Sure. Your new wonderful memory is going to be you vomiting on the floor and screaming for milk. Then you can putDied from embarrassmenton your tombstone.
Archer and Virgil eased up to the table.
“What’s going on?” Archer asked.
As if on cue, the waitress arrived with a glass of red alcohol on fire. When she lifted it to put it in front of me, everyone at the table reeled back as if she might tip it over.
“One Flamethrower!” she announced before sauntering off.
Virgil leaned against the back of my bench. “Someone ordered a little drinkypoo. Does one drink it with or without the flame?”
Mercy dove in and quickly covered it with a coaster to extinguish the fire. “My Lord. That girl is going to kill someone. She’s supposed to light it at the table and smother it before leaving. Calvin!” Mercy took off toward the bar.
I touched the warm shot glass.
Everyone watched with expectant eyes, and I sniffedthe drink. It smelled a little like cinnamon, but I guessed the red was just added color.
“Here goes nothing.” I knocked back the shot and set the glass on the table.
Virgil touched my forehead. “She feels fine to me.”
I licked my lips. “That wasn’t so bad. A little spicy like salsa, but…”
My face flushed. Then my tongue slowly began to burn as if it were lying on a bed of hot coals. When the intensity increased, I slapped my hand over my mouth.
“Are you okay?” Melody asked. “Your cheeks are red.”
I scooted out of the seat and knocked Virgil aside. After coughing, which made it worse, I walked in circles as if that might actually cool my mouth.
Archer shot across the bar like lightning and disappeared. He returned with a glass of milk and thrust it into my hand.
“You should have brought peanut butter,” Virgil remarked. “It works better.”
Milk dribbled down my jaw as I gulped half the glass. When I saw all the eyes on me, I rocked with laughter.
“Bravo!” Melody cheered. “Everyone else was scared to try it.”
“I never said I was afraid,” Tak countered. “I fear nothing.”
“Is that so?” Melody said. “Mercy! Bring another!” She pointed at our table.
While everyone argued over their bravery, I blew my nose into a napkin and tried not to look like a total disaster.
“Do you want to order one?” I asked Archer, coughing the moment the words left my mouth.
“That’s a hard no for me.”
Virgil pulled a couple of chairs up to the end of the booth before stealing my spot next to Melody.
Archer took the chair on the right. When I squeezed betweenthe chairs to sit in the other, he clasped my hand and tugged me onto his lap.
I sat stunned as Archer wrapped his arm around my middle, claiming me in a way that the entire pack took notice of. A warm feeling came over me. I turned sideways and draped my left arm around his shoulder, and we exchanged a long look that awakened three thousand butterflies in my stomach.
Mercy returned to the table. “Y’all are crazy. Who ordered this?”
Tak shook his head.
“Give it here, Shortcake.” Virgil patted the table. “It can’t be that hot if she survived.”
