Strings and Schemes

Chapter 14

I gasp, offended. "Immortality, obviously."

"Obviously," Louis echoes, like this is the most reasonable thing in the world.

The bartender sighs again, glances around at the mostly empty bar, and finally grabs a chalk marker. With zero enthusiasm, he scrawls across the drink menu:

"CIDER + TEQUILA = THE RAINA ROYALE (PROBABLY A BAD IDEA)"

I gasp dramatically. "This is the greatest moment of my life."

Louis toasts the air. "To terrible decisions."

The bartender walks away, muttering something about needing a raise.

And just like that, history is made. Louis snaps a picture of me with the chalk board, posting it on his story again. Instead of hiding it, I decide to open my own phone and re-share all the posts Louis has made today. I hashtag it, IndependenceDay proudly.

Louis hurriedly orders two Raina Royale's while I look through my phone at missed messages, a few from my parents wishing me a happy moving day and inviting me to come over for dinner next week.

And one, far more exciting one from Zayn,

"Proud of you, darling. Can't wait to see what you do with your newfound independence xx"

I smile warmly, responding.

"Thanks for being an architect of this wild plan, love."

Lou takes my phone out of my hands, "Uh-uh" he tuts again, "No getting all lover girl on me right here. We've got serious business to get to." I raise my eye brows in confusion. "We are going to leave here in our uber, and go to an offie."

My eyebrows raise, nothing too sinister or horrifying about this plan. Seems relatively safe. I don't question it, as I get into my part of the uber, waiting for Lou to jump in and lead us away from Jamie Olivers, now famous because of the Raina Royale. Obviously.

We head towards an off-licence picking up WKD, the most iconic girl drink in the United Kingdom, and a few vapes of course.

"Louis, this is a terrible idea."

I say while standing on the pavement directly across from the U.S. Embassy, swaying slightly, cider sloshing in my stomach like a tiny, drunken ocean. Blowing smoke out of my mouth. The early evening sky is pink and gold, the perfect backdrop for an absolutely idiotic decision.

Louis, very much unbothered, grins at me. "You say that, but your face says 'peer pressure is a hell of a drug.'"

"My face says I don't want to be arrested for treason."

"Oh, please." He waves me off. "It's not treason if it's funny."

I rub my temples. "That's absolutely not how laws work."

Louis clasps my shoulders, looking deeply into my soul like some sort of drunken prophet. "Raina, my love, you were literally raised by diplomats. That means, by association, you're basically untouchable."

"That's not how diplomacy works either."

But he's already turning toward the massive, important-looking building, rolling his shoulders like he's about to storm a battlefield.

"Alright, on three—"

"Why do we need a countdown—"

"One!"

"Louis—"

"Two!"

"Oh, for fu—"

"THREE!"

And suddenly, both of us are flipping off the U.S. Embassy, our middle fingers raised to the sky like we're leading a rebellion. Louis capturing the whole moment, of course.

I instantly regret it. "Oh my God, what if there are snipers?"

Louis laughs maniacally. "They won't shoot us! They'll just revoke your passport, and honestly, that solves a lot of your problems!"

A security guard shifts in the distance, and I grab Louis' sleeve. "Abort mission! ABORT MISSION."

"Why? This is an act of artistic expression."

"This is an act of us getting banned from every airport ever."

We start power-walking away, in our uber, and Louis high-fives me mid-stride.

"Best dare yet."

"You are the worst influence in my life."

"And yet, you're still here."

As we get further away from the Embassy, my heart rate returns to normal and my watch no longer thinks I'm having a significant cardiac event, I turn to Louis.

"Where to next, captain?"

He smiles, "I know just the place."