WRITING CONTEST

She couldn’t remember exactly how it started, but she accepted the challenge of a drinking game between one of Elliott’s customers. Whoever lost had to cover the tab. The game was seven, eleven, or doubles. An easy game to play and get pretty wasted on. Both of them had more than several drinks go down into their systems. The greenette could feel her cheeks already flushing from the intoxication settling into her system. A competitive smirk graced upon her lips as she stared at her competition. “I’ll give you one more chance to back out.”

“Fagedda bout et, Green Fairy. I’ma to win gonna.”

He's so drunk, he couldn't words.

Little did he know that Aralynn’s alcohol tolerance was actually pretty high. She used to party hard in her teenage years building it up to what it was now. It was how she knew how to play several other drinking games in the process. But she wasn't going to tell him that. Or the fact that she was cheating too. Sleight of hands was a trick her ex used on her when they played these types of games. It was how he always won or came out on top.

Was it wrong? Yes, it most certainly was. Just because somebody did it to her in the past didn’t mean she had to do it in the present. But to be fair, he was just a stranger whom she wasn’t going to see ever again. It was better to take advantage over him than let another man walk all over her again.

Her drinking opponent finally called it quits after his last shot tipping over the barstool and falling on the floor passed out drunk. A content smile graced upon her lips but quickly dissipated the moment she saw Elliott’s face. He saw right through her playfulness and the look of disapproval was obvious.

“You cheater. You knew you were going to win the whole time.” He went over to grab his cell phone to call a cab for the passed out customer. Guy had to wake up eventually to pay the bill. “He was asking for it the moment he came up to me. I couldn’t run the risk of getting taken advantage of, Ellie~”

“That’s a pretty weak excuse, grass-head. You know I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you in my pub. You don’t trust people that well, do you?”

No, she didn’t. Her brows knitted forming a slight ‘v’ shape at the news. Her high of victory was suddenly replaced with discontentment. “Way to kill a buzz, bartender,” she said with a sad smile, “Never knew you were such a good guy.”

And skilled at making her feel guilty. “Give me the bill. I’ll cover it.” Two wrongs don’t make a right. Never knew there would be a day when somebody would call her out on it. Looks like she had more to learn as well~

promp: "I’m getting sick of that word."
notes: idk i told laika i'd enter, n i'm delivering.

"dexter are you serious? you can't leave the island, you're just a kid!"
"you can't runaway like that again! you'll worry your mother."
"ms. doe, i'll be frank. you can't get into that school, you're grades simply aren't up to par."

at seventeen, dexter is a ball of reckless and impulse with a hate of the word "can't". everyone tells her what she can't do, no one tells her what she can do. so she takes it as the things she can't do are the things she should do.

she runs away more times than she cares to count. her parents yell at her until the black skies turn blue and her eyes go from wide to droopy. she gets off the island a couple of times, smells the ocean breeze and sees the clear water below the boat. she's brought back every single time, and lectured until she swears the other person's face turns blue. she applies to every school that her teachers tells her not too and - unsurprisingly - doesn't get into any of them. her blue eyes turn gray from the boredom of having to listen to more lectures from more boring mouths.

after she graduates, she goes straight to work. she saves up some money for a while doing odd jobs and filling in for friends when they can't turn up for work. eventually, she figures she has enough.

she packs a backpack full of random things and her stuffed animal and leaves the house without saying goodbye to her parents. she's eighteen when she leaves, her parents don't lecture her when she comes back. she pays for a ticket for the next boat off the island and smiles to herself as she waves bye to the driver of the boat and places two feet on new, solid ground. no lecture from them either. she does some interning while she's away, it's not schooling, but it gives her some experience and her bosses like her quite a bit. she doesn't get a lecture from them either.

at twenty-one, dexter hasn't been lectured in quite a while, and she swears the next time someone tells her she can't do something, she'll punch them in the fucking face.