“Who?” I said, looking over my shoulder. Zeke was on his way back to his friends from the restroom, smiling and nodding once when they inexplicably cheered his arrival.

“They said it was for taking care of Trex.”

“Oh,” I said, hammering it back and setting it on the counter. They. Not Zeke. Because his friends thought I was a man. “Tell Trex’s friends I said thanks.”

“What’s wrong?” Jerry asked.

I tried not to peek at my arms before I spoke. “When you first met me … were you confused about my gender?”

Jerry laughed out loud, his belly bouncing with the roars coming from his mouth. Disgruntled, I glanced over my shoulder to see if Jerry had drawn attention to us. He hadn’t.

“No, Naomi. Who told you that?”

“Zeke.”

“It’s because you can beat ass better than he can, and he needs to feel better about that. Also, you went into the Men’s room without skipping a beat. Their boy brains have to try to put together the puzzle of you, even if it’s stupid. Because, sister… Christ, how can I say this while still respecting my wife?” He looked up, thinking aloud. The answer came to him, and he cleared his throat. “You’re all woman.”

I nodded, his words licking my wounded ego.

The liquid from the shot glass still burned my throat as I walked back to my table. The music was getting louder, more people were filtering in through the door, and some of the hotshots were already on the dance floor with the fairer sex. You know, the ones who act like girls.

Zeke came over and sat, leaning his elbows on the wood, seeming content to watch his friends from afar. We didn’t speak, and it was actually sort of nice not feeling like the silence needed to be filled.

“Can I get you another beer?” he asked finally.

“Sure.”

He signaled Jerry, who ran a bottle over.

I thanked them both with a nod and took a swig. The bottle clanked against the table when I set it down. “Don’t you drink?” I asked.

“Not tonight. I was driving Darby around and … she seems happy with Trex?”

I shrugged. “How would I know?”

He stared at the door. “She just smiles a lot more when he’s around. I’m happy for her.”

“I bet you are,” I scoffed.

He leaned on the table, annoyed but not angry—yet. Three deep lines formed on his brow, making him a hair more attractive than before. “Are you always this mean? You’ve got at least one friend. Trex rushed over here to save you from Watts. You can’t be this horrible all the time.”

“She needs another shot,” Jerry said, putting one in front of me. “She’s not as uptight when she’s had a couple.”