Page 25 of Nightmare

I let out a hiss through my teeth as the tequila slides down my throat, burning a trail the whole way.

Summer lets out a cough, then bangs the glass down on the counter. “Motherfucker! Remind me why I always think it’s a good idea to start with tequila?”

I laugh and shake my head at her, “No clue.”

I make my way into the closet to slide some oversized gold hoops in my ears, then smooth my hands down the front of my dress before I do a spin in the mirror.

Summer is bent over, lacing up her boots when I turn back around and I can see her ass poking out from under her dress, I give her a smack and she lets out a yelp.

“No panties tonight, Sum?” She cackles like a witch, giving me no other response.

I gave myself a pep talk in my head when we were getting ready and decided that I’m worth a lot more than what’s happened to me. If hooking up with a tattooed, Satan-looking man is going to make me feel better, then there’s nothing wrong with that.

I turn the music off and grab my phone, go into the bedroom, find my new Chanel cross body and throw it over my shoulder, then slide my phone into it.

Travis sent me a text earlier with an address to his place on the Upper East Side. We decide to Uber since it’s close, that way we can get fucked up without worrying about driving.

Summer model-walks out of the bathroom, fluffing her hair around her head and winks at me, “Ready?”

I wave my hands out in front of myself, “Lead the way, my queen.”

She gives me a wink, then we’re on our way – wobbling in our high heels and giggling as we head downstairs to meet our Uber.

* * *

“And then that bitchMarcy,”Summer is rattling on about something that happened a couple months ago as we sit in the back of a black-on-black VW, venom dripping from her tone, “She says to me,‘Summer, if you don’t lose like ten pounds, you’re never going to land a husband.’I mean, can you fucking believe that? Like I need a goddamnHUSBAND!?”

She spits the word like it’s offending her. I laugh at her, my chest bouncing. “I don’t know Sum, we all know that a lady is worth nothing without a strong and powerful man on her arm.”

She rolls her eyes as I quote what her mother has said to her at least 100 times in her lifetime, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

Our Uber driver snorts as he overhears our conversation, then Summer leans forward to eye him from the backseat, “You married, mister Uber driver?”

The middle-aged man looks at her from the corner of his eye, “No, ma’am. Single as a pringle.”

She sits back, knocking my shoulder with her own, “See,” I eye her, trying to see what her point is, but she doesn’t speak again until we’re pulling up to the curb of Travis’s building.

She slaps a hand on our drivers’ shoulder, “Never get married.”

“Men ain’t shit.” He mumbles as she laughs and we step out onto the curb, the night chill ghosting over our skin.

Chapter Thirteen

Travis

My apartment is litteredwith people by 10pm – a couple guys from my shop and a bunch of guys that Jax and Mac go to school with. I’m sitting on the sofa with Rome – one of the artists at my shop, smoking a blunt and nodding my head to the rap music that’s playing out of the speaker system I have set up on the walls.

Jax and Mac are playing a game of beer pong in the middle of the room with a couple girls that they go to school with, and they are losingbadly,so Jax keeps swaying on his feet from the alcohol.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, while balancing my bottle of beer in the same hand as my blunt.

Olivia:be there in 10, satan’s son.

My heart races and I have to take a minute to chill the fuck out, because I’m acting like a teenage girl. I take another hit off the blunt then pass it off to Rome before draining the rest of my beer and standing up, making my way to the kitchen.

I grab a bottle of bourbon from the counter and pour myself a glass, then make my way to the beer pong table to let the boys know they’re almost here. Jax looks up at me with bloodshot eyes, giving me a smile that’s way too big, so I turn to Mac and he shrugs.

“He smoked a blunt then offered to drink all the beer for the game.” He grins, taking a sip from the bottle of beer he’s been nursing.

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