Page 33 of Heartstrings
Was this a laser tag arena?
Brows scrunched in confusion, Sofia turned the radio down. “Ah…you sure we’re at the right place?”
I had been. Driving from Laguna Beach into the city could take more than an hour depending on traffic, so I triple-checked the address before plugging it into Google Maps. But now I had a sinking feeling something wasn’t right. This couldn’t possibly be where Xander was hosting Alec’s surprise party, could it? Not that I disliked laser tag. It was a blast when you had a good group of people, but this venue didn’t evoke a sense of Alec’s accomplishment. I’d expected a tasting menu at a trendy LA restaurant, not pizza and arcade games.
I pulled up our conversation from last night and scanned through the texts. “53 Yellowfin Boulevard,” I confirmed. “We’re supposed to park in the back lot.”
“If you say so,” Sofia replied, her voice layered with doubt. Whenshe eased around the corner of the building, all doubt that we were in the wrong place vanished.
“Holy crap,” I muttered, taking in the collection of luxury cars. My knowledge of the automotive industry was limited, but I knew enough to recognize several different vehicles—the Ferrari was most identifiable, but there was also a Porsche, Lamborghini, and Range Rover among others.
“Double holy crap,” she replied, her mouth hanging open. “You know what’s funny? I normally have to hit my key fob in parking lots so I don’t walk up to the wrong car. Never thought I’d be in a situation where mine stuck out like a sore thumb. You sure there wasn’t some weird invite rule that requires guests to arrive in cars that are at least a hundred grand?”
“Shh,” I said, gently stroking the dashboard. “Don’t hurt Wanda’s feelings.”
With a snort, Sofia pulled into an empty spot next to a vintage Aston Martin that looked like it had rolled off the set of a James Bond movie. Once we were both standing on the pavement, I hooked my arm around Sofia’s and guided us toward the rear entrance of the building.
We stepped into a dimly lit back corridor. Directly in front of us was a drinking fountain flanked by men’s and women’s restrooms, and to our right was a metal coatrack with a handful of unused hangers. According to a sign on the wall, the lobby was to the left, but before we could find our way to the party, an angry voice cut through the air. I recognized it immediately as Xander’s.
“…is a disaster!” he exclaimed.
Sofia and I both froze.
“Dude, relax,” came a stranger’s response. “I don’t know what’s been bothering you lately, but whatever it is has you on edge.”
“Maybe I’m tense because we’re supposed to be celebrating Alec today, not throwing a birthday party for a ten-year-old.”
I wanted to peek around the corner to see who Xander was arguing with, but I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping, so I forced myself to hold as still as possible.
The stranger laughed. It was an easy, lackadaisical kind of laugh, like its owner didn’t have a care in the world. “You don’t have to be ten to enjoy laser tag. Everyone will have a blast. Trust me.”
“Seriously, JJ?” Xander snapped. “Can you act like an adult for once in your life?”
JJ as in…the Heartbreakers’ drummer? I exchanged a wide-eyed look with Sofia.
“Why don’t you try pulling the stick out of your ass, and then we can talk,” JJ responded, his tone switching from easygoing to icy in less than a second. “You asked formyhelp, remember?”
Xander let his breath out in a quick huff. “When you said you knew a great place to host this party, I thought you meant a club or something, not Chuck E. freaking Cheese.”
“Hey, don’t blame me because your venue fell through,” JJ shot back.
“Am I psychic now? How was I supposed to know the restaurant would have a fire?”
“Maybe the same way I should’ve known you’d be a total dick to me for helping you?”
Another heavy sigh. “Okay, fine. I’m sorry. It’s just…this isn’t how I pictured things going.”
“Alec won’t care if the party is at McDonald’s or some fancy rooftop bar. He’ll just be grateful we did something for him, so like I said before, chill out.” There was a pause, and then JJ added, “We should head back up front. He’s going to be here soon.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Xander replied, his voice already faint as the pair moved away from where we were hiding.
I waited until their footsteps receded before peeking around the corner. The coast was clear, so we followed the hallway until it opened up into a brightly lit lobby. To our immediate left was a café with a sign advertising the world’s cheesiest nachos and, across the room, an arcade filled with flashing games. The space was packed with people. It took me a moment to locate Xander, but once I spotted his lanky frame, I grabbed Sofia’s hand and started weaving my way through the crowd.
“Indie!” Xander exclaimed when I reached him. The group he was standing with cast curious glances in our direction. “You made it!”
“Yeah, thanks again for the invite,” I said as he pulled me into a side hug. When he released me, I gestured at Sofia. “This is my best friend, Sofia. Sofia, Xander.” They exchanged a quick greeting, and then Xander turned toward his friends.
“Guys, this is Indie and Sofia. Indie grew up with Alec.”
