Two girls I only knew by face, drank their beers. Chippy Girl did the same, her gaze so hot on Enzo it was almost uncomfortable to watch.
“My turn,” she said with seduction. “Never have I ever fucked in my car.” My head snapped to her and her explicit claim, then to Enzo as he took a drink, and she did the same. It wasn’t lost on me that she specifiedhercar, something she could have only gotten recently, and onlytheywere drinking.
“You’re supposed to say things you’ve never done,” I said, irritated.
She barely glanced my way. “Oops. Guess I forgot the rules.” Enzo smirked at her, clearly intrigued by her invitation, or re-invitation, apparently.
“You go, Syd,” Enzo said with a challenge.
“Fine.” I narrowed my eyes. “Never have I everdrivena car.”
Chippy snorted. “Way to keep it PG,” she said as she downed the rest of her beer. “Why not just say ‘never have I ever had sex’?” She chuckled, and I wanted not to be embarrassed, but I was. I felt the heat kiss my cheeks with a flush, and I tried to swallow it down. Then she got excited, like she’d had a brilliant idea—as if there were any brains in that pretty little head of hers.
“That’s the one! Never have I ever had sex!” She exclaimed, pointing around the room. “Now, all of you drink.”
And everyone did.
Except for me and E.
She spun around haphazardly and laughed when she noticed us. “Ha! Would you look at that, Syd and E both didn’t drink. Maybe you two should—wait! That’s so good. ‘Syd n’ E’…Sydney.” She mocked. “You prudes are a match made in heaven.” She laughed again, bringing the bottle to her mouth, and suddenly I recognized Chippy.
It was Sarah Cashman. The pretty blonde from geometry. The one the boys drooled over, though I couldn’t fathom why. The one E bailed on two weekends in a row… to hang out with me.
“She’s no prude,” Enzo said with a wink, and I barely smiled back at him. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to help me save face or if he was making a suggestion, but I hated the implication either way. The idea that he knew me in a way he never had made my skin prickle with discomfort.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Sarah scoffed.
“Get a fucking hobby, Sarah,” E spat at her. My stomach sank.
“Fuckingismy hobby, Emanuele,” she snarled back as she spun off to dance with one of her girlfriends across the room.
I didn’t say much after that. I was silenced by the bashful sickness swirling in my belly coupled with a deep unshakeable malaise. Instead, I drank a lot more. A poor attempt to drown my embarrassment. I ended up staying somewhat close to E, feeling oddly connected to him because he stood up for me. Eventually, Enzo pulled out a joint, and everyone headed outside to smoke it. It was just me, E, and a fading song I surprisingly didn’t recognize.
“Thanks for not drinking with me before. You didn’t have to lie for me.” His eyes flickered to mine, then back to the can in his hand.
“I didn’t,” was all he said, and the realization made me nervously excited.
“You didn’t lie.” It was a question, but it wasn’t asked as one.
“Nope.” I watched him silently as he finished his beer and opened another.
“You didn’t lie.”
“You asked me that already.”
“So you’re a virgin.”
“Are all of your questions statements?” He crushed his empty can and aimed to toss it into the garbage can like it was a free-throw shot.
I noticed how his muscles flexed. He curved his freshly tanned shoulder towards the cut of his bicep, creating a miniature mountain on his arm. I watched the deep grooveof his triceps form with his extension, the way his shirt lifted on one side with his reach, exposing the flatness of his bronze abdomen. Suddenly, I was filled with a burning heat. But instead of it scaring the hell out of me like it usually did, I liked it.
My eyes made their way up to his neck, his bulging Adam’s apple. The straight line of his just full enough lips. His squared jaw, which led to perfectly tossed dark hair. When my eyes wrapped around and found his, they were set on mine. Watching me study him. Unreadable.
Liquid courage formed my next words. “Why not just sleep with Sarah? She clearly wants to fuck you.” The jealous judgment that dripped from them should have been humiliating, but the beer and whiskey formed a perfect emotional veil.
He smirked, amused. Playing my game. “I don’t want to fuck a girl who fucks everyone. No one does.” He took a sip of his fresh beer. “They fuck her because they want to fuck, and she volunteers.”
“And you don’t want to fuck?” The room thickened. Inwardly, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe what I was saying, but I couldn’t stop the words from pouring out. He raised a brow at me, his expression both shocked and amused.
