M.E.: Bwahahahah. Well, the good news is, we managed to share a little more romance with the world. What are you doing for New Year’s this year?
Sara: Uh. The same thing I do every year; eat shrimp, watch tv, and fall asleep around 10:00… What about you???
M.E.: Apparently, I’m coming to your house because you have shrimp. And less children.
Sara: Before you and your facemask hop on that plane, we probably need to thank a couple people for putting up with us and these crazy ideas.
M.E.: Nothing says “holiday cheer” like a surprise book for everyone to squeeze in.
Sara: And squeeze we do. First up is Letitia Hassar for designing this adorable cover! Harrison ended up with a beard because of it.
M.E.: I mean, it’s a reasonable assumption he would have ended up with one anyway. RAWR.
Sara: Listen, I know it’s been a while but calm your hormones lady.
M.E.: Sorry, sorry. We also need to thank Jennifer Van Wyk who didn’t just edit for us last minute, she also waited for us to give it to her because deadline? What’s that?
Sara: Yeeeeaah. I’m just going to avoid eye contact for a while.
M.E.: Probably a good idea.
Jennifer: **pops head in** Did someone say shrimp? I feel like I deserve some because of my comments alone. GOLD, I tell you. Pure. Gold. Also, I accept tips like “Harry” was going to give accounting. Spa day? Pizza?
M.E.: Man, editors are getting demanding these days, aren’t they? Anywho…we also need to thank Shauna for formatting and PR and all things organization. Well done!!
Sara: Seriously Shauna is THE BEST! I don’t know how I functioned before her! And then of course the fabulous reader groups we couldn’t do this without. Neys Little Lattes and Carter’s Cheerleaders. And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg! There are so many great places to find fellow readers.
M.E.: There really are. But you know the best place to find budding readers? With our kiddos, who we do everything for because they’re the best, aren’t they?
Sara: 100% agree. So we leave you with these parting words: thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.
M.E.: You are truly appreciated. And now, it’s time to sing again.
Sara: No it’s really not.
M.E.: Yes it is. Come to the microphone with me Sara and unleash your inner girl band. Should aerated acquaintance beeeee forgot and daaaaaays of aud lang syne!
Sara: We’re outta here…
Did you enjoy our writing style? We certainly enjoyed writing it for you! But wait! There’s more! If you haven’t read FriendTrip yet, turn the page for a sneak peek!
1
Becky
The Early Years
“When I get married, it’s forever.” This announcement comes from my best friend Janine. “Seriously, you guys—one and done. Divorce will not be an option.”
I roll my eyes and pull back the top on the white pizza box, wielding the sharp metal cutter. “Famous last words.”
Call me cynical, but her declaration makes me cringe every time she makes it. And she’s been making it a lot lately. Janine is crazy if she thinks her relationship is going to be perfect. No one’s is. Take my parents for example: both of them married and divorced no less than five times between them, and each of them proclaiming “this is the one” with every trip down the aisle. Or beach. Or Vegas chapel. Or courthouse.
“I’m just saying, Becky,” Janine continues, talking and chewing at the same time. She always does this and it drives me freaking nuts. So gross. “When I get married, it will be for forever. No divorce. People don’t make enough effort to keep their marriages together. They just bail at the first hint of trouble. I know couples who’ve been married three or four times!”
She clamps her mouth shut so fast I can actually hear her teeth knock together, and shoots me an apologetic expression. It’s clear she just remembered my parents’ multiple marriages.
“The system makes it too easy to get divorced,” I intone, letting her off the hook. I slide two huge slices of pepperoni pizza onto my paper plate. Maggiano’s is the best pizza in town, possibly on this side of the Mississippi, and watch as a long, gooey trail of cheese hangs onto the slice by a thread when I lift it to my watering mouth.
I close my eyes and groan out loud.
It’s cheesy.
It’s greasy.
It’s thin crust.
It’s pizza night.
Pizza night… the sole night of the week we’re free to stay in, order out, and spend some quality time with each other—preferably in our pajamas, sans make-up, no men allowed.
As juniors in college, we have very demanding academic schedules and a catalog rotation of nightly socials. Janine and I came up with the general breakdown our freshman year to stay organized and never deviate.
