Over the next couple of hours, patrons filled up Thousand Soaks to capacity. The Dampgate students were easy enough to spot by their uniforms, though a few of them did change into some casual clothes before coming over, but there were others milling about here too, mostly in their thirties but those older as well. The Dampgate girls though of course attracted the most attention. Vic had spotted Kit and Laine there, talking to guys while leaning with their arms onto their tables, sticking their behinds in their shortened skirts out in the direction of the table behind them, knowing the guys there would not stop staring.

“Hey guys, mind if I get in there?” Vic recognized the Dampgate boy who approached the table, though he had only met him once before – it was Bailey, and though he did not hang out with them on the regular, he was Liz’s boyfriend, or at least, whatever passed for a steady boyfriend at Dampgate. Liz had previously wedged herself between Vic and Marcia, leaving Vic sitting on the outside, and now he had to scoot over some more to allow Bailey to sit between him and Liz, leaving Marcia even further out of reach. He had wished that his mind would not be preoccupied with such minor machinations, but then Marcia moved her black hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear and he knew there was no other way of existing for him.

“Excuse,” Bailey said, sneaking by Vic and then, “Hey babe,” to Liz as he plunked down next to her.

“Hey,” she said, somewhat bored, as she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the mouth. Immediately Bailey’s hand dropped down to Liz’s knee and she swatted it off with a light slap from her hand.

“Least you could do is buy me some wings first,” Liz said. That would have been her third order of wings for the night. Maybe an unremarkable accomplishment, if she wasn’t generally so tiny looking. Bailey and Liz started murmuring to each other as couples who haven’t seen each all day were apt to do, so Vic tried to lean in further and join the conversation of the other three.

“Looks like the night’s entertainment is here,” Agnes nodded over to the stage, where one guy with a salt and pepper beard, a button-down plaid shirt, and ripped black jeans was setting up a guitar.

“Wait, him?” Marcia asked. “Agnes, ew, he’s like, at least forty.”

“Yeah, but he’s a musician,” Agnes said, though it sounded like she was poking fun at herself as well.

“He’s one guy with a guitar.”

“Good enough for me.”

Once he started playing, the guitar guy wasn’t so bad and had one of those stereotypical rocker voices that wouldn’t have made his band stand out from a dozen others. Vic was kind of enjoying the vibes when he overheard (or deliberately eavesdropped since no matter what he was doing, his ears were attuned to Marcia) Marcia say, “Liz, girl, are you okay?”

Vic looked over at Liz and could see why Marcia would be asking. There seem to be a shimmer of sweat just underneath her hairline, and she was breathing more heavily, and at the same time wincing slightly every couple of seconds. He was about to call for help when Liz answered, “Yeah … I’m fine. Bailey’s just … a little clumsy?”

“Ah, I see,” Marcia drew out her words sympathetically. “Hope for your sake he’s a fast learner.”

“I’m very patient,” Liz said, biting her lip and Vic allowed his eyes to drift downward and find that Bailey’s hand was busy under Liz’s skirt, revealing a pale flash of her upper thighs. “Could you maybe slow down and not try to strum me like a ukulele?”

“Oh, sorry, babe,” Bailey said and it did look like his fingers chilled out a bit between Liz’s legs. Somehow, even with her boyfriend busy pleasuring her underneath the table, Liz had attention enough to finish off her chicken wings. Although some of his instinct told him he should not be staring, things were obviously done differently at Dampgate, so he allowed himself to watch Liz’s changing expression and knew by her closed eyes and stilled breath when the roll of pleasure went through her, after which Bailey invited her to dance and they got out of the table, finally leaving Vic sitting next to Marcia.