cups. If we cared enough to keep score, they’d be winning, I think. Or are we?
Hell, who even cares?
“Hey, RPF!” Jenna nudges my ribs. “Wake up. It’s your turn.”
She’s called me that three times now. I still haven’t figured it out.
“All right! All right!” I pick up the ping-pong ball. “I’m gonna shink it this time.”
“You’re gonna what?” Seth teases.
“I’m gonna shink it!” I repeat on purpose.
“Then, shink it!”
“I’m gonna!”
Heidi laughs and I feel it linger in my chest.
“Or you can miss on purpose and take me upstairs,” Jenna says. The proposition is only meant for me, but she speaks so loudly everyone within earshot can hear it.
Heidi included. Her bright, red cheeks dip slightly, but she maintains the rest of her expression.
I better not miss.
I balance on my toes. I hold the ball loosely in my fingers. I look at Heidi one more time before taking aim.
I toss the ball at the last cup across the table.
It plops right into the middle and the crowd goes wild.
Seth grabs the cup and chugs it down before proudly smashing it against his chest. He wraps his arms around Heidi, taking her by surprise as he lifts her up and spins her around twice.
“We won, little sister!” he shouts.
Seth drops her back down, and she furrows her brow in confusion. “Wait, I thought we lost…” she says.
“No!” he says. “Everybody wins.”
I raise my cup. “Nobody loses!”
“Delta Xi!” we shout in unison.
“Delta Xi!” the room repeats with their cups held high.
We drink. I watch as Heidi shrugs her little shoulders and follows our lead with her cup of soda. She chuckles with her big brother and I smile, feeling good for doing my part in patching things up between them.
“Why don’t you guys chant the Alpha part, too?” she asks, curious.
Seth puffs out his chest, big and manly. “Because it’s redundant, baby!” he says, flexing his arms.
Heidi cringes. I don’t blame her at all.
Jenna’s arm slinks around mine. “So, what do you say, big kahuna?” she asks, biting her lip with the most obvious fuck-me eyes I’ve ever seen. “You want to dance? Or should we take this party upstairs?”
I politely retrieve my arm. “Sorry, Jenna. Not really in the mood tonight.”
“Oh.” She sneers with disappointment, but bounces right back. “Then, could you point me in the direction of your nearest brethren who would be in the mood?”
“Uh…” I scan the room, spotting Jack in the common room nestled between two giant speakers with his laptop. “Him,” I say, pointing.
Jenna follows my finger and nods. “The DJ?” she asks.
“Yup.”
She shrugs. “He’ll do. Thanks!”
And with that, she leaves, creeping into the crowd to stalk her prey.
Well, that was easy.
“Rematch!” Seth shouts at me.
I laugh as I take a step back from the table. “Nah, man. I’m out.”
“You give up?” he asks. “I win!”
“You win, I win, too!” I say.
We raise our cups again. “Delta Xi!”
The battle cry echoes throughout the room again.
I glance around, suddenly noticing that someone is missing. “Where’s Heidi?” I ask.
Seth squints, thinking hard. “Air!” he finally says. “She went outside to get some air.”
I pat him on the back as I step around the table. “You should switch to water,” I say.
“Dude…” He admires me. “Always looking out for me. I love you, man.”
I laugh. “I love you, too, buddy.”
As I weave through the thinning crowd, I check my phone for the time. It’s nearly 11 PM already. Man, tonight has gone by fast, but it’s still young. Still full of possibility.
I step outside onto the porch. A few couples linger on the banister, chatting quietly against the smooth music Jack switched on to change the mood. I guess it is about that time that some make their parties a little more private.
One girl sits by herself on the porch stairs.
I pause above her. “Hey, Ms. Fujimoto.”
Heidi glances up at me and chuckles softly. “Hey,” she says.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
She shifts a bit to the right, giving me room to sit down on the step beside her. I take a deep breath of the autumn air, attempting to cool off a bit of my buzz.
“Nice night,” I say.
Heidi bobs her head. “It’s on the surreal side for me, but…” I chuckle. “Yeah. It’s been nice.” She looks at me, then quickly turns her head again. “So, where’s Jenna?” she asks.
“Oh, she’s with Jack.”
“Jack?”
“Yeah, I think they’ll be very happy together.”
Again, a look of surprise. “I thought you two were hitting it off there.”
“Nah,” I say. “She’s not