And now Greg was coming over to their tailgate. Ethan shook out the nerves bunching in his hands.
He had on a lime-green hoodie and those same warm-up pants. A baseball cap with “Sucka Sucka What” scribbled in Magic Marker sat askew on his head. On anyone else, the outfit would’ve looked stupid and very “pretty fly for a white guy,” but on Greg everything looked good. Clothes knew how to hug certain parts of him and leave others a mystery.
“Gee whiz, Dean,” Lorna said. She pointed her empty beer cup at him. “I need a refill. And so do you.”
He escorted her to the keg, and Lorna shot Ethan a knowing smile over her shoulder. For her silence and anti-cockblocking support, Ethan was forever grateful. Here’s-my-kidney grateful.
Greg swaggered up to Ethan, and his cologne, mixed with his natural musky scent and the beer on his breath, combined into a potion that sent every part of Ethan swooning.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” Greg asked. “Or is that Ethan Follett at a tailgate, drunk off his ass?”
He makes my whole name sound so hot!Ethan wanted him to say it five hundred more times.
“I’m slightly intoxicated. I probably can’t drive a tractor, but I could squeak by in a sobriety test.”
Greg arched back with a laugh. He had an empty cup in his hand, and Ethan didn’t know what came over him, but he poured in half his beer. He blamed it on the Folly part of him unleashing itself.
“I can’t believe you’re here. I saw you playing flip cup with Sahil. Did you come with your lame-ass friends?”
“They’re not lame,” Ethan said out of obligation. He swung his arm to point at Lorna. Well, Lorna’s vicinity. “I’m here with my friend, Lorna. She’s in this sorority.”
“Oh. I thought you were.”
“I’m laughing on the inside.” And then Ethan was laughing on the outside.Did I just snort?He decided he must be drunk.
Greg cheers-ed with him and sipped on the beer. “Tell your sorority to bring better beer next time. That shit is rank.”
“You should’ve joined us for flip cup. I won twice!”
“Did you now?” Greg was in full Cheshire-cat-smile mode. Dimple on full display.
Ethan leaned against a tent pole, which was not able to support his weight. The tent wobbled and almost collapsed, and that was a sober punch to the face for him. Was he really being the drunk idiot at the party? There was always one, and Ethan refused to play the part.
“I’m going to sit down.” He plopped into a folding chair with a cupholder. “This is fun.”
“I’m glad.” And Greg sounded like he meant it. He overturned an empty ice bucket and sat across from Ethan. “See? Isn’t this more fun than staying in the dorm with your ‘friends’?”
“What’s with the—” Ethan made his own air quotes, which looked more like bear claws. Yep, still drunk. “They’re my friends.”
“Why would they go to the movies without telling you?”
Ethan slumped back in his chair. He didn’t have an answer yet because he hadn’t broached the subject with Jessica. He kept telling himself to let it blow over, that it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t want to be on the defensive. Criticizing his friends was like criticizing him.
“I’m sorry,” Greg said. “I just… Why are you friends with them?”
“I just am. We’re in the same dorm. Yes, sometimes they forget to include me. And sometimes, I don’t enjoy their idea of fun. They’re not perfect, but they’re my friends.”
“Then maybe you should find new friends.” Greg’s jaw tensed, and his eyes brimmed with concern, a new feature for him. Ethan didn’t understand why Greg cared so much.
“Like it’s so easy?” Ethan said. The alcohol opened doors within him that he usually kept locked. He knew he should stop talking, but he couldn’t. “I’m not like you. I can’t just walk out my door and instantly make a new crew of friends. It’s not easy for everyone. I didn’t have any real friends in high school. I was friendly with people in class, but once the bell rang, they just forgot about me. One time, I was on a Model UN trip, and the whole team met in someone’s room to have a party. Every single person on the team was in this kid’s hotel room, drinking, smoking, living it up.” The memory barreled into Ethan’s mind, and his throat went dry. Tears beaded at his eyes.Not here. Anyplace but here.But the memory had already been unlocked. “Except me. I was in the next room over, and nobody thought to invite me. That was me in high school. So Jessica and them may not be perfect, but they’re a hell of a lot better than what I had.”
Ethan dabbed at his eyes to get rid of any trace of crying. Any trace of smirk or irony was gone from Greg’s face, and he looked down at his cup.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Why did you?” Ethan shot back.
“I didn’t like how they treated you. I hated seeing you upset at the movies,” Greg said softly.
