for what he said to Danielle in the senior lounge. It’s her payback to Chase for a lot more. “Come on, boys, we don’t have all night.” She smirks and taps the bottle against her open palm. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“This game is fucking stupid,” Ryder says. “I don’t need a game to get with girls.” He stands up. “I’m getting another beer.”
“Does that mean you’re out, Jason?” Danielle asks, her voice saccharine sweet. He walks into the kitchen and raises a hand in the air, flipping her off without turning around. “So touchy,” she says.
“Do I get to spin?” Chase holds his palm out to Danielle. She looks at him for a moment, sighs, and then places the bottle into his open palm.
“Use it for good, Brosner.”
“I’ll just kiss you instead.” He turns the bottle so it points in her direction. “You’re the one I want it to land on.”
“Those aren’t the rules.” She turns the bottle back at him. “Spin.”
“Dani,” he says, his voice soft.
“Spin.”
He sighs and reaches forward, giving the bottle a spin. It lands on Danielle, of course. Because that’s the way things work for Chase. She rolls her eyes and leans over the circle toward him.
“All right, Brosner, fair is fair. Lay one on me.”
He smiles and grabs the back of her head, gently pulling her toward him. She keeps her lips pressed tightly together as his inch closer. Still, I see her break into a smile right before they touch, like she can’t help it, like maybe she wanted to kiss him all along.
I glance over at Andrew, hoping he doesn’t look too upset, but he’s barely even watching. He’s staring down at the floor, drawing a pattern in the wood with his thumb. He must feel my gaze on him, because he looks up and over to me.
Are you okay? I ask him telepathically. Is this hard to watch?
This game sucks, he says back.
Danielle places the bottle down on the floor and spins, and we all watch as it rotates back and forth. I take a long swig of tequila. At this point, the margarita mix isn’t necessary, because the tequila alone has started to taste pretty good, sort of sweet and tangy at the same time. When I set down the handle and look back at everyone, I notice that the bottle on the floor is pointing right at Andrew.
Everyone in the circle cheers, and Danielle crawls toward him, using her finger to motion him forward. They meet halfway and his hands slide through her hair like they belong there, and then they’re kissing. I saw them kiss before, in the car, but not like this. Not since I knew he loved her. I realize I’m still holding the bottle of tequila, and hand it back to the person next to me.
Then it’s Andrew’s turn to spin, and I feel like I can’t breathe. I don’t want it to land on me, because I don’t want to kiss him in front of anyone, in front of everyone. But I don’t want the bottle to land on anyone else either. I don’t want to think about what that means.
“Reed’s already kissed every girl in the circle!” Simon says.
“Not everyone,” Andrew says.
“Not Collins!” Edwin says, and I wince. Andrew’s ears redden, but he’s laughing and the bottle is spinning, spinning, spinning. Someone hands me the tequila and I take a sip, letting my eyes blur, letting my throat burn and my stomach fill with heat. Andrew looks over at me for a brief second, our eyes meeting quickly, before he turns back to the bottle, and I wonder what he’s thinking; if he’s worried about the bottle landing on me.
The bottle rolls to a stop and I feel suddenly like I’m about to cry.
It’s pointing at Hannah.
I raise a hand up to my mouth to try to cover the sound that’s escaped from me. Somehow I haven’t considered this possibility. Somehow it’s the worst one. I know it shouldn’t matter. This is a game, so it doesn’t count. My breath is coming out in short spurts,