Page 20 of Love Rewritten

Logan grabs the deck. “Oh, man. I haven’t played this game in a while.” He reads through the back of the box, smiling, seeming to replay memories of past games.

“Get ready. There is a good chunk of create-your-own question cards in there, and I have been known to be a wee bit feisty with them.” She grins, clearly ready for an outrageous night.

“Does this look okay?” Abby asks, smoothing out the wrinkles of her tight black crop top. She wears a pair of dark gray leggings with diagonal mesh slats running up the length of her legs, stopping in the middle of her thighs, her random tattoos peeking through the fabric. “Oh! You’re here.” She smiles, running up to Meredith for a hug.

“Girl, everything looks cute on you. Including sweats.”

Couldn't agree more. She does. It’s humbling, really.

Abby rolls her eyes but takes a seat next to Meredith on the couch. She cuddles into her, her smile growing by the second. To say I'm glad they made up is an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind getting to be the person she runs to for everything. In fact, I love being that person, but I also want her to have more than just me. She needs a good support system, especially through this legal process.

Her happiness is effortless with Meredith. She doesn’t hesitate with any of her actions, any of the words that fly off her tongue. No filter. She doesn’t care how Meredith perceives her. Doesn’t seem to ruminate over every word, every action that passes between them.

That’s what I want. Not to steal it from them. But to add to it. I want Abby to be as comfortable with me as she is with Meredith. She’s so headstrong about everything, yet so judgmental of herself that it makes it hard to reason with her sometimes. I’m sure Meredith would agree, but she seems to have an easier time talking to Abby about those things. And Abby doesn’t seem to get so riled up by it either.

“Did someone order food?” Logan asks, already scrolling through his delivery app.

“I ordered pizza. That’s what Abby said she wanted, so that’s what she’s getting,” I say. Abby grins, nodding with approval. “It should be here in a half hour or so.”

Once the pizza arrives, we all settle on the couch. Abby places herself between Meredith and me, feet tucked under herself. Abby gave everyone one rule tonight. No shots. Smart girl. If we're playing drinking games, there’s no need for the extra “help” of a shot glass. I’m sure everyone will gladly drink when it’s their turn.

Meredith readily pulls the cards out of the box, explaining the rules and that there are three different decks, all getting increasingly more scandalous than the last. Everyone agrees to start on the first one as an easy icebreaker.

“I’ll go first.” Meredith pulls a card and reads it carefully. “Oh, good one to start on. Uh … Logan, if the house was burning down right now and you could only grab three things, what would you grab?”

Logan sits up straight, thinking deeply for a moment. “Hmm. My phone, my baseball bag, and … probably my signed baseball from Willie Mays.”

I laugh at the thought of his panicking about his signed baseball. “Why am I not surprised.”

“Dude, I would die if I ever lost that thing. Plus, my grandfather got it for me for me for my twelfth birthday."

Everyone laughs as Abby pulls the top card off the pile. “Meredith. What’s your go-to song for singing in the shower?”

“Easy. Bohemian Rhapsody.” She smiles and holds her head high.

“The whole thing?” Logan asks through a mouthful of pizza.

Meredith gives a confident nod. “The whole thing. Instrumentals and all.”

My turn to grab a card. “Abby, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?”

She thinks for a short moment before a delicate smile graces her lips. She looks down and lifts the left side of her shirt, revealing a tattoo on her ribcage. I’ve seen it, sure, but I’ve never asked about it. She reads it aloud. “‘What we do now echoes in eternity.’ It’s a quote by Marcus Aurelius. I don’t know who he is, but my dad used to say that to me all the time.”

“I’ve always liked that tattoo,” Meredith says, leaning her head on Abby’s shoulder. Abby returns the gesture.

A moment of silence passes before Logan breaks it. He wipes his greasy hands on his pants. “Okay. My turn.” He draws the card, and a wicked smile breaks across his face as he reads it. “I know the answer to this, but I always give him crap about it. So, Dallas, who was your first celebrity crush?”

I give a short laugh. “Oh, boy. My first celebrity crush was Lindsay Lohan.”

Everyone chuckles at that. Abby turns to me with a huge smirk. “Lindsay Lohan? Really?”

I shake my head but laugh. “Okay, I can explain. Rose used to make me watchMean GirlsandFreaky Fridaywith her almost every weekend. They were her favorite movies.” Meredith lets out a loud cackle before regaining her composure and taking another bite of pizza. “I didn’t have a choice! Cole refused to watch them with her and our parents were always busy with work. So, the duty fell on me. And when that’s basically all you watch, your ‘tastes’ are limited. So yes. Lindsay Lohan was my first celebrity crush.”

As the game progresses, the cards get juicer, dirtier, and much harder to answer with a straight face. Though I will admit, not drinking has its perks in games like these. I can refuse to answer anything and not worry about how quickly my mind will deteriorate. Meanwhile, the other three, already buzzed, move through their drinks faster and faster with each round, sometimes drinking even when they don’t have to. It’s a wonder they manage to answer any questions.

Abby happily answers a question about her worst first date by telling us about one she went on her senior year of high school that was supposed to be a motorcycle ride, but the guy showed up on a scooter so they could only cruise around on slow roads. Logan practically chugs his drink when Meredith asks him if he’s ever sent an unsolicited dick pic, which is an answer in and of itself. And Meredith laughs and says, “I’m a single lesbian living in my parents basement. What do you expect?” when Logan asks her if she owns any sex toys.

“Your turn,” Logan says, kicking my knee.

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