Page 115 of Baby Girl
“Damn, this looks good on you. You know where it would look better?” he starts.
Before I can snark back at him, Will leans forward and punches him in the bicep. “Shut up, asshole.”
“Ow! Dude, chill. I was going to sayyourbedroom floor.” Vinnie leans in conspiratorially before he continues. “I’m a good wingman, right?”
Laughing, I shove him out of my personal space. “Sure you are.”
Vinnie’s grin stays plastered to his face as he gestures at where the beer pong is partially set up. “Want the first game? You and Will versus Dansky and his lady friend of the evening.”
I look at Will questioningly. “I’m warning you that I have the athletic prowess of a toddler.”
He pulls me in close and drops a kiss onto my hair. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”
It doesn’t take much to get the set up finished, and before I know it, there are twenty red Solo cups, each filled with a shot of beer, on the table and I have a Ping-Pong ball in my hands.
“Okay, so I just throw the ball and hope it goes in one of the cups?” I confirm as I eye the cups at the opposite end of the table.
The guy at the other end of the table is another jock of some kind, and his Beach Barbie is definitely athletic. Cheerleader,maybe? Does NU even have a cheer squad? Do they cheer for the hockey team? Or does only the football team get that honor?
Hmmm, if this thing with Will actually happens, I’m going to have some things to learn.
“Yep. And if you get it in, they drink it. We get two shots per turn,” Will explains and offers me the other ball.
“You have to promise to still like me when I miss every shot,” I mutter, a playful sense of resignation in my stomach.
“Just give it a go, how bad can it be?”
Bad. Really bad, it turns out.
Will laughs as my sixth attempt bounces off the table, just like every other toss. “Damn, you weren’t lying about your skills.”
I can’t help but laugh either. Will has taken four of the shots of beer, leaving me with the remaining two. “Shut up.”
The beer tasted exactly as bad as I always thought it would. It was warm and seriously foamy. Hopefully, Will can pull a win for us, because I really don’t want to have any more.
Beach Barbie takes her turn, and thankfully, she misses both shots this time.
I step out of the way to give Will space, and the crowd at the other end of the table groans as he sinks both, bringing us even. Will turns to me, his blue eyes bright with the fun of everything.
His eyes dip to my lips and then back up before he starts to lean in but straightens at the sound of his frat name being called from the doorway of the room. “Pledge Alderidge.”
Will stiffens, his features going tight before a stillness fills him and his entire body deflates. Turning, he faces a guy I haven’t met yet. “Yes, Big Brother Wagner?”
“The keg is out of beer.”
“Yes, Big Brother.”
The level of weird that is going on is almost too much for me right now. What the fuck is this weird-ass frat bro movie shit?Big Brother Wagner?This has to be a joke, right? Can’t Wagner just go and handle the empty keg himself?
Turns out, nope. This shit is real. Will turns to face me, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, I need to go deal with this. Pledge duties.”
Right, whatever the fuck those are.
I nod, eyes darting between him and Wagner, who continues to loom in the doorway. “Sure, I’ll wait for you here.”
He offers me a tight smile before grabbing Vinnie’s attention. “Stay with her.”
Vinnie nods and immediately steps in to take Will’s place, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, Nicholas, I’ve got you covered. I’m beer-pong champion.”
