Page 1 of Dirty Roulette
Chapter one
Payton
It never happened.
Or, at least that’s how I plan on treating tonight.
I’m going to cram all the awful things about tonight into a tiny little box and slap a padlock on the latch just like Mum taught me. Say nothing. Forget. And remember – nobody gives a shit because it never happened.
A perfect ring of orange embers sears the fresh joint of bad decisions that never happened. The mischievous glint in Charlie’s gray eyes matches the intensity ofI Prevailblasting through the speakers in her brother’s Jeep Wrangler weborrowed. I have zero regrets about the grand theft auto, only because I’m jamming out next to my best friend.
Herbal pools of smoke dance out of her nostrils like clouds. She passes me the joint, and I inhale, letting the sweet sativa brand my lungs.
Plump blue numbers blink 11:46 on the dashboard. In the distance, Fat Bastard’s long-lost twin works his rolls around the steering wheel of a rusty BMW on the dark side of the 7-Eleven we pulled into.
Mr. Clorox.
Charlie shoves a hand in the pocket of her denim shorts and unveils the note tossed at her during freshmen orientation. My pulse pounds as she unfolds it.
HOW TO GET A SLEAZY CHEERLEADER DRUNK
1. DRESS LIKE A HOE.
2. PARK AT STALL THREE AT 7-ELEVEN AT 11:46 TONIGHT.
3. FLASH MR CLOROX, AND POCKET YOURSELF A TREAT.
- ANONYMOUS
I stretch my head out the window and pump number 3 flickers above us with drunken-brown beetles buzzing. “Dude!” I groan and sink back into my seat. “Who wrote the note?”
“Why? Are you salty?” She arches a brow as she blows out another puff of smoke.
Two-point-five-seconds pass and I lunge over the center console, but she twists away, the note crumbling in her grip. “Give me that!”
“What’s your problem?” Charlie asks, with the joint wedged between her lips.
“That note is!” My palms sweat as I reach for the note, but she presses herself against the window.
The embers burn orange in the reflection of her gray eyes as she chuckles and coughs. “It’s just a piece of paper. Chillax!” She tosses the note, and it hits the bridge of my nose. Like a feral cat, I rip it to shreds in my lap.
“That dude is a freak! We have baby faces!” I smack the back of my skull against the headrest.
“Do you wanna be part of Cheer Phi or not?” She asks, lifting her shoulders to her cheeks.
I run a hand through my hair. “I do...”
“Then relax. I’m flashing, you’re looting.”
I release a sigh, cemented to the seat with a heavy weight overflowing in my chest. Charlie knows exactly how to kill me and I’m about to flatline.
“I dunno.”
“Stop tripping.” She twinkles with a sly smile and her iconic dimples cave into her plump cheeks. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”
With a thumb and index finger, I pluck the joint out of her hands and take a hit. “I’m not into this stupid initiation shit Brittni put you up to.” I roll my eyes.
“It’s a silly game. We are just having a little fun. Plus, she guaranteed us spots for the sorority house next semester,” she gushes.
