Chapter Thirteen

Gray and I walked together back to the Inn. It was close to eight at that point and decided it was too late to bother Kai. Luckily we were not in the danger zone of Doug's creative lunch specials, at least. As we came around the final corner, our conversation died out and we paused when we heard something odd. It was the faint noise of rowdy men, coupled with a… piano? We furrowed our brows as we gazed at the Inn. Something was going down. Gray opened the door first and we were blasted with the noise. The Inn was packed with nearly half the town and a tipsy Jeff was going ham on the piano tucked in the corner. Duke was smoking cigars and card games were flashing across tables. There was hooting and hollering, sneering and cheering. To combat Jeff's mediocre piano skills, Barley and Mayor Thomas were blasting the radio at the bar to an out-of-place slow jazz station.

"What the hell…?" Gray looked around the rowdy space absolutely perplexed.

"Does this not happen much?" I looked to him quizzically.

"Never," Gray shook his head.

"Gray, Claire, you're here!" Ann swung by, deftly carrying a tray of steins. "Grab a beer, come on in! We're taking orders!"

We both claimed a beer from her tray. I gave mine a sniff. It smelled heavily of barley. "Uh, Ann, what's going on?" I waved to her right before she dashed off.

"It's Duke's birthday and it's his treat. Drink up!" Ann was quick to fold back into the crowd.

"Who the hell pays for their own party?"

Together, we began wandering around, taking a look at everything going on. Zack was on the Blackjack table as a dealer, where Duke and Harris were facing off. Mayor Thomas looked way too eager to engage in conversation. Basil and Gotz were playing darts together while Anna talked her husband up and collected the bet money. Sasha and Dr. Trent slapped their money down on Gotz. We turned in circles at all the activities before Gray stopped and shook his head.

"Leave it to Rick to be the person who brings Yahtzee to a birthday party at a bar," he said, gesturing with his stein. Rick was sitting by himself at a table, meticulously setting the game up.

"Aw, he looks lonely. You should go play with him," I smiled and gave Gray a nudge.

He took a long drink of his beer and licked his lips while he shook his head. "Mm, no. I wouldn't play a single thing here."

"Not feeling lucky?" I asked, looking towards the commotion of Basil getting a bullseye.

"I don't believe in that crap," Gray told me. "Luck doesn't exist. It's all mathematical odds. And, generally, you always lose."

"Do you think after a few drinks I could convince you?"

He paused before he smiled at me. "You're on."Ann was busy lining up shots along a paddleboard, but Doug was quick to take our order.

"Round of shots, make it double," I told him. Gray arched his eyebrows. "What? We gotta hit the ground running if you're ever going to get the courage to play Blackjack."

He rolled his eyes as Doug slammed the four glasses between us, running the bottle down the line. I raised a shot glass to him and smiled. When he smiled back is when I had another sudden revelation. This was happening right now. Our glasses were coming to clink together, the room was full of energy, and Gray was smiling at me. If I could just grab that memory from my mind and send it to my fourteen year old self, I would. That would have given me hope. It would have helped me hold on a little bit harder.

My throat was burning in the next moment and I laughed, slamming my glass on the bar as Gray coughed. The second one went down a bit smoother and already, I was feeling the excitement of the party we had accidentally stumbled into. Behind us, the men at the Blackjack table started shouting and pumping their fists. Harris let out a howl of regret as he scraped off his stool. Duke leaned back, tucking an arm behind his head and dangling his cigar from between his lips. He laughed and tapped the ash off the end.

"Will anyone dare try to beat the birthday boy tonight?" He shouted, looking around. Duke poured himself a shot of whisky from his personal bottle and drank it fast. "Rick," he hiccuped, pointing at the boy playing Yahtzee solo. "Come play against me!"

"I don't gamble," Rick said, rattling the dice around in the shaker.

"Why are you even here?" Duke waved his hand dismissively."You! Oh, uh, oh dammit, I know your name," Duke snapped for a moment, and then pointed at Gray again. "George, right?"

