Chapter Thirty-Nine
El
I would pay a million dollars for a photo of Cody’s face when he walked into Pitcher Perfect.
I’d been too busy laughing that I didn’t even think to take my phone out and snap a picture.
Brows furrowed, mouth parted, and speechless, he looked lost.
Unlike the last time that Matt and I had been here, tonight’s theme was obvious. Western themed. Really, as a wannabe cowboy, Cody should’ve been in his element.
We’d seen plenty of people wearing Western themed outfits at Saddle Up, but this may have been a different level of commitment.
There wasn’t one single person that had gone against the theme. Until we walked in.
If I’d thought my cowgirl outfit had been cute, all these girls showed me up ten-fold. Not to mention all the guys that went as far as to wear assless chaps.
Two guys were shaking their bare asses on stage, belting out “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band.
“Matt...” Cody stammered, “where are we?”
Planting a strong hand on Cody’s shoulder, Matt gave a squeeze. “Welcome to Pitcher Perfect.”
“I need a drink.”
Jade just shrugged, a massive smile glued to her face. “This place is great.”
The same bartender was working, and once again, we looked out of place. With nothing but a small giggle, she had four drinks in front of us in mere minutes. We settled in at a table in the far corner.
It wasn’t long before Jade and I, already tipsy, were debating on what song we should sing together.
Landing on “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, I insisted that Matt needed to record us when it was our turn. It was no surprise he sent a snippet of the video in our giant family group chat. Our moms were immediately gushing over it.
For the next twenty minutes straight, Jade and I were begging the boys to get up on stage. We were pulling all the tricks, playing all the cards. Puppy-dog eyes. Batted lashes. Heartbroken pouts. The whole nine yards.
Until finally, they gave in.
I was surprised Matt budged at all, but I’d say the rumple minze shots I grabbed for the table probably helped.
While the boys waited in line, Jade and I were giggling, phones out and ready. We had no idea what song they chose, but since Cody was a die-hard country fan, we assumed it was bound to be good.
“El,” Jade suddenly said.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
I blinked at her, head tipped. “For what?”
She didn’t falter, but her eyes softened, a rare occurrence for the stonehearted Jade Gallagher. “For being the best big sister.”
I knew it was probably the liquor talking, but it didn’t stop me from tearing up. I couldn’t think of anything sweeter she’d ever said to me.
Pushing my mouth into a hard line, I attempted to keep my tears at bay. “Jade,” I choked up.
“I mean it,” she nodded. “I know I don’t say it ever, but it’s true. You’re the best.”
I could feel my face break into a million shards. My heart was exploding inside my chest. Her green eyes, for once, so delicate, blinked at me quietly, reminding me of the days when she was just a little toddler, big-eyed and loving.
“Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot to me.”
Gripping her shoulders, I pulled her to me a little harder than intended, but she wasn’t fazed.
We clutched onto each other until the sweet melody of “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes thrummed, followed by the ridiculously terrible voices of our boyfriends, whose finger-pointing made us allege that they were trying to sing to us.
It was so cringey and dreadfully lovable that the rest of the bar was eating it up too.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.