“Thanks.”
“What happened? You don’t get into fights, Bennett,” Aria asks.
“I know,” he sighs. “I don’t know what's gotten into me tonight. The guy was taunting me, trying to get under my skin. I let it go for a bit because it was just your typical smack talk. But then he said something about my brother, and I just lost it.”
“What?” Aria’s eyes widen. “What did he say?”
Bennett’s jaw grinds. “He said something about my gayness rubbing off on my little brother. And now my little brother was trying to turn his brother gay. Like, what the fuck does that even mean?” he growls. “And on top of all of that, my lucky boxers just fucking vanished.”
He shakes his head, running a hand through his still-damp hair. “It’s just been a really shitty night. I fucked up, and now our team has lost. I just...” he sighs. “I can’t drive tonight, because I plan on getting fucked up.”
“I can drive,” Aria says, giving Bennett a hug.
He wraps his arms around her, giving me a glance like he’s wondering why I’m here.
I’m wondering about that myself.
Not able to look him in the eye, I glance at Taylor. Ohshit. I know that look. She’s going to crack. Fuck. I give her a warning glare, silently telling her to keep her mouth shut.
She bites her lip, looks Bennett’s way, and blurts. “It was our fault.”
I groan, closing my eyes. Fucking hell, Taylor.
“What?” Bennett frowns. “What do you mean?”
“I’m sorry!” Taylor rushes out. “I told Easton about your boxers. He took them. But only because you tried to throw away his lucky socks.”
Bennett’s angry eyes dart my way. “You took my fucking boxers?!”
“You took my socks first!” I argue back.
“Not on purpose.” He growls. “I didn’t know they were your lucky socks. I thought they were just some nasty, holey pieces of garbage. I thought you only kept them because you knew it would piss me off, since I asked you to get rid of them when I told you they smelled like ass.”
My cheeks burn. “I didn’t,” I hiss. “I didn’t get rid of them because they were my lucky socks!”
“You didn’t tell me that!” he shouts. “And when I found out, I tried to get them back for you. But the trash man already came, so it was too late. You took my boxers on purpose to hurt me.”
“I got them back,” I grumble.
“What?”
I sigh heavily, feeling like an asshole now. “I saw them in your trash the night before, and I took them out.”
“Wait, you have your socks?” Bennett’s nostrils flare. “So, you did all this for nothing?”
“No, I did it as payback because you took my socks first!”
“I didn’t mean to!”
“Okay, okay!” Aria shouts. “Look, I can’t begin to understand what this whole superstitious, lucky charm thing means to you all. But from what I’m hearing, this is all a big misunderstanding.”
“That cost me my boxers,” Bennett huffs.
“I didn’t throw them out.” I narrow my eyes. “I’m not an asshole like you.”
“Hey.” Taylor steps in next. “We’ll give the boxers back,” she tells Bennett. “You have your socks,” Taylor reminds me. “Now, I know you two don’t like each other, we get it, and we understand why.”
Bennett and I glare at one another, the tension between us thick. I know he wants to kick my ass right now, and I don’t blame him.
