Poison

Even better. Thanks.

Vicky smirked from my side, and I realised then that she’d been in on it. Another winner.

The cigarettes were already screaming from my handbag, but I kept my seat as Nicola handed me a juice from the kitchen. She clinked her glass to mine and looked triumphant, and sure, I could get her sense of victory. If that seemed like a way to drag me out of my madness, then I had no doubt she’d have jumped in on the strategy at any cost.

But getting Dawn Richards along? Surely that was stooping to a whole new low.

She was Maya’s wing woman. People had said over the years that they were constantly whispering in each other’s ears like the Bitches of Eastwick. I was just lucky Nicola hadn’t opted to invite Maya along herself in person.

It was only Yasmin Boyle who looked awkward amongst the scowls. She was already deep into her bottle of sparkling, and we shared a whoa, great glance as Amy Miller started up another one of her looming wedding conversations.

I was grateful for the distraction. I’d talk about bridesmaid dresses for the next twenty-four hours straight if it meant even two minutes clear of the Maya posse.

But we didn’t talk about bridesmaid dresses for all that long. Even Amy Miller stopped talking weddings once the wine got truly flowing. I sank into the sofa and kept quiet, smiling as blandly as possible while Maya’s bunch kept up their scowls.

And then they started talking.

Dawn was the one to bring it up, telling the room just how much Maya had been struggling in recent months.

“It’s so hard on her,” she said. “I mean, Lucas usually bails when things get a bit tough, but this time he’s really being a dick about it.”

I wanted to say so much, but I didn’t dare, just kept quiet and sipped on juice while the rest of the girls tuned in to the gossip.

“She’s waiting for him to go back, of course,” Dawn continued. “I mean, she has Millie there crying for family life back together, and Maya’s trying, but this time Lucas just doesn’t seem to want to sort things out. Not yet, anyway.”

“But he will,” Hannah chipped in. “I mean, of course he will. He has Millie to get back to, and they’ll sort it out. They always do. Just so long as nothing else gets in the way.”

Oh yeah. The tension was savage, and I hated it.

I hated how every pair of eyes in the room were fixed on me, and I carried on sipping my drink, craving a cigarette and cursing Nicola’s fantastic wisdom in all of this.

“He needs to get his act together,” Dawn went on. “Sure, Maya left. But that’s because he was being such a total asshole, drinking and watching disgusting weirdo porn late at night, and doing just about anything other than being how he fucking should be.”

And that was enough.

I put my glass down on the side and grabbed the box of cruddy party games from the bottom shelf of the coffee table and cleared my throat.

“Time we got this out,” I said. “Let’s get this party started and stop with the bitching.”

“It’s not bitching,” Hannah said. “It’s talking about friends and their problems.”

“Oh, it’s bitching,” I said, and took the lid off the box. “Let’s just play a game and forget about it, shall we?”

Several of the girls edged forward to get involved in the box unveiling, and Amy Miller even mucked in and pulled the snakes and ladders out, but it seems Dawn wasn’t quite prepared to let it go.

“Truth or dare, then?” she suggested with a swagger, then downed her wine as everyone cheered their approval.

Except me.

I didn’t cheer my approval, because I knew exactly where it was headed.

Disaster.

That’s where it was headed.

Like watching a car crash unfold while you’re in the front seat.

Ellie Borthwick jumped in first with a would you rather fuck Ricky or Jason question for Amy, and the girls laughed as she weighed up her options.

I wanted that cigarette more than anything, just to bail on the stupid game as everyone kept on pouring out drinks, but I didn’t dare show myself up for yet another bad habit while I was already being crucified for my life choices. So, I kept my mouth shut and listened to their sneaky blurted truths and watched their stupid dares.

People doing handstands against Nicola’s fireplace. People doing stupid stripteases like they were in some Amsterdam show routine. People singing songs at the top of their lungs to cheers and whistles.

And then it was my turn to pick my truth or dare.

Of course it would be.

Everyone knew what was coming before Dawn opened her drunken mouth and shot me the evils.

“Exactly what’s going on between you and Lucas Pierce, Anna? Truth or dare?”