Page 28 of Donut Disaster
Anika Bram comes from money.
Lots of it.
Cassie had it right that night of the murder when she told me Anika’s parents are Jane Lloyd, the blonde bimbo who climbed to fame via a sex tape, and her father is indeed rocker Jimmy Love.
I have to confess. I had a rather mad crush on Jimmy Love in high school, and I listened to hisAcid Rainalbum on repeat for the better part of my senior year.
It turns out, Anika doesn’t spend her time punching a clock anywhere. Instead, she sleeps all day and parties all night at a club called the Electric Dandelion.
Noah gifted me this information via a text this afternoon as a peace offering. Of course, he then proceeded to ask if I wanted to go clubbing tonight, in which I responded yes. But since Keelie was standing over my shoulder, she made me tell Noah that I would be bringing along my posse for the ride.
And what a posse we are.
I couldn’t keep Everett away, and Noah couldn’t keep Cormack away because the universe might actually disband if the two of them aren’t within touching distance at some point in the day. Keelie and Bear have tagged along and so have Naomi and Alex.
Boy is Lily going to be steaming mad when she finds out. And you can bet your bottom dollar I won’t be the one to tell her.
The Electric Dandelion has a huge electronic sign out front of an animated dandelion slowly losing its rainbow-colored petals as they blow away in the wind, only to explode into miniature fireworks displays.
There’s a roped entry with a line a mile long to get inside, and every one of those kids in line looks as if it’s three hours past their bedtime.
I lean in toward Everett. “When did twelve turn into twenty-one? I’m pretty sure not one of those kids has even crested puberty.”
Everett shakes his head. “I agree. And it astounds me every time I see the youth. They get younger and younger and yet we stay the same.” He blinks a smile my way.
“Very funny.” I glance over to Noah who is chatting with Alex and Naomi.
Cormack hops up and down as if she were spring-loaded tonight. She and Keelie have been whispering amongst themselves, and I don’t like it one bit.
“Guess what, Lomita?” She hops my way. “Keelie and Bear are about to tie the knot themselves, and I’m referring them to Amanda Wellington. So far I’ve already brought her three different couples.”
I look past her at my questionable bestie, and Keelie is quick to shake her head. Thought so. Yes, Keelie and Bear are serious, but they’re not dashing for the altar just yet.
Cormack examines the rock on her finger. “I just love the idea of a wedding and everything that goes along with it. You wouldn’t believe how fun it is to pick out themes and colors and bridal dresses, sheet music, appetizers, custom cocktails—you name it.” She gives me a shove on the arm. “I just had the best idea. Why don’t you start planning your wedding now, too?”
Noah stomps over. “No,” he flatlines.
“Why not?” Everett’s cheek twitches. It’s common knowledge by now that Everett enjoys getting a rise out of Noah. Everett enjoys getting a rise out of me, too, but for entirely different purposes.
Now it’s Noah’s cheek that flinches. He’s staring down Everett, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think the two of them were having a silent conversation. A threatening one at that.
Bear must sense the tension. Bear, my aforementioned ex, who thought cheating on me was a great idea, and unbeknownst to him started an unfortunate trend in my life. We’ve long since put past grievances behind us, and we’re more or less good friends now.
“Let’s head inside.” Bear leans into Noah. “Lottie doesn’t like a fighter.”
“That’s right.” Everett wraps his arm around me as he leads us to the door. “She prefers a lover—one that actually knows what he’s doing.”
As cheesy as it sounds, both Everett and Bear are incredibly right. Although just to be clear, Noah more than knows what he’s doing in and out of the bedroom. But I’ll be the last one to bring that up to Everett. In the grand scheme of things, Everett has been playing in the pro league for years. If mattress wrestling became an Olympic sport, Everett would take home the gold every time.
Everett leads us to the front of the line and drops a wad of bills so big into the bouncer’s hand I’m fearing for his retirement fund. The beefy bouncer inspects the wad before burying it deep into his pocket, and the entire lot of us is let on through to the sound of boos and jeers of others.
Inside it’s noisy, crowded, and the scent of cheap liquor permeates the air. Not that I would know what expensive liquor smells like, but I’m not fan of it in any variant, so it all smells cheap to me.
The lights are low, the lights areblack, which explains why Everett’s tie is glowing as if he carved it off the moon. Noah smiles and his teeth light up like the Cheshire Cat’s.
“Lottie, your lips are glowing paper white.”
“Ooh!” I crane my neck to find the nearest mirror.