I stood there speechless. Montey hadn’t called me by that name in such a long time. It was a special nickname he’d used just for me, one he created when we were much, much younger. And from the way my face burned at simply hearing him speak it, I knew he still had the same effect on me as it did back then. And just like old times, hearing him call me by the name made me weak in the knees. No…it just made me weak.
“O–okay.” I whispered. “I’ll try to stop by.” Montey sounded excited by my response, but I felt absolutely fucking terrified.
What the hell am I doing?
Montey’s basementlooked almost the exact same as I last remembered it. The only difference was it felt a little smaller…but that could be because there were more than a few extra bodies down here for the party. The basement reeked of weed and cigarettes and there was music blaring through the space. People danced and laughed, stumbling around the old furniture, dodging the hanging lights without a care in the world. There were so many faces. Aside from my old friend group and Sybil, I didn’t recognize any of the other people hanging around. They must’ve been friends of Sybil’s, which only made me feel more uncomfortable than I already was.
I shouldn’t be here.
My fingers picked at the varying runs in my torn leggings, tightly wrapped around my thighs. I felt ridiculous wearing them, paired with a random flowy skirt and oversized band tee. It took me almost an hour to decide what to even wear to this thing, from the way I styled my hair to the multi-colored oversized plaid jacket that I threw on over my baggy tee. Hell, even picking out my boots was a challenge as I second guessed even them. And by the looks of everyone here, I felt very out of place.
Montey’s mom must be out of town or something. There’s no way she’d let this many people down here. And she sure as hell wouldn’t like us drinking and smoking. Ugh, I should go before anyone notices me.
“Crissa!” Sybil’s shrieky voice pierced my ears and made my heart freeze up. “You made it!” The red-haired woman smiled, her white teeth nearly glowing against her cherry-red lipstick. She was wearing a ruby red graphic crop top and a pair of black, shredded, high-waist jean shorts, revealing her toned torso and smooth skin. She wore a matching dark denim jacket, rolled to her elbows, and a red bandana tied like a headband as her long, wild hair freely cascaded all around her face. Even in the dull basement lights, she looked menacingly beautiful. The complete opposite of me.
Sybil’s electric blue eyes wandered up and down my body as she seemed to hold back some witty remark. “You look…cute.” Her nose pinched with her last word. “I’msoglad you could make it. I felt so, so bad for what I said today and just wanted to show how much you really mean to me. Right, babe?” She reached out and tapped the back of the person behind her. He turned around and smiled, taking my breath away.
“Hey, you made it!” Montey drank from a red Solo cup, his cheeks burning red from presumably already having a couple in his system. “See—” His arm swung across Sybil’s shoulders. “I told you she’d come if I asked.” His face nestled into her fiery hair.
Sybil tried to keep her smile in place while holding Montey up. “Yes, you did.” Her eyes met mine. “Crissa.” She carefully lowered Montey’s drunk ass down next to me on the old couch. “Why don’t you keep an eye on him while I get you a drink?”
I looked between her and Montey. They both eyed me in a way that made me question whether or not I should leave or stay. And the longer I hesitated, the more uncomfortable I felt. “I–I think I’m actually going to just?—”
My body rose to stand, but Montey yanked me back onto the couch. “Oh no! Don’t leave!”
“Yeah, at least have a drink before you go.” I looked up at Sybil. She wore her signature smile while playing with a strand of her hair. “Come on, Crissa. Just one teeny-tiny little drink.”
As much as I wanted to turn her down and leave, I was more frightened at the very idea of simply pissing her off. “S–sure.”
Sybil beamed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Hey, Lavender!” My eyes followed her gaze through the small crowd to the other side of the basement. Lavender was sitting on top of the dryer, smoking while chatting with two unknown guys. Her smile fell as she noticed me. “Crissa would like a drink. Why don’t you go grab her a fresh cup from upstairs.” Lavender passed her own drink off, ashing her cigarette before rushing up the basement stairs. “Now—” Sybil’s attention returned to me. “Why don’t we all play a little game?”
A game?
“I’m thinking something a little old school…” Her eyes glistened as she bit the tip of her red nail. “I got it. Seven minutes in heaven.”
Montey excitedly clapped his hands together and hooted. “Woo! Yeah! Let’s go!” He shot from the couch and ran over to Sybil, kissing her cheek before addressing the entire party. “Listen up fuckers!” Everyone focused on him as the music played from the beatbox. “Seven minutes in heaven. Who’s in?!” The partygoers all laughed and cheered, too drunk or high to really care. “Alright! I need an empty bottle and everyone needs to gather around!”
“I got the bottle!” Ryder shouted from the other side of the basement. He came charging up with an empty beer bottle. The smile he wore dropped the second he noticed me. “Crissa, hey.”
Token pushed his way through the group and joined his brother’s side, shooting his twin a look. “Shit, hey, Crissa.” By the sound of both their voices, they expected me not to show.
My hand motioned in an awkward wave to them both. Lavender suddenly appeared, pushing past both of them with a red cup in her hand. She handed it to Sybil without a word and watched as she held it out to me. “Here. Drink up.” I reached out and took the plastic cup while they all watched me take a sip.
I instantly coughed, grossed out by the nasty taste. “Oh, what the fuck is this?” I asked, eyeing the strange liquid inside.
Sybil smiled. “It’s a little mixed drink we all made just for you.” Her nail booped my nose. “Now come on, it’s time to play.” I bit my lower lip feeling anxious. “Trust me, Crissa. You won’t want to miss this.”
The woman gripped my wrist and tugged me down towards the large group that had gathered in the center of the basement. Almost all the partygoers, including my old friend group, had plopped down to play the game. Ryder stood in the middle of the circle with the bottle in his hand, explaining the rules as if none of us had ever played the game before. I looked around the circle while he spoke. Token was a few people over to my right with a spot next to him for his brother. Lavender was over on my left and Montey and Sybil were glued together directly across from me. They were both looking in my direction as if studying me.
Fuck.
I lowered my eyes and took another sip of the shitty drink, still unsure of what the hell it even was.
“Alright! I’ll go first since it ismybottle.” Ryder grinned. He placed the glass bottle down and spun it before hopping over to his spot in the circle. Everyone watched with loud anticipation as the bottle began to slow, eventually stopping with the neck pointing directly at Lavender. Ryder’s grin immediately dropped, same as hers, and they both just stared at each other. “Oh hell no.”
He reached out to respin, but Token stopped him. “Rules are rules, brother.” His smile was way too big. “No respins.” Token winked and Ryder groaned as he rolled his eyes.
“I’m not going into that fucking closet with her,” Ryder snapped. “Nah, I’m spinning again.”
