Arranged •{ONC 2020}•

《 Chapter Two 》

"So," Hana almost had to shout to be heard over the loud music. "You have to get married to get your inheritance?"

Ashlynn responded by downing another shot.

"I'll take that as a yes. Who's the lucky guy?"

"Who knows. Aunt Leah is in charge of picking one. Apparently, she's quite the matchmaker."

"I wouldn't doubt it for a second," Cassidy snorted. "She's wild. Remember what she did at your twenty-first birthday party?"

"I'd rather not. I couldn't look her in the eye for a month." Ashlynn signaled the bartender for another drink. "I still can't believe you guys called in male strippers."

"Well, clearly your aunt was glad we did. Then again, who doesn't like hot firemen?" Hana smirked as Ashlynn groaned again. "Anyways, did you have anyone in mind?"

"The only people I would consider marrying are you two. There's no way I'm gonna survive this whole mess for six months. Is my inheritance really worth it?"

"Oh, you'll be fine. It's only for six months, what's the worst that can happen?"

"I don't know, Cassidy. Maybe I'll get lucky and they won't arrest me for murder."

"You're such a Debby downer. Look at it this way; you'll finally get to have se—"

"Oh, heck no! I'm not sleeping with anyone my aunt picks! Especially since they're all only marrying me for my money!"

"Ash, you're such a prude. You're really missing out," Hana swirled her drink and cast a glance at the guy checking her out a few feet away.

"I really don't think I am. It sounds disgusting."

"Says the girl who drinks anything with alcohol in it without hesitation. I've seen you down some pretty gross drinks," Cassidy shook her head and finished her drink. "This really sounds like some kind of drama, or cheesy plot for a romance novella. You know, the whole, 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single person in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a spouse.' thing. Very Jane Austen."

"Cass, I'm not even in possession of my 'good fortune.' I have to get married before I can even see a penny of it."

"Bah, details. Anyways, drink up! We're here to cheer you up, remember?" Cassidy waved the bartender back over.

"No, I think I'm good. If I'm too hungover tomorrow María will kill me and Aunt Leah will end up marrying me off to some buffoon." Ashlynn shook her head and emptied her glass.

"Ash saying no to free drinks? Something really must be wrong." Hana looked at her in surprise.

"No duh. I have to get married."

"Hmm, well, if you don't want to drink, let's dance! Nothing clears the mind like a good dance!" Hana tugged the girls off their barstools and led them towards the dance floor. "Maybe you'll meet a hot guy here and marry him!"

Ashlynn rolled her eyes but allowed her friends to lead her into the sweaty mass of bodies dancing to the beat. She wasn't much of a dancer; Hana could lure in any man she wanted with a swing of her hips and Cassidy was up to date on all the TikTok dances. It's sad to admit, but even her nerd friend was a better dancer than she was.

The song changed and the beat quickened. If it had been loud before, it was downright deafening now. Ashlynn could feel the alcohol taking affect, making her head feel cloudy and her blood run hot. The extra heat wasn't as welcome as the cloudiness—it felt like a million degrees in the room already—but Ashlynn sucked it up. She was drinking to dance and dancing to forget. And boy, did she have a lot she wanted to forget.

The air was stifling. Every breath felt like someone was dumping boiling water into her lungs. For the first time in a week, Ashlynn's mind felt empty. She couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't think.

It was bliss. Right up to the point when she felt herself growing dizzy. She knew that feeling, and she knew what came next. Her eyes shot open and she tried to make out her friends through the haze, but they'd gotten separated by the crowd. Another wave of dizziness hit, and she reached desperately for the first thing her eyes focused on—a shirt sleeve.

As soon as her fingers latched on to the sleeve, her legs gave out beneath her and stars filled her vision. Here's to hoping I don't get trampled to death.

Famous last words.

《♡》

Hiya guys, it's the author here! If you couldn't tell, this book is going to be a little more mature than my other stories have been! However, I'm keeping it vanilla, so don't expect any sex scenes. There will be some suggestive material *cough*stripper firemen*cough* and, obviously, Ashlynn likes alcohol. Also, I will be doing my best to avoid cursing. I don't use curse words myself, so you will get to enjoy my silly faux-expletives instead 😂😂

Chapter three is in the works! I'm on spring break for college this week, so I'll have a little more time to write. But, because it might be a while, I'm going to start including little recaps at the beginning of my chapters from here on out. (One will be added to this chapter later.) By that I mean I am just going to copy and paste the last paragraph (or two) from the previous chapter, so there won't be any new information presented.

Also, if anyone caught the little asterisk * in my story (it was near the beginning) and gets the joke I'm making (more of a spoof, really) message me and I'll give you a shout-out at the beginning of chapter 3 and on my profile! Happy hunting!

That's all for now!

Stay cranky~

cranky-fangirl