Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G. Page A

yellow Slip N Slides that a group of bikini clad partiers were using to their full advantage.
    We made our way down the deck’s steps and walked past the Jell-O pool, over to a table of flashing neon lights that read, “BAR.”
    “What can I make for you ladies tonight?” The bartender asked. “The special tonight is three dollar Jell-O shots, but I’ll give a two dollar discount if you lift up your shirts right now and flash me.”
    “You wish.” Nicole laughed. “We’ll take four shots of vodka. Each.”
    “Sounds good.” He tapped the table with his fingers “That’ll be thirty two dollars.”
    “Wait!” Josh rushed over, moving behind the bar. “Wait. You can’t charge Arizona.”
    “Who’s Arizona?”
    “That one.” He pointed his finger at me and narrowed his eyes. “She’s my roommate’s number one.”
    “So?”
    “So, in exchange for him agreeing to let us throw this little party here…” Josh returned the dollar bills to Nicole. “She and her friend don’t have to pay for any of their drinks tonight.”
    The guy shrugged and made the drinks while Nicole gave me a high five.
    “Tell me, Josh.” I crossed my arms. “Did you do that out of the kindness of your heart or were you forced?”
    “I was forced. If it was up to me, I’d charge your ass triple.”
    “I’ll be sure to drink all night then.”
    “Right…” He smiled and playfully pushed my shoulder. “I’ve got four of my guys running safety rides all night. Let me know if you and your friend get too drunk to drive.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Anytime.” He stepped back, slowly looking me up and down with his eyebrow raised. He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he settled with a “See you later” and walked away.
    “Thank you very, very much!” Nicole winked at the bartender as he handed her a tray of red cups. “Let’s go sit over there, Ari.”
    I followed her to a small wooden bench, and she set the drinks between us.
    “Make sure you tell Carter I said thank you,” she said. “Once again, your friendship with him comes in handy at just the right moment…Now, to take full advantage of your discount, we’ll need to drink all of these back to back and then we’ve got to do four more.”
    “Eight shots within the same hour? Are you insane?”
    “Not at all.” She handed me a shot. “Live a little, Ari. Since you’re not having sex and god knows the next time that’ll happen for you, you might as well experience something in life that feels good. Alcohol would be more than a great start.”
    I tossed back two shots and winced, clenching my teeth together as the liquid burned my throat.
    She handed me the other two cups, and as if she could read what was on my mind, she put up her hands in a fake surrender. “No, I’m not going to attempt to drive back tonight. We’ll catch a safety ride at the end and I’ll get my car tomorrow.”
    “Great.” I finished off my shots and held my hand over my chest until the searing sensation went away.
    “Ready for the next set?” Nicole asked, standing up.
    “Oh, no. I have an early date with that guy Chris I told you about tomorrow, so I really shouldn’t drink that much. ”
    “If I was Carter, I’m sure you’d happily agree to drink more with me right now...”
    “If you were Carter, you’d know that I’m a super-lightweight.”
    “Well, thank god I’m not him, huh?” She pulled me up and tugged me over to the bar again. This time, instead of sitting down to drink the next set, we drank them in front of the bartender, and he even joined us for two of them.
    By the time the eighth one had entered my bloodstream, I was feeling loose and overly happy. And I wasn’t sure what came over me, but I ordered even more alcohol. Now unable to resist Nicole’s whines of “But everything is FREE!” I downed several mixed drinks, nameless concoctions, and at some point, I was pretty sure I drank a shot straight out of her