Page 1 of Pucking Vacation

Chapter One

GOALS

GRACE

“Spring Break, bitches! Woohoo!” Skyler exclaims.

I flinch, quickly looking around to see if anyone stares at us as we walk into our hotel lobby. Thankfully, there appear to be enough college-age partiers making fools of themselves that we just blend into the rest of the crowd. Still, I elbow my best friend and hiss, “Would you chill? We haven’t even had any drinks yet!”

Grinning, Skyler tosses her dirty-blonde ponytail over her shoulder, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief behind her glasses. “You haven’t had anything to drink yet,” she corrects. “I had three vodka cranberries on the plane. No… make that four. Five? No, five is too many. Rylee! How many vodka cranberries did I have on the plane?”

Rylee, my tall blonde bombshell of a friend with the most strikingly intense blue eyes, shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t even remember how many rum and cokes I had.”

“Me either,” the fourth member of our group, Sutton, adds, her words slurring ever-so-slightly. “The flight attendant was super cute and might have overserved us just a smidge.” She holds her thumb and forefinger in front of her face, the space between them minuscule. Her brown hair flops over her forehead, the vibrant pink streaks and shaved sides giving her punk rock glamor. She is always changing her hair color and trying bold new styles, in sharp contrast to her usually shy, reserved personality.

I’d met Sutton and Rylee at the beginning of the school year at Carlisle Tech University in Northern Florida. The four of us live right next to each other in the dorms. Skyler and I grew up together and have been best friends since kindergarten, and we bonded with Sutton and Rylee pretty much right away, forming a ride-or-die friend group that I was confident would last throughout our four years of college.

My jaw drops as I look between the three of them. “Wait a minute! I didn’t know you guys were drinking on the plane. What the hell?”

Skyler giggles and loops her arm around my shoulder. “Of course, you didn’t notice. You had your nose buried in a book the whole flight!” She pinches my cheek and I swat her hand away.

“You guys are ridiculous,” I sigh, but I can’t help the grin that tugs at my lips.

“Don’t worry, sweet cheeks,” Skyler says. “We’ll get you caught up… maybe. How many shots can you do before you start puking?”

“Okay, gross.” I shrug out from under her arm and turn to face all three of them, giving them my arched brow look of disapproval. “You three lushes stay here. I’ll go get us checked in. Try not to get in any trouble until I come back, all right?”

Skyler and Rylee salute me as Sutton says, “Yes, Mom.”

“Yeah, don’t love that,” I scold her, even though I am feeling very much like I’m in mom-mode as I gaze at their goofy expressions. “Just stay put. Good girls.”

Skyler lets out a bark as I turn and march toward the reception desk. As I draw near, one of the receptionists looks up and gives me a bright smile. I’m impressed that she looks so put together and unfazed by the chaos going on in the lobby around us. Her black vest and jacket are pristine, and her makeup doesn’t have a single smudge. She’s cool, calm, and collected. This is clearly not her first Spring Break.

“Hello,” she says, right as I reach the desk. “Welcome to the Royal Miami Hotel. How can I help you?”

“Yes, uh, checking in,” I tell her. “Gracelynn Monroe.”

The receptionist nods and looks down at the computer screen in front of her. Her fingers fly over the keyboard for several moments before she looks back up at me.

“One room, two queens, and six nights, correct?” she asks.

“Yep,” I confirm. “That’s right.”

“Alright, Ms. Monroe, I have you all set up in room 305. If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask,” the receptionist says with a polite smile.

I thank her and grab the keycards before turning back to find my friends. As I make my way through the lobby, I spot them at the bar, already with drinks in hand and deep in conversation with a group of guys who look like they walked straight out of a frat house.

“Oh no,” I mutter to myself, quickening my pace. I reach them just as Sutton is about to down a shot that one of the guys is handing her. What the hell? Since when does shy little Sutton take drinks from strangers? That’s much more of a Rylee move.

“Whoa, hold on there!” I exclaim, snatching the shot glass from her hand. “We just got here and you’re already making poor life choices?”

Sutton pouts playfully while Skyler and Rylee burst into laughter. The guys chuckle too, looking slightly sheepish.

“Sorry about that,” one of them says, running a hand through his tousled hair. “We just wanted to welcome you ladies to Miami.”

I eye them warily for a moment and then sigh. I return the shot glass and raise an eyebrow at my friends.

“One drink each, then we’re heading up to our room.”

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