Yesterday wasthe day! You can read my short story, “The House Always Wins,” on Cutleaf Journal’s website. But the best part… I found this amazingly stupid goat picture to go with it.
An excerpt:
Water licks her body and sprays her face as the three of them speed out on the river in Bobby’s motorboat. Tess has already lost count of Bobby’s drinks, but she tells herself he’s the kind of guy who can hold his beer. They approach a secluded strip of beach with ten boats tied up in a row. Bobby slows the motor. Through strains of Lynyrd Skynyrd and 2Pac, Tess hears laughter and the satisfying crack of cans being opened. Cigarette smoke and weed waft through the air. Sunburnt guys with too many blurry tattoos stand waist-high in the river holding beer cans. In between sips, they ogle the girls on boats—a mess of bikinis, sunglasses, and loose flesh.
After they tie up, Tess climbs down to stand in the water next to Garrett. He slides his arm around her, and next to his tall frame, she feels protected from the gaggle of drunk white people. From under her sunglasses, she reflexively scours the group of partygoers until she finally spots another Asian girl, simultaneously relieved and annoyed to see her. The girl flirts with a group of white guys on the beach, who are clearly enthralled. Slender with black hair that kisses the top of her ass, the girl’s string bikini clings to her bronze body like she was born wearing it. She catches Tess staring and abruptly looks away. Nearby, Bobby sees the direction of Tess’s gaze. He crushes his can in a tight fist.
“I’d bet that one likes it rough,” he mutters. “Chinese chicks will let you do just about anything.” He roars with laughter at a joke that doesn’t feel like one, his pale, wet belly jiggling in the hot sun. Garrett coughs loudly and tilts his chin towards the boat.
“Hey Bobby, that bottle of American Honey still in the cooler?”
Also, good news—I just checked and, yes, Virginia, there are sporks in prison. Whew.
Let me know what you think of the story! CW: reference to heroin overdose.