Page 66 of The Very First Night

“He said that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else and that if I need to use someone to get past this stuff with Elijah, then I should use him.”

Judging by the gleam in Jenna’s eyes, you’d think it was fucking Christmas. “Are you going to?”

“Going to what?”

“Fuck Tanner. Are you going to fuck Tanner?”

I chew on my bagel dramatically slowly. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. It sounds like a horrible idea.”

“It sounds like a fantastic idea! Tanner is a smoke show. And from what I’ve heard, his perfect proportions extend past his jawline.”

“Jenna.”

“What?”

“You’re gross.”

“What? It’s vital information that you should have. Or would you prefer it if you didn’t know that Rebecca Ramirez said he has the biggest dick she’s ever seen and accidentally pass that up?”

She’s not wrong; it’s good information to have. So why does my mood sour the moment she reminds me that Tanner slept with Rebecca? Honestly, I don’t love thinking about anyone he’s slept with…because he is my friend. That’s the only reason.

“Either way, I don’t know.”

Jenna huffs before shoving her final bite of bagel into her mouth. As soon as she’s finished chewing, she continues talking. “Well, I think you should do it. Both for reasons of determining whether the rumors are true and because I think it would be good for you to get back out there.”

“I’d hardly call having sex with one of our best friends ‘getting back out there.’” I say, idly toying with my napkin. “Besides, like I said, I haven’t decided what I want to do yet.”

“And the Dusty?”

“Bite me.”

Jenna smiles wide. “So, is that a yes?”

I sigh before popping the last bit of my bagel in my mouth, forcing Jenna to wait through my chewing. By the time I swallow, she’s glaring at me, waiting for a response.

“Fine—it’s a yes.”

THIRTY-ONE

KAT

As we approach the Dusty Armadillo, an eerie sense of déjà vu washes over me. It feels unusually similar to when we came here around this time last year for our first night of line dancing of the semester, except this time it’s just me and Jenna. She tried to get Marcus to come, but he and Tanner already got slammed with a ton of homework for one of their architecture classes, so they’re both stuck at home.

I’m weirdly happy about it—not that Marcus and Tanner couldn’t come, but because there is something about it just being me and Jenna that brings me calm. We haven’t had a night like this in a while, and it used to be what all our nights were like. The two of us going to parties and campus events, just us.

Darren, manning the door to the Dusty, smiles at us. “There’s my favorite girls,” he says before looking around. “What, no boyfriends tonight?”

“Nope, just us tonight!” Jenna responds with a grin as she loops her arm through mine. “Girls’ night.”

Darren nods and grins. “Like the old days.” He opens the door, and instantly we’re embraced by the sound of a familiar George Strait song and boots stomping on the dance floor.

The rustic wooden floors creak under our boots as we twirl and kick to the beat of the music. The smell of leather and sweat mingles with hints of whiskey and beer in the air. I’ve lost count of how many times I have come here to dance without even touching a drop of alcohol. It has been a place where we can let loose and have fun without being pressured to drink or conform to the typical college party culture. This country line-dancing bar has become our sanctuary, our escape from the chaos of college life.

However, tonight is not the night that we choose to abstain. Tonight, we are drinking.

Jenna and I decided that, since neither of us have morning classes on Thursdays, we’re all in. So naturally, the moment the song comes to an end, we beeline straight for the bar.

“Two shots of Jack Honey, please!” Jenna says with a grin, and the bartender slides two small glasses filled with amber liquid toward us across the smooth, polished wood of the bar. We each grab one and raise them in unison. The fiery burn of the alcohol as it travels down my throat causes me to wince, but I quickly recover and let out a satisfying exhale.

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