64. Chapter 62
Emery
“Where did Will ask you to meet him?” Oakley yells into my ear, but I can still barely hear her over the loud-as-fuck music.
We’ve only been here for a few minutes, squashed up against the wall of what I assume is normally the main living area but is currently a dance floor, and I’m already ready to leave.
“He didn’t really say,” I try to yell back, but I’m not sure she hears me.
This whole situation is a massive sensory overload. How the hell do people like these things?
I don’t think I have ever seen this many people crammed into such a small space. Not that the hockey team’s frat house is small; it’s actually a mini-mansion. There are just people everywhere. I’m pretty sure there are two people fucking in the corner to my right.
There is an actual DJ set up in the other corner, with flashing lights and everything. And because the music is so loud, everyone is yelling, adding exponentially to the volume.
And there is skin. So much skin. Everywhere. The vast majority of partygoers have come as Beach Barbie and Beach Ken, even though nighttime temperatures have gotten quite low over the last few days. Just walking the thirty feet from where the Uber dropped us off to the front door left me shivering.
I feel like we might have gotten the vibe wrong. My hot pink strapless body-con dress and black strappy heels do not fit in with all the bikinis, leis, Hawaiian print, and sarongs. Not to mention the blonde wig that comes down to my ass and the thick, chunky plastic jewelry Oakley had me buy.
Hopefully this is what Will had in mind when he suggested we dress up as classic Barbie and Ken.
And Oakley’s outfit. Oh my god. Nineties aerobics Barbie.
It had taken us more than a few activewear shops to get all the pieces for her outfit.
Plain white sneakers, which she already owned, green leg warmers, purple spandex tights down past her knees, a bright blue, sparkly, one-piece swimsuit that has a thicker crotch than ass area, sweat bands on her wrists and around her forehead, and a ponytail so high, she’ll likely have a headache later.
But she looks fucking hot, if not a little weird.
Even with how we are pressed against the wall, people still bump into us, like right now, when a guy with black hair, a purple lei, no shirt, and boardshorts practically falls to his knees in front of us, using my hip to catch himself.
“Oof!” I grunt under the extra weight, concern for my ankles in these heels setting off alarm bells in my head.
He manages to right himself, but the only problem with that is, our faces are now only a few inches apart, and his breath smells like it belongs in a chem lab. “Oh, hey, sexy, are you having a good night?”
I raise an eyebrow and shove a hand against his chest, forcing him away from me. “Not interested.”
“Aww, don’t be like that, babe. Let’s have some fun together,” he cajoles, punctuating the end of his sentence with a beer-scented burp.
“Fuc—” I start, but then he is yanked away from me, and I get a split-second view of a familiar boy-next-door face with a very unfamiliar thunderous expression before he rounds on the guy, completely blocking me from view.
“Fuck off, Green. She’s with me.”
I lean to the side to see what’s happening, and Will must sense the movement because he reaches back for me, his hand landing on my hip.
Green holds his hands up, a bottle of beer hanging loosely from his fingers. He tips it in Will’s direction. “Good pick, man. The others are really gonna like ’er.”
And then another burp. Fucking disgusting.
I reach up and place a hand on his back, wanting to provide support or comfort or something. Because that’s what people do, right?
“I think there is a wet T-shirt competition starting up out the back,” Will suggests, clearly trying to distract this Green guy.
As I’m sure Will predicted, Green’s eyes light up like a kid’s in a candy store. He doesn’t even bother to say goodbye to me before he spins around and leaves, almost falling into a couple making out against the wall down the hallway as he goes.
Will’s back flexes under my palm, then he slowly turns around to face me, his features rearranging themselves into a smile. “Hey, Ems.”
His eyes widen as he shifts back a step and takes in my blonde hair, figure-hugging pink dress, and heels. I take his distraction to check out his outfit and, damn, he really got his Ken right.
Caramel knit button-up with white hems along the button line, pale blue shorts, and white loafers with no socks.
When I finally make it up to his perfectly styled Ken hair and smiling face, I can’t help but hit him with a smirk. “Hey, Classic Ken.”
His grin turns to a laugh. “Hey, Classic Barbie. Let’s go party?”
Will gestures behind him, indicating past the dance floor. Before I respond, I turn to talk to Oakley and find her in a conversation with a Disco Barbie. No, wait. They aren’t talking, they’re signing. Huh. I had no idea she could sign.
I lean in and touch her elbow, gently interrupting their conversation. “Oaks, Will found me, I’m going to go with him.”
Her gaze darts over my shoulder, and her eyes widen before she nods and crowds in close so she can talk straight into my ear. “Firstly, Classic Ken is hot. Secondly, message me before you leave the party, no matter what, okay? Even if it’s with him.”
Pulling back, I nod, then smile and wave as Will takes my hand and leads us through the partygoers.
When we make it into the next room, which turns out to be a massive kitchen, the volume immediately becomes more tolerable.
My head feels like it’s on a swivel as I take in the massive space that is basically one giant bar at the moment.
The island in the middle has more alcohol on it than I have ever seen in one place, and there are actual red plastic cups everywhere.
For some reason, I always assumed they were a movie prop favorite, but nope. Turns out they are a real thing.
