1
Morina
“Let’s take this shot with a dare.” My best friend, Linny, lived on the edge of reason, ready to take life by the horns and make it her bitch. She had too with a successful travel blog that allowed her to fly around the world and be known as some sort of influencer.
“What do you mean?” When I tilted my head, my long dark wavy hair fell to the side of my bare shoulder. It was all I could muster for this night out. The black crop top hinted at my tattoo of the sun and matched my black jeans.
I hadn’t even tried to put on heels after our limo ride out of our small town to this big city’s hotel. My combat boots provided comfort and I needed it, considering I didn’t venture out much. Linny’s boyfriend, Chet, had put us up in a hotel so Linny could visit him at a club in Miami tonight. We only lived about thirty minutes away but being carted around in a limo in a big city meant something to some, I guess.
“I’ll give you a dare to complete by the end of tonight. You give me one.” Linny bounced about in the limo, the seat’s leather creaking under her.
“What if my dare was that you have to cheat on your boyfriend?” Pushing the boundaries of her game was my attempt to shine light on her risky behavior.
Still, Linny wasn’t a party pooper by nature. She shrugged. “I’d make do. Plus, your heart’s too good to make me do that.”
A disgusted sound came from my throat. I hated being pegged correctly. “Fine. I’ll play. I dare you to figure out his job and invite him to dinner in our town.”
Her eyes narrowed, the makeup around them looking even smokier. I guessed my blue eyes had the same effect, considering she’d lined them with dark makeup before we left. It was probably her attempt to make me look somewhat presentable in my combat boots and unkempt hairdo. “That’s playing dirty. You know no one likes our little Coralville town.”
Coralville was made up of only about two thousand people and ran off the oil terminals that belonged to corporate in the big city next to it. Tourists flocked in and out but never stayed long.
I shrugged. “I love our town. If he’s legit, he’ll like it enough.”
“Fine.” She pointed to my shot, and I downed it. “My turn. You find the guy you’re most attracted to in the club tonight.”
She paused, and I thought, this is going to be so easy.
“And you talk his ear off. Have a full-blown conversation for at least thirty minutes. And the first place he invites you to, you go. No hesitation.”
I wrinkled my nose immediately. Mentally scrolling down my list of guys I’d been attracted to in the past few months, I cringed. “That’s probably going to be impossible, Linny.”
A laugh burst from her, and the bottle of vodka sloshed in her hand. “Why?”
Before I could answer, a laugh bubbled out of me too. “Oh, God. All the guys I hook up with can’t hold a legitimate conversation!”
She pointed and laughed more. The city lights streamed in the limo as we fell apart at my expense.
Some things were downright funny when you accepted them and that was it. For a while now, I’d gravitated toward big men with small IQs. I didn’t have a reason for it. They just felt safe, easy… No complications.
Sobering, Linny leaned in and clinked her shot glass with mine. Her red nails were a hard contrast to my unpainted ones but her dark eyes were genuine and full of love when she said, “Cheers to hearing your laugh, Morina. It’ll get easier after it gets terrible. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me.”
I sighed and downed the shot with her. The terrible taste made me cough, which only made me chuckle at how inexperienced I must have been in comparison to her. “God, I’ll never get used to the burn of liquor. I’m going to need it in the next few weeks. I just know it.”
“How’s Grandma Maribel?” she whispered and her dyed black mohawk curl fell onto my shoulder.
I let my head fall onto hers as we slumped down together in the leather seats. “Not good. She’s refusing further treatment for the lung. The cancer metastasized, and the doc said two weeks ago that she had two weeks to live.”
“For fuck’s sake.” She breathed out. “You need this night out more than me.”
“I need a button to pause time. I’ve wished on it, but the damn stars don’t care what I have to say. My horoscope read like a girl’s with bad luck for the next week.”
“Oh Jesus.” Linny rolled her eyes.
“Hey, I didn’t wear any bracelets or bring crystals tonight. Be proud.”
“I’ll be proud when you complete my dare.” She poked my bare stomach.
“In my defense, the men I hook up with are normally very nice and amazing in bed.”