Page 14

WORK BITCH

FALLON

“ O kay, I emailed the company I rented the cabin from, but I don’t know if it even went through because of this shitty service,” Amber huffs. Kneeling, she starts rooting through the cabinet below the sink, pulling out a garbage bag.

“What are you doing?!”

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing, Bridge? I’m cleaning up the mess so I can breathe some fresh fucking air while we figure out what to do.”

“Figure out wha—” she trails off. “We’re leaving! Like, NOW!” Oh fuck. No one tells Amber how it’s going to be. Especially not someone she can barely tolerate on a good day.

Amber stands, turning and leaning against the counter.

I’m sure she’s about to pop her top. “Listen, you entitled brat. Either grab a garbage bag and help, or shut the fuck up. I’m tired, and there’s no way in hell I’m driving down a slick fucking mountain, in hillbilly central, in the fucking dark.

” Gesturing to the window, we all see twilight creeping in, and Amber’s made a damn good point.

Even though the storm ended as abruptly as it started, it’s not safe to drive in the after effects.

These dirt roads turn into slippery, hard-packed mud with next to no traction.

Even in 4x4, it’s not smart to travel. “Not only that,” she says, undoing her long black ponytail to shake it out then wrap it up in a messy bun on the top of her head.

“I’m not abandoning the thousand dollar damage deposit I had to pay on my own for us to get this place.

” She looks to Summer, whose mouth is hanging agape.

“Not that I’m complaining. Summer never asks for fucking anything, and I was going to make it happen.

But if y’all could at least quit crying long enough for me to clean and get my money back, that would be great.

” She takes a deep steadying breath before continuing.

“Then I’ll take all your baby asses home. Okay?”

If any of us had balls, she would have us snared by them.

She’s not one for guilt trips, so I know how hard she must have worked to make this trip perfect for Summer.

I’m not blind, those two are closer than the rest of us are.

I think they’ve been through some shit together before they met us, and joined our little group.

“Fine!” Bridget snaps, and Amber looks like she wants to strangle her. “But I’m going to hide in my room until you’re done and the smell is gone. It makes me want to be sick.” She turns, disappearing down the hallway, leaving a thick silence looming over all of us.

“Good, you make me sick,” Amber mumbles under her breath, but I hear it. So does Summer, who snickers quietly to my left, twirling on a stool at the kitchen island.

“How can I help?” Savannah pipes up from the couch, shocking all of us.

We collectively stare, waiting for her to yell ‘ NOT ’ and run away laughing.

Instead, she says, “What? The convenience store bathroom gets real fucking gross sometimes, and I have to clean it. At least this time I’ll be outside with the occasional gust of fresh air. ”

Valid point.

Summer and I join the clean team, offering to do the inside of the house while looking for bleach, rubber gloves, and buckets. Tension thrums through the atmosphere as each one of us harbour a growing resentment for Bridget because she’s not helping.

The aggressive storm actually made this mess much harder to clean up.

The heavy pelting of the rain broke apart the rotting carcasses, running the putrefied remains through the cracks in the deck to a place we can’t reach.

The stench will be unbearable in the heat, and without a doubt, attract predators.

Hopefully, we’ll be out of here at first light though, and won’t have to deal with it in the peak of the afternoon temperature.

We’re finishing up the task when the distinct rumbling of Lukas’s truck pulls into the gravel driveway.

His headlights beam through the windows, bouncing light over the front of the house.

He comes to the door, knocking. When no one answers him after several seconds, he walks in.

“What’s crack-a-lackin, bitches,” he shouts.

Summer busts a gut at his larger than life swagger as he crosses the room.

He places a case of beer and two pop bottles full of fruit and a purplish-red liquid on the island, while still holding another case in his other hand.

I’m completely dumbstruck by his audacity to just waltz in here like he owns the place, but sangria is my favourite… so I let it slide.

Amber comes through the back door, “Did you guys find any bleach?” Her eyes survey the room, landing on Lukas. “YOU,” she growls, pointing her finger. Storming over to him, he holds up a case of her favourite alcoholic teas in surrender, placing it between them, and stopping her in her tracks.

“What did I do?”

“Did you leave blood and guts all over the deck?”

“No, gross. Who the fuck would do that?” Amber glares through him, trying to figure out whether he’s telling the truth or not.

Summer cracks open a beer, diffusing the situation with her over-exaggerated gulping sounds as she pounds back the beverage.

Lukas quickly follows suit, opening the case in his hand, pulling out a tea, and handing it to Amber.

“Why are you here?” she asks, changing the tone of her voice from rip-your-head-off anger to neutral impassivity.

“Well, I wouldn’t be lying if I said I was bored and wanting to play another game of Never Have I Ever.

Plus, I had to replace all your booze I drank last night.

I also whipped up my famous sangria, to say thank you for letting me crash on the couch…

again. Donuts didn’t seem like enough after I thought about it. ”

Savannah stumbles in the back door, hair stuck to her sweaty forehead as she leans against the door frame.

“Finally…done,” she says through heaving breaths.

Wiping her brow with the back of her gloved hand.

She smears whatever abomination that was on her gloves across her skin, leaving a dark substance stuck to her forehead.

“Oh, honey,” I say. “Please go shower, and wash your face…really, really good.”

“Huh?”

