Page 95 of Zero Happily Ever Afters

“Okay, so what’s with the new tattoos?” Carter asked.

“How do you keep getting them?” Jennifer asked with aggravation, though secretly curious since she couldn’t find anyone who inked teens—unless they lived in a basement and had sketchy needles.

“King Clucks knows a guy who knows a gal who has a cow, and that cow’s got a pal who does great work.” Gael flexed hischest, making the heart wiggle. “But to answer your question, Carter, the heart’s for my bestie. Bestie, show him your heart.”

Tara revealed her matching heart tattoo and King Clucks portrait on her thigh, hidden by the skirt of her bikini bottoms. Only her heart was colored pink, yellow, and cyan for the pansexual flag.

“And if we ever break up,” Gael said with a shrug, “I’ll just lie and say I dabbled in asexuality before deciding my cock was far too glorious not to share with the world.”

Tara, Carter, and even Jennifer bit back a laugh.

“One, not funny.” Tara held out her raised thumb, sipping her cocktail. “Two, you could just laser it off.”

“My cock?” Gael covered his crotch. “You monster.”

Tara lifted her middle finger to join her thumb, then finished her drink before telekinetically waving the stemmed glass into the bar sink. “Three, we’re not dating.”

“We’re not?” Gael jested. “But you’re the longest relationship I’ve ever had, and we never have sex. You’re basically my wife.”

“No, sweetie.” Tara playfully patted Gael’s head, messing with his fauxhawk. “You’re too high maintenance.”

“Boo.” Gael guzzled his beer. “How am I high maintenance? I’m drinking Bud Light.”

“Okay, okay, I get the queer besties tats—love, by the way, and already thinking of ways to get something similar,” Carter said, gesturing to Gael and Tara before pointing a finger at Gael’s stomach where another tattoo was inked below his pierced belly button. “But what’s this one for?”

“Come on.” Jennifer rolled her eyes. “You know damn well it’s some perverted bullshit.”

“I know it’s gotta be something ridiculous, but I gotta know the specifics.” Carter pointed to Gael’s head. “He’s a fascinating specimen of epic nonsense, and I will have someinkling of how his brain works before the night is over.”

Gael winked. “I see what you did there, you punny little bastard.”

“Whatever.” Jennifer crossed her arms and awaited the answer Carter craved.

Gael ran his hands over his lower torso like a magician revealing his “100% Vegan” tattoo neatly tucked between the V-cut indents of his abdomen. “This right here is a healthy reminder to all the guys, gals, and nonbinary pals that I might be slinging sausage in your face, but it’s totally vegan, babes.”

Carter burst into laughter, face red with delight at the absurd awesomeness that was Gael Rios-Vega. Considering how carefree Carter carried himself, he’d never met someone who genuinely lived freely, saying, feeling, and expressing his every single whim.

I stayed close to the group as they chatted, Carter and Gael leading the conversation since Jennifer and Tara preferred the silence, the atmosphere, the calm joy that boomed from their designated extraverts. When Tara wandered, she took Jennifer with her, and feeling a little emptier without her presence, Carter bid farewell to Gael and went off to search for his new girlfriend.

“See you soon.”

“Good luck finding yourgirlfriend,” Gael said, smirking at the flustered, giddy expression it elicited from Carter who flushed every time he got to call Jennifer his girlfriend.

I stayed close to Gael at the party, realizing the work he put into reading others, nudging them with varying degrees of crude one-liners. There was a bit of pride in him for Carter and Jennifer. He’d spent the better part of the school year trying to shove those two into a room.

He swaggered over to the pool’s edge.

“Damn, baby gurl.” Gael raised his brows and pouted his lips. “When’d you get sothick?”

Christ. He really just blurted the first thoughts that sprang to mind.

Katherine snorted, slightly amused but mostly annoyed. “Maybe you don’t stare at my ass all night?”

“Huh?” Gael cocked his head, barely registering that Katherine was right in front of him. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Totally missed you there. Looking hawt as always, Kitty Kat. But I was lost on your boyfriend strutting around with all that cake.”

“Ba-ba-bawk.”

Katherine and Caleb wore matching white swimsuits with golden stars, hers being a two piece and his being a pair of trunks.

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