Page 138 of The Menagerie

“Jesus,” Mal mutters.

“Who goes first?” Rowan asks.

Jeremiah answers for the group. “Birthday boooy!”

Next to him, Mal groans. “Fuckin’ clowns…. Fine. I’ve never—”

“You gotta do it right!” Amy interrupts at the same time as Clover starts booing “Noo—”

“Fuckin’fine!Neverhave Iever…,” Mal lilts mockingly, “graduated high school.”

Everyone but Rowan drinks, and he’s immediately as red as the lights currently illuminating the dance floor, assuming he’s going to be judged for his lack of typical education. Or worse, askedwhyhe had to go back for his GED a couple of years after he should have graduated.

“No shit?” Mal asks. “How the fuck’d you become a paramedic?”

Shrugging, Rowan answers, “GED.”

“Up top, Campbell.”

Rowan returns the surprising high-five. “You too?”

“Mmm,” he hums, swirling his old-fashioned.

“Southie solidarity!” Amy cheers, taking her own sip.

“The fuck? You graduated in the top like… ten percent, bitch. Made sure’a that shit.”

Oh? That perks Rowan’s ears up, piques his interest. Any shred of Mal’s history that he can learn about, he’ll lap up like an eager puppy.

“My turn!” Camilla says. “Never have I ever bartended.”

“That’s dirty, baby doll.” Jeremiah glares, taking a drink.

A drink that Rowan mirrors. ’Cause hehasbartended before, even though he wasn’t legally old enough to do so.Orin his right mind.

“Rowan! Where did you bartend?”

Camilla’s voice is far too chipper for the story that accompanies the answer to that question.

“Uh, a bar when I was younger. Nothing exciting.”

He’s gotta learn to lie better. That sounded dodgy as shit.

“Okay,” Clover says, thankfully drawing away the attention from Rowan. “Never have I ever waxed any part of my body.”

“Oh, come on!” Amy complains. But thankfully Rowan doesn’t drink alone—he’s got Jeremiah, Amy, and Camilla on his side.

“Looks like you and me areau naturel, Mal!” Clover laughs.

Amy barks a teasing laugh. “Please, I’ve got more hair on my chest than he does.”

“Ey! Ain’t there a rule against shitting on me on my goddamn birthday?”

“Speaking of…,” Jeremiah says with a smirk. “Never have I ever been shit on.”

“Like by something besides an animal or a human baby?” Rowan asks, making the table erupt into laughter.

There’s an awkward pause as everyone looks around to see if someone drinks, but when no one does (thankfully, in Rowan’s humble opinion), they burst out laughing once more.

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