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Collective groans sounded throughout the bar.
“I guess flying saucers didn’t cut it,” Rebecca joked.
“Well, guess what, Becca? They don’t give points for wrong answers.” Will had drunk one too many but he showed no sign of slowing down.
Half-eaten plates of nachos, grease-coated fry baskets, empty glass bottles, and aluminum cans littered the table. It would have been a miracle if they escaped the bar with a trip to the gastroenterologist instead of the morgue.
Kenna had polished off one wildflower honey cider and was nursing a second. On several occasions, she’d caught Dr. Merino staring at her, expression unreadable.
Their silent exchange during trivia sign-up had rattled her. She had looked into his eyes and in a matter of seconds they claimed her. She thrashed in those black pools, kicking and fighting to remain at their surface where her lungs burned but she was fortunate enough to breathe.
And then he’d yanked his hand away and it was over. She was dry, no longer drowning.
Just a girl standing alone in a crowded bar.
The alcohol, the interaction, and his unapologetic stares came together to form a dangerous trinity that goaded Kenna into sharing. “Dr. Merino’s actually my mentor for the semester. Imagine my surprise when I found out he’s half of your rival team.”
Will’s face tightened, features puckering as if a sour taste lingered in his mouth. Brandi’s eyes widened to such an extent that they eclipsed her iridescent shadow.
“Oh, God. Why?” she shrieked.
Almost simultaneously, Rebecca asked, “By choice?”
Kenna yielded to a lengthy swig of the cider before aiming the bottleneck at them. “Spill.”
“He has an attitude, that’s for sure,” Will muttered.
“Halftime bonus. I’m going to ask a question and you can put up to 10 answers. Your team will be awarded two points for each correct response. The question is as follows: name 10 films written by John Hughes.”
Liam, a film major, snatched the paper from the center of the table and listed the movies like it was a no-brainer.
“Listen, I had an appointment with Merino when my parents were getting divorced, and he basically told me there was no reason to be upset about it because—and I quote—‘divorce has become a part of our culture.’ How’s that for insensitive?” Will slammed back the last of his chocolate stout like a vindicated schoolboy.
Her first instinct was to shrug at his comment but levelheadedness won out and she refrained. While the response wasn’t the most apropos way of dealing with a patient, she held steadfast to the idea that all clinicians operated differently. Whatever works. If Dr. Merino took a harsh, grounded in reality approach, so be it. The office was his jurisdiction.
Nothing out of the ordinary here.
“Someone told me they overheard him call Professor Addington a dusty old cunt, but that’s just a rumor.” Red splotches covered Rebecca’s cheeks, skin resembling the sangria shade of her velvet dress. “Who knows if he actually said it.”
“Professor Addingtonisa dusty old cunt,” Liam said.
Will pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can everyone please stop saying cunt?”
“Why’d you want to study under that guy anyway? He must be a pretty shitty shrink since that girl killed herself. Jumped off the roof of her dorm complex.” Liam smacked a hand on the tabletop. “Splat. What a fucking waste, huh?”
Though Kenna was disoriented, she managed to muster a defense for the man she barely knew.
“Not all mental illnesses are curable. When a patient chooses to end their own life, the provider really has no control over—”
“Died by suicide, Liam, would it killyouto be politically correct, for once?” Rebecca narrowed her eyes but they neutralized as they fell upon Kenna. “It’s true. They still hold a vigil every fall on the anniversary of her death. I can’t think of her name. Bella, something.”
“Swan?”
“Liam Park, I swear to God.”
Grabbing an armful of empty beer bottles, Will said, “The direction this conversation’s heading, I’m gonna need another one. Anyone else?”
The girls shook their heads and Liam followed Will to the bar, muttering not so quietly that he’d need another, too, if he had to put up with Rebecca for another second. Kenna didn’t know if she had overheard the comment but she excused herself to the restroom. As soon as everyone else had gone, Brandi turned toward Kenna with a conspiratorial smile.
