Chapter Five

      ‘Right guys, you know the rules. Drink up as fast as you can and the first group back to the bar with their empty pitchers wins,’ the bartender said.

      The crowed rumbled their excitement, while Ciara stood over the tallest, fattest jug she’d ever seen. The colours were pretty, and she hoped the limes diluted some of the rum, but the sheer size of the thing scared her.

      Almost everyone had to stand up to get to the straws.

      The queue for the bathroom was going to be tremendous after this. If she even made it that far. Which was very unlikely.

      Gem and Elle didn’t look as put off as she was. Elle’s refusal to quit had got her far in uni, but this was something else entirely. Gem no doubt had her eyes on the prize, and she did love winning.

      Maybe that would work. Keeping focused on the prize.

      ‘Quick, before we start we need something to remember this by!’ Elle pulled out her phone again and set it up for a picture. ‘Stand behind the glasses and strike a pose. Come on, Ciara. Smile.’

      The phone flashed, making her eyes go all spotty for a second.

      ‘Get me, Gem!’ she handed over the phone and Gem snapped another.

      ‘I’m Instagraming these. Go Team Elle!’

      Ciara rolled her eyes while Gem’s narrowed. Trust Elle to take over.

      ‘Ready, set, go!’ the bartender boomed.

      Ciara did, putting the straw to her mouth and trying a steady suction while breathing through her nose. She doubted anyone could keep guzzling the freezing drinks all the way to the bottom and reckoned her strategy had a 6:2 chance of winning – considering she could handle however many units of alcohol it was packed with.

      Gem had taken the guzzle approach, stopping to gasp occasionally and then get stuck back in.

      Elle was keeping it steady too, but at a faster pace than Ciara. In fact, she was way behind when she glanced around the room.

      She sucked up mouthful upon mouthful, trying to catch up then a searing pain stabbed behind her right eye. ‘Ow, brain freeze.’

      ‘I’ll knock your brain into next week if you don’t hurry up. Drink through it!’ Elle commanded.

      Ciara forced herself to keep going, but the stabbing in her temple didn’t ease up. Someone retched and she looked over to see a ripped guy with bleach blond hair sucking in lung fulls of air, no doubt to stop from being sick. He didn’t succeed and she shut her eyes so his gut load of cocktail making a reappearance didn’t encourage hers to.

      ‘Done,’ Gem slurred, then giggled. ‘Oh dear, I’m drunk.’

      Ciara felt like the floor was swaying beneath her feet and she opened her eyes before the dizzy, sick feeling kicked in. She was neck and neck with Elle and they didn’t have much to go.

      ‘Quick, just pick it up. It’s not heavy now,’ Gem said.

      Elle did, but Ciara’s jug didn’t seem to shift much off the table.

      ‘Come on, Ciara. Think of those vouchers.’ Gem grabbed the bottom, then helped her tip it up.

      After a deep breath, she chugged the remainder of the glass as fast as she could, not caring about the unladylike affects that would no doubt follow. Not caring about much at all anymore as a warm, giddy feeling soared through her.

      She finished up within seconds of Elle and they shared a grin.

      ‘That shit’s finished too,’ Elle said, pointing to another table.

      He was, and the women he was with were finishing up as they watched. ‘Don’t we have to get these jugs to the bar?’

      The other group noticed they weren’t alone in their victory and picked up the jugs.

      ‘Run!’ Elle said.

      They did, kind of. Staggered would be a more apt description. But the other group didn’t seem unsteady on their feet at all as they rounded tables.

      Ciara bumped into a girl who hadn’t finished yet and managed a convoluted apology while she got back her balance.

      ‘Move it!’ Elle screamed.

      Ciara scampered to catch up. They reached out with the jugs, ready to throw them on the bar. The bartender’s eyes were wide and he shuffled back to the wall of spirits as they approached.

      Team Persistent were neck and neck with them now, and since the girls were fast Ciara knew they were going to lose.

      ‘That bag’s mine lady. Back off,’ Elle said to the other group.

      ‘In your dreams,’ she replied.

      Ciara slammed her jug down on the bar, and a loud smash splintered her ears. She blinked at her glass – still fully intact. Both Gem and Elle were beside her, with their jugs on the bar too, without so much as a scratch but her friends were looking behind her with their mouths gaping.

      Ciara spun around and staggered a little. A woman from the other group had dropped the jug. Glass was scattered all over the wooden floor, shining like little diamonds in the light. At least the woman wasn’t hurt, but by the way her eyes narrowed she wasn’t happy.

      ‘So, guess you bitches won by default,’ the woman said.

      Gem laughed. ‘It’s not our fault you’ve got butter fingers.’

      ‘I’d say the best bitches won,’ Elle added.

      Ciara squeezed her eyes shut, but changed her mind the second the room started spinning.

      ‘Come on girls, time to go.’ She had visions of getting into a cat fight there was no way she’d win. Especially now the alcohol seemed to be doing its job.

      ‘After our victory pic,’ Elle slurred, pulling the phone out of her pocket and pulling them close. Ciara didn’t see the flash and dreaded how she looked in the picture but before she could ask to see it Elle had already launched it into social media land.

      ‘I think I’m going to be sick,’ Gem said.

      ‘Fresh air will help,’ Ciara hoped.

      They collected their prizes and Elle took the bag since she didn’t want Gem throwing up on it. Somehow the air only increased the horrible, dizzy feeling and Ciara wished she’d ignored Elle’s advice to starve herself earlier. She was definitely getting something more substantial than a salad when she got back.

      ***

      ‘I don’t even care that I’m tempted to be sick in it, this was so worth it,’ Elle said, hugging the new bag to her chest.

      Ciara ignored her, pulling her body through the massive pool. Gem was on the patio near Elle, perfecting her morning yoga routine.

      She’d already done twenty lengths before breakfast, but not to burn off all the calories from her mammoth cocktail. This was so not about keeping fit.

      Last night after they’d gotten back, she’d raided the fridge and found it lacking so had ordered a pizza. The others