by Lily Roberts
Oh, hell no. I was not getting painted as a weak, pathetic victim. “Nah, don’t worry about me,” I reassured Cooper. “Like Denise said, she’ll keep an eye on me. Long as you’re okay with me bringing a plus one?”
Cooper nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, sure! The more the merrier.” He shoots an elbow into Scott’s ribs, who looks totally lifted from the conversation. “You got lucky, Sawyer. The team would never let you live it down if their favorite journalist couldn’t come.”
“H-Ha-ha, yeah. Right.” The lie’s almost worth going through just to see Scott in an absolute wreck. The mixture of relief and tension on his face is just to die for. “So, I’ll swing by your dorm around seven, yeah? Like we agreed?”
I tapped my finger on my chin, reveling in drawing this out for as long as I can. “Hmmm…I dunno. You’re having this at one of the fraternity houses, right? That’s pretty far away to walk, considering my, ahem, recent injury.”
“Scott can borrow my car, then!” Cooper interjected chipperly. “The last thing I want is you being worn out before the fun even starts. So, we’ll see you and…” he trailed off, waving toward Denise awkwardly. “Sorry, I dunno if we’ve met, yet.”
“Oh, it’s a first-time pleasure,” Denise giggles, taking his hand into her own. “Denise Applegate, roommate to Sydney and totally stoked to get to know her personal football team.”
Cooper laughed, giving Denise a firm shake. “Yeah, it’s sure turning out to look that way, isn’t it? I’m thrilled to make your acquaintance, Denise Applegate.”
Oh, gag me with my smoothie straw. It didn’t take a genius to see where these two were headed.
“Well, we should be getting back to the guys,” Cooper gave Scott’s ribs another elbowing. “Don’t want this one looking any worse. We’ll see you Saturday, you two!”
“See you then,” I gave Scott an overly-flirtatious wave, to which he just quickly nodded and scurried off behind Cooper’s massive frame. Once I watched them leave the café completely, I spun around and nailed my fist into Denise’s shoulder. “And what the hell was that all about?!” I hissed.
“What?” Denise asked, rubbing her shoulder furiously. “I saw a chance and I took it.”
“You saw a chance and,” I threw up my hands, an irritated scoff slipping out of my throat. “Denise, I could’ve called Scott out for being a liar! Why’d you deny me such a simple pleasure in life?”
“Because Cooper’s hella hot and you’re oblivious to a great opportunity.” Denise shakes her half-filled coffee cup at me, as if to emphasize her point. “You seriously wanna look like a china doll in front of those guys? I know you’re not against going to the party; you’re just mad Scott didn’t officially ask you to go with him.”
“That’s not,” That was totally true. I wouldn’t have minded going from the start, but Scott had to be so fucking sneaky about it all. I crossed my arms over my chest, letting out another huff as my anger bubbled away into nothing. “Okay, then, what’s this ‘great opportunity’ you’re talking about?”
Denise gives me a devilish grin. “Um, you mean you don’t want Scott to squirm as you talk with a bunch of fairly attractive guys, and lookin’ hella fine yourself? You don’t want to prove to him that he’s gotta actually work to get with you?”
I shot her a scowl. “I don’t want to date Scott Sawyer, Denise.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she waved her hand at me, taking another noisy slurp from her straw before hefting her empty cup to the garbage. “Ignorance is bliss and all that. How about just the smug satisfaction of having a good time without Scott getting in the way?”
Now that I could get behind. “And, you tagged along out of the goodness of your heart? To make sure poor, hapless me doesn’t get a little headache from all the noise?”
Denise let out a laugh. “Um, I already stated my intentions, Sydney Burton. You can’t guilt me into feeling bad; I’ve wanted an opportunity to talk to Cooper since orientation.”
“God forbid you just walk up to him and say hi,” I said.
“Now, that’s no way to stand out in someone’s mind.” Denise replied matter-of-factly.
I rolled my eyes, following Denise out of the café as my mind reeled from the new information. So, a party on Saturday, hmm? Well, if Scott wanted to play this game of secrets, he was going to be in for a surprise.
