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As Adam gets into his car and starts the engine, I notice Nolan and Millie having a quiet, intense conversation to the side as Devon walks up to us carrying a load of bags.
“Hey, fucker, you left all your gear by your locker,” he complains, as he drops one of the huge bags by Nolan’s feet.
“Sorry, dude, wanted to say goodbye to this beauty before she ran off into the night,” Nolan replies with an easy smile and without any trace of the tense manner he had few minutes ago. He has Millie in a tight hug much to her displeasure, judging by the exaggerated grimace on her face.
“Ew, gross, Nolan. Keep your hockey sweat off the goods,” she says to him as he lets her go.
Devon ignores their antics as he continues. “Jude has to stay back and talk to Coach. You girls good to come back with us?”
Millie and I nod, and we make our way to Devon’s car, piling in the back as the two boys get in the front. They chat about the game giving their own post-match analysis, and while Millie joins in, she holds my hand tightly giving me the strength I need to try and decipher what the hell just happened.
* * *
I’m sitting in the cafeteria, pushing my food around my plate, and trying to muster up the appetite to eat. It’s been a couple of days since my argument with Adam and I’m still feeling antsy about it. I can’t stop thinking about how out of character it was for him to turn up and demand I move into dorms. He’s always been the laidback type, so there has to be something going on behind the scenes to make him react the way he did.
Before I can dwell on it any longer Millie places her tray in front of me and takes a seat.
“My darling Thea, your Fairy Godmother Millie has arrived, and she brings gifts!” she sing-songs as she places a small envelope in front of me. I pick it up and peer inside.
“A fake ID?”
“Yes ma’am,” she nods. “You deserve a night out, and so I’m coming through to make sure it happens. You’re welcome!”
I take the fake driving license she’s had made for me and examine it. I have to say, whoever’s done this has done a good job. It’s pretty accurate, save for my date of birth which has had two years added on to it. To the untrained eye, it looks like the real deal. I’m not opposed to having a fake—it’s a rite of passage after all—so I quickly put it in my wallet ready for use when needed.
“Okay I’m in,” I tell her. Millie’s right. I do need a night out after the crap couple of days I’ve had. I need to take my mind off the drama which seems to be singling me out and getting a little drunk at a bar sounds like just the thing.
“When and where?” I ask her.
“Tonight. And we’re going to The Crease on the Boardwalk. It’s not too fancy so we won’t bring attention to ourselves, but it’s a pretty good venue for having a good time and getting drunk.”
“Who’s getting drunk?” Nolan asks as he and Devon sit down at our table next to us. I’m surprised to see them here, given their schedules never usually match up to ours. The look he shoots Millie doesn’t go unnoticed and I remember the little tête-à-tête they had the other night. There is definitely something going on between the two of them and I mentally make a note to ask Millie about it later.
“Apparently we are,” I inform him. “Tonight. Do you want to join us? The more the merrier.”
“Depends on where you’re going,” Nolan replies. “I’m a soon-to-be NHL superstar with a reputation to uphold. I can’t be seen at any old dive bar.”
Millie rolls her eyes at him before answering. “We’re going to The Crease. That good enough for you? If not, too bad, we’re not changing our minds.”
Devon and Nolan share a loaded look between them before Devon chips in. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Sure,” I say. “Why not? It’s not like we’re the first people to go out on a Friday night and have a couple of drinks. Plus, after the week I’ve had, I could do with a few drinks and a good night out.”
“You got ID?” Nolan asks us.
“Yep.” Millie tells him, popping the p. “Courtesy of me. And before you get all Mr. Protective-Panicky-Pants, we all know you were buying cheap beer with one when you were seventeen, so you can’t tell us it’s not a good idea.”
Nolan holds his hands up in defense before replying. “Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything other than, I’m in. A couple of beers tonight sounds good, actually. Right, Dev?”
“Yeah, why not.” Devon says after giving Nolan another knowing look.
“Great,” I tell them both. “In which case, see you later tonight. Hope you scrub up well, boys.”
* * *
Millie and I are in my room, putting the finishing touches on our outfits. Despite the fact we’re not going anywhere fancy, we’ve both decided to dress up, and I’m wearing a tight-fitting backless dress in emerald-green, while Millie has opted for a baby-blue halter-neck. After putting the finishing touches to my lightly-curled hair and having a quick make-up tutorial from Millie—I’m now an expert at the cat eye—we put on our heels and make our way downstairs where Devon and Nolan are waiting. Jude isn’t joining us tonight as he’s on a date with some girl he picked up recently. I’m under no illusion my brother is a saint, but I also don’t need to know the ins and outs of his sex life.
As we enter the kitchen, Devon emits a low appreciative whistle, and we lap it up as we twirl around so they can see the fruits of our labor. Boys have it easy; all they need to do is have a shower and shave, pull on some pants and a shirt and run hair product through their hair and they’re done. Girls, on the other hand, need to set aside at least two hours of preparation time to shower, shave, wash, dry and style their hair, cleanse, tone, moisturize, and then pile on the layers of make-up. Some might consider the process too much, but we do what’s required to make us feel comfortable and confident, and right now, I feel like a queen.
