Page 104 of Oh, Flutz!

“What a tool. He really almost called me a bitch,” Katya observes. “Lucky thing he caught himself, otherwise I’d finally have a reason to rip off that toupee next time I see him.”

“Andbarelyhad a triple axel?” I protest. “Come on. That’s the reason I survived so long, just from the GOE on it.”

“That’s what you’re focused on right now?” Ollie asks incredulously. “Dude! You’re back!”

Nina high-fives me, Juliet whooping and cheering, and Oliver proceeds to crash-tackle me onto the couch, howling some war-cry, and I crane my neck around him to shoot Katya a grin.

We did it, I mouth.

We’re not done yet, she mouths back, but she’s smiling.

“Your turn!” Ollie yells, getting off me to face my partner, who looks understandably terrified. “You got my boy back on track!”

“Uh oh, Hurricane Ollie fast approaching,” I joke, and Katya shrieks as Oliver dives onto her, batting him away, and he scrambles off when she threatens to hit him with her shoe.

All of us are practically crying laughing, and Ollie gets to his feet, punching the air in triumph. “Victory is ours! Onto Moby’s! Who’s paying?”

“Not it,” Nina and I call out simultaneously, and Katya raises her hand.

“I’ll do it. It’s about time I pay up, no?”

Ollie’s jaw drops, probably from the shock of one of us actually agreeing to pay for the cause of his inevitable liver transplant, and I groan. “Katya, you really shouldn’t have done that. Now you’re going to be designated credit card for the next year and a half.”

“He’s speaking from experience,” Juliet chimes in, and Ollie shakes his head vehemently.

“Don’t listen to them. You are my new favorite person. Bryan can go to hell, screw Bryan.”

Katya laughs, and I fake gasp. “First of all, betrayal. Second, wow, sunshine. First my sister, now my best friend?”

Ollie nods emphatically. “If I didn’t have so much Drag Race on my DVR, I’d kiss her right now.”

He ducks out of reach before I can smack him.

“For the record, I was just backing this dumbass up when I was being mean to you before. If I’d gotten to know you, I never would’ve told everyone you were a sociopath with a bad dye job.”

“Oliver!” I yell, but instead of getting rightfully offended, Katya just raises an eyebrow. “Promise?”

Ollie sticks out a pinkie, and we all start howling with laughter. Nina almost falls off the couch, nearly dragging Jules down with her.

“I should’ve bought you drinks earlier, yes?” Katya finally says when she can get enough air in, and I grin at her.

“Apparently.”

“Why are we still here?” Ollie cries out. “Let’s go get plastered!”

Lian groans. “I’m not seeing any of this. You all better show up tomorrow morning,nothungover,” she adds pointedly, staring right at me.

I throw my hands up. “I don’t know why I’m being targeted right now.”

“Because you have—”

“I donothave the alcohol tolerance of a hamster!”

Ollie drags me off the couch. “Let’s go already!”

“Bye, Lee,” we chorus, and she rolls her eyes, waving us out.

“Yeah, yeah. Be careful! And don’t stay up too late!” she shouts after us, and we all cheer, piling out the door and starting to race down the hallway.

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