Dee insisted on arriving at the party on time.

Yet, they were already forty minutes late. Her shouts echoed throughout the house, “Alfonzo said nine. Maddy. NINE!”

Maddy, who wasn’t really at fault for being late, stood in front of Bill’s bathroom mirror. They had only started getting ready about half an hour ago because Dee insisted there was enough time to watch an entire anime movie, work out, and then watch three episodes of a K-Drama.

He scrutinized his reflection after showering and put on jeans and a T-shirt, that Dee found in his old closet at her house before coming to meet him. He wondered if his style was kind of basic looking.

Was he basic? What if Gre-

He shook his head aggressively, ruffled his chestnut brown hair to give it some volume, and walked out of the bathroom. Almost immediately, he was greeted by an excited Bill and an anxious Dee.

At Alfonzo’s house, Maddy was very aware he was the center of attention. No one went up to talk to him, but that was because no one ever talked to him. But he could tell by their curious eyes and whispers. It made him want to leave and spend the rest of his Saturday night chilling at the park.

Dee made the situation worse before making it better. She stood on top of Alfonzo’s dining room table, winked at Maddy, and shouted for the music to stop. When it was turned off she said, “Listen up, y’all! We all knew Maddy watched a man die. Mr. Nanabo was old and tripped. That's all, nothing too dramatic. So, unless you’re planning on giving him condolences, don’t bother him about it.”

It was quiet for only a beat before a classmate yelled back, “Do drinks count as condolences?”

Dee looked over at Maddy, who shrugged bashfully. She turned back to the crowd that had gathered and smiled brightly, “Hell yeah!”

Surprisingly, Dee’s stunt had worked and the only time Maddy was approached was when his hands were empty. He wasn’t too happy to drink, but it did subdue his hunger which seemed to only grow stronger as the day went on. He’d have to ask Dee for more capsules tomorrow.

It was around the time he had his third drink, that he could smell the scent of strawberries and spice. As if it was becoming a reflex, his chest constricted. And in an attempt to avoid dealing with Greyson, he went looking for his friends. Bill was nowhere to be found and Dee had been preoccupied with a senior who was in the same graphic design class as her.

Despite weaving through packs of people and moving to the other side of the house, the scent only got stronger, in a last-ditch effort, he squeezed his way into Alfonzo’s crowded living room to try and hide.

“Hey,” A deep voice said behind him.

Maddy froze like a mouse caught on sticky paper. His heart beat hard against his chest, knowing there was no hiding now.

“Hey,” He said and tucked in his chin. “Oh, hey Alfonzo.”

“Ha-Hey,” Alfonzo repeated with a stutter he’d had since birth. He held two red solo cups in each of his hands. “I know we’re not supposed to ta-alk about it, but I'm-I’m-I’m really sorry about your sit- sit- job.”

“Oh, um, thank you,” He said with a lopsided smile. “Your party is great by the way.”

“'Preciate y-you, bro,” Alfonzo wavered as he smiled. His stutter seemingly more prominent with alcohol in his system. “Hey, hey l-l-listen. I made you a drink.”

Alfonzo looked down at his hands and debated which cup to give to him. He swayed as he thought, and eventually gave him a drink.

Maddy nodded a thank you, took a sip, and squeezed his eyes shut as the liquid slid down his throat. “It tastes like rubbing alcohol.”

“That’s because it’s mostly tequila,” Alfonzo grinned.

“What’s the rest of it?” He scrunched up his nose.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Uh, that-that-that would be,” Alfonzo took another sip as if trying to remember what he put in it. “More tequila!” He laughed hard at his own joke. “It’s from Cuba and nearly six-six-six hundred dollars.”

He dropped his jaw and Alfonzo added, “Let’s chug it.”

“What?” He asked surprised.

“Three, two, one, go!” Alfonzo cheered.

Out of panic and alcoholic influence, he obliged his classmate's commands and had his lips against the cup without thinking much about the consequences of his actions. He could hear the crowd of people around him cheering and shouting. When he emptied his cup, the cheering came to a crescendo. His body heaved as he looked over at Alfonzo, who let out another hearty laugh when he finished his own drink a moment later.

“Damn, you-you actually chugged it all?!” He said wiping his lips.

“You told me to!” His jaw dropped, the corners curling upwards in a sort of mix of surprise and joy.

“You know Ha-has-s-stings, you’re quiet and a little weird, but I give you p-p-props,” Alfonzo said, patting the other boy on the shoulder. “Also good luck brother, you’re gonna be fu-cked.”

“What does that mean?” He asked, but Alfonzo was already headed across the room to play flip cup.

Maddy had no intention of following the host of the party. He wasn’t trying to destroy his liver and Alfonzo acted like he had a spare.

“Hello again,” Greyson said with a wicked smile, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, his tongue heavy as he spoke. The last time they saw each other Greyson looked like a mess. Now he seemed more put together with a navy blue sweater and dark denim jeans. Even the sleep had been wiped from his face and his smug attitude was back.

“I was invited.” Greyson challenged with a sly grin.

“No…” He exaggerated the word and shook his head. “I mean why are you here in front of me?” He was pretty clear about asking him to leave him alone.

“Oh? Do you own this house?” He feigned surprise, “Can I not stand here?”

“Stop that,” He grumbled.

“Stop what?” The silver in Greyson’s eyes swirled as if the koi fish inside were doing tricks.

“Flirting with me.” He didn’t understand Greyson. “It’s infuriating.”

“I infuriate you?” Greyson put a hand to his ear as if the noise in the room was too loud and took a step forward closing the already small gap between them.

Maddy shoved a hand in his pocket and stepped back, bumping into someone else. There was no doubt the alcohol in his system was making him honest, “You really can’t help yourself, can you?”

For a moment, Greyson’s mask seemed to slip and he said with a flash of a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “Bad habit, I can’t seem to break.”

Maddy pursed his lips. There was that look again. The one he’d seen from the bus stop. He didn’t want to admit it. In fact, he hated the thought even as it formed in his head, but seeing that expression on Greyson’s face made him want to make bad decisions, made him want to help him. He waited for a lull in the music, keeping his gaze steady, and asked, “Do you want to play a game?”

The question made Greyson’s brows spike, but as his lips curled into a curious smile, he asked, “Like flip cup?”

Maddy shook his head and grabbed his elbow, dragging him to another room where they could hear each other speak. “Hide and Seek, but with a twist.”

Greyson made a face that showed he was listening.

“We both run in different directions, count to thirty or so, and then search for the other person. The first player to spot the other person has to say, I found you and the second person has to run and not get caught.”

“And if we spot each other at the same time?” Greyson asked, his eyes actually gleaming with interest.

Good.

This was a good distraction.

“We rock, paper, scissors, until the death. Obviously.” Maddy explained.

“Obviously,” Greyson grinned, his fang and dimple making an appearance. After a pause, he added, “You know, you’re much more fun when you’re drunk.”

“I’m fun.” Maddy countered, his face scrunching up. “But only with people I like.”

“Oh,” Greyson arched a brow. “So you like me now?”

“I only like you because I’m drunk.” He corrected.

“Whose flirting with who now?” Greyson's tease left Maddy’s jaw dropping again, his cheeks heated, and he gleamed, but before he could counter, Greyson was already stepping backward and counting, “One… Two… Three…”