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“All right!” I threw my arm over my eyes and fell backwards onto the sofa in mock defeat. “When it’s two against one, how can I say no?”

Bree slapped me playfully on the leg. “That’s the team spirit! Now go change!”

I got up and went to my room. Before I pulled off my coffee-stained sweater, I typed out a quick message to Mason. “I’m signing off. I’m headed out for the evening.” Why the hell did I feel like I needed to give him a reason for ending the conversation? I shook my head as I tossed my phone onto my bed.

I peeled off my sweater and chucked it near the hamper. I’d figure out what to do with it later. I grabbed one of the many long-sleeved, black knit shirts from my closet and pulled it on over my head as my phone vibrated from its resting spot on my bed.

“On a Tuesday? You’re a wild one, aren’t you, Not Susan.”

“Wild is my middle name.”

“Well, Not Susan Wild Unknown Last Name, have fun tonight and be safe. Thanks for making the sting of rejection from the real Susan (if that’s actually even her name) a little less painful.”

I smiled as I locked the screen on my phone and slid it into the back pocket of my jeans. I had to admit, the unexpected text conversation with Mason really had made my shitty day a whole lot better.

Chapter 2

Two-for-One Drink Special

BREE AND I WALKED into the noisy restaurant and immediately spotted Sarah as she enthusiastically waved at us from a booth in the back. She was hard to miss with her bright red sweater and contrasting dark hair pulled into a perfect high ponytail. Not only did the three of us look quite different, but we had completely different personalities. Bree with her wild, curly blonde hair and smattering of freckles across her peachy skin was a whirlwind with a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is streak that tended to make people instantly either love her or hate her. I suspected part of that came from the fact she was the fifth child out of seven in her family and all of her siblings had strong personalities. Sarah might look like a modern-day Snow White with her dark brown hair and pale complexion, but her sweet looks could be deceiving. She was wicked smart, meticulously organized, and devoted to her studies. I wasn’t sure if the competitive side of Sarah came from the fact both of her parents were attorneys, or if it was because she, like me, grew up as an only child. I tended to think it had something to do with her parents, since my childhood was a hot mess and I lacked any competitive edge. I, on the other hand, had jet black hair which complemented my deep golden-brown complexion. Black was the go-to color for most of my clothing—maybe it was my dark, broody artist side, or my completely sarcastic personality, or maybe I just didn’t really give a shit. I’d branched out with the cream sweater and look how well that ended up.

It was already incredibly crowded in the restaurant, forcing Bree and me to maneuver around several groups of people to get back to Sarah. “Hey! You guys are finally here! Drink up to catch up! This is my second one!” Sarah said with a laugh as she lifted one of the three margaritas already sitting on the table.

Bree slid into the seat next to Sarah. “Good grief! How long have you been here?”

Sarah just laughed again. “Long enough to have one drink already! It’s two for one so obviously I had to order four! I figured the extra one was my payment for fighting everyone off the table.”

“It’s super busy here tonight,” I commented as someone brushed up against me trying to get by. I was grateful Sarah managed to score us a booth so we had some space and other people wouldn’t be bumping up against us. I took my jacket off and slid into the spot across from Bree and Sarah.

“Having a two-for-one happy hour right next to the college campus will make that happen,” Sarah said right before she took a big drink of her margarita. I had a feeling, based solely on the few moments we’d been there, the night was going to be the right kind of trouble. It just had that vibe. Plus, I was more than happy to get my drink on with my girls after the shitshow otherwise known as my day.

Bree reached for the basket of chips in the middle of the table. “So, Anna, tell us about your totally awful day.”

I took a drink of my margarita and paused for dramatic effect. “Well, if you insist.”

“I insist! I insist! I insist!” Sarah shouted loud enough that the people at the table next to us turned and looked.

Bree turned to look at Sarah. “Are you sure you only had one drink while you were waiting for us?”

Sarah just rolled her eyes. “Shut it, Bree! Anna’s going to tell us about her day. Now, Anna, go!” Sarah pointed her finger at me like it was the signal to begin.

“Well, it all started when my alarm didn’t go off and I was late to class.”

Bree groaned. “I hate it when that happens! That’s always a sure sign of a bad day. When the alarm doesn’t go off, you might as well just go back to bed and try again tomorrow.”

“Agreed,” Sarah said, nodding as she reached for the chips.

“Well, in my hurry to get out the door after the alarm debacle, I forgot my laptop and…”

“Booooooooooo!” Sarah interrupted.

Bree looked at Sarah with raised eyebrows. “One drink, you say?” Sarah gave Bree a little smirk in return as she held up one finger. “Riiiiiiiight,” Bree said slowly before turning back to face me. “Anna. Continue.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them as I took another drink of my margarita. A night out with my best friends was exactly what I needed. “So, after class, I went and grabbed an extra-large coffee, trying to turn my day around. Only some jackass crashed into me and I spilled the whole thing down my front.”

Sarah turned to Bree and loudly whispered, “The coffee spilled on her cream sweater.”

“Wait!” Bree turned to me. “Was that what you were wearing earlier? Tell me it wasn’t the brand-new one you wore for the first time today!”

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