A brief twinge of pain from nose brought me back from my inner machination. The slightest bit of guilt squirms through me, memories from yesterday’s game pooling around me. Maybe I would’ve been thrilled to mess with past-Scott, this Scott, this guy was different. Right? Or did I just get hit too hard in the head?
“Girl, you coming?” Denise called from a few paces ahead.
I nodded, half-jogging to catch up. One step at a time, Sydney girl; let’s just get to Saturday, first. Hopefully by then, my face will look better and not require mountains of foundation.
---
Pre-gaming is an absolute must before Scott comes to pick us up. Denise kept teasing me in our room while I tipped back a few shots, but I honestly wasn’t sure I could handle tonight without, ‘loosening’ up a bit.
“Someone’s a bit nervous,” Denise remarked with a giggle. “Hoping to distract from your face?”
I shoot Denise a glare, snapping back one more shot before feeling significantly warmer and more tingly.
“Aw, don’t be like that,” Denise wrapped her arm around my shoulder, still grinning. “Your nose looks great, Syd. Hardly a bruise or red mark left, though I gotta give some credit to the foundation used. You’re actually lucky it didn’t blacken your eyes. I doubt I had enough foundation to cover that.”
Admittedly, I didn’t want to go to this party if my face was still messed up. Obviously, though, that wasn’t the big reason. My on-edge nerves directly originated from the fact I was willingly—willingly—going to this party knowing Scott was there. We ran into each other during high school events, sure, but I was actively aware that he’d be here. And to make matters worse, everyone there was under the impression he’d asked me to come.
Which he didn’t even have the decency or nerve to do.
“This isn’t a massive mistake, right?” I asked Denise.
She must’ve sensed my anxiety, because Denise’s tone turned quickly sympathetic. “It’s gonna be fine, Syd. You’ll probably barely run into Scott there; just hang out with me and Cooper! I promise I’ll keep things lively. It will be no bigger than a small mistake, I promise.”
That got a nervous chuckle out of me. “Thanks. Seriously, I’m glad you sorta inserted yourself into all of this.”
Denise grinned. “I’m just glad you let me. Now, come on! No more shots; you still gotta be able to walk around.”
The ride over to the fraternity house was surprisingly quiet. Maybe Scott had no idea how to work Cooper’s radio—the car itself was a pretty old model and Scott wasn’t exactly an expert in the field—or maybe no one really knew what to start a conversation with. As much delight as Denise took in teasing me, she didn’t seem to be the type to do it before both parties. So, the ride was fairly uneventful, our void of silence replaced with the steady thrumming of music and laughter within the house itself.
We all trailed in together, the interior pretty much what I'd seen in every movie that took place on a campus. A wide living space greeted us as we walked in, filled to the brim with a menagerie of alcoholic beverages and people alike. To my left stands a twisting banister, its stairs leading up to the second floor. I could only imagine how many sloppy make-out sessions were going on up there; I made a mental note to keep to the lower levels of the house.
Part of me wondered if it’s too late to back out, claim a headache brought on by the concussion and have Scott drive me back to the dorms. Though to be fair, said headache was likely brought on by the liquor bubbling in my stomach from pre-gaming. What a dumb, dumb idea that turned out to be.
“Sydney, Scott!” Before I could consider an escape plan any furthe
r, Cooper squeezed out from the dancing crowd of people, red solo cup in hand with a grin plastered across his—likely plastered as well—face. “Glad to see you two came in one piece. My car’s in a similar state still, right?”
“Dang, well,” I snapped my fingers and let out a dramatic sigh. “You caught us red-handed. We dropped it off at a chop garage just before coming here.”
Scott gives me a playful shove, slightly taken it back when I wobbled a bit, forced to catch my balance against Denise’s shoulder. “U-Uh, yeah,” he said, giving me a strange look before turning back to Cooper. “I mean, nah, man. Your car’s fine.” As if to prove a point, Scott half-tosses the keys back to Cooper, who equally struggled to try and catch them. Coordinated folks, he and I were not.
Cooper then turned his attention to Denise, pretending to ponder for a second before his expression lit up. “Iced coffee, right?”
Denise let out a laugh. “Ooh, lookit you, remembering my name and everything.”
