Page 78 of Kickoff

“I’ll drive you home.”

“No. You stay. Enjoy the party.”

“I don’t care about the party.”

“Too bad. I don’t wanna be around you right now, Mase.”

“Well, I wanna be around you, so that cancels it out.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Not funny. Anyway, get out of my way.”

She pushed past me, but I stopped her with an extended arm.

“Mase, let me go. I’m done here. Move.”

I raised my hands in surrender. “Fine. We’ll do as you say. This time.”

“Don’t…don’t look so dejected. I was wrong thinking things would be different…”

As if summoned by the God of bad timing, Bella, one of the cheerleaders I had flirted with multiple times in the past, neared us. “Masssse.” My name sounded like a purr on her tongue. She traced the length of my biceps with a finger. “Wanna have some private fun away from here? I wanna see for myself if any of the rumors are true.” She batted her eyelashes and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “What do you say?”

“Geez, not you too. I’m in the middle of something here, Bella. I won’t go anywhere with you. If you seek company, find someone else because it won’t be me.”

“But, Masssse… Why would you pass the opportunity to be with me? I broke things off with Matt. There’s no one standing in our way anymore.”

“I’m not inter⁠—”

Melinda motioned to leave. “Night, Mason.”

“Mel, wait.”

“No, I’m done here. Don’t follow me.” Her voice shook. “Stay. Away.” I had never seen her so pissed off before, and I had no idea if I should do as she said or do the opposite. Girls were hard to read sometimes, and I had no experience in this kind of situation.

Before I could make up my mind, Bella’s hand wrapped around my arm. “Let her go. I can make you forget all about⁠—"

“No.” I scurried away, breathing hard through my mouth, trying my best to calm down. This wasn’t the place to make a scene. “Tonight is a disaster,” I muttered to no one but me. I searched for Melinda for the next ten minutes, but she really did leave because Sheldon told me he saw her climbing into Sandra Nolan’s—one of our neighbors from down the street—car.

Get out of my way. Mase, let me go. I’m done here. Move.

Melinda’s words played on a loop in my head, driving me crazy. A part of me yearned to go after her and demand to be heard. The other part of me thought I should give her some time to blow off some steam and realize our fight was silly because it was just a misunderstanding before facing her again.

My shoulders sagged in defeat. I couldn’t decide which part of me I should listen to.

“Shots?” a guy on my left asked, balancing half a dozen shot glasses filled with cherry-colored liquor.

His offer felt to be a sign that I should allow Melinda some time to think before I went after her. “Why not?” I had already screwed up everything so far tonight, so it couldn’t be worse. And I needed to kill the anxiety surging inside me with something or else I’d go crazy. Without hesitation, I grabbed two shots and gulped them down. “Thanks.” And before I changed my mind, I took three more and downed them as fast. I wasn’t used to drinking during football season, and the alcohol made its way to my brain in no time.

Getting wasted wasn’t the solution to my problems, but right now it sounded like a great alternative to patch the hole in my heart. I had done nothing wrong, but Paige was right. From an outsider’s point of view, my sitting with Sarah nestled against me, our heads touching and my arm around her, must have looked bad. No wonder Melinda was upset with me.

I reached the kitchen and poured myself a hefty amount of whiskey from one of the bottles on the countertop and downed it in two swallows. I was more of a beer guy, but liquor seemed like a faster road to Waste Town right now.

“What are you doing?” Craig asked, removing the empty cup from my grip and discarding it on the kitchen island that was already trashed with beer cans, empty bottles, and crushed cups. “You never drink until the season is over. Don’t start now.”

“I-I fuuucked up.” I blinked, my brain not in sync with my mouth and my thoughts. “Mel… I screwed it all up. She hates my guttts now. She left… She doesn’t want any…anything to do with me tonight.”

“Mase, don’t.”

I stabbed his chest with a finger. “I didn’t fuuuck Sarah Beaufort. I didn’t even kissss her. And I didn’t want to. It was just…just football.” I buried my face in my hands, tears prickling the back of my eyes. “We were just watching ga-games. Her brother…he…he plays for Crestwood U. Mel thinks… She probably thinks I’ve been with her. And then Tan. She stopppped me when I was chasing after Mel. And then Belllla. She said th-things. It’s…dammmit…it’s complicated. Now, Mel will hate me forever. Pouf. Gone are my chances with her. She left. I-I…I don’t remember whaaat I was saying just now. And I’m…I’m plastered. Shit. Why am I…?”