The Checklist (Explicit Version)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER XVI
Sex on a Wall

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   "Cheers!" Nellie slammed her shot glass against mine with a wicked grin. "Last moment of relaxation before exam season ends us all!"

   "Hear, hear." Noa grimaced before drowning the shot of tequila. I sent her a knowing smirk before shooting down my shot of vodka.

   It was the first Saturday of April. Technically, exams start Monday, but all of our exams neared the end of next week. Nellie wanted to go out before we drowned ourselves in work, and I offered we invite Noa, since I enjoyed meeting her during Nellie's birthday party. Since then, I've come to realize that Noa was very, very persuadable.

   Like me, she preferred vodka. But as we pre-drank at our house, Nellie's goal was to convert her to a tequila lover. And you know what they say; once you go dark, you can't go light.

   Wait, that doesn't sound right. You should drink dark alcohol and then switch to light because you'll get sick and—

   "Allie, stop procrastinating," Nellie yelled through the loud music, pulling me away from my internal crisis. I did as I was told and grinned. The alcohol flowed through my bloodstream, despite this only being my fifth shot of the night.

   The perks of being a lightweight. I'm at a perfect buzz.

   Hopping on one spot, I brought the glass to the bar behind me and locked my arms with Noa. "Let's dance!" I didn't wait for their reply before tugging her to the centre of the club, which was filled with other students dancing to early two-thousand's pop. I worried that Nellie might have lost us in the crowd, but when I stopped walking, I turned to find her on my other side, watching us with playfully narrowed eyes.

   "You're stealing my best friend, Noa."

   Seeing as she drank three more shots than me, Noa smiled softly and swayed, as if she was in her own world. "Not intentional," she called out, loud enough for us to hear through the blaring music.

   Nellie watched Noa for a few lingering moments, almost as if she contemplated saying something. I figured she changed her mind when she turned her head in my direction and asked, "Did you see Valerie when we left?"

   I hummed, nodding my head while fighting the urge to jump manically to the music. "She was watching us," I said, remembering how our roommate was peeking around the corner when we were in the kitchen forty minutes ago. "Do you think she was waiting until we left to invite someone over?"

   "She wouldn't be secretive with that," Nellie snorted, and I recalled Remi in our living room. My expression turned sour, but Nellie chirped with a suggestive smile, "We're living our best lives without her. Don't stress about them. They don't deserve it."

   "Yeah! They don't deserve it!" Noa cheered with the biggest grin before twisting her wide eyes between the both of us. "Who doesn't deserve what?"

   The music limited us to speaking in a normal tone, so Nellie had to raise her voice and briefly shout how I'd gotten cheated on. That garnered some attention from some guys dancing around us, and suddenly, I looked like a forbidden fruit they couldn't wait to taste. Gross.

   One was attractive enough, in a conventional way, I guess. One of his friends approached us, instantly going to Noa's side. He whispered something in her ear, and when she gave him an appreciative smile, he slid behind her, gripped her waist and pressed himself against her as they danced. I didn't blame him for going to her—she was gorgeous. Being Filipino and Black, she had tan skin and thick, voluminous black hair that had easy to style curls. Her body was full and curvy, and while her dark eyes were round, they were also slanted.