Nice Guys Don't Win (The Boys #2) - Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,42
and pops the top, taking a long sip.
And I’m staring. I grab my own and straighten, hip checking the door closed.
“Ah, there he is! Wasn’t sure you were going to make it!” Cree comes over, holding out his hand. I take it and we give each other a half-hug. “When does your practice start, dude?”
“Monday.” Zoey passes me the bottle opener.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re not drinking the hard stuff tonight.” He eyes the drink in my hand. “Such a shame.”
“I’ll still have fun.” I shrug.
“So, you play hockey?” Zoey asks him. “Do all of you play some sort of sport?”
Cree smiles in amusement, shoving his long fingers through his dark hair. “I do. We tend to run in tight circles. Y’all have fun. I’ll catch up with you later.” He smacks me on the shoulder and moves by me into another room.
Zoey looks around, keeping herself tucked closely against my side. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say she’s considering making an escape for it and snacking on Oreos in the truck.
Cheers arise from the area of the living room and it feels like the blood is draining from my body when I notice what song is playing.
“Oh no.”
“What?” Zoey startles at my tone.
I shove my beer into her hand. “It’s Teddy’s song. The last time this played at a party he took off all of his clothes and started swinging his dick like a windmill—sure he’d had a lot to drink, but it’s his hype song.”
She frowns, following me as I push past people in search of my friend. Someone turns the volume up and ‘Everywhere I Go’ by Hollywood Undead gets even louder.
There are people gathered around the coffee table in the living room, cheering and sure enough, there’s Teddy on top of it doing a strip tease as he screams out the lyrics.
Mascen enters the living room from a back door and we make eye contact, silently communicating that we have to end this before it escalates.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Just … stay here,” I tell Zoey.
“Teddy!” I yell, but of course he can’t hear me. Mascen and I corner him from opposite ends.
“Off the table,” Mascen demands.
Teddy’s eyes are closed, and he’s absorbed in the song, fingers on the zipper of his jeans.
“Oh, hell no, we’re not doing this again.” I grab for him and his eyes pop open.
“Don’t kill my buzz, Cole.” He gyrates his hips.
“Get off the fucking table, Theodore!” Mascen bellows. “I fucking mean it! I’m not doing damage control if you turn into a campus wide meme again!”
Teddy dances around the table, trying to avoid us. He sing-songs, “Theodore’s not my name. Try again.”
“TEDDY!”
“Sure, let’s go with that!” He goes back to singing the lyrics and girls start tossing dollar bills at him when he wiggles his jeans lower. Dude’s not even wearing boxers.
The last thing I want is to manhandle his drunk ass, especially with the risk of injury, but if I don’t intervene, he’s going to end up streaking around the neighborhood in no time.
“I’ve got him,” I mouth to Mascen.
As fast as I can, so Teddy doesn’t see it coming, I grab him up in a fireman’s carry, so his weight won’t strain my body as much.
He screams like a little girl. I guess he closed his eyes again and didn’t see me coming for him.
“Put me down, man!” He yanks and pulls at me. I grit my teeth and shove my way through the cheering crowd and girls still tossing money, phone numbers, and fuck I think those were panties that just smacked me in the head.
“I’ll put you down in my truck, because I’m taking you home.”
“I don’t want to go home! I’m just getting started! Don’t be a party pooper. That’s no fun.”
Mascen’s on my heels and I stop by Zoey. “Can you grab my keys from my pocket?” I ask her.
Her eyes widen, but she jerks her head in a nod and does what I ask. I breathe carefully and evenly, trying not to think about how close her hand is to my dick. I can’t go there with my thoughts, definitely not when it looks like I’m going to be babysitting a drunk Teddy tonight.
She secures my keys and then the three of us—well, four counting Teddy strapped across my back—make our way outside and down the block to my truck. Zoey runs ahead, opening the passenger door so I can put him inside.