Wednesday: The Escape Club for dancing. The EC has the greatest DJs, the best dancing, and some of the best jams from the seventies. Janine considers Wednesday night her time to shine, and her one night of weekly cardio. Basically, whooping it up until she sweats is the only exercising she’s willing to do. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard my bestie belt out “Summer Nights” with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Janine loves Grease. We still have it on VHS (even though the DVD would be clearer and our VCR is on its last leg and makes a horrific noise when we start it up or rewind the tape) and have seen it no less than a hundred times. She is a stickler for authenticity. She never fails to get pissed when a drunken co-ed sings a verse wrong, or out of tune.
Thursday: Midnight Rodeo night. Another night of dancing, but the two-stepping variety, which involves more muscle and less cardio. While it’s not my favorite, we get to leave our bootcut jeans at home. Janine thoroughly enjoys the view of a cowboy in tight jeans. Midnight Rodeo night is the perfect excuse to break out my cowboy boots, cowgirl hat, and Daisy Dukes, because let’s face it, we won’t have these size two asses forever.
Friday: On- or off-campus parties. Where there’s a house party, there’s Becky and Janine. Just last week, Janine won a quarters tournament at an on-campus dorm party, and the prize was two pub-crawl tee shirts. Score!
Saturday: Greek night. Specifically reserved for whatever fraternity or sorority party is going on. Janine loves any excuse to tie on a toga. Last weekend, her mission was to get me drunk on “trashcan punch”. She succeeded, and we left the frat house with Greek letters written in Sharpie pen across our boobs. Fortunately, we sobered up before we made it to the tattoo parlor and permanently etched the letters into our skin. It seemed like a good idea at the time because that night was awesome.
Sunday: Good Samaritan Day. If you count helping our fraternity friends finish off their kegs before they’re needed back at the liquor store as being Good Samaritans, then we’re guilty as charged! No one wants them to lose their deposits if the kegs are late, so really, we’re helping to promote fiscal responsibility.
Monday: Recuperation Night. Sleep. All. Day. Well, obviously not if we have class, but I’m not sure either of us stay awake past eight o’clock on Monday nights. Not after five straight days of partying…
See? Demanding. Exhausting. Sigh… the life of a college student.
Which leaves us tonight: Tuesday pizza night with the girls.
I filter Janine’s voice over the sound of my own chewing and tune in to hear her say,
“I mean, if I’m going to marry the love of my life, I owe it to him to see past his mistakes and try to work it out.”
She gives her dark brown hair a flip, and her giant hoop earrings sway.
I crinkle my nose as I look at her in disbelief. “What. Ever. If my husband ever steps out on me, his ass is mine. It’s like TLC says, don’t go chasing waterfalls. If he wants to stray, he needs to go.”
Our friend Jennifer Stiltner grimaces. “Okay, first of all, I don’t even understand that analogy because I don’t listen to your music from a decade ago. Secondly, no man is ever going to cheat on us.”
Janine nods her a
greement. “And how do you plan on making sure that never happens? You’re not Mariah Carey. You can’t just make men bend to your will.”
“The plan is easy,” I say, licking the grease dripping down my thumb. “I’m going to make it a point to stay a sex kitten in the bedroom. A man won’t stray if his needs are being met.”
Janine points to me dramatically. “That, my friend, is a solid plan. We should all do that.”
Both my friends nod in agreement because I’m truly a genius.
* * *
Ah, but the best made plans don’t usually come to fruition do they? Meet Becky and Janine in FriendTrip!
ABOUT SARA NEY
Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series and is best know for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s , historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.
For more information about Sara Ney and her books, subscribe to her newsletter:
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You can find more about Sara Ney here:
ABOUT M.E. CARTER
Mother, reader, storyteller—M.E. Carter never set out to write books. But when a friend practically forced a copy of Twilight into her hands, the love of the written word she had lost as a child was rekindled. With a story always rolling around in her head, it should come as no surprise that she finally started putting them on paper. She lives in Texas with her four children, Mary, Elizabeth, Carter and Bug, who sadly was born long after her pen name was created, and will probably need extensive therapy because of it.
For more information about M.E. Carter and her books, subscribe to her newsletter:
https://www.authormecarter.com/newsletter
You can find more about M.E. Carter here:
New Year’s Steve Page 9