Page 114 of Hit Me With Your Best Shot

It grows louder as I approach Nova’s door, muffled but unmistakable. Two voices, both female.

One of them is definitely my sister—her laugh is impossible to mistake, that obnoxious, almost hysterical sound that makes everyone else laugh, too.

Muffled voices.

Snorting.

I stop in my tracks, tilting my head.

I inch closer to the door, their laughter tumbling out in waves now. It’s not just polite chuckling—it’s full-blown, gasping-for-air kind of laughter. My brow furrows as I stand there, listening, torn between relief and confusion.

Austin?

I try to make sense of what I’m hearing. The two of them are absolutely losing it, laughing so hard it sounds like they’re struggling to breathe. I can make out a few words between the gasps, but they’re so garbled, it’s like listening to an inside joke I’ll never understand.

I knock firmly, loud enough to cut through their wheezing. The laughing stops immediately, replaced by the kind of silencethat’s more suspicious than reassuring.

“It’s me,” I call out. “Open up.”

Nothing.

I knock again, harder this time. “Seriously, I know you’re in there. Stop pretending you don’t hear me.”

A muffled “Shhh!” comes from inside, followed by a burst of barely-contained giggles.

Great.

They’re messing with me.

This is so annoying.

I try the door handle and surprisingly, it turns.

I push the door open and step inside. The smell of one of Nova’s candles smacks me in the face first, followed by the sound of upbeat tunes from the sound system.

Then I see them.

My sister and Austin, cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by an array of snacks: half-eaten popcorn, an open bag of chips, and what looks like an entire cheese board they didn’t even bother putting on plates. A half-empty bottle of wine sits between them, two mismatched glasses perched precariously on the coffee table.

They both look up at me, startled, before dissolving into another fit of giggles.

“Seriously?” I say, crossing my arms as I close the door behind me. “This is what you’re doing?”

Nova raises her glass, her face red from laughing so hard. “Welcome to the party.”

Before I can respond, Austin lets out a dramatic gasp and jumps to her feet. She rushes toward me, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me full on the mouth. “Babe! You’re here!”

Oh my God—they’re drunk.

I carefully untangle Austin’s arms from around my neck and hold her at arm’s length, looking her over. Her eyes are sparkling, and her smile is so wide it’s almost contagious.

“How much have you had to drink?” I ask.

She scrunches up her nose, pretending to think.

“Umm…like…two glasses? Three? But Nova’s glasses are really big.”

“Two glasses,” Nova calls from the floor, still sitting cross-legged among the snacks. “And maybe a little from the bottle. Don’t be so uptight.”

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