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I hop out of the truck, pocket my keys, then come around the truck to catch up with Bobby, who’s already through the double doors of Pepperoni Pirate

The place is packed and explosively noisy for a late Monday afternoon, and that’s for three little reasons: first, it’s the summer; second, it’s the only place in Spruce that serves both pizza and has six pool tables and two shuffleboard tables and dartboards; third, it’s CJ’s birthday, and everyone and their damned uncle loves CJ

Probably because alets their hair cut by Cale and Edison, and CJ is Cale’s only kid—his pride and joy CJ is turning nineteen, and after spending a year being a lazy bue in the fall—soineers in north Texas, if I heard the ruht Cale is super beaten up about it and spends every waking second with his son before shipping him off across the state

From the looks of it, CJ’s birthday bash has taken over the entire restaurant Tables are shoved together with big platters of differently dressed pizzas laid out People are gathered in clusters chatting and laughing with giant Pepperoni Pirate s of soda and paper plates of pizza in their hands Paper banners and party strea everywhere The floor is littered with confetti already and the party just started an hour ago

I find Bobby at one of the pizza-filled tables peering over the choices while Lena, Rhea, and Aossiping girls are a trio of dancers I went to high school with—and who decided they were all Bobby’s besties when he cao

“What’s goin’ on, ladies?” I greet the off Rhea in the dead middle of a rant

Lena shootsanyone”

Rhea rolls her eyes “She was askin’ if you’re seein’ anyone”

Lena gasps, her face flushing at once “Rhea! I was not!”

In the middle of Rhea and Lena’s back-and-forth, A career over there at South Wood? I hear you’re turning into a Californian”

I frown “My school isn’t in California It’s in Arizona”

“Anything west of here is California to us” She pushes in front of her two squabbling friends, bringing herself right up next to ht Just us girls, and a few other dancers fro, just wine and finger foods andfun of our old dance recitals Are you free? You’ll be the only guy there The girls miss you”

They tried this ruse on ht of twenty questions, an unwelco around town the next ain “As much as I appreciate the invite …” I start

“Caonna be there, too”