Page 7 of One Timer With A Wingman

“That isn’t a bad idea,” I agree. There have been horror stories on the news about airlines losing luggage all the time.

I drop the girls off at their house.

“See you at three,” Taylor says as she leaves my car.

“See you soon,” Lynsey says.

“Bye, see you both soon.”

I drive toward my house, inhaling a big gulp of air. I want to embrace the idea of taking a trip, but so many things could go wrong. I’m terrible at giving myself a good pep talk. If I was talking to a friend right now, I’d know exactly what to say to encourage them.

Okay, Briar, pretend you’re speaking to Annie. She wants to take this spontaneous trip. What advice do you give her?

You deserve to let loose and have fun. The weather will be beautiful and you get to swim in the ocean. There will be free everything so you don’t have to spend money, other than the initial costs. You’re going with friends. Wait a minute. The guys are coming too. It isn’t a secret the waitstaff at Black Jack’s tends to hook up. When I think of all the different pairings, my head spins. And then there is Aaron. It’s annoying that he invited himself along. He hangs out at Black Jack’s a lot. He’s too cocky and gorgeous as hell, with that flop of dirty-blond hair and those searing green eyes. Gah, he’s so annoying. Wait. I already said he was annoying. Being annoying for being handsome doesn’t make any sense, but in Aaron’s case it does. I’ll just have to stay far away from him.

I pull into the driveway of the house I share with another five housemates. They all went home for the holidays, so things are quiet around here. I don’t want to go home for the holidays because Mom has her new husband and kids. They are one happy family. I’m just a reminder of a time in her life she would love to forget. My parents were married for over a decade. My dad is a high school teacher. You would think a teacher would be reliable, honest, and caring. That wasn’t Dad. When I was ten, he left Mom for one of his student teachers. She was ten years his junior. He left town and we didn’t hear much from him over the years. What I did hear all the time was how Daddy was a big football guy in high school. All the girls flocked to him and his ego was the size of our state. It was all true. Daddy is a handsome guy and, according to Mom, couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. I wish I didn’t have to know that part. I head up to the front door of the house. A loud yawn escapes me. I need a little sleep but I figure it’s probably best if I shower now and shave. Going to a warm climate means I will be wearing shorts.

I head up to the second floor to shower and pack. I still have an hour or so before the Uber picks me up, so I close my eyes and put on an alarm.

“That’s So True” by Gracie Adams blasts on my phone, scaring the living daylights out of me. Why did I set the alarm so loud? Geez. I feel like this trip is something I dreamed up. But when I receive a text from Lennon asking if I’ve booked the Uber at 2:45 in the morning, I know it’s very real.

I slip on a light, heather-gray jogger and pair it with a cropped white tank top. I also put the same color hoodie on, figuring if I get hot at least I can take it off. I place my wavy caramel-brown hair into a messy bun and slip on my sneakers. I pack a pair of flip-flops for the beach and high heels for the one dress I brought.

I don’t take my winter coat, figuring it isn’t something I want to lug around Punta Cana. I head out to the Uber. The girls are already inside and everyone is super sleepy.

“My plan is to crash on the plane.” Taylor yawns.

“Which seat number are you?” Ivy asks.

We all go to our phones to call out our seat numbers. Taylor is in the same row as Sofia. Lennon is sitting behind Ivy. Lynsey is at the back of the plane, and I’m smack-dab in row five.

“Guys, I’m nervous about flying. Can you give me some tips?” I ask.

“Just listen to music or watch a movie,” Taylor suggests.

“Or I can give you a gummy,” Ivy offers.

“You know that isn’t my thing,” I tell her. “Wait a second. Are you taking drugs over the border?” I ask wide-eyed.

“Shit. I hadn’t thought that through. Don’t worry. I’ll flush my stash down the toilet in the airport.” She blows out a breath.

“Ivy, what are you thinking? You could’ve ended up going to prison,” Sofia chides.

“I know, I know. I wasn’t thinking,” she admits.

“So who do you think will hook up on the trip?” Taylor asks.

“We know who isn’t going to,” Lynsey chimes and she’s looking directly at me.

“I hook up,” I argue, but it falls flat. Since Jade and I broke off our situationship I haven’t been with anyone.

“Sure you do, honey.” Lynsey laughs.

We arrive to the airport and meet the guys at check-in.

My hands are clammy as we make our way to security. Since I’ve never flown before, I just follow what everyone else is doing. Mom insisted I get a passport when I started high school. Now I’m happy I listened to her, even though I don’t travel with her new family. I took one ski vacation with them and it wasn’t pleasant at all. Her husband wasn’t very kind. He acted like I wasn’t there and told Mom I should stay in and babysit their kids. It’s like he thought of me as hired help rather than her daughter.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Lynsey notes as our whole group clears security.

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