Waiting on the Sidelines

Tyler lead me into the kitchen where he introduced me to a few of his friends, one of whom I had met from the diving meets I went to with him. Everyone seemed like they came from wealthy families. The cars in the driveway as we walked in signaled some of what I was getting into. The BMWs and Escalades were numerous. The girls all were dressed in tight jeans and cropped shirts with giant heels, fashionable and much more mature than the flirty prom dress I was wearing.

Tyler handed me a cup and filled it with beer from a nozzle that he stretched out from a keg on the counter. Oh, I didn’t think about this. I’ve only ever had a beer or two at family weddings and reunions, because my uncle thought it was funny to sneak it to the youngsters. Afraid of being laughed at or teased, I just smiled and took a sip. The beer was cold and tangy, cheap I was sure.

I followed Tyler to the dining room where a few of his other friends were playing a game. “Let’s play,” he said, pulling his jacket off and putting it on the back of a chair.

I still wasn’t sure, but I had gotten myself to this point and I was pretty sure I had the power to stay in control, so I just shrugged and sat down next to him.

“How do you play?” I asked.

“OK, everyone gets a card. That card is your card. Then, we start turning the other cards over one at a time, and any time a card comes up with your number, you have to drink,” he said.

I scrunched my brow a bit. “Uh, that doesn’t seem like much of a game. How do you win?” I asked, my competitive spirit still alive and kicking.

“Ah, good question. When you see your card, you have to grab it from the pile after you drink. Once you have all four, you shout ‘FOUR’ and everyone else has to chug whatever is left in their cups.”

Taking a deep breath I steadied myself. There was no way I was going to be able to play this for more than a round or two. But I could at least try it. “OK, got it.”

We started the game and I was dealt an 8. Within a few cards, an 8 popped up and I took a sip, faking a bit so I didn’t drink much, and then grabbed my card. My luck continued as two more 8s came through the round quickly, leaving me with four. “FOUR!”I held the cards up, and everyone at the table gulped down their remaining drink.

Tyler patted my leg and then smiled. “Fun, huh?” he asked. Actually, it was. With everyone’s cups filled, we played another round. This time it was a close match between Tyler, me and another girl at the table. Tyler finally got his last card and yelled ‘FOUR’ and everyone drank. I struggled getting through mine, and started to think that I was going to have to quit if I wanted to keep my wits about me.

I started to stand up and Tyler just looked at me with puppy dog eyes. “One more? Just one more?” he begged, poking his lip out to exaggerate the act.

“OK, but last one,” I said, tapping his nose. I was definitely feeling that last drink.

This round went down to the last few cards and finally the tall guy with dreadlocks at the head of the table stood and announced his victory. We all drank and I made it most of the way through mine, cheating a little and leaving my cup on a side table and standing up to leave the game.

Tyler kept his word and we walked back into the kitchen. I grabbed a handful of pretzels and nibbled on them, my stomach growling a little with hunger. I noticed a giant fire pit in the back yard and motioned to Tyler that I wanted to see it.

“Oh yeah, Jake’s house is pretty sick,” he said as he led us onto the back patio where even more people were gathered. The fire pit was pretty amazing. It was a long wall of fire, more accurately, and it was warm to stand by. I just stared at it, noticing the hot of the blue and the bright orange of the rocks it was coming from. My head was turning on me a little and I stumbled a bit backwards as Tyler caught me.

“Whoa, you’re buzzing a bit, aren’t you?” he chuckled. “Let’s get you inside.”

I laughed a little at myself, too, and followed him back inside through a side patio door. We walked down a long hall, still full of people. He leaned back into one of the doors that opened into a dark room. He reached for my hand and grinned a bit, asking me to come in. Still spinning in my mind and fighting to completely erase the face Reed had made when he taunted me with Stephanie, I joined him.

We sat next to each other on the edge of a bed, and I let my hands feel the softness of the comforter. “Whose room is this?” I asked, not really sure why I cared.

“It’s Jake’s,” he smiled, leaning in and kissing at my neck. I let my mind wander and get lost in his attention for a while. He reached behind me while he kissed at my neck and slowly leaned me down against the bed. Lying next to me, he propped his body up sideways and leaned over me to kiss me harder on the lips. It was a kiss I had grown used to, so by natural reflux I grabbed his hair and pulled him in a little closer.