Page 1 of Breaking the Lawyer

Chapter 1

THE LIGHTS WERE my first clue. Bright enough to make your eyes water when you look directly up, while simultaneously providing little to no visibility on the eye level, casting a purple hue on the cramped space, making everyone look way more enigmatic than they actually are.

This, and the several very attractive, very same-sex couples swaying between tall tables in a space that definitively wasn’t designed to serve as a dance floor

“This is a gay bar,” I mutter once my friends and I settle by a too-small table in a shadowy nook.

“You don’t say,” Tyler replies. If he’s trying to conceal the amusement in his voice, he’s failing. "I thought the rainbow flag outside might have been a clue."

So much for trying to get laid on my last weekend of freedom.

My face must have subtitles because Alex chimes in, “Consider it your final night of spontaneous fun before corporate America claims your soul. It’s all groundhog day from here on out.”

“Which syllable of celebration are you struggling with?” I call out to his back as he’s already making his way to the bar, a few pairs of eyes landing on me in the process. Great. I’m alreadybreaking etiquette and I haven’t even had my first drink yet. I lower my voice and lean in closer to Tyler’s ear. “Can we even be here? It feels illegal.”

He rolls his eyes."It's a bar, not a secret society. Just don't gawk at people like they're animals in a zoo, and you'll be fine."

I nod, trying to look casual as I scan the room. Men dancing with men, men laughing with men, men checking out men.

It all feels like I’m trespassing somehow.

A tray filled with ice cold beer glasses lands on the table as Alex materializes himself back, carving out space between Mike and I with his elbows.

"What happens if I get hit on?" I ask.

"Say thank you and politely decline," Alex says, already looking more comfortable than I feel. "It's a compliment, not a death sentence."

"Besides," Tyler adds with a smirk, gesturing at my worn jeans and baggy t-shirt, "pretty sure you're safe."

I straighten up, eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Tyler says, taking a sip of his drink, "that you look about as gay as a football coach at a monster truck rally."

"So you think I can't pull a guy?" I cross my arms. "I'm not attractive enough for you?"

Tyler snorts."I think you're missing the point."

"No, I get it." I square my shoulders. "You think I couldn't get a number if I tried."

Alex and Mike exchange glances, clearly amused at the turn the conversation has taken.

"I'll bet you a hundred bucks you can't," Tyler challenges, eyes glinting.

I knowexactlywhat he’s doing. Unfortunately for me, he knows me well enough to knowexactlywhat my next sentence will be.

"Make it a hundred from each of you," I counter, looking around at my friends, "and you're on."

"This I've got to see." Mike laughs, raising his glass in a mock toast.

Now, I’ve been alive long enough to know that’s exactly how I end up in trouble—with silent amusement painted on my friends’ faces. But to hell with that—itismy last breath of freedom for the next…forever? Come Monday, it’ll be all suits and ties and faking my way to my next salary bump.

Might as well make it count.

I take a swig of my beer, icy bitterness coating my tongue and push away from our table. I don’t even make it three steps before I march back to snag the glass and take it with me. I might need it.

Alex takes the opportunity of course. “Giving up already?”

I tilt my head and flip him off before turning around to take stock of my surroundings.

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