As soon as the dogs were in, we fed them and left again. I swore to myself that I would spend more time with them. I did remember to turn the TV on for them this time. Maybe they’d enjoy a movie while we were gone.
By the time we got to Stacie’s place Erin and Justin were already inside. Lizzie and Michelle followed shortly after us, and Thomas showed up about a half hour later with a woman on his arm. I didn’t recognize her.
“Hey Tommy! I’m glad you could make it to our first unofficial cast party. Who’s your friend?” Stacie called from the spot next to me. I knew I wore my confusion on my face, but I quickly forced it away with a smile. The only seats left were right next to me. I would have to sit with the two of them.
“Howdy folks! This is Cassandra. Cassandra, this is everyone. Did you start the movie yet?” He asked, moving further inside. Stacie leapt up to take their coats. I looked over at the pretty girl looking nervously around the room.
She was shorter and slim. Her hair was mousy brown and her eyes were a bright blue. She had a nose ring and bright red lips. She looked like someone had done her makeup professionally. I was instantly self-conscious. I was dressed for comfort, while she looked like she was going dancing.
Questioning her fashion choice, my eyes swung to her date. He too looked more dressed up than before. He had showered, and now was in a slick black suit. Did they skip out on a date for this?
“We’re gonna start the movie once everyone has a drink and the pizza comes. They should be here any minute. Here, let’s get you both a beer,” Stacie led them into the kitchen.
“I didn’t know Thomas was dating someone,” I whispered to Erin. She shrugged her shoulders, eyebrows raised.
“Me either. The more the merrier I guess.” The three of them returned and just as she was about to sit down the doorbell rang and she jumped back up to get the pizza.
Thomas offered Cassandra a seat on the couch next to me. She smiled politely at me and I smiled back.
“Actually, I have to use the restroom. Can you take my drink?” She handed him a glass of wine and he directed her to the bathroom with a quick motion of his arm.
“Sure thing. It’s that way, first door on the right.” He looked around the room awkwardly. I was just about to move over when Stacie returned and insisted on taking her spot back. Leaving me to sit either next to Thomas or Cassandra. Great.
Thomas saw my dilemma as well and decided to bite the bullet and sit next to me. His date returned a moment later and took the end of the couch. He handed her back her glass.
“Okay, pizza’s here, everyone has a drink. Now, while we were waiting, Erin and I came up with a little game,” Stacie eyed the redhead on her other side conspiratorially. She pulled out a folded piece of paper out of her shirt and we all groaned. Stacie was notorious for awful drinking games.
“Take a sip every time someone insults Lesly, someone says a non-English word, and when someone talks about someone else’s clothing,” she paused for effect. “Take a full drink when someone mentions dinner, Anthony says something awkward, and when they talk about Jackie’s meds. And finally,” she took a breath and everyone groaned. “Chug your drink when there is any reference to incest. Okay, okay. I’m done. I’m pushing play.”
We barely made it five minutes into the movie before Stacie was shouting at us to take a sip. I turned to give an eye roll to Thomas but found him looking at his date instead. She had asked him who he auditioned to play. He pointed to Marty on the screen. She nodded, but her face still showed confusion. He then took his sip and looked back at the screen.
When the pair sat at the piano and began their little banter, she asked about it again.
“Who is going to play Jackie?” Thomas smiled and patted my thigh. I jerked away, but still leaned over and waved to her. She frowned, but quickly covered it up with a smile. I extended my hand to her.
“I’m Renee. It’s nice to meet you Cassandra,” I said politely. She took my hand and shook it.
“Same here. You all are so close, it’s kind of hard to get a word in,” she laughed. I shrugged.
“We get that a lot.”
Thomas shushed me and pushed me gently back to my side. I pushed him back and he smirked at me. We looked at each other for a beat longer than necessary. He winked at me and I quickly looked away.
I felt so uncomfortable sitting next to him. He had his hand on her thigh the entire time. I wished there were more places to sit. When everyone had depleted their first beers, I volunteered to get us all another.
I stuck my head in the fridge, grabbed a six pack, and when I popped back up, I jumped when I saw Cassandra only a few feet away from me. She jumped as well.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just refilling my glass. I’ve never played a drinking game before.”
“Oh, it’s alright. I just hadn’t expected to see you there.” I grabbed one extra beer for the seven of us. She poured her glass, took a sip and then leaned against the counter. I stood there for a moment. I could tell she wanted to say something. I figured I’d help her out.
“Count yourself lucky. Stacie has made us play way too many dumb movie drinking games over the years.” When she didn’t say anything, I changed subjects.
“So how long have you been seeing Thomas?” I asked politely. Her big eyes swung over to me. Gosh she was stunning.
“It’s our third date. We were supposed to go dancing. We were actually on our way when he got the invite. He didn’t want to miss out on everyone hanging out,” she frowned. Oh, I understood her disappointment. Why would he want to bring her to something so uneventful, when he could be out scoring some major points with the pretty girl?
“That’s the life of a theatre nerd. We’re like family. Do you act?” I said hopefully. Maybe she could be a part of the production. She shook her head.
