Our Story: Harvey's Life

Sold Out Queen

       "You're a legend!" Mitch exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Tess said.

  "Jason Gerard's mystery woman is the real deal. The clothes she wore on his latest Instagram update has been sold out," he read out.
"Really?" She exclaimed.

"You're on your way to becoming a celebrity," Eva snickered.
"Seriously guys, " Caleb called them together. "How are we gonna get the cure for Jason? The warrant's taking too long to be approved."
 
      "How about a sting operation?" Tess suggested.
"What's that?" Diana asked.
"A deceptive operation. We deceive him into revealing his crimes."
"Sounds good."

    "No,it does not," Jack objected.
"You're still here?" David sighed.
"According to the report you gave me, he recognizes all of you. How will you carry out a sting operation? And by the way,I'm the boss here," he folded his arms across his chest.

  "Yeah and it annoys us so much!" Caleb snapped at him.
"Well, I'd like to see you get rid of that fact," he smirked.
"Let's have a game," Tess stood in front of him. "You can choose. The winner is the boss and the loser had to follow the winner's orders."

"Sounds good," he smiled.

   Tess knew him. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge.
"What's it gonna be?" She asked him.
"We drink."

   "Drink?" David asked.
"As in, alcohol?" Diana raised an eyebrow.

  "Yes, first one to pass out loses."

"I like the sound of that," Tess said.
"I gotta call everyone," Caleb ran out excitedly.

    

      It was 8:00 pm. Everyone was gathered in Tess's living room. Alessia, Johnson, Luke, Jason, and the rest of the team sat on the floor. Jack and Tess faced each other with their cups. There were various types of alcohol there. Rum, whiskey, just name it. Johnson was given the job of mixing it together.

   "He's gonna lose," Luke said.
"What makes you say that?" Alessia asked.
"She has very high tolerance for alcohol. The only way to get her drunk is when she drinks so much. By the time she's drunk, an average human would've passed out completely."

 

    "It's ready!" Johnson announced.
   He had mixed all the beers in a large bowl. There was a big scoop next to it.
"You fill your cups yourselves," he said and sat beside Alessia who interwined their fingers.

   Tess grabbed the scoop and poured herself a cup.
"Bottoms up," she said as she drank it at once.
"Woah," everyone snickered and laughed.
 
   "Thanks for calling me," Jason said to Caleb. "I couldn't go into my house because the reporters were looking for the sold out queen."

"It's okay," he smiled. "I just didn't want you to miss this."

   Jack filled his cup too and drank.
"This is gonna be a long night," Luke muttered, removing his shirt.
"I know right," David said sleepily.

"I'll grab some for everyone too," Johnson brought some alcohol for everyone else except Jason.

  "Can I ask you a question?" Luke asked Tess. "If you don't wanna answer, you drink."

"What?"
"If Scott was still here, would you date him?"

"No," she said immediately and drank.

"Did you ever like me?" Jack asked Tess.
"No," she drank again.

    Jack drank two cups to make up for the ones he missed.
"Why did you live that way in highschool?" Johnson asked her. "I already know about your messed up family so, leave that detail out."

  "It was my comfort zone. I got away from everything else by being like that. Having sex, drinking and clubbing were kinda like my way of getting back at my parents."

   She drank another full cup.

"If you didn't leave like that thirteen years ago, would we be together now?" Luke asked from where he sat.

    There was an awkward silence in the room.
"No."

  "Why?" Jason prompted and she faced Luke.
"You're someone I don't wanna lose. You comforted me in my time of need and I'll never forget that. Not once did I love you romantically."

"That's harsh," Luke nodded as he took a gulp.
"If you think so."
 

   "Why Jason?" Diana asked her. "You're attractive, yes. Luke has been hung on you since you were teenagers but you went with Jason instead. Why?"

    She looked at Jason and drank a full cup again.
"He's different."

   "Different?" Alessia raised an eyebrow.
"If you ask him the reason why he likes me," she smiled. "He'll say it's because I'm different. To me, he's also different, that's why I'm willing to give us a chance."

   "Less talking, more drinking!" Jack shouted. He was a little bit tipsy.

  "Shouldn't you stop now?" Tess asked him.
"Why? Are you scared you're gonna lose?"

   "Tell me about you guys," Tess faced Alessia and Johnson.
"Suddenly?"
"Yeah, you're a weird pair too," She said. "Who liked the other one first?"

"I did," Johnson admitted.
"Why?"
"Turns out Les wasn't who we thought she was," He explained. "Back in highschool, everyone thought she was a slut who sleeps around. She had a bitchy attitude but I don't care."
"Why would you? You were a bad boy too," Luke chuckled.

   "Luke," Tess said. "I've been meaning to ask. Where's your RV?"
"I sold it," he answered.
"Why?" Johnson and Tess asked simultaneously.
"It kinda reminded me of you, so I sold it after you left."

"I loved that van. It was comfy," she sighed.

  
    Eva's head was on Caleb's shoulder and his head was on hers. The team was already dozing.

"Okay!" She clapped and everyone was startled. "I can't say this while I'm sober so," she filled all the cups.
It was a total of five.

    She drank them all.
"Hey," Jason cautioned her. "You'll have a real bad hangover in the morning."

 
   "I have a confession to make," she was drunk. "I.. I'm.. not going back to work in Texas."

  "What?" David exclaimed. "You said you were leaving."

"I'm leaving New York for Texas but I'm not going to work in the force anymore," she let out a drunken slur.
"Why?" Caleb asked as Eva's head hit his shoulder again.

  "I can't handle it anymore," a tear slipped from her eyes. "The screams, the blood, the tears, it's too much for me."

    Jason stood up to sit beside her when she became wobbly.

"I already told you," he comforted her. "It's okay to quit."

  "Let's end this!" Jack shouted again. "Mix us... two.. bowls each," he asked Johnson who stood up to do it. He reappeared with the mixture.

   "Drink up," Jack burped.
"You're so gonna regret this," Jason whispered as Tess drew the bowl closer to herself.

   "Bottoms up," they chorused.

    They were drinking, belching as the mixture went down.

"I win," Jack muttered as he passed out.

   "Victory!" Tess smiled drunkenly as she raised her bowl.
"I'm proud of you," Jason pecked her cheek and carried her.

  "Treat her well," Luke said as he followed them with his eyes.
"I will," Jason nodded at him as he carried her to her room.

  

     He laid her on the bed.
"You reek," he muttered.
"I like this perfume," she said from her sleep.
"Rum?" He chuckled.
"I choose us," she said again.
"Thank you," he hugged and slept beside her.