“Yes, seriously,” he replies in all seriousness. When I give him an unimpressed stare, he bats his eyelashes at me. “What? I’m just stating a fact.”
I could ream into him for the remark, but I decide to play nice for the night. “Thanks, I guess.”
His lips part in mocking shock. “Did I just get a thank you from Maddison Averly?”
“Don’t get used to it,” I inform him. “I’ve decided to play princess for the night, but I’ll turn into a rotting pumpkin at midnight.”
He lowers his voice and leans closer to me. “Fair warning: princesses here aren’t nice.” With that, he slants back and returns to his glittering cheerful self. “Wanna play?” He nods at the beer pong table then waggles his brows at me.
I glance at the table where the guys he was playing with earlier are staring at us, just like everyone else. Some of them are smirking, some are glaring, and some are looking at me like I’m trash.
I should decline Finn’s offer and attempt to stay out of the spotlight, but I like the idea of handing these amateur beer-pong players their asses. Because yes, as cliché as this is going to sound, beer pong is the number one game on northside.
“Sure.” I have to bite back a smile when his lips part in surprise, but he hastily collects himself and steers me toward the table.
“Hey, everyone,” he introduces me. “This is Maddy.”
A few people mumble, “Hey, Maddy.” Others choose the silent option.
Whatever. I’m good. I’m used to it at this point.
I give a wave then slip out from underneath Finn’s arm and stand in front of the table.
“Do you know how to play?” he asks me as he picks up the ball.
I nod. “Sure. I’ve played a few times.” I stick out my hand, and he drops the ball into my palm.
Smiling to myself, I turn and bounce the ball against the table. When it lands in a cup, everyone looks shocked as hell.
“Holy crap,” one of the guys across the table mumbles.
A smile breaks across Finn’s face. “Why do I get the feeling that wasn’t beginner’s luck?”
I merely shrug, and his smile broadens as he sticks out his fist for a fist-bump.
I tap my knuckles against his, and he laughs before facing the table again.
For the next twenty minutes, we continue to play. At a certain point, Wren comes to check on me but seems okay when she notes I’m with Finn and wanders off to keep an eye on Lily. Iend up having to take three drinks, and it turns out, they’re not playing beer pong, but whiskey pong. I’m not a fan of that at all. My tolerance for alcohol is super low, so I’m fairly buzzed at this point.
And I have to pee.
“Where’s the bathroom?” I ask Finn, leaning in so he can hear me over the music.
He has the ball in his hand but pauses. “It’s upstairs.” He points to a stairway behind us. “Third door on the right.”
“Okay, you’ll have to find another partner to play with you.” I start to walk away, but he captures me by the arm.
“That’s okay. I need a break, anyway.” He sets the ball down on the table and backs toward a doorway behind him. “Come find me when you’re done, okay?”
I give him a thumbs-up then make my way toward the stairway, squeezing past people. When I make it upstairs, I breathe in relief at how much quieter it is up here. Sure, a few people are around but way less than downstairs. And the music is more muffled.
I find the third door on the right, go into the bathroom, and lock the door. Then I slump against the door and release an uneven breath. That was a lot of socializing for me. Way too much. I’m exhausted.
I decide to text Lily after I pee and see if her and Wren are ready to bounce. Doubtful, since it’s not even eleven o’clock, but here’s to hoping.
My fingers feel a bit numb as I message Lily, an indicator that my alcohol level is a bit too high, and that I need to make sure not to drink anything more.
Once I send the message, I head out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Weirdly, all the people who were here a few minutes ago have cleared out. The silence and emptiness has me on edge, like when I’m wandering around in the city past darkalleyways. But I remind myself that this isn’t northside, that I’m not outside, and therefore, I’m safer. But what Lily and Wren told me on the way here echoes through my mind.
