Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Arriving at Ryan’s Place, she climbed out of her car and tried to shake the funk that had come over her. There was no reason to feel it. Tonight was about having fun.
Stepping into the bar, she thought she was the first to arrive, and then she saw the rest of the ladies. Harlow spotted her first and got to her feet, rushing toward her and pulling her into a hug.
“You came! I didn’t think you were going to,” Harlow said.
“Of course I came. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” She linked her arm across Harlow’s shoulders, and they walked back to the main bar. All the women came toward her and gave her a hug, including Hailey. She offered the other woman a smile and ordered a soda for herself. It was then she noticed that Ava, Raven, and Abriana were not drinking soda, and there were a couple of empty shot glasses behind them.
“You’re drinking?” she asked, looking toward Ava.
“Don’t judge me. I have expressed milk, enough to last for a couple of days, and some of it is even in the freezer to keep it fresh. Smokey said tonight I could have some fun. Just relax. He is in charge of the kids, and I get to have a fun girls’ night, including shots.”
“Same for me,” Raven said.
Usually that meant the men were going to turn up.
“Don’t worry, there is no pressure for you to have shots. You can drink soda like me.”
Normally, Larissa didn’t mind. But in the last few years, a lot had happened. Getting shot had messed with her head.
“You know what, I am going to do a shot,” Larissa said, and slapped her money down on the counter toward the bartender.
“Whoa, you don’t have to do this,” Raven said.
“I’m doing this.” She didn’t turn to look at her friends, instead, she watched as the bartender, whose name she didn’t know, poured a shot. He took her money, and like she had seen so many people do, she picked up the glass and downed it, then wished she hadn’t. It burned like hell. Why did people do this? Why the fuck would anyone put themselves through this? The burn was insane. And it tasted so damn bad. She felt like her eyes were going to water.
“Hey, are you all right?” Raven asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just going to use the bathroom.” What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t need to drink those shots. She just needed to get her head together.
Stepping into the bathroom, it was surprisingly empty. She went to the sink and ran the cold water, putting her wrists beneath the surface and attempting to take a breath. Lifting her head, she looked into the mirror and stared at her reflection, wondering when she was going to feel better. Nothing felt right. It was no one’s fault but her own.
Once she had gotten herself together and was at no risk of crying or making any crazy decisions, she stepped out.
“Larissa?”
She should have known he would be here.
Turning toward Andrew, she didn’t smile in his direction. There was a time she tried to convince herself that everyone deserved a smile, but the truth was, not everyone did.
“Andrew,” she said.
“Look, I know you’re upset.”
“I’m not upset.”
“Then why won’t you listen to me, or return my calls?”
She looked at him. “You expect me to return your calls when you ran away?” she asked.
And there it was, Andrew looked around to see if there was anyone within listening distance. He cared more about his image than he did about her being hurt.
“Wow,” she said.
“Come on, Larissa, don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh?” he asked. “I was scared.”
“Scared? You were scared. I got shot three times. So, you know what, actually, no, I don’t think I’m being harsh at all. I think you need to leave me alone.” She spun on her heel and made her way back toward the girls. This time, she picked up her soda and noticed the whole group was quiet. “What is it? What did I miss?”
“Just a couple of guys made their way over here. Seeing as Hailey and you are the only ones not attached, we kind of sent them away. Then we got started on a little Truth or Dare, and they’re being a bunch of pussies and just speaking truth right now,” Raven said.
“I’ll do a dare,” Larissa said.
The whole group burst out laughing.
“What?” Larissa asked.
“Come on, Larissa, honey, you don’t need to do that,” Ava said. “Just speak truth.”
They didn’t think she could handle a dare. Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes couldn’t handle a game of Truth or Dare, or random guys asking for a dance.
“No, give me a dare,” she said, stepping toward Raven. “I can handle it.”
Raven looked at her and sighed. “Fine, how about you kiss the next guy that walks through that door?”