Mackenzie

Friday is uneventful until I make it home after classes. I try to give myself a small break on Friday afternoons where I don't stay at school literally all day.

When I walk in the house, a girl I don't know is sitting on our couch and none of my roommates are in sight. "Hello?" I say cautiously.

"Hi!" She sounds very peppy, and I'm thrown off because none of my roommates usually like people that sound quite this peppy. "I'm Lea! I know Kate, we kissed during an exam!" The peppy tone continues, and Lea says this as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. This is not a girl that I would have pegged for Kate, but she's very cute, so I give her a smile.

"I'm Mackenzie." I tell her.

"Yeah, I know. Editor-in-chief of the paper. I loved your first issue. The joke horoscopes really made me laugh. I hope you continue doing those." I've never had someone give me feedback on an issue before, so I'm caught off guard.

"Oh, thank you!" I find it hard not to match her energy as she gives me a brilliant smile.

"Also, I know this might be totally overstepping my bounds, but I'm a photographer, and I'd love to do a collaboration with you about people on campus."

No one ever wants to work with me and I'm left speechless. Kate enters and sees us talking. "Hey, Mack!" Kate sounds weirdly more chipper than usual. "I see you met Lea."

"Yes." I say emphatically.

"She invited us to a lowkey party at her place tonight. Do you want to come?"

"We're just gonna play some games, have a couple drinks, order some pizza. My roommate is making cookies." Lea looks at me expectantly.

"Sounds fun. I'd love to tag along."

"Great! We're gonna go chill for a bit, but we'll grab you before we leave." Kate says. "Penny is out, she's got a date. And Hannah went home for the weekend." I already knew that Hannah had left, but I smile and nod anyway.

"We can talk about this idea more later." Lea tells me as she gets dragged away by Kate.

I don't even get to reply before Kate's door gets slammed shut. I hear them giggling and I make my way into my room. I lay down on my bed, pull out my laptop, and get working on one of my assignments.

My phone lights up and I glance at it. It's Edwin again.

What are you up to tonight?

He asks as if I hadn't ignored his last texts entirely.

Frustrated, I pick up my phone, trying to think of what to say. My fingers start moving, before my brain can fully catch up.

Edwin, I don't want to talk with you. I was serious when I said I wanted to break up.

Because my fingers apparently have a mind of their own, I hit send before I can second guess it and slap my phone face down on the bed.

Unable to focus any longer, I watch Parks & Rec until Kate and Lea grab me to go to Lea's house.

Our ride over is surprisingly fun, even though I feel like I'm third wheeling. Kate drives, but Lea puts me in the front with Kate, saying that I have longer legs than her. Kate plays Taylor Swift and Lea sings along loudly, but really well. I feel bad that Kate and I ruin it by singing along with her as well, but Lea doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.

When we hop out of the car, the street already seems weirdly full. The house next to Lea's is obviously also hosting a party, because a guy walks up the steps carrying a keg. The guy that opens the door is clearly in baseball attire. Of course it's another baseball house.

I have a hard time dragging my thoughts away from Dane, especially when Kate gives me a knowing look. Luckily she doesn't say anything before we're dragged inside by Lea.

We're introduced to her five roommates in quick succession, and then their four other friends right after that. Lea shepherds us onto the couch, and hands us both margaritas before sitting down next to Kate.

The rules of a house game are explained to us. They call it Drinks Against Humanity, which is basically Cards Against Humanity but every time you don't win a hand, you take a sip. If you want to exchange cards, you also take a sip for every exchanged card. Whoever is the first to get to three total cards is the winner, and everyone else has to take a shot.

It's actually really fun, and before long, I'm really drunk. I manage to stumble my way into the bathroom, excusing myself for a round. I take out my phone, out of habit, and try to decipher Edwin's latest text.

Mackenzie, I really want to be with you. Please give me a call.

I sigh and set my phone on the counter as I stand up. I wash my hands, reach for my phone, and realize that I've made the mistake of not actually shutting it off. Somehow drunk me manages to call Edwin.

Before I can hang up, he picks up. "Mackenzie! I'm so glad you called." Fuck.

"Hey." I manage.

"Can you come over? I'd really love to talk to you."

"Now's not a good time." I tell him, but my words come across a little more slurred than I would like.

"Are you drunk right now?" He sounds super accusatory.

"Yep."

"That's really not good for you, Mackenzie." He says, his voice condescending. "Your brain doesn't fully develop--" I hang up, and walk out of the bathroom.

Kate and Lea are necking hard in the hallway. I'll be surprised if I manage to get a ride home from her tonight. My phone rings, Edwin again, and I ignore it entirely. Seeing that our game has completely dissolved into several make out sessions and a round of shots in the kitchen, I make my way out to the front of the house so I can sit on the front steps in the fresh air.

