The clerks there had long since stopped asking for Tony’s ID – apparently a three-hundred-dollar beer run was the going price for indifference to the legal technicalities of selling alcohol. Jimmy surprised Tony by arriving ten minutes earlier than usual on Thursday night. Tony welcomed Jimmy and Eric into his apartment, surprised to see not one but two other men with them: Danny Mouthwash and Bobby Six Months. After a panicked moment of wondering whether he had enough refreshments to go around, Tony relaxed when he remembered that Bobby barely ever ate or drank a thing. “Hey, you guys,” Tony said cheerfully. “You’re a little early. My pop isn’t here yet.” “Yeah, we know,” Jimmy said, surprising Tony again. He wondered how Jimmy would know that. “It’s not a problem, Tony,” Jimmy said, sensing Tony’s uneasiness. “We’ll wait to start the game until Frankie B gets here.