This had the apprentice unexpectedly freeze up. Gray didn't move an inch as he only stared at Duke, who was obviously well beyond his limit. He then looked at me and I only shook my head, at a loss of words. Doug passed a shot to Gray, who, still in silence, drank it fast, and then stood up. As he approached the table, Duke got excited and Zack began shuffling the deck, giving the winemaker a sideways glance.

Gray sat down across from him. "It's Gray."

"Oh, I was close," Duke dismissed him so easily, with no guilt in the least.

Doug brought me two more shots and I hurried one to Gray's side. "You had three shots, you can't bet on an uneven number, here."

Gray took it into his hand and looked at me with a furrowed brow. "Don't tell me you believe in that crap, Claire."

"I don't know," I licked my lips. "At this point, I don't doubt anything."

He stared at me for a moment more before Duke hit his hand against the table, making it jump. "Have your shot and stop talking to your girlfriend. Let's play!" Gray took the shot like it was a command. "What's your bet?" Duke smiled as he leaned forward on his elbows. Gray reached into his wallet and tossed a ten dollar bill on the table. This only made the man laugh. "Ten dollars? The men tonight have all been betting triple digits, son."

"Well," Gray shrugged. "I'm testing the waters. Take it or leave it."

"Alright, fine," Duke matched the bet. "Aces mean one."

Duke nodded and his first card was presented to him. A six of spades. Zack then turned, slamming Gray's card down in front of him. A nine of hearts. I stood behind Gray, watching with clenched teeth. In a matter of less than a minute this round would be over. I was so invested in Gray winning that twenty dollars. However, someone grabbed my arm and I tore my eyes away from the table to see Kai.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kai shouted over Jeff's keyboard banging and Mayor Thomas' passionate saxophone solos.

"It's a birthday party!"

"Is Gray… gambling?"

I smiled at him and turned to look back at the table. Duke was up to sixteen now and Zack was turning on Gray. His next card came down in a flash. A queen. I came to stand beside Gray.

"Nineteen," I said.

"That's close enough, don't you think?" Gray glanced at me. However, he was holding his tongue as Duke's next card was a four of spades. Twenty.

"You gotta get another card," I told him.

"No way, I'll go over."

"Or you might not," I shot back. "Either way, you're going to lose, Gray."

Duke seemed so smug and full of it across the table. He was already pouring his celebratory whisky, jaunting his cigarette about as if he were a conductor.

Gray looked at Zack. "Hit me."

It felt like slow motion as Zack pulled the card from the top of the stack. Everyone surrounding the game held their breath in great anticipation. Even Rick was craning his neck to catch a peek. And the moment it was face up, the room went absolutely wild. A two of hearts. I jumped up and down as Gray scraped his stool back and held his arms out like the grand champion. He snagged the crumbled bills from the table and tilted his cap at Duke before turning away. I embraced Gray and we laughed as we rocked back and forth. Harris had already hopped back in the hot seat, hoping to catch Gray's wake of luck.

"I thought you didn't believe in this stuff?" Kai said, furrowing his brow.

"I don't," Gray shook his head as he put his wallet away.

"Where have you been all day?" I gave him a nudge.

"At the Snack Shack. Where we normally hang out."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "The hike was longer than expected and then we just walked in on, y'know, all of this…"

"Nah, it's fine," Kai smiled and waved his hand. "Did I hear drinks were on Duke?"

A few beers, a few shots, eventually turned into a growing cluster of bottles and dishes around us. We ate jalapeno poppers with cream cheese dip, drinking the sour alcohol in between, before abruptly going for cake pops next. We soon got so into it, we bullied Mayor Thomas into turning on an alternative rock station, and soon enough, everyone was singing along with the teenage heartthrobs blasting out like they'd known them their whole lives. We busted out laughing when I elbowed an empty bottle off the edge, causing it to crash across the floor. Kai got the whole room riled up when he then claimed he could juggle beer bottles. Surprise. He couldn't.

