In the mix

 "It just seems weird not having Harley here," Mercer mentioned as he picked another smoked rib to nurse on. They were out in the backyard at Brick's enjoying the nightlife of the fourth as the crickets were quiet as a burst of fireworks ignited in the sky ever so sporadically and then the sound of catastrophe, but it was to be expected on a night like tonight.

Brick knew he was talking to him. He didn't know Mercer and Cade would be at Omaha's neighborhood barbecue. It was an annual thing. Brick was part of the gang, he had been for a very long time. Although most of Omaha's buds were from the apartment complex around the corner, Omaha always ensured his grandmother got plenty of his ribs and pinto beans. 

"Maybe she knew we'd be farting," Brick was busy eating corn on the cob and deviled eggs. Anyway, he hated putting Harley through all the food-watching. She was diabetic, after all.

"That's tomorrow, not right now," Mercer told him as he worked on that rib until it was only a little bone.

"And where's, that Cade of yours?" Brick thought he'd asked. He'd seen him earlier but then he thought he went off to the kitchen with Lily's Gram who just so happened to be his grandmother's best friend. Why would he want to be with those old ladies was beyond Brick? Possibly, Cade did not like bugs and maybe watching Mercer take to those ribs was either a turn-on or downright disgusting. Brick shook his head. He thought the latter. He'd never seen anyone who was practically a goat for ribs.

"I think he's writing down recipes or something," Mercer squinted. It did not stop him in the least from enjoying smoked meats.

"But why?" Brick squinted back. 

"I dunno. I guess he plans on me cooking for him while I'm living with Izzy and her boyfriend," Mercer shrugged as he went on to dip some pound cake into the beans. He stuffed his mouth full.

Brick cleared his throat. It was getting awful dry. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something. He looked over to see only beer and wine coolers in the iced chest.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Brick looked to Mercer, who just about choked, but then nodded. They tossed their empty plates in the trash and went to get drinks.  

Mercer went for the wine coolers while Brick picked up the cans of beer. That he stuffed under his shirt. The cold cans were a relief to the humidity, indeed.

"Is there any place safe to drink these?" Mercer asked, a bit bug-eyed, as if he knew this could be trouble.

"Hell, if I know. Just shut up and drink."

So they did on their walk down the street. It was busy with loud noises, but ever so often the sky would light up and it was like they were in another time of old memories of the fourth when they were both just kids.

"Wow, I wonder where they got those?" Mercer said as he finished his first can and left it in someone's recycle bin on the street.

"Probably, illegal." Brick sighed as he downed the beer with no problem. Of course, he thought of his bio Dad for a moment, who evidently liked being in jail, but it didn't stop Brick from opening the next one. He knew he could hold his liquor. His mom was always the kind who never looked intoxicated, but then he knew her better than most. He drank with delight. It was like nourishment from the drinking gods.

"Mercer, don't you get sick on me, now," Brick called to him who was walking ahead of him. He turned back and just laughed at Brick.

"Damn, them boys," Slater said. He went to look for a beer in the iced chest. It was practically empty. "You think they'll be up to no good?" He tossed a beer to Jay.

"You know, I can only have the fake beer at these parties," Jay told him he was under strict orders these days.  Didn't he know his wife (also Slater's sister) Lindy was pregnant? 

"Well, then why did I buy so much?" Slater always thought to bring beer. It was something in his blood for these occasions. 

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure they're fine. They graduated high school, didn't they?" Jay looked at him as if they were old enough.

"Drinking is bad," he knew this much on the Rez. "When I was a kid all we had was Kool-Aid and then some relative would bring their moonshine and all hell could break loose."

"I never heard about it on the news, we were just worried about food poisoning back then," Jay told him his memory of the Rez. 

"I bet that's what made us sick," Slater nodded, thinking of old Lakota traditions and their foods. It was a dare to eat. "Not the moonshine." He opened the can of beer and took a sip. Jay opened his and took a drink. He also reached for the unlit cigarette cradled behind his ear.

"What are you gonna do?" Slater squinted.

"Light some firecrackers," he cracked up as he motioned to Slater to come on. "We gotta find Brick and his friend. We don't want them to get into trouble."

"Yeah, well, you know, we're both just trouble."

Slater caught up to walk with Jay into the night of soot settling and fireworks.