“What if I told you I’m Wrangler?” I say, knowing she won’t believe me.
I don’t give a crap if Zach believes me or not. He bares his teeth, his bloodshot eyes narrowing. “Fuck off, man.”
I shoot him a cheeky grin when Em whispers, “Call Wrangler. Ray gave you his number earlier, right?”
I’m surprised Ray gave anyone my number if he’s testing me. He hasn’t exactly given me the thumbs-up as one of his dealers.
Still, my shit-eating grin only gets wider as I lean casually against a fire hydrant, waiting for the inevitable.
Zach gets out his phone, fumbles a tad, and then taps on his screen.
The burner phone that Ray gave me rings. I pull it out of my back pocket. “Hello.”
Both of them stare at me, their jaws hitting the sidewalk.
“So,” I say. “Ready to do business?”
4
Emily
“You want a beer or vodka,” Scarlett asks as we push our way through the heaving crowd to the makeshift bar at the back of the room. Alpha Sig is hosting an All-Greek party as they do every year, and they always draw a decent crowd.
I’ve come down from my high after the warehouse party last night, and I’m raring to go again, but Scar and I like to have a few drinks first, waiting until later in the night to avail of our drug of choice. Attending parties on campus makes me wary, so I try to keep most of my crazy for the warehouse parties in town where no one knows I’m the offspring of Coach Parker and President Parker.
“I’m in a vodka mood tonight,” I say, smoothing a hand down the front of my fitted, black jersey dress. It’s pretty plain, as dresses go, but most of the girls don’t go overboard at these parties, and I don’t like to stand out, preferring to blend into the shadows. I like how it hugs my curves without being obscene. It’s off the shoulder, and it stops mid-thigh, showcasing my long legs. I’m wearing my black-and-white Vans, and my purple sweater is tied around my waist.
“Let’s get fucking shit-faced!” Scar says, handing me a red cup filled with vodka cranberry as she drinks beer from her own cup.
“Amen to that, sister!”
We knock our drinks back in record time while we check out the room, and then I refill our cups.
“You and Zach looked cozy last night,” she says, winking as she inhales her beer like it’s liquid oxygen.
“Zach is fun, but it’s nothing serious. You know he fucks around a lot.”
“I know he’s got a big cock, and he knows how to use it!” she hollers over the music, which has suddenly ramped up a few decibels.
I almost choke on my vodka. “Tell the room, why don’tcha?”
“Girl, you know these frat parties usually descend into orgies. No one gives a shit.”
“Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be normal?” I blurt, draining my drink and grabbing new refills for both of us before we make our way toward the main room.
“Normal is boring,” she says, eye-fucking a guy with massive shoulders standing in the corner talking to two other guys.
“You really think that?”
She sighs. “No, but there’s no point wishing for a different life. This is the one we have, and it’s not too shabby.”
“Do you ever think about the future and how much this shit could fuck us up?” In brief moments of vulnerability, I let the stuff I learned in rehab torment my mind.
They spent hours explaining the side effects and consequences of long-term drug use, but it was a scare tactic that only worked on me for a while. I don’t really see any issue with my lifestyle. It’s not like I’m using every day, and I know how to handle it. Life is stressful, and anything that helps take me out of my head for a while is a good thing.
“Sometimes.” She pins me with serious eyes. “But I sure as fuck don’t want to think about it tonight. And you shouldn’t either.” She pulls me into her side, talking in my ear. “We’re here to have fun. To forget about reality. To find some sexy guys to fuck, and I think I’ve just spotted our prey.” She turns me around by the shoulders, gesturing at the guys in the corner. “They’re hot.”
“How can you tell? Two of them have their backs to us.”
