Nightlife ✓

31 | farewell

A / N :

I give you, Drunk Krista. 

Here is your complementary shot of tequila.

Enjoy <3

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VIV WAS SADDER THAN I was about my resignation.

Because once I left Topaz, I would no longer be able to use my staff discount on liquor. So she would no longer be able to use my staff discount on liquor.

In practice, I mean, I probably still could have claimed a discount. Zach would have given me an exception because he had a soft spot for me. And for my farewell party tonight, my friends had even convinced me to drink.

Ever since The Leap—a seminal moment in my life—I had felt more comfortable in myself, and in public, than ever. I was still a homebody for sure, but I found myself enjoying the antics on the eighth floor much more when I could be myself. I didn't feel as stifled as I once did when I knew I could tell people, if I so wished, to fuck right off.

The Jays, Riley, Viv and I all raised our tequila shots in the air. Glass in our left hands, lemon in our right. "To Kris!" they toasted.

I licked the salt off the base of my thumb, downed the spirit quick enough to avoid tasting it, and bit a chunk out of the lemon. After a beat, a warm burn swept through my chest and spread down my torso.

Man, it had been a long time since I'd had alcohol.

Because I'd been out of practice for so long, I didn't intend to get drunk tonight. But I was willing to get tipsy and begin the first step of building up my tolerance. Unfortunately, that was not what my friends had in mind. A quick look around at the four of them made me realise that none of them had taken their shots.

Jamie slid his shot over to me, smiling wickedly. "One shot for getting a raise." I eyed the glass suspiciously.

"Don't waste my liquor, girl," Zach chastised me from behind the bar. "Drink up."

I rolled my eyes and downed a second shot. "One shot for quitting your job," Jake added, prodding his shot glass along the bar towards me.

"No fucking way," I protested, but Jake had lifted the glass to my lips, ready to pour. I sighed and grabbed the glass from him, sinking the third.

Riley kissed me on the cheek. "Sorry, Kris. But, one shot for applying to grad school."

"You're all going to hell," I cursed my friends, and grabbed the salt shaker. The fourth one went down easy because my chest was already so heated. The difference it made was negligible.

Viv was last, and she had prepared the shot glass neatly in front of me, with a perfect wedge of lemon resting on the rim. "One shot for telling your Mom. That took balls."

I rolled my eyes and tipped my head back, already feeling the rush of blood and a pleasant hum in my ears. When I placed the glass back down onto the counter, I saw all five of the empty vessels tidily lined up. Five shots of tequila in succession.

What the fuck had I just done?

Zach was smiling at me with a congratulatory thumbs up.

"You must have a huge amount of trust in me, believing I'm not going to throw up in here," I muttered at him, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth.