Page 2 of Body Checking
“So what’s in the bag?” I ask, jutting my chin at the bag still sitting on the floor.
Her eyes sparkle and her face lights up with joy. Normally that would make a person excited, but knowing Sasha the way I do, it just makes me nervous.
Still seated on the couch with her legs crossed, she reaches over and grabs the tote by the handles and hauls it onto her lap. With her eyes still dancing, she reaches in and pulls out a large mason jar full of something red.
“What in the holy grail is that?”
She untwists the lid and brings it to her nose, inhaling and then coughing.
“Pomegranate moonshine,” she tells me.
“Where did you get moonshine from?” I turn my head away when she holds it up for me to sniff.
“My cousin, Beryl. He makes his own beer and moonshine. He gave me this one because the pomegranate is full of antioxidants and fiber so he figured it would be good for my skin.”
I wait for a moment to tell me she’s kidding but when she doesn’t, I tell her, “Sure. Nothing like keeping your skin youthful while killing your liver.”
She takes a sip, winces, then coughs. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph. That’s like gasoline. Whooowee. Here,” she says, passing it to me.
“I’m not drinking that stuff. I like my internal organs. I don’t want to pour battery acid all over them.”
“Drink it. You have to. It’s best friend code. I drank so now you have to.” She sits with her arm extended and the devil’s elixir in her hand.
I glare at her, pissed off that she just pulled the best friend code on me. “Goddammit Sasha. Gimme that.”
I snatch it out of her hand and hold my breath and take a swig. Immediately I feel like I’ve swallowed fire. Everything from my nose to rectum is burning. If I opened my mouth, I one hundred percent believe flames would come shooting out.
Sasha laughs as I choke on the water of satan she gave me. “Like my dad used to say, that’ll put hair on your chest.”
“You’re evil, Sasha Caroll. I think that stuff burnt a hole in my esophagus.” I run my hand along my throat, trying to soothe the pain.
“You are so dramatic,” she tells me with a roll of her eyes. “Grab the remote. I want to watch the Havoc game.”
I lean over and grab the tv remote from the coffee table and power it on.
“Speaking of something that sets me on fire. Coach Hammer is de-lish-ous. Lord that man is something else.” I fan myself thinking of Cade “The Hammer” Hamlin.
He’s the head coach of the Houston Havoc hockey team and a former NHL star. He retired only four years ago at the age of thirty-five, and became the coach of the Havoc one year later. The team is doing phenomenal so far this season, and I think they’re going to win the cup.
“Oh look, Maren. It’s your future ex-hubby,” Sasha sings.
“Why does he have to be my future ex-husband? Why can’t he just be my future husband?”
She looks at me with wide eyes and holds up her hands. “Of course he’s going to be your future ex-husband. How else are you going to marry Cole Buckner if you stay married to him? Last I checked, polygamy is against the law.”Cole Buckner plays outfield for the Houston Wranglers baseball team. Yet another athlete I’m obsessed with.
“Oh shit,” I wince when I see Joaquín Santos get slammed against the boards.
It only takes him a moment to recover before he’s racing after the other player and slamming him back and throwing an elbow straight to his opponent's face.
“That guy is doubly hot. Hot head and hot ass.” Sasha holds up the moonshine and drinks, then passes it to me.
“I’m going to regret all my life choices by morning, aren’t I?” I ask her, then take a sip.
“You bet your ass. But at least you’ll be in good company.”
She smiles wide and my consciousness fades somewhere around three-fourths gone of the moonshine, and all the popcorn mix and a bag of chips.
I groan and roll over, peeling my face from the couch cushion it has adhered to. Drool is crusted on my cheek and I try to wipe it away. I sit up and the room begins totwist and turn like a tornado, so I drop back down and close my eyes until the spinning stops.
