Waking Up in Vegas

Chapter 2

**one week later**

“Nichole. Nichole? NICHOLE!” Nichole immediately sat up, knocking her phone off onto the floor in the process. “What??” she asked, slightly panicked. Carly laughed as she gestured for her to keep her voice down. “We just landed.” She said quietly. Nichole stretched and rubbed her eyes as she reached for her pink hoodie.“You didn’t have to give me a heart attack.” She grumbled. Carly laughed again and pulled her black beanie back on. They both jumped when the intercom screeched.“It is now safe to exit the plane, thank you for flying with us today. Enjoy your stay and remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Carly just shook her head. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” She mumbled. Nichole grinned as she stood up. “Oh cheer up! We’re in LAS VEGAS.” Carly smiled slightly as she stood as well. The two girls followed the crowd out of the plane and into the lobby of the Las Vegas airport. They stood anxiously by the baggage claim waiting for their luggage. “Ok so according to the map I pulled up yesterday on Google, our hotel is only a five minute drive from here.” Carly stated. She pointed to the hotel’s location in relation to the airport on the paper map in her hands. “Since we put all of our stuff into one suitcase we could always walk.” Nichole suggested. “It would give us a chance to sightsee a little bit.” Carly nodded and slipped the map into the front pocket of her hoodie. Nichole pulled their suitcase off of the conveyor belt and turned to face her roommate. “Ready?” she asked. Carly nodded again. “Ready!” she said. The two girls made their way towards the exit. Carly gasped as she stepped out of the airport. “Wow.” She breathed. The city lights were dazzling at night. The entire strip was brightly lit. People were walking up and down the sidewalk. It was crowded, but not overly crowded. Nichole was speechless as well. “Still regretting coming?” she asked finally. Carly shook her head as they walked down the sidewalk. “No way.” She said, still in awe at the sights around her.

**

“Room 766, room 768…ah here we are. Room 770.” Nichole pulled out their room key and quickly unlocked the door. Carly picked up the suitcase and carried it inside after her. It had taken them only fifteen minutes to walk to their hotel from the airport. “Nik this suite is amazing! How did your mom get us a room this nice??” she asked. She laid the suitcase down on the couch and explored their room in awe. Nichole just grinned and shrugged. “She’s got connections. Look it’s only 9:30. If we get dressed and freshened up quickly we can be down to the casino by 10. That’ll give us a few hours.” Carly sighed. “I thought we were just going to relax in the suite tonight.” she said disappointedly. Nichole crossed her arms. “I never said that. I said we were going to take it easy tonight, not that we were going to sit in the room and do nothing.” Carly opened her mouth to interject. Nichole raised a hand to silence her. “Now get dressed. We’re going downstairs to the casino and you are going to enjoy yourself.” Carly grumbled to herself as she unzipped the suitcase and pulled out a tanktop and shorts. “Fine.” She muttered, crossing the suite and walking towards the bathroom.

