16. Daisy
DAISY
The inside of The White House is even bigger and more extravagant than I expected. Violet would die. Or maybe she’d already seen it during those few months when she was hanging with Gavin and his friends.
I hate to be glad that things didn’t work out between them, but I’m thankful that we’ve become so close since then.
We’ve always had a few core things in common: being the same age, loving art, wishing our parents were less strict, and that our fathers were less embarrassing; but because we grew up living two hours apart, we only saw each other on holidays or the rare occasion my parents stopped working long enough to join them on family vacations.
It wasn’t until Violet and I both chose to attend Valley U—the same college our fathers had attended—that I’ve really gotten to know her.
Our first semester, we only hung out to study or to grab an occasional cup of coffee, but after everything went down with Gavin and her roommate, she basically moved into my dorm with me.
And now I can’t imagine not living with her or seeing and talking with her every day.
Jordan rests a hand on my lower back as we squeeze through the crowded hallway to the kitchen.
My body responds to the attention with far too much excitement.
Especially considering his focus is everywhere.
Some people call out their congrats. Others that are closer fist bump or hug him.
One girl yells across the party for him to come sign her boobs.
“Is she serious?” I ask.
“Oh yeah,” he says. “Want me to sign yours?”
I don’t respond but send him a pointed look that makes him laugh.
He stops to grab our cups then tips his head toward the back yard. “Keg is outside.”
My gaze travels over the large kitchen. I want to wander around and scope out this house, but there’s a real chance I’d get lost. It’s massive.
Jordan starts outside. I stick close to him, which isn’t strictly necessary since it isn’t as crowded out here as we make our way to fill our cups with beer.
Jordan fills mine, then his, and looks around the party. “I don’t think Liam is here yet.”
“It’s okay.” I take a large gulp of beer. “I don’t really want to see him right now.”
The honest admission catches me by surprise.
There’s no one else I’d rather come to a party with than Jordan.
He’s all chill, and I feel like it balances out my anxiety in this situation.
And I think he might want to hang out with me too.
I mean, why else would he have asked me to come tonight?
That, or he’s really shipping Liam and me.
Jordan nods thoughtfully. “Need a little liquid courage first?”
I open my mouth to tell him that isn’t it, but I’m suddenly not so sure I’ve read things right. Maybe he didn’t bring me here for Liam or for himself, but because he felt sorry for me. That would be the absolute worst. I don’t want his pity.
It makes the most sense, though, as I glance around the party. Girls openly stare at him. Two eventually approach, hugging Jordan and then falling into conversation with him about the game.
I take another sip of beer and try not to eavesdrop. More girls are looking this way—at Jordan and then to me. I was prepared to be invisible, but the looks these girls are shooting me tell me: 1. They see me, and 2. They don’t understand why Jordan walked in with me.
I know that no one cares I’m here, or, let’s be honest, would have even noticed if it weren’t for Jordan.
I’m nobody. And while being here is everything I’ve wanted since I moved in next door, coming with one of the most popular guys on campus was not the smartest decision.
Talk about being thrown into the lion’s den.
“This is Daisy,” Jordan’s voice cuts through my thoughts. He introduces me to the girls and steps closer to me.
“Are you in Chi Omega?” one asks.
“No.”
The other squints at me. “You dated Jenkins last year?”
I shake my head.
They’re trying so hard to place me. They can’t fathom why Jordan would hang out with me.
He touches my elbow, sending a jolt up my arm. Then, with a smile at the two girls, he says, “We’ll see you guys later.”
Gently, he tugs me with him. I offer a brittle smile and wave at the girls now glaring at me.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he leads me onto the patio that spans the width of the house.
“Liquid courage.”
“You don’t have to do this.” I pull free of his hold.
“Do what?”
“Hang out with me.”
He chuckles. “Thanks, but I like my nipples.”
On the patio, a large group sits around a long table. Beer cans cover almost every surface. A timer goes off, and someone yells, “Drink!”
All around the table, people lift shot glasses and toss them back. I watch as people finish and refill the glass with beer.
“Ever done century club?” He nods his head in greeting to people at the table and then pulls out a chair for me.
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“You’ve never heard of century club?” He takes the chair next to me and grabs us each a shot glass.
“Trust me, I don’t relish being dumb, so just assume if I’m asking, I genuinely don’t know.”
Laughing, he fills our glasses. “The rules are simple. You take a shot of beer every minute for one hundred minutes.”
“Drink!”
Everyone around us takes their shot, and Jordan holds up his glass, then waits for me.
“Like power hour,” I say.
“Yep, except longer.”
“Yeah, that’s a lot of beer in less than two hours.”
