I giggle for no real reason and realize that the alcohol is starting to hit me. Yeah, I’m on the verge of being drunk.
I’ve been bracing myself for the past two hours of Stevie’s twenty-second birthday. The girl can’t drink, and I really didn’t want to get drunk on her day, but then the Kappa boys invited us to play flip cup. Either way, Levi is with her, along with Cameron, Cameron’s friend Zoey, her boyfriend Will, and finally Luna’s boyfriend Brad, who have all decided to stay sober for the night, save for a beer or two.
“Who wants to do some line dancing?” Jake’s friend, Brian, who’s one of the heads of Kappa, yells to everyone in the back room.
The back room at the Kappa house is restricted to certain people. Mostly rich kids with connections—like Jake—or the higher-ups in the frat. The room next to it usually hosts the public parties. The house itself is huge, with an endless number of doors. We’ve only been coming to parties here for the past year, but each one is epic and holds some sort of backstory.
Although today is Stevie’s day, she asked Jake not to tell the frat because they had a western-themed party planned, and she wanted something casual…and to wear cowboy boots.
Kami and I embraced the theme, and she wore a black dress with short white boots and a red hat. She’s always wearing something red.
Meanwhile, I decided on a white dress, long brown boots, and a brown hat.
“Which song are you guys doing?” I ask, waiting to see if I’ll recognize the dance.
Levi and Stevie move closer to me and whip their heads over.
“Since when do you know how to line dance?” Levi asks.
“Shush.” I wave a hand in their direction, drinking more beer.
“‘Fake ID’, beautiful.” Brian smirks and motions his head to the spot next to him. “You want me to teach you?”
I may be a terrible dancer in the club, but one thing Kami’s classes have taught me is coordination, and I just happened to learn some line dances online for this particular party. “Fake ID” was the most popular song, besides “Footloose,” so I focused on those two.
Brian, Jake’s friend from Kappa, and I have only spoken three times, but every single time, he’s flirted with me. He’s flirted with everyone in the group, actually, except for Jake. Levi was fair game last year when they almost hooked up.
I chug the rest of my beer, feeling just drunk enough to give this a try. “Let’s do this.” Moving to face my friends who are looking at me like I just sprouted another head, I say, “I may not be a good dancer, and I might even make myself trip at some point, but I know the steps. So, if anyone else knows the dance and wants to join me, now’s your chance.” I stare at them, as my best friend’s wife slowly steps forward. Smiling, I grab the hand of the second-worst dancer in our group—other than me—dragging her along. “Come on, birthday girl. Let’s have some fun.”
Stevie laughs and follows me as we line up with the large group of people that have seemed to gather in the middle of the room. Brian points to one of his frat bros who’s next to a laptop.
“Fake ID” by Big & Rich blares from the two large speakers in the room, and we all start dancing in unison. Some are better than others, and most are better than Stevie and me, but neither of us pays much attention to how well we’re doing, as long as we’re trying our best to keep up and just having some plain old fun.
My mind has been so occupied since last night when I texted Grayson, and he didn’t text me back until this morning with just a short message. I know that’s how he texts when he’s busy, butwe haven’t had sex in a week, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I miss him…and I’m horny.
Shaking my head, I refocus on the dance and kick my foot out before switching to the other and doing a one-eighty, impressed with myself and Stevie. I lose myself to the music and let go of the week’s stress. It might’ve been a good week, but it was exhausting nonetheless. Stevie and I are laughing until the song ends, and I fall on my ass.
Tipping to the side while cackling, I end up lying down on the hardwood floor, giggling like an idiot. I should line dance more often.
Stevie and Brian rush to my side. “Are you okay, Em?”
I gasp between laughs. “Yes,” I manage to say. The shots I drank half an hour ago are doing their job. “I’m fine.”
Large arms reach around me from behind, and I’m lifted into the air by a six-foot-five man.
“Don’t fall on me,” Cameron says, handing me over to his girlfriend and my roommate, who pushes the hair away from my face and picks my hat up.
“Is everything okay, Emma? You usually don’t get drunk this easily,” she whispers.
I stop laughing and tilt my head to the side. “I didn’t eat much today.”
My best friend rolls her eyes and asks Brian if they have any snacks, but I shake my head and tell her I need to go to the bathroom.
“I’ll go with you.” She grabs me as if I’m at the point where I can’t walk on my own.
I shrug her hand off. “Kami, I may not have as high a tolerance right now, but I’m more than capable of walking by myself. Thank you, though.”Besides, there’s something I want to do, and I need to be alone for it.
She narrows her eyes at me. “Fine, but use the bathroom that only we know about upstairs.”