**

Two hours later Carly sat perched on a barstool in the downstairs casino, watching as Nichole chatted with a few guys a few seats down. She sighed and took a teensy sip of the cocktail she had ordered. She made a face and sat it back down on the counter. “Alcohol not really your thing?” the bartender asked with a faintly detectable Australian accent, smiling warmly at her. Carly smiled sheepishly and shook her head. “Not really.” She admitted. He laughed and took the glass off of the countertop. “Don’t worry about it love, I see it more often than you would think. Your friend seems to be having a good time though.” He said, gesturing to Nichole. Carly laughed and rolled her eyes. “This is every weekend back home for her.” She said. The bartender mixed a few different things together in a glass and handed it back to her. “Here ya go. Completely alcohol free. No one has to know besides the two of us.” He said quietly, winking slyly. She took a sip and nodded. “Oh that’s good. Thanks.” She replied quietly. He nodded. “Anytime.” “Carly!” Nichole stumbled her way over to where her friend sat. Carly laughed as she hopped up onto the stool next to her. “Nichole it’s only 11:00 and you’re completely wasted!” she scolded. Nichole waved her hand dismissively. “Please. I am totally fine. I have a very high tolerance.” She assured Carly. She turned to face the bartender. “I’ll have whatever she’s having.” Nichole said, gesturing to the glass in Carly’s hand. The Aussie nodded and turned around to mix her drink. Carly wondered if he would give her the same non-alcoholic cocktail he’d given her, seeing how drunk Nichole already was. “Uh ohhhh.” Nichole slurred. Carly took another sip of her drink. “What?” she questioned. Nichole was grinning. “There’s a hottie staring at you.” She whispered loudly. Carly rolled her eyes. “Where?” she asked curiously, playing along. Nichole gestured to a table a few yards away from them. Carly glanced casually in the direction she had pointed. There were four guys sitting at the table, two blonds and two brunettes. One of the blonds was staring directly at her. He quickly looked away once he saw her looking in his direction. Carly blushed slightly and turned back to Nichole. “I think your friend is right.” The bartender noted. He handed Nichole a glass. She took a sip and made a disappointed face. “Not very strong.” She commented. Carly and the bartender exchanged knowing glances. Nichole downed the entire beverage and looked back at Carly. “Why don’t you go talk to him?” she asked pointedly. Carly scoffed. “If I don’t talk to guys back home, what makes you think I would talk to one here?” she asked. The bartender took Nichole’s glass and looked over at Carly. “You’re in Vegas darling! He’s clearly interested and you aren’t drunk. Might as well.” He said encouragingly. Carly sighed and turned back to look at the blond. His friends were all talking and gesturing in her direction, clearly encouraging him to get up and talk to her. He was blushing a bright cherry red. Carly giggled. He was really cute. He appeared to be about her age, maybe a bit older. His sleeveless shirt showed off his well-toned arms. His hair was clearly bleached; his brown roots were beginning to peak out. But it looked good on him nonetheless. She turned back around and rested her arms on the countertop. “I’m old fashioned. If he wants to talk, he’ll come over here.” She said with finality. “Excuse me.” A male voice spoke up from behind. Carly jumped and nearly fell off of her stool. She whirled around and saw the blond standing behind her. He laughed. “Oh crap, I didn’t mean to startle you!” he said quickly. She shook her head and laughed as well before hopping down. “No it’s ok.” She assured him. He shoved his hands into his pockets nervously. “I’m Ross.” He said shyly. She smiled. “Carly.” She replied. “And I’m Rocky.” Another voice called from behind Ross. One of the brunettes and the other blond appeared. “These are my brothers. Rocky and Riker.” Ross introduced, pointing to the brunette and blond respectively. He pointed to the second brunette still sitting at their table. “And that’s Ellington. No relation.” He said. Carly nodded. “So what brings you guys to Vegas?” she asked curiously. “Just a bro-bonding trip. What about you?” Riker asked. Carly gestured to the very drunk girl sitting at the bar, attempting to flirt another drink out of the bartender. “My best friend dragged me here.” She admitted. Ross laughed. “Dragged? It’s Vegas babe! You’ve gotta relax and enjoy the ride. Hey man, a round of tequila shots.” He said, tossing a few bills onto the counter. “Oh I don’t know…” Carly said hesitantly. Ross turned and flashed her a dazzling smile. “Just one drink? We’re all in a group. What could go wrong?” He smiled hopefully. She sighed and picked up one of the shot glasses the bartender had placed on the counter. “Why not?” she said, smiling back. The other three guys each picked up a glass. “Hey hey hey…no shots without me!” Ellington called as he approached. He quickly picked up the remaining glass and downed it in one gulp. “To Vegas!” he called. Clearly he was already a bit tipsy. Carly laughed and hesitantly took a sip. She winced as the liquid burned her throat. “Better just to down it all at once.” Rocky suggested as he quickly drank his. Ross and Riker had already finished their shots. Carly took a deep breath and tilted her head back, downing the shot in one quick gulp. She slammed her glass back down on the countertop. “Let’s do another!” she said excitedly. Ross laughed as he gestured to the bartender. “Another round!” he called. Carly giggled as she picked up a second shot glass. She clinked her glass against Ross’s and downed it immediately. Nichole was right; she needed to kick back and enjoy herself. She would have time to be serious once she got to Harvard the next fall. For now, she just needed to loosen up and have fun. “Let’s get this party started!” Ross called loudly. He slung his arm around Carly’s shoulders and led her back to their table. Nichole and the other three boys followed closely behind.

**

Carly rolled over groggily and looked at the alarm clock next to the bed. It was noon. She groaned and sat up slowly. Her head was pounding. She looked around the room. It was a very expensive looking suite. The bedroom door was open; she could see a poshly decorated living room and an entranceway to a brightly lit kitchen. She stiffened. This wasn’t hers and Nichole’s suite. She felt her heart drop as she slowly turned to look in the bed beside her. Ross, the blond from the night before, was laying next to her. She quickly looked down at herself and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she was still mostly clothed. She was dressed in plaid boxer-style shorts and her white undershirt. She recognized the shorts as a pair of pajama shorts that she’d brought with her from home. She hesitantly pulled the blanket away from Ross’s sleeping body, praying that he was clothed. He was, mostly. He had on a pair of neon pink swimtrunks. Carly laughed silently. She had absolutely no recollection of the night before, but she was sure it was a funny story. She quietly slipped out of the bed, careful not to disturb Ross. She was slightly disappointed in herself; getting wasted and partying all night in Vegas with no recollection of it all hadn’t been a part of her plan for the weekend. But all appeared to be well, so she wasn’t overly concerned. She walked gently out of the door and into the living room. The entire suite appeared undisturbed; clearly they had done their partying elsewhere. She stepped into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets, praying she would find something for her pounding headache. She discovered a bottle of aspirin and gratefully reached for it. She turned the bottle over and dumped two pills into her left hand. She froze when she noticed an article of jewelry that hadn’t been present on her body the night before. There was a delicate gold band on her ring finger.