Page 21 of In For a Penny
Josh audibly sighs and hangs his head.
“Hey, you made it!” I say to them both.
“You told him where we were?” Josh asks, brow furrowed.
“And Jane. Yeah, he said he needed to study, too. I thought we could all work on our Organizational Management homework together since we’re all in the same class.”
Oliver takes the seat next to me and pulls out a sandwich from his backpack while Jane dramatically throws herself on the couch with an exasperated sigh.
“School is shit,” she states, answering our unasked question.
Girl, I feel you.
Oliver ignores her angst and puts an arm around me as he takes another massive bite. “So, what have you two been working on?”
I peel his heavy arm off me, casually noticing his muscles flexing. He’s not wearing his signature three-piece suit today, which means his broad shoulders and muscular arms are on display. I wonder idly what his workout routine must be like. Does he ever skip leg day? I mean, he has to—his arms and chest are perfect.
“No work today?” I ask. “How did your country fair without one of its premier MP aids? Who will walk around Parliament in ridiculously tight three-piece suits and ridiculous cufflinks?” I smirk at him. “I particularly enjoy the ones you wore the other day. You know the ones I’m talking about, with your family’s crest?”
“Are you making fun of me?” He reaches for my hand, and I pull it away from him immediately.
“Absolutely not,” I deadpan. “The state of this lovely country concerns me if you’re not at the forefront of its management.”
He sighs and rolls his eyes at me.
“Can we do something fun this weekend?” Jane asks. “Unfortunately, I’m a bit broke at the moment, so I don’t think I can go out drinking or partying until my next paycheck.”
Relief courses through me. I’m a little burnt out with regards to pubs at the moment, so I’m ecstatic at the idea of something new. A brilliant idea pops into my head.
“Do you know whatRiskis?” I ask them.
“Oh, shit,” Josh says with a knowing smirk. “You wanna playRisk?”
His expression lets me know that he knowsexactlywhatRiskis and how to play itwell.
Fuck yeah. I knew we were going to be good friends.
“Why do you look like you just got invited to a hedonism party?” Oliver smirks.Ew.“Isn’tRiskjust a board game?” He asks.
I scoff. “Riskisn’tjusta board game!” How dare he? “Riskis a relationship-crushing, strategy game where you use diplomacy and manipulation to utterly destroy your opponents.”
“It ruins friendships,” Josh says excitedly with a huge smile.
“Oh, yeah,” Jane says, smiling. “I used to love playing it as a child.”
“Um, excuse me, butRiskis not a child’s game.Shit. Gets. Real,”Josh clarifies.
Thank God someone here gets it.
“I know! Oh my God! Let’s do aRisknight at my house! Beer, snacks, pizza, destruction, betrayal! All the makings of a fun night,” I say. Oliver and Jane look at me like I’m crazy, but Josh is totally here for it.
“Yes!” he says.
“Who else do we invite? We’re four—we need one or two more.”
“Sorry, do I get a say on whether I want to come or not?” Oliver asks.
“No,” Josh and I say in unison. We look at each other and grin. I’m so pumped.
Oliver takes another bite of his sandwich. “Fine,” he says with his mouth full, “we’ll just go to a pub after we finish.”
Josh and I exchange looks. We know exactly what the other is thinking.Riskis the single best and most brutal board game out there, and Oliver has no idea that a good game ofRiskcan takehours. It was my shit growing up. My brothers and I used to play with our cousins every time we would get together, and it was absolute savagery. It requires a huge amount of tolerance of emotional terrorism, amazing powers of manipulation, and immense diplomatic talents.
“I’ll Amazon Prime a set so we have it by Friday,” I tell Josh. “I’ll find a fifth person, and you bring a sixth, deal?”
“Deal.” We shake on it.
“East Coast versus West Coast, baby,” I say.
“Oh, it’son.”
