Page 40 of Game Day

I swallow. “We were going to elope. With all the complications…” I trail off.

Maybe we should have.

It’s clear from her expression that she’s finished my sentence in her head.

She spins on a kitten heel and stalks out the door, letting it bang against the frame on the way out. She disappears around the corner before I drop onto the couchand blink back tears.

Guilt and defeat collide in my chest. I’ve been trying so hard to forge a relationship with Clay’s mom, but somehow, I’ve made everything worse.

I could call him, but he’s busy with his own priorities.

My phone buzzes with a text.

Brooke: Hey, Miss Bride. Are you ready for a night you’ll never forget?! Or maybe one you won’t remember…

I text back, my fingers flying over the keypad.

Nova: Does that mean there will be alcohol?

Brooke: More than you could dream of.

I exhale hard.

Nova: Then yes I am.

* * *

"No peeking!" Mari says.

“That’s easy because you blindfolded me,” I point out, the black satin fabric obscuring any hint of light or where we are.

"And no phones. No contact with the outside world." Brooke plucks the phone from my fingers."You said the dress fitting went fine, so there's no reason you need to be on the phone."

"The dress looks great," I say.

"But…?"

"But Clay's mom hated it, and I said something that upset her." I fold my arms and turn toward the window even though I can't see outside.

The frustrations from earlier piled up right until my friend knocked on my door to ambush me.

“Evil mothers-in-law are a rite of passage,” Brooke had declared. “Tonight, you can forget all of it. No parents. No cameras. Just the girls."

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask for the fifth time as I stick my head toward the front seat. "And why did you tell me to wear a sports bra?"

They don't answer until we pull up. They help me out of the car and up a set of stairs. The hushed voices outside give way to familiar ones.

"Kat, is that you?" I call, waving my hands in the air.

"I'm here," she responds, sounding amused.

"Who else?"

"Chloe."

They let me pull off my bandana, and I spin around the room."Wait, we're in a strip club?"

The space is full of pulsing lights. A low bass track throbs through hidden speakers. Plus, a raised stage takes up half the room.But instead of a single pole in the center of the stage, there are six poles evenly spaced out.

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