Rising Shards

I adjusted in my seat, the wooden chairs of the hotel bar weren't the most comfortable. But I couldn't think of any bar that had particularly comfy seats that I'd been to. After the lake incident, Mahina figured this should be the night we all get completely wasted. She was probably going to do that every night on this trip, but she made a point that we should all be together for this one.

"Maybe one or two drinks," Stella said.

She was a bit cagey about it, I think she was still unsure if she should really let loose, even after checking with Zeta twelve times to make sure nothing was going on at home.

"Oh, come on," Mahina patted her back. "Just let loose tonight. I'll even check out that library tomorrow."

"I'm not sure why you were so against the library today," Evy said.

"Because we're on vacation! We can see a library any day," Mahina said.

"It's a cool library," Stella pouted.

"Then show me tomorrow like I said!" Mahina said. "You need at least one night on this trip to forget all the boring mundanity and have some fun."

"Fine, fine," Stella said. I know it took a lot for her to not argue back about libraries being boring and mundane. She roped an arm around Evy's elbow. "As long as you get totally trashed, too."

"I think I can manage that," Evy said, a wry smile crossing her lips.

I elbowed Alix. "What do you say, you wanna get totally trashed with me?"

Alix giggled. "I think that would be most beneficial to my stress relief, as well."

"Geez, you don't have to sound so robotic about it," Mahina said. "I don't think I've ever gone out drinking with such squares before."

"Hey, I am very down for this, don't lump me in with the others," I said.

To prove that, I ordered a round of shots for everyone. I wasn't sure about Alix, Evy, or Mahina's preferences, but I know Stella and I like the tastier, fruitier stuff. The mood got a bit less square after everyone was at least a shot in, the rest of us getting the hotel's specialty "Big Lake Iced Tea," which had us all past tipsy fairly quick.

"Just gonna say it, fuck my stupid ass parents and their stupid ass bullshit! Fuck them!" Stella said, her voice already twelve volume notches higher from the drinks she had so far.

"There you go!" Mahina said. "See, you really needed this!"

"I needed it, yeah!" Stella said. "And I need Evy…" She headbutted Evy. "Evyyyy…"

"Mhm?" Evy was better at holding her drinks than her girlfriend, but the Big Lake Iced Teas were pretty intense.

"Your family sucks ass too, right?" Stella said. 

"Yeppers," Evy said.

"You should say that too, like in solidarity," Stella said.

"Right," Evy said. She raised her glass. "Fuck my stupid ass family and their stupid bullshit, too!"

"Yeah!" Stella said. She tried to clank her drink against Evy's, but missed. "Any of the rest of yous got family issues?"

We all had at least something to shout about, probably scaring off a lot of the other guests at the hotel bar if the prices didn't already.

"Alright, so I gotta ask," Stella said, poking me, then Alix. "Like, what's your deal, Alix? And before you answer that, I also want to say if you hurt my best friend Pippi, who is my best friend, I won't ever forgive you."

"I would never hurt such an angel," Alix said, making me squeal.

"Shut up! Don't say that!" I said, still beaming.

"Kay, as long as that's clear," Stella said. "You're pretty weird, but everyone is, right? So like, if you're with Pips, then we gotta be friends, and I gotta know at least a bit about my friends, right?"

Alix didn't seem to take any offense to being called weird. She looked a bit sheepish about the questioning, though.

"Stella will do that," I said. "She gets nosy."

"I get nosy!" Stella said.

"I dunno what my deal even is!" Alix said. "I mean, like, you could read my book…"

"I mean like tell me about yourself! I just know you from work!" Stella said. "Mahina too, I mean I know you, our kids go to school together, but like!"

We waited for her to add something, but she just shrugged a bunch.

"Just like! Anything! I dunno, I suck at conversations," Stella said.

"You don't suck at conversations," Evy said.

"Evy," Stella said, like her partner just told her the most heartwarming thing imaginable.

"I agree with you, too, like you don't have to tell us everything, but I feel like I don't know a lot about all three of you," Evy said.

"You know me!" I said.

"I know you're Stella's bestie, that's about it," Evy said.

I gasped, then thought about it. "Well, OK, that actually makes sense, I don't talk about myself much, do I? Then I'll start, and maybe it'll be easier for Alix."

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