They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. What happens when life gives you an organ-stealing cult, a horror game come to life, and drug-dealing drama all while you're trying to have a normal junior year of high school? Savanna Marrows is...
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The rest of my afternoon was quickly filled up with helping Veronica and Reggie pull together everything for the casino opening that night. We had already restocked the bar, cleaned the entire speakeasy top to bottom, and Veronica had crews throughout the day to set all of the casino machines up.
After that, we took a short break to grab a quick meal while waiting for Josie and her crew to show up. I slightly regretted choosing a skirt for the occasion since the air was practically blowing down my back and making me shiver.
"Get this," Veronica commented as she sat down at the empty chair next to Reggie and me. "When I went home after school, Daddy brought up me turning the speakeasy into a casino. He has a client he's trying to land and I made a deal that if we make sure he gets this gig, we get 5% of our debt shaved off."
Reggie nodded. "I like the sounds of that. We might actually be able to pull this off."
"Hopefully," Veronica responded. "I'm going to push my luck and attempt to get any leverage on Gladys as well to see if we can maybe land a similar deal with her. Any help we get, the better."
Soon after, Josie was walking down the stairs of the speakeasy along with a few other individuals Veronica had pulled together to work down here.
"Welcome friends, to the casino at La Bonne Nuit," Ronnie greeted as she introduced the newly upgraded space.
Reggie hopped up from his seat at the bar. "Pretty sick, right? We've got poker on the floor, blackjack at the bar, nickel and quarter slots along the wall, and a horse race-themed wheel of chance in the corner. But don't worry, I got dibs on spinning it."
"It goes without saying that discretion is of the utmost importance," Veronica continued as she crossed her arms. "We don't want the police sniffing around down here."
Josie raised her hand slightly. "Uh, the question has to be asked. What if we're raided?"
"We have made upgrades to the place that account for such a threat. Reginald?" My sister motioned to Reggie to show the magic, to which he responded by going around and quickly hiding any and all evidence of the casino. "At which point I bat my eyelids and say, 'what secret casino, officer?'"
The group in front of us began clapping at the demonstration. Veronica was quick to change the topic into assigning people to roles. Obviously, Josie would be the resident performer, as she had been for quite some time now. Once everyone was settled in, she clapped her hands. "Perfect. There are uniforms in the back for everyone, Josie you will begin at 7:30 sharp so whatever you need to do before then, make sure you're back in time. We're opening in 30 minutes, everyone!"
Unsurprisingly, Gladys arrived at 6:00 on the dot and immediately took her usual spot at the bar. I quickly poured her requested drink before handing it to her without a word.
"You know, you probably don't know this about me, but when I was your age, I used to perform at the Whyte Wyrm. I was kinda like the Joan Jett of Riverdale," She told us as she took a sip of her drink.