“Yeah, I’m not great with names,” Cooper admitted, a tinge of red spreading across his face (though from embarrassment or inebriation, I couldn’t say). “But I don’t ever forget a pretty face, especially one who’s got such a classic taste in caffeinated beverages. Speaking of,” he swiveled his cup, finding it to be too empty for his taste. “Wanna come grab a drink with me? I need a top-off myself.”
“Sounds good!” And like that, Denise completely forgot about our original plan to stick together as she takes Cooper’s hand. I watched as she was led to the drink station, only pulled back as Scott loudly clears his throat.
“So,” He began. “I’d ask if you wanted something, too, but it looks like you came prepared.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was it that obvious? Did I seriously reek of vodka? “So what if I did?” I asked, trying to keep the upper hand in this conversation. “That’s not against the law, is it?”
Scott’s face contorted into…something I wasn’t used to. Concern, maybe? It was the same face he made when he blasted that kickball into my face. “I just—it’s not like you to pre-game. And the guys here tend to be a bit rowdy, so if you’re not totally together,”
I held up my hand, already feeling my skin crawl in irritation. “Yeah, okay, Dad. You’re the one who invited me to this, remember? If you were so worried about me, you shouldn’t have lied and said I was coming.”
Before Scott could retort, a small crowd of football jocks swung my way, Dinesh leading the line. “Squid! I didn’t see you come in; how long you been here?”
“Just walked in, actually. Mind showing me around?” I offer my hand, to which Dinesh is more than happy to take. He pulled me into his inner crowd and starts forward, leaving Scott to fume at the door. I glanced behind my shoulder briefly, feeling a little bad for ditching him like that, but only a little.
That guilt’s quickly squashed as I remember this was pretty much his fault to start with. I was here by invitation, not because he specifically brought me. I had no responsibility to stay by his side. So, with that thought, I let Dinesh pull me around the house, seemingly excited to show off where he lived.
I was starting to like Dinesh less and less.
Okay, that was a lie. I never liked the guy to begin with, but after watching him practically drag Sydney away from my side, it took a lot of self-restraint not to knock him flat and wrap my arm around Sydney’s shoulders. But, I didn’t, and that was because I knew she’d knock me flat if I did. Still, this whole plan was quickly turning out to be my worst yet, with Sydney being enveloped by a bunch of horny, drunk idiots. And, to make it worse, I knew she could for sure check off one of those boxes.
But the last thing I wanted to do was start a fight with her. This wasn’t my party to ruin, so, I spent the next few hours just trailing behind her, eavesdropping her conversations between my football buddies while sipping on some water.
Specifically, eavesdropping whenever Dinesh spoke up.
The guy thought he was smoother than fucking butter on a skillet. Every time he piped up, it was always in regards to himself. A trip he took to the Bahamas, all the trophies he’d won over the years participating in a number of sporting events; the guy literally took ten minutes to tell the story about losing his first tooth and how his mom gave him a new Wintenwoh system to, ‘ease the pain.’ I honestly couldn’t believe Sydney was putting up with him for as long as she was; maybe she would’ve told him off if she wasn’t already tipsy.
And she just kept going after! I counted her go to refill her solo cup at least four separate times, getting wobblier and gigglier every time she drained the cup. This wasn’t the goody two-shoes I knew back in schooling; I honestly didn’t know who I was looking at.
“You know girls don’t find stalking attractive, right?” Cooper appears out of seemingly nowhere beside me, one brow cocked up and tone questioning.
I rolled my eyes and downed the last bit of my water. “Someone’s gotta make sure she doesn’t do something stupid.”
Cooper let out a chuckle, taking my cup from my hands and perfectly shooting it towards one of the man, large dumpsters dragged in to minimize the inevitable mess. “Is someone maybe a touch jealous that they’re not the one Sydney’s attention is on?”
I watched Sydney’s face light up with laughter as she attempted to cover her mouth with her hand. Dinesh was laughing, too, albeit not as outrageously as she was. The look in his eyes sent my stomach churning with heat. “If he tries anything with her,” I begin.
“What, you’ll beat the shit out of him?” Cooper asked, taking as sip from his own cup. “Girls also don’t like guys who think they’re the white knight in the scenario.”
“You can’t tell me the guy doesn’t give you the creeps,” I insisted.
