“Wow.” Troy looked impressed. “I’ve always wanted to go to the Bahamas to gamble.”
“Oh, okay.” Sally nodded, looking confused, and I could tell from the look on her face that she thought Troy was annoying as well and she was going to say something. I knew the look well and knew she couldn’t stop herself. “You want to go to The Bahamas to gamble, and that’s it? Wouldn’t Vegas be a better option? I don’t know that the Bahamas is known for its casinos.” She paused and the look she gave him would have made a smarter man blanch.
“Well, I’m pretty good at blackjack. Last year I won fifty dollars playing Bingo at my grandma’s retirement home.” He looked proud of himself.
“Uh?” Sally frowned. “Sorry, I don’t get the connection between blackjack and Bingo?”
“Well, my grandma’s friends told me they thought I’d kill at the blackjack tables with my bingo skills,” he said and I had to stop myself from groaning. He was such a dumbass. I wondered where Sally had found him.
“Oh, okay.” Sally nodded.
“And I did win fifty bucks,” he continued, “so if I keep on winning big, I’ll soon be a millionaire.”
“I suppose, one one dutty does build damn.” Sally nodded, rolling her eyes.
“Huh?” Troy looked confused and looked at me. “What’s that?”
“Another Guyanese term.” I grinned, well versed in the different terms Sally used. “It means that the pennies add up and soon you have a lot of money.”
“Oh, I won fifty dollars,” he said, looking at Sally, “not pennies.”
“It’s figurative. Not literal,” Sally said and sighed, looking over at Cody. “Hey, you guys ready? I’m ready for some games.”
“Let’s do it,” TJ said and I looked over at him and blushed as he winked at me.
“I know I’m excited,” Troy said, hurrying over to the fire and sitting on the ground. He patted the seat next to him and looked over at me, but I looked the other way and hurried to the other side to sit next to Cody.
“So how are we going to do this?” Cody said, drinking beer and leaning back. My brother looked flushed and handsome, and I could see both Barbie and Sally admiring him. I bit my lower lip as I saw Cody looking back at Barbie. I sure hoped that he wasn’t going to do anything to hurt Sally’s feelings.
“We’ll all write our names on a piece of paper,” TJ said. I looked over at him in surprise, not expecting him to be the one in charge of setting up the game of truth or dare. “And we’ll all write a few dares and put it into a different hat when people pick dares. When someone picks truth, one person will get to ask them a question.”
“What if Mila picks me or I pick Mila?” Cody said, looking over at me in disgust. “I’m not doing any sort of crazy dare with my sister.”
“Since when have you cared about crazy?” TJ raised an eyebrow at him. “Back in your frat days…” TJ’s voice drifted off and I saw Cody glaring at him.
“You’re sick,” Cody said, and Sally looked at him curiously.
“What did you do?” she asked him and I stared at him as well, wondering what dirty deeds my brother had gotten up to while he was in college.
“What didn’t he do?” TJ laughed and looked at Cody. “I remember a night with four girls, two sets of twin sisters.”
“Hey,” Cody said, his voice slightly angry, but I couldn’t help but notice a proud smile on his face. “They came to me.”
“Uh huh,” TJ said. “Like those two study-abroad friends from Spain.”
“Hey, is it my fault they both wanted me to show them my room?” Cody laughed now. “They both enjoyed my bed.”
“Cody!” I shouted at him, my jaw slack. “You hooked up with twin sisters and two friends?”
“What can I say?” He winked at me. “Double the trouble, double the fun.”
“You do realize you’re boasting about your sick ways to your own sister?” I poked him in the shoulder. “You’re supposed to be pretending you’re virginal and pure.”
“Hahaha.” Cody laughed again. “And you would believe that why?”
“Would you like me telling you about all the different guys I hooked up with?” I said to him, feeling miffed.
“What guys?” TJ said, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at me.
“Yeah, what guys?” Cody said, no longer laughing. “You’d better not have been doing anything Nonno wouldn't be happy with.”
“I’m a grown woman. I can do what I want,” I said, glaring at him.
“No, you can’t,” he said and glared back at me.
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Yes, I can,” he said with his bossy big-brother tone that I detested. “I’m your brother and I will make sure you stay on the right path if I have to shoot someone.”
“Maybe I’ve already strayed from the right path,” I said and I could see both TJ and Cody glaring at me.