“Sarah, you weren’t even at the game. It’s not like you would’ve known if he played.”
“But since he did, now I have an opening line, duh.” She flips her hair over her shoulder and treks down the street. “I’m not going to this party to celebrate their win, Amber; I’m going to this party to get an in. Specifically, an in, into Declan Sanderson’s bed.”
Why is everyone so obsessed with Declan Sanderson? I didn’t even know who he was a couple of hours ago, and now I’ve heard two girls talking about wanting to get with him. But a party doesn’t sound too bad.
And even though I’m the last person who wants to celebrate right now, most parties have food… and sex.
If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get both tonight.
So, I follow them. Hopefully, they just assumed I was already going to the party. And the second I walk inside, I wonder why I’ve never attended an after-game party. I mean, the options of men to sleep with areendless. And there’s a shit ton of food. All I ate today was a mushy banana and a piece of toast that I had to cut the mold off of.
The girls I followed here fit right in. They find a group of people they know before I even have time to take in the environment. It’s loud, which I guess isn’t abnormal for a party, and a lot ishappening. People are smoking and drinking out back, and another group is playing beer pong in what I assume is usually the dining room. The largest group resides in the living room since there’s the most space.
I wonder if all these people actually went to the game or if they’re just here for the booze.
“Avalon Stewart.” The deep yet familiar voice fills the quiet kitchen, and when I turn around, I see Jaxon Holmes. He gives me a panty-dropping smile, and I’d be lying if I said I never thought about hooking up with him. Honestly, if we didn’t have a class together, I’d bite the bullet, but the thought of seeing him in class a couple times a week makes me physically ill. Especially if his bedroom skills don’t line up with his verbal game. “Jaxon. We have OCHEM together.”
And then it hits me that I’ve just been staring at him.
“Sorry, I know who you are, Jaxon. I’m just—”
“In need of a beverage?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I mean, maybe a soda?”
“Sure.” He opens up the smallest cooler I’ve ever seen. “Root Beer? Dr. Pepper? Coke?”
“I’ll take a root beer.”
He grabs one and hands it to me.
“Make yourself at home,” he begins. “I know parties can be overwhelming, but have a good time. There’s tons of food if you’re hungry. If you meet someone, just know all bedrooms are off limits, so you gotta take your little party elsewhere.”
I’m honestly kind of taken aback by him so casually bringing up my sex life. Obviously, he didn’t come right out and say if you’regonna have sex, don’t do it in one of the bedrooms, but I think it was pretty much implied.
“Jax!” A guy yells from across the room. I’ve never seen him before, but he’s wearing aRockford Hockeyhoodie, so I assume he’s on the team with Jaxon.
Next to him are two girls: one is blonde, and the other has dark hair. The blonde’s leaning against the table, laughing at something the taller girl said. I don’t know why, but the blonde looks familiar. Maybe I have a class with her?
“What Fletch?” he asks.
What kind of name is Fletch?
“Beer pong. You and me against Brin and Tate.”
“Alright, I’ll be right over.” His eyes meet mine. “I’ll see you in class.” He gently squeezes my bicep as he heads over to meetFletch. “We’re starting,” he says. The blonde girl has the ping pong ball in her hand, and Jaxon puts his hand out for her to give it to him.
She clutches it tighter instead of dropping it in his hands and smiles, “Ladies first!”
She barely makes it two steps before his arms are around her waist, pulling her against him to try and get the ball from her. When he almost has it, she chucks it into one of the cups across the table, and it sinks in perfectly.
“Ha, drink up,” she gloats, and he rolls his eyes.
As he heads to the cup, he notices me observing from the kitchen and winks. The blonde girl gleefully watches him down what’s in the cup.
Now I know where I’ve seen her before. I’ve seen her running on campus with Jaxon, so it’s a good thing I didn’t makea move on him. There’s only one thing more embarrassing than seeing a guy after bad sex, and that’s seeing a guy twice a week in class after he rejected you because he has a girlfriend.
I take this time to grab a piece of pizza from the kitchen and wander through the crowd. Eventually, the couch clears up, and I find my new home there. I feel like it’s the perfect spot to people watch because I can see most of the party from here.