I lean in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. I don’t know half the people here. The turnout looks like word spread. Living in a college town can do that. But I don’t mind it.
I’m glad I could host a fun night like this for everyone.
“Dude, look,” Hero says, coming up behind me as he cracks open a new beer. “Who is that?”
He nods to the front door where a group of girls just walked in.
“Which one?” I ask, my gaze instantly falling on the last one. She’s taller than the others, but not by much. Maybe five-ten, five-eleven. She’s got on a pair of cut-off shorts, slip-on sneakers, and a pink one-shoulder top that really brings out the color of her tan skin. She has straight, shiny brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. It’s so dark that it might actually be black. I’d need to get closer to know. Her big brown doe eyes scan the room as she takes a breath. My guess is, she doesn’t know anyone here. I should be a good host and introduce myself while offering her and her friends a drink.
“The one in the blue dress,” Hero says.
I smile.
I have no clue who either of them is. I’m just glad he wasn’t checking out the same woman as me.
“No clue. But this is our house, so let’s go over there.”
Hero is one step ahead of me, then I hear a crash in the kitchen behind me. Some guy just dropped a whole tray of shot glasses. I sigh, letting my buddy take over greeting our new guests.
“This is why we set out the paper cups,” I say and point to the stacks of cups.
“Sorry, we just wanted actual shot glasses.”
“Clearly,” I say and clean up the mess.
I’d make him do it, but his stumble on the way out to the patio says he’d probably make the problem worse.
I glance at the clock. It’s only nine, and people are already this drunk.
Hell.
I grab the four bottles of hard liquor sitting out and jog them up the stairs to my room. I don’t mind sharing, but beer will be just fine for everyone here on out until the night is over. Maybe it’ll slow some of these people down.
As I descend the stairs, I glance at the door. The girl in the pink shirt isn’t anywhere in sight. But I do spot Hero chatting it up with the girl in the blue dress.
Simon and Beck are playing video games on the couch, and Graham is trying to read a book while the redhead next to him is basically trying to climb into his lap. I make my way through the kitchen, grab a fresh beer, and head out to the patio where Zane is chugging a red cup at one end of the beer pong table.
It almost feels like we’re at a frat party. If it were fall and the semester had started, I’m sure we would be. But tonight is basically just a bunch of college kids who either live here full time or stayed to take classes over the summer.
I chuckle to myself.
Does this mean my house is full of like-minded people who know what they want in life and are eager to get there, or is it full of nerds who like summer school?
“Is something funny?”
With a smirk still on my lips, I turn my gaze to the woman who spoke next to me, only to come face-to-face with pink shirt girl.
My smile widens.
“Hi,” I say instead of answering her question.
Under the patio lights, I can faintly spot the light pink color in her cheeks.
“Hi,” she replies.
Before I can say anything else, a Ping-Pong ball smacks her in the temple. For obvious reasons, she’s not injured, but it does startle her enough that she drops her drink.
Her beer spills onto the ground between us.
