31. Mason #2
“Enough talking about that devil of a man,” Simone says, trying to back up her friend.
“Hey, that devil—angel—of a man is my friend,” I tell them.
I see Lani shrug in the rear-view mirror. “Maybe get better friends?”
Simone and I just laugh, and we all change the subject as we pull up to the house.
I get out and open the back door for Lani first before walking around and opening Simone’s door, reaching my hand out for her to take.
I nod my head at her once she’s out of the car. “You look good.”
She smiles. “Thanks. I wanna hit a triple F tonight, figured I’d look my best while doing it.”
“What’s a triple F?” I ask.
Lani walks up beside Simone. “Have fun, get fucked up, and forget.”
I nod. “Well, the Gamma house is next door, so we don’t need a DD,” I tell her. “You can stay there. Let’s make it happen.”
By the time the party really gets going, the Sig house smells like a bunch of different cheap colognes, spilled beer, and a lot of future bad decisions—which, honestly, is pretty on brand for this house.
The beat is so strong that I can feel it through the soles of my shoes. Someone’s already blown out a speaker, someone else is yelling about beer pong rules and someone cheating, and I’ve got a red Solo cup in my hand that somehow keeps magically refilling by itself.
That’s how it always starts—one drink turns into five, and before I’ve even realized, I’ve stopped counting.
Simone’s glued to my side at first—laughing, bumping into me when someone passes by too closely, and stealing sips from my cup because she doesn’t want to hold her own and is too paranoid about drinks getting spiked when they’re left unattended.
Lani disappears when her brother and his crew show up, leaving Simone and I to get into trouble all by ourselves with no supervision.
Suddenly, Simone and I are surrounded by a bunch of Gamma girls who are hyping her up and dancing with her, while also trying to get my attention and grinding on me.
Tank shoves past me with two girls hanging off him.
“Mason! My man!” He slaps my shoulder so hard I almost spill my drink.
Simone laughs. “Is everyone here legally required to assault you?”
“Pretty much,” I say. “It’s in the pledge contract you sign freshman year.”
She snorts and takes my cup, draining half of it without blinking.
“Whoa,” I say. “Easy there.”
She hands it back like she didn’t just chug the thing. “What? I’m having fun.”
She is having fun. But she’s also drinking faster than I’ve ever seen her drink before.
I look away for a second, talking to one of the girls nearby, and when I look back, Simone is up on top of one of the couches with another girl, hands in the air, dancing.
Did I mention she’s wearing heels?
I shake my head and walk closer, just in case, not wanting her to bust her ass.
I grab a cup from the lineup of drinks someone just put on the coffee table and take a sip. This is starting to feel like one of those nights I may or may not remember in the morning.
Another one of the Gamma girls hops up there with them, and they’re all dancing like they’re on a stage somewhere instead of on top of my fraternity living room couch—screaming lyrics, spilling their drinks everywhere, and having the time of their lives.
I laugh despite myself.
Then Tank walks by again.
“Tank!” Simone yells.
He stops, already grinning.
“Put me on your shoulders!”
Before I can stop it from happening, she’s climbing him like a ladder, cup raised in the air that she stole from one of the girls, singing at the top of her lungs.
Tank stumbles. Badly.
I drop my drink and rush forward just as he loses his footing, grabbing Simone around the waist before she eats shit.
“Okay,” I say, breathlessly. “Show’s over.”
She laughs, arms still around my neck as I set her down. “You’re no fun.”
“You almost face planted,” I tell her. “I’m sure that would have been real fun.”
“I did not,” she slurs.
I steer her towards the kitchen, my hand on her back. “Water. Now.”
When we’re in the kitchen, she trips a little and catches herself with her hands on my chest.
Everything goes quiet.
She looks up at me, eyes glazed, lips parted, breath warm against my face.
Her fingers curl into my shirt.
“Mason,” she whispers.
Fuck.
“Don’t,” I say quietly, but she doesn’t hear it—or pretends not to.
“Kiss me.”
My stomach drops.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to kiss a girl as badly as I want to kiss Simone right now.
But she’s not mine to kiss.
And we’re just friends. I can’t lose her as a friend over some dumb drunken moment.
“You have a boyfriend,” I whisper.
She looks annoyed, like she already knows that. “Yeah. And he’s probably kissing someone else right now. Or worse…fucking them.”
