while, which brought back lots of memories from college. August and I jumped into the next game and got all the way down to the last cup, just barely losing. After that, I wandered away. The college football game up on the projector was a blowout, with Baylor losing by thirty points—much to the dismay of the party hosts. A cluster of guys were standing around a laptop while watching the game, so I got close enough to overhear their conversation.
“Let’s check out the prop bets,” one guy was saying. “Here. I’ll put ten on Baylor to get a touchdown in the fourth quarter.”
“Then I’m putting downtwentyon the A&M quarterback rushing for a touchdown,” another guy said.
“Why such small stakes?” a third guy chimed in. “Whoever wins their bet first has to chug a glass of Fireball whiskey.”
“What if neither of us win?”
“Then you both chug a glass.”
“You’re on.”
I winced when I saw the laptop screen. They weren’t betting ten and twenty dollars on those wagers—they were betting ten and twentythousand. And they considered that small. I couldn’t imagine spending that much money on a flippant sports bet. I didn’t grow up rich. If not for my scholarship, I never would have gone to a big college. Unlike August, I’d had to grind for everything I had in life.
I shook my head. That wasn’t fair. August may have been the son of the CEO where we worked, but he was a good guy. Smart, and a hard worker. And most importantly, he was a good friend. He’d always had my back. Especially after Erin. He gave me a hard time about needing to move on, but those were just words. I didn’t know what I would have done without him to help me recover from that breakup.
He was getting another drink at the bar, so I walked over and clapped him on the back. “Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate you?”
August turned and smirked at me. “Go on. I like having my ego stroked almost as much asotherparts of me.”
“Thanks for dragging me out tonight,” I said. “I’ve been sitting in my apartment a lot lately. It’s good for me to get out. You were right.”
He bit his lip. “Keep going. I’m close.”