Page 4 of The Road Sometimes Taken

After dinner,we’re all outside by the fireplace, talking. The sky is illuminated by bright stars, a typical view in Baker that never gets old. Baker is far enough from the city that you feel close to the stars—not that I’ve ever stopped to look at them more than just a glance. The fire casts a glow around my friends’ faces and I wish I could say I stopped to appreciate them all, but my eyes are always glued to my sister’s best friend.Fuck.

I try to keep my mind off Cara and catch up with my mom. She’s hands down my favorite person in the world and sometimes I just want to sit by her, lay my head on her lap, and let her talk to me like a little boy. I don’t, of course, but that’s what I want.

The tattooed blonde walks out with a tray of shots and sets them on a table, calling us all to come closer to a circle.

“This is our cue,” my mom says, grabbing Cara’s mom by the arm and standing up.

“Adios, Ma. Hablamos pronto?4,” I call.

“Si, mi amor. Love you guys, good to see you.” They both go around the yard and leave through the garden gate. This is a beautiful property and every detail I notice makes me appreciate it even more.

“Alright, party animals, it’s time for truth or dare,” Cara shouts with a grin, handing out shots to everyone. “I know you forgot how to have fun without having your dick six inches deep into your fuck of the week, but this is what we’re doing,” she adds, catching my annoyed glance.

“More like nine,” I shoot back with a playful wink.

“Seriously, you two need to cut it out,” Allie interjects, exasperation clear in her voice. “Canwe just be civilized for one night? For me?” We both nod in agreement. “Cara, let’s keep this light. We’re not twenty-one anymore.”

Cara sticks her tongue out at Allie but then turns her attention back to me with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Since you were being such a pain, Manny, you can kick things off.”

I meet her gaze with a smirk. “Right back at you. Cara, truth or dare?”

“Truth it is, hotshot. Let’s keep it easy for your vanilla sister over here,” Cara says with a mischievous smile, settling herself playfully on Allie’s lap and planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Who says there’s anything vanilla about Allie?” Jake teases with a smirk, and everyone laughs except Gus and me.

“Gross,” I add while Allie blows a kiss my way.

The girls all do a kind of oohs and aahs and Cara wraps her arms around Allie in a tight hug before sauntering over to the spot directly across from me. “Don’t worry, Jake, I won’t be stealing your girl tonight. But when I move this summer, I’ll definitely need to squeeze in some more quality time with my girl, okay?”

“Sure,” Jake adds, smiling and sipping on his beer.

As soon as Cara says that I remember nobody really gave me details on why her boyfriend won’t drive her back or why everyone was being weird about it. She picked truth, and because I have zero self-preservation skills, I use my question to ask, “Cara, why can’t you ask what’s-his-face to drive you back?”

“Coño Manuel, por Dios?5,” Allie snaps.

“Cara, you want me to punch him in the face for you?” Roe—was that her name?—asks, acting like she is about to stand up, but her guy pulls her back.

“It’s fine,” Cara insists. She puts her forearms on herthighs and stares at me head on. “Manny, since you clearly forgot your manners or when to drop the topic, I’ll answer your question. But you better watch it because I’m coming for you next.” She downs the wine she was drinking as if it were the shot on her right hand and fire blazes in her eyes, darkening the color to a deep forest green.Ay coño?6.

“We’re not together anymore,” she continues. As I start to respond, she raises her index finger and adds, “Before you say you’ve heard this before, let me make it clear: it’s over. He’s engaged to someone else now. We don’t discuss it. We’ve moved on, so please drop it.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m really sorry,” I admit, my voice tinged with regret because this one I clearly fucked up. “I didn’t know.”

“You’re not. You wanted to know and now you know. Now, drink. I answered, so you lose,” she sasses.

“That’s not how this game goes,” I protest.

“It’s the way we play,” Natalie says.

I shrug, grabbing the shot in front of me. I chug it, letting it burn my throat —my dignity with it. If I didn’t feel like an ass before, I sure do now.

“Who’s next?”

We play for rounds and rounds. I lost count after the fifth and to be honest I’m too tired to even attempt to count anymore. Everyone takes a turn asking a question or setting up a dare. I’ve had to call out from work Monday, call my mom to sing to her, answer how many women I have been with and because I don’t fuck and tell, I choose the shot. This is supposedly the last round, and I can’t wait to be done with it so I can go to bed. I’ve had enough to drink to notdrive back to the city. JJ, the company’s driver in Jax, will come get me. I already messaged him and he’ll be here in ten.

“Manny, truth or dare,” Allie says, with her know-it-all face and I immediately know I’m fucked either way.

I decide to at least go down with flair, so I answer, “Dare.”

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