Cooper took a second to answer, as if really pondering whether or not Dinesh was or was not. Finally, he moved his cup from his lips to speak. “The guy’s harmless. Obnoxious at times, but harmless.”
“That’s not helpful,” I began to say.
“Well, go do something about it, then!” Cooper said sharply, taking on the same tone he took on the fields during practice. “Don’t just stand in a corner and cry about it; if you wanna talk to Sydney, go over and talk to her.”
I grimaced. “You make it sound so easy.”
Cooper shakes his head, chuckling once again. “That’s because it is. Now, I left Denise over by the bathrooms and honestly don’t feel like spending my time in the pity corner. Make a move, man, or don’t. But don’t complain about it later if you decide to sit back and seethe. Warning though no fighting. I’m pretty sure he’d kick your ass.”
I watched Cooper maneuver back through the crowd, his spurring running through my head. He had a point; not about the love but there wasn’t anything stopping me from walking up and talking to Sydney. Sure, she was surrounded by other guys, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t join in.
Plus, it’d be easier to watch Dinesh if I was closer.
As I approached, Sydney’s attention immediately fixated on me. “Oh, hey there.” She seemed slightly out of it, hand reaching to rub the back of her head every few seconds. “Where’d you vanish off to?”
“Probably working on his aim in the backyard,” Dinesh said teasingly. “Unless you wanna aim to break her nose again, Scotty-Dog?”
Ooh, that got my blood boiling. I had to force myself to ignore him, keeping my focus on Sydney. “You okay, there, Syd? Yah kinda look…in a daze.”
Sydney giggled, again rubbing the back of her head. Did she even realize she was doing it? “Y-Yeah, I think I might’ve hit my limit. Maybe the doc had a point; alcohol and minor head injuries don’t mix.”
“Well, if this scene’s too much,” Dinesh began, taking Sydney’s hand and gesturing up the flight of stairs to the bedrooms. “You can crash in my room for a bit. I’ll stay with you, just to make sure you’re comfortable.”
Ugh. “She should probably go back to her own room,” I interjected. “You know, somewhere wher
e the floor below her isn’t shaking from music? Where a random, drunk idiot won’t burst in sucking on someone else’s face?”
“Hey, I said I’d stay with her,” Dinesh winked.
Ugh.
Sydney suddenly stood up from the couch, way more focused than she was before. “Yeah, no, I’m good. It’s been real, Dinesh, but I’m headin’ out.” She flashed him a peace sign, a subtle look of disgust on her face. So even when tipsy, the girl could detect bullshit from a mile away.
“Well, lemme walk you back to your dorm, then,” Dinesh began flirtatiously. “Maybe we can hang out together in your room? I wouldn’t mind a change in scenery myself. Get away from all this noise.”
The urge to knock his lights out was growing by the second. But, once more, Sydney takes control and shakes her head. “Again, I’m gonna pass. Pretty sure there’s a rule against hooking up while you have a concussion and been drinking.”
Shit, if words could burn, I was certain Dinesh would be suffering from some major third-degree. “You’ve been knocking ‘em back, anyway,” I said with the sweetest voice I can muster up. “Wouldn’t want you tripping over yourself or campus police busting you.”
The look on Dinesh’s face is absolutely priceless. He’s lucky all the other guys from before dispersed, or the heckling would’ve been so much worse. “U-Uh, yeah. The host probably shouldn’t leave his own party, anyway.”
As if that pathetic fact would sway Sydney’s decision. “You mind walking back with me, Scott?” she asked, turning her back completely to Dinesh as she spoke. “I don’t think it’s too far away, but I haven’t exactly been drinking straight water this entire time.”
This had to be a dream. No way would the Sydney Burton ask me to walk with her, and yet, here we were. Dinesh looked totally dejected behind us, only stirring me on to agree. “I’ll take your lead?”
Sydney nodded, grabbing my hand as we stumble out of the fraternity house.
---
With no car to drive this time, I was forced to half-drag Sydney across campus. She was…surprisingly compliant, though I had a suspicion it had to do with how much she’d thrown back tonight. The campus grounds were fairly quiet for a Saturday evening, everyone either visiting back home or out partying. Or maybe—just maybe—someone was lame enough to be studying.