“It’s the fastest way I know to get drunk,” he says. “Unless you can stomach Everclear?”
“This is fine.” I take the shot, and Jordan immediately refills our glasses.
We’re at the end of the table, and the people around us are coupled up and not paying us a lot of attention.
Jordan’s wearing a hat, as usual. He lifts it and drops it onto one knee.
His black hair is messy, but it still suits him. I like how the ends are always a little unruly, just like him. “You have nice hair.”
“Careful, that almost sounded like a compliment.” He pauses. “Wait, are you drunk already?”
“You’re shit at taking a compliment.”
“Oh, like you’re so good at it?” He shoots me a knowing glance. It’s time to drink again, and he leans back casually in his chair as he takes it.
“Fair point.”
It takes very few shots of beer before my stomach feels too full. So I skip the next several. Jordan smirks, toasts the air, and keeps going. I wonder if he needs some liquid courage tonight, too.
“Who’s Eric?”
It takes me a second to figure out who he’s talking about. “He’s a friend of Jane’s. He has a house off campus.”
“Is that where you usually party?”
“Occasionally. Mostly, we hang at our house.” I take the next shot. Jordan continues to refill my glass each time.
“Do you only go places your friends go?”
“You ask that like it’s a terrible thing. Isn’t that why you’re here? To hang with your friends.” I wave my hand toward the party that’s growing in size with every shot we take.
“The difference is if I wanted to go somewhere and my friends didn’t, I’d go by myself.”
“Girls don’t do that.”
He bobs his head. “Yeah, I guess that’s not a quirk unique to you. Still, must be limiting.”
“I’ve survived just fine.”
“Says the girl that’d never had Fun Dip before.” His dark eyes lock on mine. “What else haven’t you done before?”
“I’m not a virgin,” I protest too loudly and gain the attention of people around us. I consider jumping over the fence to the safety of my own house but am afraid I’d trip and fall or make a spectacle trying to climb over.
“Oh, sweet Daisy. You’re blushing.” He rests an arm around the back of my chair. The position puts just the smallest amount of contact between his forearm and my shoulder. “That wasn’t what I was asking, but now you have me thinking about you naked.”
My face is boiling, and my cheeks must show it because he chuckles then lets his thumb glide along my arm in a reassuring caress. “Relax. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Will it help if I tell you how I lost my virginity?”
“Nope, probably not.”
He tips his gaze up and pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “Know any jokes?”
The beer and the absurdity of this situation mixed with all the anxiousness and uncomfortable feelings I’ve been repressing comes out in a giggle. It starts small and builds. I can’t stop, and soon I’m hiccuping along with it.
“Okay, I think we’ve accomplished our mission.” Jordan stands and holds out a hand.
“I’m fine.” I get to my feet without his help but then sway. “Or not.”
“Catches up with you fast.”
I slip my palm into his. It’s warm and rough, and my pulse kicks up as I slide my fingers through his.
One side of his mouth lifts in a smirk, but he holds my hand as we walk away from the table.
“What’s next?” I ask.
“It’s a choose your own adventure. We have swimming.” He waggles his brows as he stops us in front of the pool. People are stripped down to their boxers or panties and bras, swimming and splashing.
“No, thank you.”
“Dancing?” He turns us to an open section of the yard where the DJ booth is set up, and people are dancing.
“Maybe later.”
He continues through the options, which include more drinking games.
“Can we just sit and chill for a while?”
“Absolutely. That’s my favorite party activity.”
We refill our cups, where he sadly drops my hand to do so, and then Jordan leads me to an area of the party I know well.
The spot where so many times I’ve watched him and Liam sit and hang with the guys on the team.
I glance over at my house and up at the tree house.
It’s hidden really well. Not that most people would look over into the darkened yard next door when there’s so much going on here.
“Thatcher!” the guys call out in a chorus. Liam is with them and stands when he sees me.
“No way. I didn’t know you were coming,” he says.
“It was a last-minute decision.”
Jordan stays at my side. He introduces me to his teammates, and then we sit in a circle. I’m next to Liam, but Jordan takes a chair across from us.
It’s a rare night that Liam is drinking, but he goes through beer at a much slower pace than his buddies.
Now that my stomach has settled, I’m happily buzzed and content.
Someone passes around a bottle of Fireball.
Liam takes a drink then passes it to me.
His fingers brush mine, and I wait for the sparks to shoot up my arm or a fluttering in my stomach—for any sign that there could be something more between us.
“You got it?” he asks when I don’t pull the bottle away.
“Yeah. I think I do.” I take a sip, stealing a glance at Jordan. I find him looking back at me, and those sparks and flutters I was waiting for finally arrive.
Oh shit. I went and fell for the wrong guy.