21
I Am Sort of Socially Inept? Shocker.
“Amanda won’t know what hit her.” I walk into the bar/cafe, wearing a knotted halter top, my back showing, and some white shorts to match the dark red of the top.
“A hot new bombshell enters the villa…” West mimics those reality TV show hosts, and I shove him playfully, my face turning the color of the top I’m sure.
“Shut up. I’m doing you a favor too, you know. You want Amanda to die when she sees us.”
He’s staring at me, my eyes specifically.
“Yeah, yeah. You have a little bit of green in your eyes, I never noticed.” Then he looks around as if that small compliment isn’t something onlyIever noticed about myself. He turns to me, a wicked grin on his face. “Show time.”
And then he lifts me off the ground, putting me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He spins me around, and I tap his back, surprised and a bit panicked.
“West, put me down!” I watch everyone amused around us, and a smile escapes my lips. Accidentally, while tapping his back, I hit his butt, and he stops, putting me down ever so slowly. I’m still in the air, just a little above his eyesight while he holds me.
“I know you did that on purpose, I just can’t prove it.” And then he starts tickling me, and I yelp in surprise. Then I feel his hair against my neck and his nose, as his face is buried right beneath my ear, at the curve. The most genuine laugh betrays me, and he puts me down, his hands never leaving my hips.
“You know this is all fun and games until you actually develop a massive crush on me.” West jokes in all seriousness, and I roll my eyes, completely letting his hands around me.
“I think we’ll be fine.” I level him with a stare, and he shrugs.
“To be seen…”
I shove him again, and he releases me, only to put an arm around my shoulders while leading us towards the tables and the kegs, where people our age are already doing handstands while drinking beer.
I stare a little too long, and meanwhile, Allison and Riden are by our side.
“How’s the debut going?” Allison asks, and we both shrug.
“I think I saw Amanda spit on her army when you arrived.” Riden smirks beside me.
West and I smile at each other, which is odd enough. I notice the small glint in his eyes and how the forest behind me reflects and enhances them. Also, his light freckles are somewhat mesmerizing. I could map them out if I were bored. Or trace them. Or…
“Who’s next?” Some dumbass asks, referring to drinking beer upside down.
Imagine doing this… You could choke, not get enough blood to the rest of your body, and go numb, fall, and break something…
“Jake, bro, you’re the champion!” And of course, it’s something West would do, so another strong, valid reason why not.
“Mads, you should totally do it!” Allison whispers beside me and catches the boy’s attention.
“What?!Are you actually insane?I-”
“Didn’t know your girlfriend was built like that.” And then he pats West on his back.
“You would mark something off the list, and you would be an icon. Infuriate Amanda by outshining her while having Jake by your side. Besides, you still have to-” She checks her phone, where I glimpse my list. “Start a conversation with strangers, and it’ll be easier if they already wanna talk to you.”
I catch everyone looking at me and close my eyes for half a second.
“You don’t have to do this-” West starts, but my hand moves to his chest.
“Hey, I’m Jake West’s girlfriend now. We have a reputation to maintain.” Every frat bro around cheers, and my heart beats rapidly, like I drank an energetic drink.
I place my hands on the handles in the keg, and they help me get upside down. Immediately, the blood rushes to my head, and my eyes start pounding. I don’t pay attention to who’s around me; I can only see blonde hair, which I assume belongs to my friends. I see the hose coming towards my face and being put in my mouth. Beer is injected into my mouth, and wow, this is even harder than it looks. I try my best not to choke in front of this sea of people. I try to push the liquid down, but due to gravity, it keeps going down. After a while, my hands start hurting, and I’m tired of ingesting beer or at least trying to — I was just sippingwhat I could — and spit the rest of the beer out, which, gladly, they took as a sign to stop. They quickly put me down, and I almost fell down, if it weren’t for West.
Everyone cheers, and West helps me up.