I shove my phone in my hoodie pocket and stare out into the street. The baseball party is now in full swing and it is very loud. I can feel the base reverberating through my body as I rest my head against the railing of the stairs.

A cool breeze fans my face and I shut my eyes for a long moment, trying to get the world to stop spinning so I can figure out how the fuck I'm going to get home. Kate is always sending me true crime podcasts about girls who get kidnapped, so I'm not sure I want to call an Uber or Lyft to pick me up.

I think that I fall asleep for a moment, because I open my eyes with a start and nearly scream when there's a man standing in front of me.

Of course it's Dane, and he's wearing an amused expression on his face.

"Are you stalking me?" He asks. I blush but shake my head.

"I don't need to. It seems like you're stalking me." This seems like a really witty response to me. But I really can't be sure because I'm still really drunk.

"What are you up to?" He asks, as if I'm not obviously drunk. I'm having a hard time focusing on his extremely beautiful face. He sits down next to me.

"Oh, you know. Just being drunk. Trying to figure out how to get home."

"We only live like a mile from here." Dane says, and now that he's said more than a couple of sentences, I can tell that he's definitely intoxicated as well. "I would offer to drive you, but I might kill us." I laugh and he gives me a massive grin. "But I can walk you home. I'm headed that way myself. Gotta be up bright and early for practice."

"You don't have to do that." I have to stop meeting Dane in situations where he needs to take me home.

"Do you have a ride home?"

"No." I sigh. "My roommate is making out with a girl that lives here. So I'm pretty sure I'm on my own."

"Let me walk you." He insists. "It looks like you could use it."

"Wow. I don't know what could make you say that." I give him a mock glare.

"It's just the slight slur to every single word you're saying." He gives me a wink.

"Let me text my roommate, although I don't think she'd notice if I caught on fire right now." Dane chuckles as I pull out my phone, ignore the three missed calls from Edwin, and text Kate that I'm walking home with an escort. I'm pretty sure that I type all the words correctly, but Dane looks over my shoulder and laughs.

"You're 'wailing home' with the help of a 'baseball box'?" He asks. I reread my message now that it's been sent.

Wailing home with the help of a baseball box see you tomorrow

"Fuck off." I tell him, giving him a playful shove in the arm.

"No one has ever called me a box before. I think I should be offended."

"Okay, we're going now." I stand up, slightly unsteady. I almost trip down the first step, but Dane grabs my upper arm and makes sure I make it down every stair safely. Once we're on flat ground, he lets go.

"That was scary to watch."

"Sorry we can't all have the reflexes of a sports boy." I tell him.

"A sports boy?"

"Yeah, you know. A boy who plays sports." I mutter.

"I understood what it meant. I just thought it was funny." Dane snickers as I give him another mock glare. He dances out of the way when I try to lightly punch him on the arm. I stumble because apparently I can't keep my weight under me. Dane catches me and steadies me.

I try hard not to run my fingers down his muscled forearms. I'm not sure if I succeed because my brain still isn't working properly.

"Mack, you're a mess."

"I just had one too many."

"I think you might have had three too many." He tells me.

"I'm a lightweight." I whisper to him like it's a secret. Dane has a half smile on his face that grows into a full smile as I nod seriously after my statement.

"I never thought I'd see my very responsible tutor drunk." Dane pulls me in between cars and onto the sidewalk as a truck comes towards us on the road.

"You've only known me for a week." I say defensively.

"I think I have a good read on you." He tells me.

Not sure that I really want to hear Dane's read on me I settle for a one sound response. "Huh." We walk in silence for several minutes until Dane trips over an uneven part of the sidewalk. I laugh as he grabs onto me to keep himself from falling.

"Are you drunk?" I ask jokingly.

"No, ma'am. I only had eight beers and two shots. I'm right as rain." I'm pretty sure I'd be throwing up my guts if I'd had that much to drink, but Dane seems more sober than me.

"How was your party?" The silence is starting to be really boring and I like talking to Dane, so I reach for an easy topic.

"It was a baseball party." Dane says, as if that explains it all. When I glance over at him, he shrugs. "A lot of alcohol. A lot of beer pong. A lot of cleat chasers." He doesn't elaborate, and I'm not sure I want him to. "Personally, I think our house hosts a better party."

"Bold statement." I tease.

"I know what we're good at." He tells me, his voice dripping ego. I can't help but smile at his confidence. That's why the next thing he says catches me so off guard that I nearly trip and faceplant. "Mack, do you think I'm stupid?"