Chapter Fourteen #2
Alex tilts her head and sighs. “Well, I had a little help there, you know that. But anyway, Nora, this is Matt, the bassist from Recoil. He’s filling in for Ria tonight,” she says, and I’m not sure why, but her introduction sours me a little.
I knew I was here as ‘Matt from Recoil,’ but she could have introduced me as ‘Matt, her friend’ as well.
Nevertheless, I stick out my hand for Nora to shake, and she smiles at me, grabbing my hand and shaking it with a firm grip. “Nice to meet you, Matt. Thank you for coming tonight on such short notice. We do appreciate it.”
“My pleasure. I like to help where I can.”
“It’s always good to have Zaria here, but I think it sends a better message when we get a male celebrity to help with the women. It gives them hope that not all men are like the ones they’ve become accustomed to,” Nora tells me, and I glance at Alex, who’s trying to hide her smirk.
“Yeah, I hate what these women have been through, and honestly, I’ll do anything to help make them feel better.”
Nora claps her hands. “Great. Because the festivities are about to begin, follow me, you two,” she says and starts walking over to the makeshift stage with a microphone setup.
I look at Alex, who’s grinning from ear to ear like she knows a secret I don’t, and I squint at her as she giggles to herself. I lean into her side, close to her ear. “What have you signed me up for, miss?”
She shrugs. “Mischief and mayhem… the usual Saturday night shenanigans.”
Nora taps the mic and clears her throat, then everyone turns to look at her as we stand to the side.
“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the annual Rosalie House Fundraiser. It’s so humbling to have you all in my home here tonight.
I hope you all enjoy the festivities we bring to you, and please remember to donate.
Tonight is as much about fun as it is about funding, so remember to have a good time while raising awareness.
Be kind, be brave, and always, always, smile through the rain.
I love you all. So eat, be merry, and the first race will commence shortly. ”
She smiles brightly while looking in my direction. “We have a very special celebrity here in Matthew Levine from the rock band Recoil, who will be our star performer tonight, paired with our very own alumni, Alex O’Donovan.”
A cheer erupts around the backyard as they chant Alex’s name, and she raises her hands, grinning while taking in the cheers. It’s like she’s royalty here. I chuckle under my breath as Nora raises her hands, and the crowd hushes down.
“So again, thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. Place your donations, and we will start very soon. Let the games begin.” She grabs hold of a flag, waves it through the air, and everyone cheers like it’s the commencement of the Hunger Games or something.
I look at Alex, furrowing my brows.
She chuckles and grabs my hand again, leading me further past a heap of fruit trees to an even larger grassed area where a course is laid out like what you’d see at a school sports day.
I begin to chuckle, looking at the little orange witches’ hats on the grass and the obstacle course set out on the lawn.
“Is this like a fun run type thing? Adventure courses or some shit?” I ask, and she grins, giving me a playful shrug.
“Or some shit. But it’ll be fun, I promise. Plus, it’s for a good cause. So be a good sport, okay?” she demands.
“I’m always a good sport.”
“Uh-huh, we’ll see about that when you’re losing,” she says as we walk up to what looks like the starting line.
There are lines marked out on the grass in rows, and I watch as everyone comes around us.
Nora with a megaphone, a man who looks eerily like Sideshow Bob is taking bets, which I’m assuming are actually donations, and people are lining up.
Alex comes to my side, smiling widely. “How do you like your eggs in the morning, Matt?” she asks.
I raise my brow at her question. What the fuck is she asking that for, and why is she asking it right now? What the hell?
Suddenly, a woman steps out with a bucket of eggs, and another follows behind her with a tub of spoons. I relax slightly as Alex chuckles.
“Geez, Matt, breathe, you look so tense. It’s just an egg and spoon race,” she yells while grabbing an egg and spoon.
I take up my position next to Alex after grabbing my egg and spoon, and she glances at me sideways.
“So now you get it, Matt. A night of crazy games and chaos…” Alex giggles. “Are you up for the challenge, rocker boy?”
I grin, ready to race. “Fuck, yeah, doodle bug. I’m gonna scramble you.” I chuckle. “Get it?”
She bursts out laughing, almost causing her egg to topple off her spoon. Alex quickly steadies the egg back on her spoon. “Oh, I get it. Playing hardball, eh? Well, you’ll never defeat me. I am the champion in these parts and—”
The gun goes off, interrupting her, and I don’t wait around for her to finish the sentence before I take off, racing at a fast pace but maintaining an even tempo, trying not to drop my egg.
