“David …,” Arno began.
“Dude,” David said, “I don’t want to deal with you right now. We have more important things to do.”
Their first stop was Local 13 on West 13th Street, where Patch sometimes went to score weed from a bartender called Tuddy. But the four boys couldn’t get in because they didn’t have any girls with them.
“No problem,” David said. “Let me take care of this.”
“What?” Jonathan asked.
Mickey and Arno were busy just then, ogling a model who was ogling them back. With Arno in his jacket and Mickey in his jumpsuit and goggles they looked like a Polo ad gone berserk.
“I’m going to slip by you and check in with Tuddy, for five minutes,” David told the bouncer, who was some kind of ex-pro wrestler.
“No,” the bouncer said. But David just stood there, a cool smile on his face. Waiting.
“Fine, in to see Tuddy.” The bouncer held the door open. David patted Jonathan on the back as he slipped into the club, as if to say, get ready for the new me.
Inside Local 13, David brushed against a girl who was dancing with some girlfriends. The place was entirely blue—blue walls, tables, chairs, ceiling, lights. They could get away with it because the people were so good-looking.
“’Scuse me, baby,” he said, just to see how it sounded.
“Don’t worry about it,” the girl said, and ran her hand over his chest. David smiled. Yeah, the new me.
“No, I haven’t seen him,” Tuddy said when David got to him. “But I’ve got fifty grams of something special I grew myself—”
“No, thanks,” David said. “Right now I’m high on life.”
“That’s weird,” Tuddy said. He rubbed his shaved head for a second. David had met Tuddy once or twice before.
“What is?”
“You didn’t sound like a total idiot when you said that.”
“Yeah, man,” David said. “I’m in a good place right now.” David smiled and began to go back the way he came.
“Hey, where you going?” the girl he’d brushed by asked when he attempted to brush by again.
“Where do you want me to be going?” David asked.
“Nowhere fast.”
“Sounds fair,” David said. He started to dance with the girl.
“I like your hoodie,” she said.
“You should see what’s underneath.”
“You’re bold,” the girl said. “I’m Chloe.”
She poked him in the chest while they danced and David grabbed her hand and bit the tip of her finger lightly.
“Ooh,” the girl said.
“You remind me of somebody when you say that.”
They kept dancing. David thought, I’m tall and handsome. And for the second time in his life, David forgot his friends.