Free Dave: Junior Year (Three Daves #2) by Nicki Elson Page B

next to her. “Everyone, this is my beautiful, wonderful goddaughter, Jenny.”
    “Everyone calls me Jen now, Aunt Lou, and I already know everyone here. But they may not have known that I was lucky enough to have you as a godmother.”
    “Aw, honey.” Aunt Lou patted Jen’s hand before turning and shouting to her son. “Kenny! Get us more drinks!” She turned to Jen. “What’re you having, honey?”
    “Hairy Navel,” Jen answered.
    “Ooh, sounds good. Kenny! Two Hairy Navels!”
    Jen didn’t know what the ladies had been talking about before she’d arrived, but their attention turned immediately to the fresh blood. They fired the usual barrage of questions at her:
    “How are you enjoying college?”
    “One year left, huh?”
    “What do you plan to do after school?”
    “Do you have a boyfriend?”
    “No? A pretty girl like you? What’s wrong with those boys?”
    “Don’t worry, the right one will come along.”
    “That’s right. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.”
    The most recent line of questioning struck a nerve just as Jen’s last drink kicked in. She took another swig from her glass and slammed it back down on the table, harder than she’d intended. She glared at the glass, thinking to herself, “What I want to know is, how many toads’ dicks do I have to suck on before I find him?”
    When she looked up, she was surprised by the stricken looks on the faces of the middle-aged women she’d just been chatting with. They were all gape-mouthed and staring straight at her.
    Oh, no. Had she said that out loud? How many toads’ dicks do I have to suck on? Oh, no. Ohnonononononono! She tried to form a sufficient apology in her mind, which unfortunately had decided the whole thing was very funny. Stupid freakin’ vodka .
    She was rescued by a low rumble that marked the beginning of her Aunt Lou’s distinctive laugh. Jen felt a rush of warmth for her godmother as her barking laugh came on full force. Jen giggled and slapped her a high five. The ladies across the table tried to cover their horror with weak smiles while they exchanged covert, judgmental glances.
    ***
    Jen was greeted the next morning by the now familiar headache she’d begun to think of as her dependable sidekick. It remained as a dull ache when she climbed into her parents’ SUV for the long ride back to CIU. The ride seemed even longer as she tried to nurse her hangover without giving her dad any clue she had one. The hours spent slouched in the passenger seat staring through the window at cornfields gave her time to think—not something she particularly wanted to do.
    She couldn’t get the picture of her mother’s friends’ shocked faces out of her mind. What must they think of her? Jen had a pretty good guess. Their expressions had been a blend of pity, disgust, and an assurance that America’s youth was paving a direct road to hell. They weren’t looks Jen liked having directed at her. Would she ever be able to change their opinions of her? Could she change her opinion of herself? She was going to try. With a deep sigh, she resolved to say goodbye to the hangover headache for a while.
    Jen arrived at Netherfield Park Apartments with a new attitude and a new sense of purpose. She’d stop getting wasted every time she went out and would clear her mind of any and all romantic ambitions. She’d also refocus on her studies and find a summer internship. She didn’t need a boyfriend to give her life purpose.
    Jen didn’t have to look far to reinforce her conviction that romantic relationships were a bad idea. Over break, Jake had come right out and told Kate he wanted to be free to see other people while he was in England. He’d told her she should do the same. She’d resigned herself to it, but walked around in a glum fog. All those weekends spent running to Chicago to be with her boyfriend didn’t seem to have done Kate any good
    Tom started coming around the apartment again, but he brought a