This room is also incredibly crowded, but the vibe of the people is different. It’s also mostly Kens. Very big Kens, so I’m assuming they are all jocks.
“Pledge Alderidge, who’s your friend?” a guy who looks like a carbon copy of Will calls out from where he is leaning against a counter.
He’s surrounded by a bunch of guys who all turn to look at me.
Will stiffens but leans down to whisper in my ear. “That’s my brother.”
“Like, actual brother or frat brother?” I ask.
“Both. He’s also the president of the frat, but thankfully not my assigned Big Bro.” Will straightens and tugs me to his side, but also keeps his body in front of mine. “Emery, meet my brother, Michael.”
Michael’s gaze tracks down my body, and something about it makes my stomach twist, so all I offer him back is a wave. I’m not aware that I’m squeezing Will’s hand until he pulls our linked hands into view of the others and rubs his thumb back and forth over our knuckles.
There is a weird tension in the air as Michael’s gaze lands on our hands.
It’s like everyone is collectively holding their breaths, but eventually, he smiles and gestures at a doorway I hadn’t noticed before.
“Beer pong is about to start. Why don’t you take Emery in there for a game? Keep her away from the…team.”
Something is happening right now, but I have no idea what. All I know is that getting out of this room with its overwhelming testosterone sounds fucking great.
Will doesn’t respond to his brother, but he does take his advice and leads me out of the kitchen and into the next room, where, yep, beer pong.
“Nicholas! You came!”
And just like that, the tension is gone. Vinnie swoops in and squeezes me in a tight hug before depositing me back on my feet and stepping back to give me a once-over while I take in his Beach Ken outfit of nothing but boardshorts.
“Damn, this looks good on you. You know where it would look better?” he starts.
Before I can snark back at him, Will leans forward and punches him in the bicep. “Shut up, asshole.”
“Ow! Dude, chill. I was going to say your bedroom floor.” Vinnie leans in conspiratorially before he continues. “I’m a good wingman, right?”
Laughing, I shove him out of my personal space. “Sure you are.”
Vinnie’s grin stays plastered to his face as he gestures at where the beer pong is partially set up. “Want the first game? You and Will versus Dansky and his lady friend of the evening.”
I look at Will questioningly. “I’m warning you that I have the athletic prowess of a toddler.”
He pulls me in close and drops a kiss onto my hair. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”
It doesn’t take much to get the set up finished, and before I know it, there are twenty red Solo cups, each filled with a shot of beer, on the table and I have a Ping-Pong ball in my hands.
“Okay, so I just throw the ball and hope it goes in one of the cups?” I confirm as I eye the cups at the opposite end of the table.
The guy at the other end of the table is another jock of some kind, and his Beach Barbie is definitely athletic. Cheerleader, maybe? Does NU even have a cheer squad? Do they cheer for the hockey team? Or does only the football team get that honor?
Hmmm, if this thing with Will actually happens, I’m going to have some things to learn.
“Yep. And if you get it in, they drink it. We get two shots per turn,” Will explains and offers me the other ball.
“You have to promise to still like me when I miss every shot,” I mutter, a playful sense of resignation in my stomach.
“Just give it a go, how bad can it be?”
Bad. Really bad, it turns out.
Will laughs as my sixth attempt bounces off the table, just like every other toss. “Damn, you weren’t lying about your skills.”
I can’t help but laugh either. Will has taken four of the shots of beer, leaving me with the remaining two. “Shut up.”
The beer tasted exactly as bad as I always thought it would. It was warm and seriously foamy. Hopefully, Will can pull a win for us, because I really don’t want to have any more.
Beach Barbie takes her turn, and thankfully, she misses both shots this time.
I step out of the way to give Will space, and the crowd at the other end of the table groans as he sinks both, bringing us even. Will turns to me, his blue eyes bright with the fun of everything.
His eyes dip to my lips and then back up before he starts to lean in but straightens at the sound of his frat name being called from the doorway of the room. “Pledge Alderidge.”
Will stiffens, his features going tight before a stillness fills him and his entire body deflates. Turning, he faces a guy I haven’t met yet. “Yes, Big Brother Wagner?”
“The keg is out of beer.”
“Yes, Big Brother.”
The level of weird that is going on is almost too much for me right now. What the fuck is this weird-ass frat bro movie shit? Big Brother Wagner? This has to be a joke, right? Can’t Wagner just go and handle the empty keg himself?
Turns out, nope. This shit is real. Will turns to face me, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, I need to go deal with this. Pledge duties.”
Right, whatever the fuck those are.
I nod, eyes darting between him and Wagner, who continues to loom in the doorway. “Sure, I’ll wait for you here.”
He offers me a tight smile before grabbing Vinnie’s attention. “Stay with her.”
Vinnie nods and immediately steps in to take Will’s place, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, Nicholas, I’ve got you covered. I’m beer-pong champion.”
Still slightly weirded out by what just happened, I try to settle myself again. When Dansky sinks his first throw, I immediately snatch it up and down it, trying my best to not pull a face at the taste.
“That’s it, Nicholas, let loose!”
Let loose? Okay, yeah. I can do that. I can be a college student and have fun at a party.
I can totally do this.