"Take it down a notch!" Rick shouted as he continued with his game alone. "You're going to hurt someone other than yourself."

Kai leaned against the bar and smiled as he took a drink of his beer. "Why're you even here if you can't unwind in the least?"

"Just in case someone would like to do something more wholesome and productive with their time."

Kai snorted and shook his head. "I don't think that's anyone around here. And I don't really see how Yahtzee is more productive than what I'm doing."

"Well, seeing as you're never sober for more than eight hours at a time, I could see why you feel that way," Rick shot him a smile before he returned to writing down his score.

"Hey, man," Gray grabbed at Kai's collar. "Not here, not now."

Kai stared at him for a moment longer before he sighed and got back on his barstool. Kai knew the bartender's lingo and easily signaled another line of shots. "He doesn't have to be such a self-provoking, annoying, prude," Kai said as Doug served us promptly.

"Well, you don't have to look at him," Gray replied, breaking open a peanut.

"Come on, Yahtzee?" Kai shook his head. "Who does that?"

"Rick," I smiled. I then took my shot, slamming it down.

"When did you get sauced?" Kai's boyish smile came across his lips. "How much have you had to drink tonight, lady?"

"Uh, enough to know I'm not getting up at six."

"I can drink to that," Kai nodded and raised his bottle. We cheered as we clinked them together.

…

When a beam of sunlight struck my face the next morning, it felt like someone was smacking my brain like a gong. I moaned and pressed my face into the pillow, reaching up to sorely rake through my messy hair. My legs throbbed like I'd run a marathon. And my arms hurt as if I'd done a hundred pushups. It suddenly felt like my stomach was turning itself inside out and I leaned off the side of my bed pathetically. To my surprise, however, there was a bucket right there and I puked up my guts, speckled with daring decisions from the night before. I sighed as I propped myself up on my elbow. Suddenly, I eyed a cold bottle of water on my nightstand, which I chugged nearly all at once. Finally, I was beginning to sit up. That's when I realized I was still wearing the clothes from the night before. I felt disgusting through and through. I rubbed my temples before the smell of coffee reached my nose. My neck snapped up to see Kai sitting at my table with a french press.

"Kai? What are you doing here?" My voice was scratchy and I squinted in the bright room.

"Wow," he checked his watch. "Six-fifteen, not bad."

I fell back against my pillows with a huff, slinging my arm over my eyes. "Why are you in my house making coffee and watching me vomit?"

I heard the sound of fresh brew being poured into mugs and a moment later, he was sitting on the edge of my bed. I propped myself up, sighing miserably, as I accepted it. Kai smiled as let the steam stick to his chin. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

"Oh god," I stopped, the mug hovering inches from my lips. "What did I do?"

"Nothing too stupid," Kai laughed and shook his head. "We went to the beach to hang out for a while. Oh, and you and Gray reenacted the dance you two did in some recital as kids. I don't know, but there was a lot of charleston going on and when you were supposed to flip over his back, he dropped you."

"Well, that explains why I'm so sore," I mumbled, drinking my coffee slowly.

Kai watched me for a moment before he took a breath. "You know, it was really good to see you cut loose like that, Claire. I feel like last night, I saw another beautiful part of yourself that you just hide away."

"Please don't say those things to me when I'm contemplating throwing up," I sighed as I set my coffee on the nightstand. In the next beat, I was coughing it all right back up in the bucket. Kai laughed lightly as he rubbed my back. I settled back against my pillows, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.

"It sounds like you and Gray had a great time together," Kai nodded.

I nodded, too, pursing my lips. "Yeah," I said softly. "We did."

"Well, uh, hey, looks like coffee isn't your hangover cure," Kai straightened up now. "How 'bout I run to the Inn and get you something heartier?"

"Kai," I laughed and shook my head. "You don't have to do that."

"Come on, Claire, you're beaten pretty low."

"Why aren't you hungover?" I furrowed my brow.