That hits harder than it should, and makes me angry.
I don’t want to kiss her like this, though. I can’t. I don’t want to be the mistake she wakes up hating herself for.
I tighten my grip on her arms. “You don’t want that.”
She frowns. “I do.”
“No,” I say, firmer now. “You don’t. And you’d hate yourself tomorrow if I did it. That’s not you. You’re too loyal, no matter what. You’d regret it. I promise.”
Her face changes. Like something snaps back into place. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I—”
“Hey,” I cut in. “Don’t apologize.”
She keeps going anyway. “I’m sorry. Fuck. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s just, everything…everything with Tyler is screwing with my head. I’ve never felt like this before. And oh my goodness, you’re my friend Mason…I’m—I’m sorry. I don’t want to use you like that.”
I hate this.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I say. “You’re just hurting.”
She shakes her head, tears fighting to break free. “I feel so pathetic.”
“You’re not.”
“I am,” she insists. “I’m desperately holding onto someone who doesn’t even want me anymore.”
I guide her to a nearby room and sit her on the couch. “Stay here.”
I grab a bottle of water and bring it back to her.
“You don’t deserve to feel like this, Sim,” I tell her quietly. “But maybe…maybe you need to talk to him. Like, actually talk. Find out what’s going on.”
She laughs bitterly. “I already know what’s going on. I’m too boring, too safe, and he…he just wants something else, something…better.”
“First of all, none of that is true,” I say, “and second of all, that’s not the only explanation for all of this.”
She sighs and leans back, lifting her feet onto my lap without even thinking about it.
I pull them up instinctively.
“Ugh, why do girls wear heels to parties?” she groans. “My feet hurt so fucking badly.”
I laugh and slide her shoes off. “Because y’all enjoy suffering.”
She sighs in relief. “Bless you.”
As we sit there, I try to think of any way to distract her.
“Truth or dare?”
She looks at me and squints for a moment before smiling. “Dare.”
“I dare you to finish that water.”
She groans, but does it. “You’re no fun.”
Then she points at me. “Truth or dare.”
“Truth.”
“If you were dating me,” she says softly, “would you ever cheat on me?”
“No. Never.” The answer is ridiculously easy.
Her eyes flutter closed for a second.
I swallow, trying to look at anything but her. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
I hesitate. “What scares you the most about losing him?”
She answers cautiously. “I don’t know…maybe it’s proving to everyone that I’m not really who I try to portray myself to be.
That I’m not as confident and as perfect as they think I am…
that I’m pretty fucking far from it, actually.
That there’s something wrong with me to make him want something else. ”
My chest aches for her, but before I can say anything, she looks over at me again. “Truth or dare?”
I let her change the subject and don’t try to push it. “Dare.”
I watch the trouble turning in her mind, the devil on her shoulder getting in her ear.
She looks down at my lap and then back up at me, smiling—it’s a dangerous smile. “I dare you to…put my toe in your mouth.”
I freeze, and almost laugh.
This is a bad idea.
Such a bad idea.
It’s crossing major lines…
But I’m drunk. And as much as I keep going back to the thought of her having a boyfriend, I can’t help but also think about how much of a piece of shit he is for treating her this way.
I try to talk myself out of it; I really do, but…
“Fuck it,” I mutter.
I lift her foot and drag my tongue slowly from her heel to her toes, then suck one into my mouth, eyes locked on hers the whole time.
God, I’d lick every inch of her if she’d let me.
I hate the thought of anyone having access to her who doesn’t appreciate what they have, or know that she is the embodiment of perfection.
Her mouth falls open.
“Mason!” she gasps. “I didn’t think you’d actually do it!”
I kiss the top of her foot before placing it back down on my lap.
“I’ll never turn down a dare,” I tell her in a low voice.
She laughs for a second and then suddenly sits up, freaking out. “We shouldn’t have done that.”
Realization hits us both.
“I know,” I say, shaking my head.
She stands abruptly.
“I—I don’t know why I let you do that,” she says with a shake to her voice. “I—I need some air. I think I’m gonna go find Lani.”
“Sim—”
She turns back, grabbing her heels. “I’m sorry, Mase. I really am.”
Then she’s gone.
And I’m left sitting there, wondering how badly I just fucked up.