The Night It Started

The look on B---'s face said “are you fucking kidding me?” The words from B---'s lips said “are you fucking kidding me?” G--- finished passing out the shots and he and T--- stood conspicuously empty handed as their friends glowered. “There's no way I'm doing this shot. First, you're not a chick, and second, you're not hot.”

“Really? That's all it's going to take?” T--- raised his eyebrow. G--- and T--- looked at each other and smirked. “Wait just a second.”

FOUR MINUTES EARLIER

G--- caught the bartender's attention and leaned on the bar. “I need five lemon drops, a glass of water...” He looked at T--- inquisitively. “Water for me.” G--- turned back to the bartender. “Two glasses of water, and whatever those ladies want.” He pointed at two girls standing at the other end of the bar. “What was K---'s friend's name again?” T--- asked as the bartender went about mixing the shots. “I think maybe it was A---?” K--- was a friend of a friend who G--- had met a few weeks prior. K--- and A--- (if that was in fact her name) had just arrived and hadn't made their way to where the group was sitting. G--- and T--- watched as the bartender said something to the girls and pointed their way. K--- looked pleasantly surprised and mouthed thank you across the crowded bar.

“We need your help for just a minute,” T--- explained to the ladies. “Our friends won't do shots and we need you to convince them.” The two girls looked amazingly nonplussed at the request and followed them through the mass of people.

The table looked at their friends –impressed, astonished, puzzled, confused– as they returned with the two unfamiliar and attractive young ladies in tow. The bluff had been called and the table had lost. The shots were resentfully downed and revenge was quietly plotted.