"Oh, I'm a veteran," Kai grinned. "Come on, what're you hungry for? Hell, if the Inn can't do it, I will."

"I'm not ordering room service," I told him pointedly, peeling the blankets back. I pulled my legs over the side and when I stood up, I was sore as could be. My head throbbed as a rush of blood ran through my forehead. I moaned and pressed my hands to my face. "My hangover cure is a shower. And clean clothes."

"And maybe some candied bacon and a sloppy breakfast sandwich?" Kai arched his eyebrows.

I crossed my arms over my chest and bobbed my head lightly. "Yes. That, too."

…

The morning was terrible. I did a walk of shame through the messy and disarranged Inn where I saw Ann holding an ice pack to her head. A warm shower was very rejuvenating and I was feeling somewhat better when I got out. When I got back to my farm to get to work, I was sidetracked by Kai bringing practically a breakfast buffet to me. Fluffy pancakes, warm syrup, fruit, french toast covered in sugar, waffles topped with whipped cream, and sausage. I went to town on that and with a somewhat sore, but content, belly, I worked through the hot late morning sun. The tomatoes were close. I had to be on my game to spot the perfect moment.

I used the water pump to fill my watering can. When I reached down and grabbed it, though, the rusty metal curled back and an awful leak sprouted up. I sighed, watching as it all emptied into the grass. I didn't have much more to water, but the bucket was not efficient for watering the soil. It'd disrupt the fertilizer I had used. My mind immediately went to Gray. Surely it would take less than five minutes to just patch it up. I tied my hair up into a ponytail and tugged at the wrinkled black t-shirt I'd picked up off the ground that morning. I didn't want to look too washed up. I swung my watering can at my side, a woman on a mission for a quick fix. When I approached the forge, however, I noticed the door was left ajar. Probably just to catch any sort of a drifting breeze. But as I got closer, I could hear voices. Slowly, I peeked my head around the corner.

"... sloppy! This is a sloppy straight sheet, Gray," Saibara was saying sharply. Gray was facing away from him, his palms pressed flat against his workbench as he endured his grandfather's wrath. "It's called a straight sheet for a reason! There can't be even a single degree of curve in it!"

"I know, Grandpa," Gray wearily glanced over his shoulder. He was plagued in sweat from the heat of the roaring fire. His ashen bangs were plastered to his wet forehead. "It was an accident. I misplaced a clamp."

"Accident?" Saibara echoed. "Accidents they may be but they still set us back half a day on a project. You won't get anywhere making careless, sloppy mistakes like this, Gray."

"I can make a new one in two hours, tops."

"Fast is just as bad," Saibara shot back. "Fast leads to oversight."

"Oh, for pete's sake, Grandpa," Gray sighed, dipping his head down. "I will make it right."

Saibara paused for a moment before he lifted a sharp finger. "You will not get crabby with me. I know about your little indiscretions last night. I don't know what you were thinking - well, actually, you weren't thinking at all!"

"It was one night," Gray told him. "I won't be late again."

Saibara threw the wasted metal onto Gray's bench and returned to his own where he began shuffling the leaf papers of order requests. Gray sighed and stood up straight, shifting the weight between his boots. He shoved the straight sheet aside, lining more metal up where he leaned over it, focusing greatly on drawing marks.

"You know, it's not just about your punctuality," Saibara's voice rose again. "There's been a little too much fooling around lately and I want you to cut it out."

"There's nothing going on," Gray told him as he craned his neck at his desk.

"You've bleached your hair, your drinking is out of control, and now the tardiness has begun," Saibara countered. Gray paused and heaved yet another sigh. "You're distracted and I won't have it. Not when you've come so far. You don't get to stagnate, Gray."

"It was one night," Gray reiterated, looking over his shoulder. "One lapse of judgment in, what, ten years? I think I should at least get a free pass on this one."

"I don't like your smart mouth, either," Saibara slammed a stamp down onto a leaf of paper. "Something's changed about you, boy. And that's never a good thing in an apprenticeship. It means your goals have shifted. You have to keep a level mind and charge ahead, son, at full speed. There's no time to lollygag."

