RECKLESS - Part 1 by Alice Ward Page A

scowl.
    “What?” she asked, eyes wide as she lifted her hands, palms facing upward. “You need it. Loosen up some, chick. It’s not like you actually cheated on Sean. It was phone sex, for Christ’s sake.”
    “I know… but still…“
    “But nothing. You think you’re the first girl to fantasize about Jace Richardson while having phone sex with her significant other?” she asked. “Trust me, you’re far from it. The man is sex with legs. He’s the one man every girl wants but none of us can have.”
    Now it was my turn to be confused.
    “What do you mean, none of us can have? Like, he doesn’t sleep around?”
    Becca gave a quick shrug, filled another drink and pushed it toward me. “Not that I’ve ever heard. And you know how rumors are on campus. Sure, a few girls have said they were with him, but none of them seem his type. They’re more the desperate ones. The rest of us, we just swoon, fantasize, rinse and repeat.”
    “How is that possible?” I asked, still in a state of shock.
    “I think he’s secretly gay,” Becca said, pouring her own drink and then lifting it to her lips.
    I mouthed the word gay as if it were a dirty word.
    “No, not really,” she laughed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “But it’s what I tell myself when I want to just throw myself at his feet and offer to suck his cock.”
    My mouth fell open in complete disbelief at her brazen confession.
    “Oh, come on. You were just fantasizing about it. You should know.” She gave me a wink. “Now, drink your drink already. I’m buying and I don’t waste booze.”
    I took her advice and lifted the glass to my lips. If there were ever a night to abandon my light wine-drinking habits, that was the night.

***
    Two hours later, I was hanging on the shoulder of some girl I didn’t know at the juke box. We were singing the words to a song I’m pretty sure I’d never heard before. Or maybe I had and just couldn’t remember. Honestly, I was pretty surprised I could remember my name at that point. Either way, we were laughing and giggling as we belted the lyrics at the top of our lungs, completely off-key.
    “Alright, time to go home, Andy,” Becca said, stepping up behind me, linking her arm through mine and pulling me away from my new best friend.
    I leaned into Becca as she led me to the door. “Aw, but I don’ wanna,” I slurred out, not really sure where she was taking me but also not really caring. The ground was swaying, and my only real concern was putting one foot in front of the other and not falling on my ass… and even that seemed pretty trivial at the moment.
    “I know. I know,” she said, patting my arm. “But I gave you a little too much liquid courage, and now I have to figure out how to make sure you make it home safely. I still have to clean up.”
    “My new friend can walk me.” I pointed back to the juke box where the girl I’d been singing with stood, or rather leaned against the wall. I could have been wrong, but it looked like she was puking into the nearby trash can.
    “Oh honey, I don’t think she could find her way out of a paper bag right now,” Becca shoved a door open with her foot and then ushered me through it. “I’m going to have to find her a way home, too.”
    “Pssshht.” Spit flew from my lips as I made the God-awful sound. For some reason, I found that quite humorous. The giggles made it really hard to tell Becca what I had to say next. “I can—I’ll be—I’m fine. I can get home.”
    “I don’t know… maybe I should have you wait until I’m done and then we can walk home together.”
    “Oooo… but won’t you get in trouble for that?” I asked.                            
    Becca sighed. “Yeah. I will. I’m not supposed to have anyone inside when I’m counting the night drawer.”
    “See? I’ll just take myself.” I forced myself to stand upright, or at least I think I did, and then threw my shoulders back a little. “I