“Hey, not fair!” Alex calls from behind me.
There’s a woman to my right and another three people off to Alex’s left.
I’m in front, and my egg is wobbling on the spoon but staying the course.
I stop at the end of the track and send out a victory cheer, knowing I’ve reached it first. But then everyone starts screaming at me as I turn around and watch the others spin around their witches’ hats, then head back down to the start line.
“Oh shit!” I call out, not realizing it was a return trip.
I probably should have checked the rules before I started.
“Ha-ha, dumb ass, serves you right,” Alex screams out as she reaches the end, and we head off at the same time, back toward the start line.
We’re neck and neck as we overtake the others.
It’s between us as we get closer and closer to the finish line.
Trying to get ahead of each other, we laugh as we push harder and faster to outwalk one another.
The increased tempo has our eggs teetering on the edge.
“Alex, a bee,” I call out.
She looks up just before the finish line, making her egg tip off her spoon and tumble to the ground. It smashes as she groans out loud, and I race forward, rushing over the finish line and bursting into laughter while everyone cheers.
Alex stomps her foot on the ground. “Matthew!” she calls out, and I chuckle, throwing my hand in the air. She walks over to me, furrowing her brow, looking right at my chin strangely.
“What?” I ask.
“What’s that on your face?” she asks, and I jolt back while wiping at my chin.
“What?” I ask again.
Alex smirks. It’s not a happy smirk—it’s a mischievous, devilish one—but I don’t have time to react before her hand moves to mine, the one holding the spoon and egg.
She thrusts my hand up, and the egg slaps into my chin, breaking open all over my face.
Everyone around us bursts out into hysterics as Alex laughs her ass off, and the egg literally drips from my chin.
“Oh, I think you have egg on your face,” Alex says with the biggest smile, and I look right at her, raising my brow. She seems to know exactly what I’m thinking, and her smile falls. “Don’t you dare,” she says, stepping back to run from me.
I reach out, grabbing her arms and pulling her to me as she begins to squeal and pull away, but I’m far too strong for her, and I run my face along hers.
Caught up in the moment and not paying attention, my lips slide over hers in my attempt to rub as much of the egg off as I can.
Everyone is laughing and cheering us on.
Our eyes lock for a moment, and her breath hitches. Unsure of what to do, I swipe the remaining egg off my chin and smear it across her cheek. She crinkles her nose as she pulls away, and I laugh almost hysterically. My laughter must be contagious because she joins in, trying to wipe her face.
This will be a memory I don’t think I could ever forget. Sure, it is sticky, messy, and it’s gross as fuck, but it’s fun, and I wouldn’t want to share this experience with anyone else.
“Matt, ew, stop it, you freak!” she calls out with egg now smeared all over her chin and cheeks. I pull back and look into her eyes while she grins and shakes her head. “You goose,” she says, grabbing a towel from a woman she obviously knows and wipes her face. The same woman hands me a towel, too.
“Thanks.” I look back at Alex. “I still win, though,” I state, and she rolls her eyes and slaps my chest.
The almost-kiss is all but forgotten.
“You might have technically won, but you’re still a loser. Bam, burns like a bitch!” She licks the tip of her finger and presses it to my arm, then wipes her face, and I chuckle, scraping away the little bit of egg that remains on mine.
The women here all seem so different as I glance around. They’re from all walks of life. I guess I thought they’d all be the same type, but seeing them, actually seeing them, I am in awe.
Alex must have noticed me staring. She sighs and nudges my shoulder with hers. “It’s rude to stare, you know.”
“Not staring, just kinda in awe of them. Are they all going through a rough time?” I ask, and she looks around, half-smiling.
“Not all. Some were here when I was. Some are from before my time. Some are sponsors of the event. Some are family members. But everyone here is somehow connected to this place. Rosalie House is a breath of fresh air for many people. It’s a new way of life for these women.
It’s a new beginning, and without this place, most of these women wouldn’t even be here…
” She takes in a breath. “Probably me included.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “All jokes aside, no bullshit, Alex, I’m so glad you made it through. This place is fantastic, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure it gets the recognition it deserves.”
Alex wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tightly.
And just like that, something stirs. I can’t explain it, but I also don’t want to question it.
It is a wonderful feeling, and it’s nice being held for once.
So I take it all in before any more mayhem starts, because I know there’s more coming my way.
“Matt?”
I look down. “Mmm…”
“Thanks for coming.”
I lean in and kiss her head again, just as Nora walks up to us. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have another event… if you guys are interested?”