Page 4 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

I tap my finger against the ground. “Uh… attentional bias?”

Riley sighs dramatically. “No,” she says. “Asymmetric insight. Come on, you know this!”

“Oh,” My eyebrows pull together in a frown, and I stop chewing to stick out the mushed-up candy with my tongue. “Does that mean you take this back?”

“Ew!” Riley grumbles, which makes me grin as I pull the sour back into my mouth and swallow. “This isn’t funny, Gwennie. Your exam is next week. You need to know all this.”

“Don’t try to lecture me,” I can’t help but scoff, letting out a groan as I lift my back from the carpet of our dorm room. “You take political science of all things. You don’t even have to study.”

“Here we go again!” Riley rolls her eyes and turns her body to face the wall.

“Hey, what does democrat mean?” My grin widens as I make fun of her. “What is state sovereignty?” I shove my fingers into her hips, which causes her to burst out in laughter as I tickle her. “Why is government necessary?”

“Stop! Stop!” She cries out before effectively hitting me square in the breast and causing me to fall backward.

I gasp in exaggerated pain, holding my boob in my hand. “Ow! You bitch.”

“You deserved that!” Riley says with a grin. She’s right, to be fair.

“Come on,” I groan, standing to my feet. I open the small window between our beds and open it, inhaling deeply as the cool, fresh air brushes against my face. The warmth of the sunlight sits on my cheeks, and I close my eyes for a few seconds to fully enjoy the sensation before I turn to face Riley. “We’ve been at this for the last twelve days nonstop. I’m tired. I’mbored.”

Riley rolls her eyes in annoyance, but she’s used to my antics by now. She’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember. We were neighbors and grew up together in Sparks. We shared the same hobbies and chased after the same dreams. We both longed to move to the big city someday, study at the same school before going on to work big girl jobs, coming home every night to an apartment that we shared together. We have practically lived our entire lives thus far glued to one another’s side, and neither of us regrets one bit of it. I truly think thatRiley is my platonic soulmate. I’m not religious or anything, but there’sno wayshe wasn’t made to be my best friend.

“So what?” Riley says, shooting me a stern look. “This isn’t meant to be fun. This is important. We fail any of our exams and must retake the whole year.” She tilts her head at me in that condescending way she knows I hate. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to move on to the next semester, you know.”

“We’re prepared!” I argue, and I’m not just saying that so that I can take a break. Riley and I are incredibly studious. We prepare way ahead. We both started on our exam notes and key cards all the way back in the first week of the semester. Every Sunday, we spend at least two hours going over all the material from all our classes. We consistently review past lecture slides and read, watch, and listen to as much more as possible on the subjects we’re taught. Plus, I wasn’t lying when I said we’ve been studying the last twelve days nonstop, a quarter of which involved pulling all-nighters. I desperately need a break, a very well-deserved one. And she does, too.

“Come on,” I keep at her. One thing about Riley is that I can get her to break with enough persuasion. “I know your brain is just as fried as mine is. We can both recite our material from front to back with no hints. We deserve a break. Hell, we deserve a night out.”

She grimaces. “What? God, the last thing I need right now is to get blindingly drunk and forget everything I’ve studied so far by morning.”

“We don’t have to get drunk!” I try, and I grin sheepishly when she shoots me a look. “Okay,youdon’t have to get drunk. I’m getting fucking wasted.”

“Gwen—”

“Riley,” I interrupt, walking toward her. I take her laptop off her lap and take both hands in mine. “One night. Just one night, and I promise you I will study for every hour of every day until our exams next week. I promise.” My expressions soften. “I need a night off. I’m dying here.”

She holds my gaze for a few moments before she sighs with defeat. “So do I.”

A mischievous flame sparks to life within me, and I bite my bottom lip in an attempt to stifle my overly excited grin. “See? So let’s do something. I’ll go anywhere. Seriously, anywhere.”

Riley looks up and seems to think for a few moments. “No nightclubs,” she says, “I don’t think my brain can handle the loud music without melting.”

I laugh. “Okay, no nightclubs,” I agree, which basically eliminates a bar as an option. They’re just like nightclubs, only you can’t hide in the loud music and darkness from the guys who drunkenly try to get with you. “What about… bowling? That new alley opened up on Flamingo Road just the other day.”

She gives me a look that tells me she’s not all interested, so I continue to throw random ideas her way. Karaoke. Axe throwing. Museum date. Every one of my ideas is shut down, and I can’t help but blow raspberries in irritation. Until…

“What about that casino just outside of the strip?” My eyes light up, then dull as I try to remember the name. “What was it… Jewel… something?”

“The Diamond Casino?” Riley says, and when I nod, she snorts. “Yeah, no way.”

“Oh, come on!” I protest.

“That place is pure insanity,” She goes on. “Everything is super expensive, it’s always super crowded. Plus, I’ve heard they’re super picky about who gets in there. And I’m sure they’re not too keen to let in a couple of girls with worn-out fake IDs over some rich socialites.” She gives me a look. “Besides, the last thing I need to worry about right now is losing money.”

“Let’s give it a chance. Please?” I keep at it. “Think about it. There’s so much to do there. They’ve got a restaurant where we can eat, grab a couple of drinks at the bar, and dance a little. We can hit the machines or the tables.” I smirk. “You don’t have to spend a dime as long as you agree not to beg me for a donation once I win big, okay?”

Riley rolls her eyes, but she seems to think about it. “You’d probably be a killer poker player. You know, since you could see through everyone’s poker faces and all.”

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