Gray shook his head as he continued his measurements. "Nothing is different."

The stamp came down again heavily. "It's your friends, Gray. They're no good for you. Kai and, what's her name? Clarissa?"

"It's Claire," Gray seemed reluctant to speak.

"Yes, her," Saibara nodded, continuing his paper shuffling as if this was routine office chatter. "They distract you. I don't know how they do it, but they've got a hold over you, boy. Especially Claire. She's got your mind up in the clouds. There's no room for that in your apprenticeship."

The forge was quiet for a few moments and soon, Gray's shoulders were bobbing and he stood up, letting out a laugh. He turned towards Saibara, his hands on his hips, while he shook his head. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Grandpa." Saibara arched his eyebrows, as if he had never heard those words directed at him before. "Those friends you're talking about are the only people keeping me sane while I jump through these ridiculous rings of fires and break my back to get your approval to take my test."

"Well, even if you like them that doesn't mean they're good for you," Saibara told him. "I'm a good judge of character. Claire is a snake in the grass. I know her type."

Gray drew his shoulders back as a stony look flashed across his face. "Gods… you really do want me to be just like you."

"I'm protecting you," Saibara looked up from his paperwork. "I cannot have you presenting yourself to the Board of Blacksmiths until I know you're perfect. And if you keep on with your friends, I can't assure you that you ever will be."

Gray rocked between his feet for a moment and licked his lips. His voice was quiet. "What? Is… is that some kind of threat? You want me to throw away two of my greatest friendships? And - and for what, Grandpa? So I can be some mindless, soulless, goon of a blacksmith?"

Saibara stood now, taking a severe dislike to Gray's tone. "This is a special trade, don't you understand? It is essential to our family ancestry. It runs through our veins. You're not utilizing the gift when it has been handed to you on a silver platter. And I cannot have you disgracing me like this."

"I've been doing nothing but utilizing this gift," Gray's jaw clenched. "I have practically licked these floors clean. I shined your boots every single day. I observed you for hours on end without a break. I read every single book you gave me and practiced every spare moment I had."

"What, you want an award for doing the basics?" Saibara furrowed his brow. Gray's lips tightened. "You have potential and I'm not about to sit here and let you throw it in the trash. We've worked too damn hard."

Gray nodded. "Yeah, your whole tough love approach is doing wonders." He then turned back to his workbench and continued taking measurements. Saibara's fists clenched and unclenched.

"Your temper," Saibara was shouting now and Gray whirled around at the outburst. "Your unwavering ideal of questioning all authority! How can you learn if you only scoff at me?!"

"Scoff at you?" Gray echoed, holding his arms out at his side. He was incredulous. "You're the only man in my life I can model myself after. You are my example. I'm nothing like my mother or my father. I'm not even like Grandma Williams. But you know what? I'm turning into you."

"Oh, and just why are you saying it like that?" Saibara slammed his palms against the desk.

Gray gestured around them. "Because this - all of this - consumes me, all of the time. It's all I think about, it's all I read about, it's just all I do. And, right now, the only line in the sand separating me from becoming you, are the only friendships I have left."

Surprisingly, Saibara's voice was even and collected as he shook his head. "This industry is going to eat you alive."

"You know what - whatever. Forget it, Grandpa," Gray rolled his eyes. "I'm good. I know that."

"Tell that to the wasted metal on your desk."

"Funny how you call it waste," Gray crossed his arms over his chest. "I call it practice."

"That won't get you many brownie points."

"Damn, you are impossible," Gray couldn't help but laugh off his frustration. "The Board of Blacksmiths are going to be like a kiddie pool to me."

Saibara gave him a weary eye. "Dial back the arrogance." The old man then sighed and turned towards the front desk. He reached for the lower shelf and for a second, I thought his eyes glanced at the front door. I pulled back a little. Saibara held a small packet up. "The BC powder is coming out. Time to be quiet."