Page 4 of Pretty Lethal
Carrie laughs, and it’s jovial and friendly, yet something about it catches my attention. An undercurrent of something I can’t put my finger on.
When I can’t figure it out, I dismiss it, flagging down a server so I can order a glass of wine. It’s loud in here, so it’s probably messing with my head.
“How was your Thanksgiving?” Carrie asks.
“It was good,” I say, keeping it vague. “Quiet.”
Daniel groans as though that sounds blissful. “My sister and her husband were in town, along with their three kids, and oh my god. I love them, but I nearly kicked them out the door after two days of all that noise.”
We all laugh at his misery, and over the next few minutes, everyone catches up on what the others were up to over the break, and we briefly discuss our plans for the next semester. With midterms right around the corner, it’s going to be a hectic few weeks, and I am not looking forward to all the stress and late nights grading papers.
“It feels weird not having Louis here,” Alice murmurs in a low voice. At the mention of his name, guilt makes what little wine I’ve had sour in my stomach, and it’s an effort to keep a blank expression on my face.
Daniel’s face crumples and he ducks his head. Louis’ disappearance has affected him greatly, a fact that only heightens my guilt. I’ve made a conscious effort to avoid any talk of Louis, but I know Daniel organized a search party for his friend and has frequently contacted the local police for updates on the investigation. I can’t imagine how difficult it has been for him or the others. What must they think? Do they believe their friend and colleague simply disappeared or that he ran away? Do they suspect at all that he was the victim of a psychotic murderer?
Kai has also been keeping a close eye on Louis’ investigation and knows the police have no leads, and without any evidence, they are looking at closing the case.
“I just wish we knew what happened to him,” he sighs.
Carrie gives his hand a comforting squeeze. “We have to accept that we might never know,” she says in a choked voice, grief-stricken.
Our somber conversation is cut off when a cheery voice interrupts, booming through the microphone and cutting across the chatter, “Alright, everyone, who is ready for tonight’s trivia?”
I look around the room as a roar goes up in response to the emcee’s question, noticing that all the tables are full. I count fifteen teams, including ours. A buzz in the air chases away the sullen atmosphere that has descended over our table as everyone gets ready to test their knowledge, hoping to win the jackpot consisting of the entry fee each team paid to participate.
The host goes over the rules before gathering the team name for each table—ours is the Smarty Pints, one Alice prides herself in having come up with—before starting into tonight’s quiz.
“Alright, teams, let’s start with a doozy. What is the capital of Canada?”
With a smug expression, Alice grabs the whiteboard we’re to use to write our answers on, and scribblesOttawa. We all nod in agreement, and when time is up, Alice raises the whiteboard above her head, along with the other teams.
The questions grow increasingly more challenging as the night goes on. It becomes clear that everyone in my team has their own area of expertise. Daniel answers the sports questions while Isaac takes geography, Carrie is good with any history questions, successfully answering an obscure question on strategic warfare, and Alice’s general knowledge is impressive. However, I manage to answer a few questions that leave the others stumped, making me feel good that I’m able to contribute instead of being dead-weight.
By the time the host asks the final question of the night, it looks as though it will be a close call between us andThe Brainiacs,ironically a group of professors from Ridgeway’s science department and typicallySmarty Pints’only rivals.
Alice and Carrie’s competitive sides have risen to the surface as the quiz has progressed, both of them sitting with tense expressions as they wait for the final question. It’s interesting seeing these sides to them. While Alice is jokey and persistent in her pursuit of winning, Carrie has grown quieter, more thoughtful as time has gone on. I can practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she contemplates each question, analytically.
“Get ready, teams, our last question of the night,” the host announces, pausing for dramatic effect. “How many official Disney princesses are there?”
Alice and Carrie share unsure glances while Isaac and Daniel immediately lean back in their chairs, leaving it up to us girls to answer.
“Eight?” Alice suggests before she begins to count them off on her finger. “Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Rapunzel, Belle, Pocahontas, Jasmine, erm, the sleeping beauty one.” She begins to struggle, her face scrunching in concentration.
“There’s Mulan and Tiana,” I point out, and she lifts up a ninth and tenth finger.
“Ten, then?”
I shake my head. “You’re forgetting Moana, and there’s Raya, and,damn,there’s another one.” I wrack my brain, trying to think of the last one. “Ooh, Merida!” I whisper-shout. “How many is that? Thirteen?”
Alice nods as Carrie scribblesthirteenon the board right as the quizmaster yells out, “Time’s up!”
As one, we all turn towardThe Brainiacs’table. I let out an excited yelp when I notice their board hastenwritten on it, and Alice grasps my arm as she practically bounces in her chair. Anxiously awaiting the correct answer from the quizmaster, we stare intently at him as he says, “And the correct answer is… thirteen!”
“Ahhh!” I screech as Alice yells, “We won!”
She throws her arms around me in a forceful embrace that nearly sends me toppling from my chair, and I laugh as I return her enthusiastic hug. Daniel and Isaac clink their beer bottles together, and still grinning, my focus shifts to Carrie. She sits contemplatively in her seat, but her lips are hooked up in a grin, a twinkle in her auburn eye I’ve never seen before. There’s a familiarity in it. A sharp cunning hidden behind the pleased smirk.
A server stops by the table with a fresh round of drinks for each of us, and grabbing my glass, I return my attention to Carrie but she’s laughing easily at something Daniel said, that glint in her eye no longer present, and I have to wonder if I imagined it. Most likely. She was probably just happy that we won. It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s as competitive againstThe Brainiacsas Alice, she just doesn’t like to show it.