“Shower. Now,” Amber directs, pointing towards the hall. Savannah nods, pulling off the gloves, chucking them back outside through the open door.

“Take a shower beer,” Lukas says, tossing one to her. She squeaks in surprise, barely catching it.

“Take two,” Summer laughs, throwing another beer at Savannah as she crosses the room. As soon as she sees what's all over her face, she’s definitely going to need two drinks, if not three.

“Thanks,” Savannah says, disappearing around the corner.

“ Work Bitch ” by Britney Spears starts playing from the bathroom, and the four of us burst out with laughter.

“OH MY GOD, LUKAS!” Bridget squeals from down the hall. She runs up to him, wrapping him in an uninvited hug, “You have to save me!”

“Ummm… What?” Lukas says, clearly confused. Amber grabs another tea, and nods her head at him. Silently wishing him good luck with a freaked out Bridget, then heads back outside.

“You have to get me out of here!” Her shrill voice pierces me behind the eyes where a headache is starting to bloom, and I want nothing more than to follow Amber outside.

“There were dead things all over the place when we got back from hiking. Oh, Lukas, it was terrible, all the mangled animals…and…and there was so much blood everywhere. It covered every inch of the house and porch, I couldn’t even get inside without stepping in it,” she sobs.

Lukas gives her a yeah, right look, and Summer darts through the back door, snagging the case of teas from Lukas as she passes.

He jokingly scowls at her for leaving him with the hysterical mess of a woman, and stealing his booze.

“Can you please, please, please, take me back to town so I can get a hotel?”

“Uhh,” he pauses, looking to me for help but I offer him nothing.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” Bridget says, cupping Lukas’s cock over his pants, fluttering her eyelashes.

Pushing her hand away, Lukas worms his way out from her embrace. Grabbing a beer, he cracks it open, and starts gulping. “Sorry…can’t, I’ve been drinking.”

She drops her jaw, shocked by his blatant disregard of her sex-laced request. “That was rude!” Bridget looks like she’s on the cusp of crying or screaming, and I don’t want to be here to listen to either.

“Yeah, well, so is forcing your touch on someone who clearly doesn’t want it,” Lukas replies, staring her dead in the face. I hold back a giggle.

Lukas isn't wrong, and him saying that to her probably felt like a punch in the gut. She thinks we don't realize he has the same effect on her as he does everyone else. All I’m going to say is that this man makes my ovaries do back flips.

Bridget’s cheeks turn into tomatoes as the rejection and embarrassment weigh down upon her. “Fuck you,” she growls.

“Woah!” Lukas exclaims, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Fuck all of you!” Bridget screams. “I hate it here. Being stuck with a group of nasty bitches who don’t even like me.”

“Hey,” I softly say. “We like you. We just don’t like that you didn’t help us clean. We’re a team…”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Fallon, you stunned virgin. No one likes you either. Give up the innocent act, it’s as fake as your tits.”

Lukas backs away slowly, trying to make a break for the back door to avoid the cat fight, but Amber and Summer block his exit. Clearly having heard the screaming and came to rescue me.

“That’s rich coming from the plastic surgery queen,” Summer says sweetly, leaning against one side of the doorway. “Isn’t that right, Amber?”

“I’d say so,” she replies, mirroring Summer’s stance against the other side of the door frame.

Lukas tries to squeeze between the two pissed off women but they hold their ground, glaring him down.

He folds beneath their gaze, sinking to the floor between them like an obedient guard dog.

Something glints in Summer’s eyes, and Amber throws her a sly wink.

I’m about to bust a gut at the sight of him sitting on the floor, hoping to diffuse the tension in the room, but then Amber’s deathly calm voice invades the atmosphere, sending a chill down my spine.

“Why don’t you do yourself a favour and apologize to Fallon before I show everyone your pre-nose job pictures. ”

Oh, shit! There’s pictures? Bridget is so boned. Savannah and I have been friends with her longer than Summer and Amber have, and I didn’t even know she had a nose job. Fuck, what did it look like?

Instead of apologizing, Bridget lashes out.

Amber watches, appearing almost bored with the whole situation.

There’s a reason we call her the mother of the group, it’s because she doesn’t give in to the toddler throwing a tantrum in the middle of the room.

Summer and I look at each other, equally shocked, but without a clue as to what to say or do as Bridget screams and throws things.

Complaining that no one cares about her, how we’re all terrible friends, and that we better drive her home or she’s going to run into the woods and kill herself, because that will show us.

Bridget’s chest heaves as she tries to get a reaction out of any of us. Unfortunately, for her, we’re all used to her manipulation tactics, and don’t give in. Switching gears, she starts crying, tears streaming down her face, “Please, please, please…just help me.”

Amber looks her dead in the eye, cracks another alcoholic tea, then turns back out through the rear door. Lukas scrambles up from the floor, following her, with Summer leaving the kitchen behind him. Guess they aren’t going to help her after all.

I bet Savannah is hiding in the bathroom until this is all over, lucky ass.

“I’ll fucking walk to town then!” Bridget screams at no one in particular.

“Make sure you take a jacket,” Summer yells from outside. Smoke shoots from Bridget’s ears as she stomps back down the hallway, and I take the opportunity to bolt outside, joining Lukas, Summer, and Amber at the fire pit.