Page 5 of The Bad Girl List

“Look, I’m not here to argue their motives. I’m here because tomorrow is the start of our girls’ trip. What am I going to say when I see my mom? When she finds out about Oliver and my job, she’s going to freak. Auntie Deb and Auntie Helen are going to be there. They’re all going to think I’m a failure. Maybe I should pretend to be sick so I can stay home and work on my resume.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Annika says. “You work like a dog. You’ve earned this vacation. When you see your mom, just pretend like everything is fine. You can come clean with her after the trip is over.”

“I can’t lie to my mom–”

“Who said anything about lying? It’s called evasive communication, Dom. Just don’t volunteer any extra information. If they ask how Oliver is, just say he’s fine. If they ask about work, say everything is fine. Believe me, they’re going to be too excited with their Groupons and their schedules to worry too much about you. As far as the family is concerned, you’ve arrived. I’m the one they worry about. Not even Groupons and schedules can distract them from bugging me about going back to college.”

She has a point. But still … “What if I slip? What if–”

“God, Dom, you try too hard. This is your problem. This is why you stayed with that asshole who treated you like a second-class citizen for five years. You were more worried about being a good girlfriend than you were about him treating you right.”

“I’m not in the mood for an Oliver lecture.” Annika never liked Oliver, even in the beginning.

“You know what your problem is?” Annika says. “You’ve never done anything for yourself. Ever. Not once in your entire life. You’re a people pleaser. This is why I never aim high. You can’t disappoint anyone if they don’t expect anything of you. I bet you’ve already given yourself a firm lecture on how, at your next job, you will never, ever bend a rule, not even a tiny one.”

I don’t reply. I had, in fact, given myself a firm lecture on rule-breaking on my way to her studio, pinky swearing to myself that I would never pull a stunt like that again.

Annika levels a triumphant finger at me. “Nailed it, didn’t I?”

I fold my arms over my chest. “Maybe.”

Something in Annika’s face softens. “Dom, the problem isn’t that you defied your boss. The problem is that you stayed in a job you never liked. You stayed there because it made the family proud. You’re always afraid of disappointing people. You need to be more like me and not give a flying fuck.” Her mouth draws together as she studies me. “We’re going to fix this, Dom.”

“Fix what?”

“Fix you.” Annika levels a finger at me. “I’m going to teach you how to be a bad girl. I’m going to teach you how to make your own rules and play by them.”

A seed of alarm sprouts in my belly. “You’re going to what?”

Annika jumps up and rifles through a pile of miscellaneous stuff on her floor. “I’m going to teach you how to be a bad girl on our vacation. You’re going to learn how to do shit that makes you uncomfortable so you can break out of this lifelong rut you’ve been in.”

“You’re insane.”

“No, what’s insane is staying with a guy who always puts you third in line after his career and his tennis obsession. What’s insane is letting some snobby design company shit on your beautiful, creative soul. It’s time for Damn Perfect Dominique to learn how to be a bad girl. I’m going to help you cut loose and get your life on track.” Annika grins in delight as she unearths a small Post-It pad. “Number one on the list. You’re going to get so drunk that you puke.”

“Annika, wait–”

“Two. You’re going to smoke a joint.”

“I’m not doing drugs.”

“Pot is legal now, dummy. And you’re going to smoke it on vacation. We’re going to come up with a list of ten things you’d never do, one for each day of vacation.” Annika’s grin is gleeful. “God, I can’t wait to see you stoned.” She returns her attention to her Post-It. “Three. You’re going to get a tattoo.”

“A what?”

“Don’t worry, it doesn't have to be a big one. And you can put it somewhere no one will ever see it.” Annika studies me, then says, “Number four. You’re going to sneak out.”

“I’m not doing any of that stuff. You’re crazy.”

“No, I’m a genius. God, you’re too Chinese sometimes. Let the half white girl inject some fun into your life.” Annika draws a circle in the air around her face, indicating her biracial features. She credits her Irish heritage to her ballsy approach to life.

“Five. You’re going to lie to the aunties. I don’t care what you lie about, but you have to lie about something.”

I refrain from arguing, even though just the idea of trying to lie to my mom and the aunties makes my stomach clench. Annika is on a roll though, and there’s not a lot I can do to stop her when she gets like this. The best thing to do is to play along until she’s worn herself out.

“Number six. You’re going to buy something nice for yourself during vacation from one of the cute winery boutique stores. It has to be something that’s not on sale.”

I roll my eyes and remind myself that arguing is pointless. No one in my family, except for Annika, ever, ever pays full price for anything. I’m certainly not going to do that now that I don’t have a job.

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