My senior year of college, I was part of a small, tight-knit group of friends who had taken classes together all summer. We mostly hung out at the big apartment shared by about five in the group, and there were maybe seven of us.
The main extrovert of the group who really tied us all together, Clara, had her 21st birthday coming up. This girl had planned all of the 21st parties all year, all the house parties, and barely mentioned her own upcoming big day. Well, the rest of us got together and decided to plan a night out that she would love.
Clara was a beautiful girl with big blue eyes, wavy blonde hair, and curves to die for. More than anything though, she had a ready smile and just wanted the whole atmosphere around her to be happy all the time.
Clara and I had gotten close through our college years, but especially over the summer going into senior year. We were pretty much inseparable at this point and I was all but bouncing leading up to her birthday night out. I went over to the apartment with everyone else to get ready, helping pick her outfit and finish up with hair and makeup.
We all made our way down to the first bar of the night. It was pretty quiet that early on, so we had the space mostly to ourselves. The group broke off into music selection, drink ordering, playing pool, all the fun stuff. Clara popped up next to me all of a sudden at the bar with a dazzling grin.
"Hi," she simpered at me with batted eyelashes, "don't shots sound like so much fun? What do you think, tequila?"
I grinned right back, caught up immediately in her energy. "You got it babe. How many do you want?"