Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Luna
“We’re going down the shore.” Olivia plops on the couch beside me in our dorm’s shared space, with our friend Emma taking a seat across from us. “Kevin’s parents are out of the country, and everyone’s hanging at his beach house.”
“You have to come with us,” Emma chimes in. “It’ll be a pregame birthday celebration for you and Olivia.”
I shake my head, placing my laptop on the coffee table. “I have a chess tournament this weekend, but have fun.”
“Nope. Not taking no for an answer. Get up early and take the train to your tournament. Problem solved,” Olivia declares.
“Problem not solved; I don’t have a weekend pass.” And no way Vince would approve.
“One weekend pass coming right up.” Olivia sends a text, but frowns.
“Problem?” I ask.
“Oh, just my mother trying to ruin my birthday. She’s insisting on hosting a party for me in the Hamptons.” Olivia rolls her eyes, her thumbs flying over her phone before tossing it on the table.
“That bitch,” I joke.
“Right?” Olivia says, missing my sarcasm. “I hate the fucking Hamptons. The only reason she wants me there is to show off her new butt lift.”
“Oww, I’ve heard that’s super painful,” Emma comments.
“Mommie dearest has enough opioid scripts to where I’m sure she’ll manage,” Olivia says dismissively.
There’s a knock on the door, and Olivia calls, “Come in.”
“Whatsup?” A guy sticks his head in our dorm room.
“We need your expertise,” Olivia says.
Looking around the hall, he enters our dorm and closes the door behind him. “What kind of document?” he asks quietly.
“Weekend pass.”
“Please, give me a challenge,” he boasts. “One hundred for the forgery if I have a photo of the signature in question; one thousand if I don’t.”
My eyes go wide. “A thousand bucks?” I don’t have access to that kind of money. Vince foots the tuition bill, but he’s made it clear he considers my education a business expense, one in which he expects a big return.
The guy shrugs. “The higher the risk, the higher the price tag.”
“I’ve got it covered,” Olivia assures me. “What kind of cryptocurrency do you accept?”
“Hold up, let me see if I can find you an example,” I interject. Searching my email, I find Vince’s illegible signature on a field trip permission form. “Here you go.” I turn my screen around.
“Guessing your father’s a doc with that handwriting.” He snaps a pic with his phone, and I don’t comment. “Give me five minutes.” He exits our dorm .
Before anyone can ask more questions about my “father,” I stand and announce, “I’m going to pack. Let’s go down the shore!”
“Yes!” Olivia and Emma cheer.
Music pumps from speakers as sweaty bodies grind on each other, the sound of the Atlantic Ocean drowned out by the bone-rattling bass.
Olivia pulls me into the bathroom, locking the door. “You didn’t tell me you shanked Aspen like a prison bitch.” My friend giggles as I take her beer from her. She pulls down her thong and plops down on the toilet.
I snort a laugh, fixing my hair in the mirror. “Shanked is a bit of a stretch; it was an accident.” That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
“Boo, that’s not as exciting. I’d go with the shanking rumor; it gives you more street cred.” Olivia flushes and I move out of the way so she can wash her hands. She does, and then pulls out a little baggie of pills from her bra. “You want a Molly?”
“Nah, I’m good,” I tell her, handing her back the beer.
“Miss goodie two shoes,” she chides.
“Why would I ever wear one shoe?” I raise an eyebrow in challenge.
She swallows the pill and chases it with the beer, giving her head a shake. “Shitfaced, doing a shoey on a yacht in the middle of Sydney Harbor and nearly falling overboard.”
“What?” I snort.
She fixes her lipstick before making a kissy-kissy face to herself in the mirror. “You had to be there. Anyway, let’s do this damn thing. ”
We exit the bathroom, and I follow her through the crowd to the patio. I spot our party host next to the keg hanging with a group of his friends.
“You should hook up with Kevin,” Olivia shout-whispers to me. “He’s been eye-fucking you all night.”
“You think?” I glance over to Kevin, who flashes a flirty grin. He’s cute in a preppy boy sort of way. Tall and lean, with blond hair cut tight. We’ve chatted politely a few times at school, but we don’t typically cross paths.
“Totally. He just broke up with his girlfriend, so if I were you, I’d pounce before someone else does.”
“Someone like you?” I say, only halfway joking.
“Nah, I’ve got my eye on Liam. Word is he’s got a monster dick. And after you’ve had a big dick, you don’t ever go back,” she informs me.
“Mmm,” I murmur my agreement. Being a virgin, I wouldn’t know, but I’ve kept that tidbit to myself. When I first arrived at school, I quickly learned that being a virgin isn’t a virtue, it’s a liability. Best case, you get mocked relentlessly. Worst case, your name gets put on a “hunting season” list.
Someone appears with a tray of shots, and Olivia grabs us two. We cheers and kick back the stinging liquid.
“Ladies,” Kevin says, joining us. “Hey, Luna. I’m glad you could make it.”
I smile, my cheeks flush from the booze. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Hey, what about me?” Olivia pipes up.
“And Olivia. The party doesn’t start until you arrive.”
“Thank you very much.” She curtsies. “Have you seen Liam?”
My phone buzzes, and I grab it from my pocket, wishing I hadn’t.
Do NOT be late tomorrow .
Fuck Vince and his rules and his threats and his expectations and his three-piece suits.
“What’s wrong?” Olivia asks.
Another tray of shots appears, and I pocket my phone before grabbing two glasses—shooting them back to back.
“Go Luna!” Olivia cheers.
I throw my arms around Kevin’s neck. “Dance with me!”
Olivia gives me a discreet thumbs up as she steps inside, and I move my hips to the beat—full of liquid courage and zero fucks to give.