Girls night in
It was Andrea's birthday and she decided to have the girls over: Brenda, Sharon and Mikki. Sharon arrived first and brought a bottle of pinot grigio. Mikki was next, and she brought a homemade strawberry shortcake. Fritz dropped off Brenda last. She was running late, couldn't figure out what to wear, and she arrived with a box of Godiva chocolates.
"Brenda, you're here."
"Today," Sharon said curtly. Brenda gave her a look. She and Sharon were sort of friends. You know the friends who admire each other but are too stubborn to get along. Sharon tries but Brenda can be so- her.
Mikki loved the outfit Brenda was wearing; then again, she loved any outfit Brenda was wearing or not wearing, whatever.
Andrea was glad to have a relaxing day with some friends. She had recently ended a relationship and was eager to have some girl time.
"You didn't want to spend the day with Kurt," Sharon asked her.
"We're over," Andrea responded.
"Sorry to hear that," said Sharon.
"I'm not. He sucked," said Brenda.
"How could you say that?" Sharon was mad.
"Easily. He was so bossy, always raising his voice and yelling at everyone like he was their dictator. Good riddance."
Sharon sighed.
"Let's eat," said Mikki, trying to put out the fire.
Andrea almost defended him, but Brenda was right. He was a jerk.
Sharon opened the bottle of wine she brought. She poured four glasses.
They ate a jambalaya with a side of catfish.
"This is delicious," Mikki praised.
"I love catfish." Brenda was happy.
Sharon ate slowly. She was on a diet.
Brenda took a sip of the wine. She didn't like it, too peppery. She set it down and went back to eating.
"Do you not want your wine?" Mikki asked her.
"Too peppery."
Mikki drank it readily.
"Not everyone can handle more extravagant wines," Sharon ribbed.
"Not everyone likes wine that tastes like beef jerky."
Mikki chuckled and chugged away. "I love beef jerky."
Andrea shook her head.
After dinner, they went to the living room.
"We should play a game," Brenda suggested.
"Truth or dare," suggested Mikki.
"What is this middle school?" asked Sharon.
The doorbell rang.
Andrea answered it. It was all the boys, Flynn, Provenza, Gabriel, Tao, Sanchez and Buzz.
"Happy Birthday Andrea!" they said in unison all holding presents.
"We're crashing your party," announced Provenza.
"How rude!" insisted Sharon.
"Are you going to write us up?" muttered Provenza.
"Let them in, they have presents," said Brenda.
"Do they have booze?" inquired Mikki.
"Of course we do!" announced Sanchez.
Andrea let in her party crashers. They stacked the presents on her table.
Flynn heard Andrea and Kurt were over, and he hoped to gain her favor.
Provenza hoped to get photos of a cat-fight between the Chief and the Captain.
Sanchez just wanted to drink.
Gabriel and Buzz were going to go barhopping when they got a call from Flynn.
Andrea was happy to have so many friends who wanted to celebrate her birthday with her.
"We were about to play a game," Mikki started.
"First drinks," said Sanchez.
Gabriel went to the kitchen and started pouring margaritas.
"What shall we play?" asked Andrea.
"How about seven minutes in heaven?" suggested Brenda.
Everyone's eyes got huge and jaws dropped. Brenda waited a couple of seconds and started laughing. "Just kidding. I got you guys good."
They sighed in relief and Buzz laughed. Sharon was not amused.
"Could you imagine making out with the Chief?" Provenza whispered to Flynn.
"Oh yeah!" he answered. Everyone looked at him. "What!"
"That would be an IA nightmare," commented Mikki.
"They're always crimping on my style," complained Brenda.
"I'm right here," said Sharon.
"See what I mean."
"How about two truths and a lie?" suggested Gabriel. "We can right them all down and then we'd have to guess who wrote which one and which one's the lie."
"I like that," answered Andrea.
"One rule," said Provenza. "No boring facts. At least one must be interesting." He was looking at Sharon when he said this.
Andrea got a bowl and a pen and cut up some paper. They each wrote down their three sentences and put them in the bowl. Andrea mixed them around and pulled one out.
"I have never eaten an oyster. I set a fire to get out of a math test. I got married on a dare."
Provenza looked around the room. Who could have plausibly done any of these things? It could be Andrea, not Sharon, not Buzz, Mikki maybe, not Sanchez not Tao. "I'm going to go with Mikki and the oyster is the lie."
"I'm going to go with Andrea and the fire is the lie," said Sanchez.
No one else had a guess. What a weird set of facts. Mikki said, "you got me."
"You got married?" Gabriel inquired. He wasn't surprised about the fire.
" As it turns out, if you're drunk and you get a McDonald's employee to marry you, it doesn't count."
