Chapter 80: Penny
When I find Mila, she’s practically glowing. Her back’s against the wall, her hand: birling a loose strand of hair, and she’s laughing those cheesy momatic medies she always makes me watch. The pry in front of her is tall, Like, really tall. Tall enough that Mila–Mia, nervous and amone–is lacking up at him with wide, flattery lathes (“I want to eat you like candy” smile the unm for only
I try to tap her shoulder gently. “Mila–hery, con 1–
She doesn’t even look at me, list waves me off with a lazy flick of her fingers and whispers, “He’s so fine… don’t ruin this for me, Pen.”
blink. “Seriously!”
She shuthes me.
Olay then. Guess I’m on my owal
I start making my way back downstairs, the music pounding louder with every step I take. The house is packed, hot with bodies pressed close and laughter bouncing off the walls. The smell of alcohol and cologne hangs thick in the air, and for a second, I regret not insisting we just go for ice cream and call it a
night.
But then I see Tyler.
He’s mid–laugh, a red solo cup in one hand and his other arm shooting up in victory as a ping pong ball clinks off the aim of a plastic cup. The group around the table cheers, and before I can get a word out, he spots me.
“Baaaabe!” he yells, pushing through a cluster of people and scooping me into his arms. He spins me around like I weigh nothing, and for a second, I laugh.. dizzy from the potion and the sound and the feel of him
He sets me down and kissen my cheek. “We won. We freaking won. That’s like, there games in a row.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I uy, pri
I say, grinning up at him.
“You having fun?” he asks, brushing som har behind
**“Yeah. You?”
He lhs his cup. “I mean obviously”
I lean in closer, catching the sharp, yeasty smell. “How much have you had
Tyler shrugs. “They
made me drink a lot at first. We were losing. But it’s nothing for me, I’m good.”
Before I can argu Reberra–dressed in something that’s basically just a glittery scarf pretending to be a top–silles up next to us.
“We’ve starting a new game,” she puns, wrapping an arm around Tyler’s shoulder. “Drinking Roulette. You two in?”
“I don’t think-“Escort.
“Of course we are!” Tyler says, cutting me off.
I shoot him a lock “Ty-”
“I’ll drink for you,” he promises, kissing my temple. “You can just play and not drink. Come geçit’ll be fun.”
“Yeah, Den,” Rebecca says with a smirk. “Jug, sit there and look cute!
It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes.
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Chapter 80: Penny
We sit in a circle on the fleer, red vile cups lined up in the center. Rebeca pull out à deck of cards and ben je erplates
“Each card is tied to a challenge,” the uns. “Nunder cards are questions–anteet or dilek. Face cards are daren door drink, m
“Like, actual spin the bottle?” some pay with a man Iran asks,
“Yep.” Rebecca says. “But just a kiss on the cheek, or a drink if you chicken out.
I groan internally.
The game begins.
Tyler picks first. He pulls a seven of hearts.
“Truth,” Rebecca says. “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”
He laughs and downs his drink. “Not telling”
Everyone cheers.
Next is Rebecca. She a
gets a Jack. A dire
“Let’s see…” someone says. “Go up to the next person who walks in and ask them if they believe in love at first sight. If they say yes, kiss them.”
Rebecca does it without blinking.
Then it’s my turn,
Fir of spades
“What’s something you’ve never told anyone?” mak
I hesitate. “Lonce cheated on a math test”
Booing. Laughter.
“Lame,” someone calls out.
Ishing. “Still a truth”
The game keeps going. And going. Tyler gets called out for having to say who he thinks the hotteurgirl in the room is not counting me. He drinks instead. He gets dared to send a risky text to his mom. Drinks. Another question about regrets–drinks. Another dare to lap dance a stranger–drinks.
I lose count around cup six or seven.
“Tyler,” I whisper, nudging him. “Maybe slow down?”
He waves me off. “I’m fine, babe,”
Penny. He’s a big boy.”
Rebecca leans over, her breath thick with whatever’s in her cup. “Let him be, Penny,
My jaw tightens. But I don’t respond.
Another round. Another drink.
It’s getting harder to laugh. Harder tote I’m having a good time.
“Ty,” 1 say, more firmly this time, “You’ve had rooigh”
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Chapter 80: Penny
He leans in and Listes me neck. “Telas. I’m celebrating yet, témember?”
But it doesn’t feel like a telelitation anyone.
inking sta
the only me who’s notring home
shermsince: A shour for
yone around us while I sit there, small and tight and slustý
Eventually, L’excuse myself to go to the bathroom, needing space, needing to leathe, needing to stop feeling like nideways this in aning.
When I look back, Tyler is laughing so hand he almost falls backward.
My stomach knots.
And I walk away
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