Chapter 19
nineteen
PARKER
After the stupid horse drawing, idiotic dance to MIDI music Niall selected, and an egg drop challenge, we were ready for what Niall called the “penultimate task.” I refrained from correcting my mate on his birthday over his improper use of that word and focused on trouncing Latte Girl in impressive style. To my surprise and horror, she was a formidable opponent and had no trouble being silly while dancing. How I'd managed to get through the dance challenge, I didn't know. I blamed it on being blazingly drunk and feeling good. Astrid colluded with Jeremy to combine efforts to succeed in the egg challenge. I was angry about it.
“Can you break them up?” I asked Niall. “It's not a group activity, and it feels unfair.”
“Does she intimidate you, Parker?” Niall asked.
“No. But it's about fairness, isn't it?”
“I have an idea,” Niall said.
He called the room to order. “Hear-ye, hear-ye! The Penultimate Task will commence. This is a team activity. The six remaining people will compete in teams of two. Team one is Astrid and Parker. ”
He punished me for whinging! That bastard!
Astrid grimaced as she crossed the room.
“Sorry, Princess, I am stuck with you. You don't get to make puppy dog eyes at the politician, do you?”
Astrid grumbled, “You don't always have to be such a dick, Parker! It's not personal, you know? And we're not together. I don't make puppy dog eyes!“
She did. The two of them were all over one another—and had been. Jeremy saw her as a conquest before even laying eyes on her. It was all a game to him. She had no idea he was such a snake. I wish someone cared to warn her, but her friends were new, and I wasn't about to pad her landing—not after her outburst. I wasn't that charitable.
“Now, the task is this. Remember when you all put topics into a hat earlier?” Niall asked. “Tasks with no context?”
We nodded. Between rounds, we'd been told to do it. We assumed we'd be assessed on our answers. At the time, before Astrid began kicking ass, I hadn’t given a flying fuck what I answered.
“Well, I will choose one. And then you will have twenty minutes to write and perform an original song about that topic.”
I grumbled. Astrid clapped her hands like a giddy child. Years of choir and piano lessons left me scarred.
Niall drew the answer. He furrowed his brow and laughed. “Parker, you cunt, I know this is yours!”
“What?”
I was pissed and unaware of what I had written in the ten seconds allotted. I'd written three things, and Niall swore he’d take only one.
“Universal Basic Income.”
“No, I'm not doing that!” Jeremy groaned.
“Why? Does it hurt your Tory heart?” I asked.
“No. I never said I was a Tory!”
“Don't tell Daddy, then,” Amara giggled.
“I just think it's a shit thing to write a song about. A fifteen- second diddy.”
“Well, a good musician can make anything work,” Astrid said.
The girl was out for blood. Now that she was on my team, I admired her clapback. I prayed she could sing. I couldn't. We broke into groups, rushing to the piano but losing out to Jeremy and another business student.
“Fucking hell,” I groaned.
“Don't panic,” Astrid said for my benefit.
“Oh, darling, are you sad you missed out?”
“I am,” Astrid said, “but determined to still wipe the floor with you, Jeremy.”
“Try harder,” he sighed.
I had to admit I would relish watching Astrid embarrass Jeremy. No doubt he’d react poorly and show his true colours. It would turn her off, and she’d stop eye-fucking him. I found the constant giggling and hanging on insufferable.
Niall interjected. “To keep it fair, you each get let's say seven minutes on the piano. Jeremy and Sal, you'll go first. Mary and Jake next, then Parker and Astrid.”
“Mate, that's unfair!” I whinged.
“Nah. It's fine. I am the Tasker. You do my bidding, damn it!”
“Stop, it's fine,” Astrid said. “Come into the garden.”
I started a stopwatch on my mobile to make sure we got our time. Following her out there, I also tried not to stare at her arse in the jeans that looked so perfect on her. Damn, she was hot when competitive. I appreciated a ruthless woman. Any remaining contempt for Astrid became respect as she outlined the song.
“I have a jingle,” she said. “Oh, UBI, won't you just try? It could be pie in the sky or good as pie?”
“It's dorky.”
“We can be campy. I can dance.”
I knew that a pretty girl dancing would probably work.
“Can you play piano?”
“Yes. Not as well as my former teacher wished I could.”
She snickered. “My sister is a fabulous pianist. I know the pain. ”
“My sister is, too. She's also a ballerina. It's awful. She's so good at everything.”
“Very, very cool,” Astrid said.
She was being nice , but it was only because she wanted to win. We could call a truce. I hummed a melody as we plotted out the 15-second song. We settled on something reminiscent of a Twenties flapper tune. It wasn't a terrible idea, even if it was cheesy as fuck. Oh, well, it would do.
We got to the piano, and I played a riff that pleased her enough.
“Don't you want to practice your dance?”
“I'm better when spontaneous. We're golden, mate. Shit, I need a shot. You want a shot?”
I should have said no. “What the hell? Can't hurt.”
We threw back a shot of tequila—something I supposed I'd regret later—and it was time. We were third to go. Jeremy and his partner did okay. It wasn't super compelling. I felt our piece was better. The two art history doctoral students that followed did dreadful. As I suspected, they were no competition despite being artsy. Now, it was our time to shine.
I played the intro, trying to stick to the meter we agreed to—something difficult to do while very pissed. I tried not to focus on my partner's take on the Charleston. She was more entertaining as things wore on. She sang the hook and then, to my utter surprise, did a cartwheel at the end. How did she manage that while drunk?
We were the obvious winners, based on applause alone. Niall stepped forward with a bottle of whisky from his family's distillery.
“This is swill compared to the good aged shit,” he announced, “but with you lot, it might as well be champagne. So, you're welcome. Our winners are... Astrid and Parker.”
Surprisingly, Astrid jumped into my arms, screeching like a schoolgirl. I caught her uncomfortably close and looked at her for a moment. Our eyes locked. I couldn’t focus on anything but her pretty face. I found her smile infectious. Out of nowhere, I wanted to kiss her. The urge was strong, yet I couldn't do it. She pulled away before I could have managed it anyhow .
Instead of reading into what I wanted, Astrid ran into Jeremy’s arms. He swung her around, lifting her up and down excitedly. I took the whisky and left to drink alone in the garden. I was over the obsession with The Princess. Let her have Jeremy! It was her fault for not reading all the flashing red flags.