Brenda was cracking up. "You got married at McDonalds!"
"I had just turned 19 and I was shitfaced. I snuck into a bar with my friends and after about 10 drinks, I started hitting on this girl, and we tried to get married."
Sanchez read the next one. "I was born in Quebec. I am allergic to shellfish. I almost got arrested for having sex in my car when I was sixteen."
Andrea looked around. Everyone knows Brenda was born in Atlanta. Gabriel's an LA baby and Flynn's from Jersey. It could be Sharon or ….
"I'm guessing Buzz and he's allergic to shellfish," said Brenda.
Gabriel agreed.
Buzz. It was me, but the third part was a lie. "It happened when I was 17."
They went around until all the papers were gone. The most notable fact was they one they learned about Sharon. She was having sex and her mate broke his arm. He tried to hang upside down from a bunked bed, and he fell right off.
Sanchez made more drinks. People started chatting and gossiping. "You won't believe what I heard about ADA Carney," Provenza started. "His wife caught him trying to get it on with a vacuum cleaner."
Flynn started guffawing. Sharon didn't look amused. "I'm sure he's thrilled with everyone knowing that."
They looked at her and kept gossiping.
Mikki served the shortcake. Tao started explaining the chemical process that causes the cake to shorten. Provenza pretended to yawn.
Brenda started to stuff her face. "This is awesome." She had whipped cream on her nose.
"Like the cake, Chief!" Flynn joked. Brenda ignored him and kept eating. Sharon didn't eat much. Brenda took hers and demolished it.
"Let's play another game," said Gabriel.
"Bang, Marry, Kill," suggested Mikki.
"Let's pick people on the force," said Sanchez.
"That's highly inappropriate," said Sharon.
"Are you going to write us up?" said Provenza, cause if you are, you will surely lose this game.
Sharon shook her head.
Sanchez started. "Mikki, Jamie and Ross."
"Ross?" Provenza asked.
"He's totally useless."
Flynn and Gabriel laughed.
Provenza was next. He actually was honest. Brenda, Mikki, Pope.
"You would marry me?" said Mikki.
"You make great cake, and it's not like either of us would have to be faithful." Mikki bust out laughing.
They went around, all of them sharing except for Sharon.
"It's your turn," Flynn told her
"I'm not going."
"You heard all of ours," responded Provenza.
"I wish I hadn't."
"Oh have some fun!" said Sanchez, feeling the whiskey.
"Saying inappropriate things about my coworkers is not fun."
"What!" said Brenda, that makes no sense.
"I'll go for her," volunteered Gabriel. "Sgt Elliot, Lieutenant Anderson, and the Chief."
"I would not kill Brenda."
"You could have fooled me."
"She would totally kill Brenda," said Provenza.
"She tried with that wine," claimed Brenda.
"You all need to stop," said Sharon, trying to hide her laughter.
"I think you got it wrong," said Mikki. "I'm going to guess "Brenda, Sgt. Elliot, Pope."
"What!" said everyone.
"It's obvious the snarking is built up sexual tension."
Sharon sighed. "Fine, I'll go. David, Elliot, Taylor."
"Hear that Gabriel. You have a shot at the most risque love affair in LAPD history." Provenza ribbed him.
"He does not," insisted Sharon.
"You're lucky he can't blush," joked Brenda. Everyone looked at her. "What!"
Sharon shook her head. Gabriel chuckled. He was glad he couldn't blush.
They went for more drinks. Flynn slipped an arm around Gabriel and Sharon.
"So, when's the wedding?" Sharon shook her head. "I'll never live this down, will I?"
"I'll make sure you don't," volunteered Provenza.
"It's just a game," answered Gabriel. He whispered in her ear, "if you keep reacting, they'll never stop. Just pretend they don't bother you or bring up one of Provenza's ex-wives."
"Is he whispering sweet nothings in her ear?" joked Flynn. "You sly dog, you."
"I learned them all from Liz, in bed."
Flynn bust out laughing, Provenza punched his stomach. The jokes ended, for a while anyway.
Andrea started doing dishes. Flynn went to help.
"You don't have to," she told him.
"I want to," his hand grazed hers. They shared a moment. That got interrupted when Provenza stumbled in.
Later, they were all at the party again. "Flynn got us all to crash your party," Provenza told her. "He wanted to make sure you had a good time. Also, that the Captain and the Chief didn't kill each other in your living room."
Andrea smiled. She had a little crush.
After some more chatting, the party fizzled out. They all went their separate ways. Fritz came to pick up Brenda. He gave Sanchez, Gabriel and Buzz rides home. Flynn took Provenza , Tao, Mikki and Sharon rides home.
Andrea curled up in her bed and slept alone, the best sleep she had since Kurt left.