The Checklist (Explicit Version)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER I
The List

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Disney men don't exist in real life.

That can be argued as a good thing because of that dude from Pocahontas or Snow White. But then there's Mulan. Tangled. Princess and the Frog. They had my version of prince charming. Someone who cared for you. Loved you. Respected you.

Respect. The word made me choke on a humourless laugh as I stumbled into the bar. Apparently, respecting your girlfriend by not cheating is a hard task. Cheating on me. Two years in a relationship. Almost ten years of friendship all down the drain and into my roommate's pussy, too.

Flashes of Valerie riding Remi on the couch came back to me. The same couch where we watched movies. Talked until dawn. It was also, unfortunately, directly visible from the window next to his front door. Where I stood, jaw on ground, until someone left their bungalow next door.

Now I'm standing inside my favourite bar. I wanted to get drunk.

Even though I lived in a college city that was always packed with energy and excitement, the bar wasn't busy surprisingly. That could be because it was the last week of January on a Tuesday. Midterms were coming up.

"Double shot. Any shot. Please," I begged the bartender the moment my butt hit the stool. My desperation must have been obvious because he looked away from the drink he was making and slowly nodded.

My eyes followed him pour vodka into a tall shot glass before handing it to me. "Enjoy," he laughed while I threw my head back and drowned the drink. I barely recognized the burning taste.

Breathing in through my teeth, I brought the glass back down. "Another please."

The man watched me warily but did as I asked. I swallowed it while the voices in my head warned me that I would regret this. I had class tomorrow, but it started at three in the afternoon. Plenty of time to recover from the hangover I was expecting.

The hangover I was expecting because Remi cheated on me. Remi. Boy next door, helps an elderly woman walk across the street, Remi.

Our mothers would have a field day with this. They were the reason we met since mom worked at Lillian's fashion magazine. They were close friends. And her son cheated on me.

I think I would be more heartbroken if I wasn't so... surprised.

Remi cheated. Some time during my internal monologue, I'd begun laughing—and not a cute giggle. I was manically laughing to myself. That realization made me laugh even more.

"Oh my God," I rasped, unable to stop the chuckles from bubbling out from me. Vaguely, I felt tears streaming down my face. "This is hilarious."

The bartender stared at me with horror. I could tell he was going to cut me off despite only giving me two double shots. Sorry to announce, sir, but I, Althea Selene Carras, am a lightweight.

People saw it as a bad thing, but I saw it as cost-friendly.

Cost-friendly. Being single would definitely save me money.

I laughed harder before wiping my tears away. Hand on chest, I slowly stopped my heaving enough so I could ask the bartender for another shot. For a moment, I thought he would refuse me. That alone was enough for me to stop laughing.

Flattening my hands on the table, I leaned forward and breathed, "I've had a bad night, sir. Please."

He sighed with resignation. I forced myself to hold back my grin of victory.