“Keep that mentality, and you’ll go far.” Mr. Moretti reached for the door. “I’m going to head out for the evening. I’m trusting you to make sure this place is clean before you leave for the last time.”
“I won’t let you down.” I nodded and laughed.
“I know my request not to touch the liquor will be ignored, but please don’t let anyone try to hide it by refilling the bottle with water—I’d rather have what’s left than a bottle I can’t sell.” He chuckled under his breath.
“I’ll take care of it. Thank you for everything, Mr. Moretti.” I leaned forward and hugged him.
Mr. Moretti left, and it was time for the party to officially begin. I changed out of my work clothes and put on something more comfortable—most of the people did as well. Tiffani poured wine for everyone, and Lauren kept glancing towards the bar. Lollipop asked for a glass, and I really didn’t think it was a good idea to give a high school kid alcohol, but Tiffani poured it before I could object. A few of the cooks stayed behind, and they weren’t interested in wine. They got beers from the tap behind the bar, and after we talked for a little while and told our best stories from my time at Moretti’s, Sal went behind the bar. He scanned the liquor—and then he reached for the bottle of Gran Patron Platinum.
“Lauren, you wanted to try this, right?” He grinned and held up the bottle.
“Yes!” Lauren nodded quickly and downed what was left of her wine before walking to the bar.
“Anyone else?” He poured two shots and looked around the room.
“Come on.” Tiffani nudged me. “We should at least try it…”
“I’m game.” Lollipop jumped to her feet and skipped towards the bar.
“This is a bad idea…” I rolled my eyes, but I walked over and picked up a shot.
“To Melanie…” Lauren held up her shot. “This place won’t be the same with you, gir
l.”
“To Melanie,” Tiffani echoed what she said.
We downed our shots, and it was the smoothest tequila I had ever drunk—not that I had a lot of comparisons. I usually couldn’t stand tequila unless it was in a margarita. The tequila didn’t mix very well with the wine, but the salt and lime quickly overpowered the sweetness. Sal started pouring another round, and I began to worry that there wasn’t going to be anything left of the bottle before we were done. Against my better judgment, I downed the second shot and immediately wanted a third—the buzz from the wine was mixing with the first hit of Patron, and I was starting to feel really good. Sal suggests that we hold off for a few minutes, just to make sure we were sure that we wanted another. He was quick to remind us that everyone had to drive home, although I was pretty sure I was calling an Uber.
“I think I’m going to like it here.” Lollipop grinned. “Especially if you party like this all of the time.”
“You might need to slow down.” Tiffani raised an eyebrow. “I’d prefer not to end up in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a lollipop—I mean, minor.”
“Why does everyone call you Lollipop?” I leaned against the counter. “I didn’t hear the story before—I was too busy with work.”
“Because she’s a Candy Girl,” Lauren laughed, and Tiffani nodded.
“What the fuck is a Candy Girl?” Sal looked at us with a blank stare on his face.
“That’s what I’m asking!” I nodded to him and immediately turned back to Lollipop.
“Okay, so at Carson Cove High, there’s this group of girls. Nobody really knows how they got the name, but everyone calls them the Candy Girls.” Lollipop shrugged. “If you’re lucky enough to get accepted, you get a nickname. Mine is Lollipop.”
“Hold on…” I held up my hand. “I didn’t go to Carson Cove High. Is there like—a Jolly Rancher and a Juicy Fruit?”
“No.” Lollipop smiled and laughed as she shook her head. “The other two girls in the group go by Cherry Smack and Lemon Drop.”
“Does this seem weird to anyone else?” I looked around at the group.
“Not to me.” Lauren shrugged. “I went to Carson Cove High. There were Candy Girls when I was there too.”
“Yep.” Tiffani nodded. “When I was in high school, the leader was some chick named Bethany who called herself Bubble Gum.”
“You knew Bubble Gum!?” Lollipop’s face lit up. “She’s a legend!”
“A legendary bitch.” Tiffani rolled her eyes.
“Oh, I get it…” I nodded quickly. “The Candy Girls are the mean girls at Carson Cove High.”