GENTRY

09

They don't hear from The Divide for the rest of the weeks. Earlier October keeps them busy, with the play premiering soon, rugby games approaching soon, and midterms littering each classroom, a tripping hazard.

As always, the members of The Divide excel. So, they manage to find the time to attend the party together. Some of them arrive together. Roman, Jetta, Tom, and Vieira arrange to share a cab. It's a decent ways away, after all. The student who owns the house, apparently, has a connection to the staff underground lot which allows him to commute every day. Such is the life of athletes; they are elite everywhere and Hawkwood is no exception.

They arrive just as the party is getting into swing. Tom and Jetta delayed them since they know when parties typically start and didn't want to be the first on the scene.

They are greeted by Kai, who holds two massive bottles of vodka. He runs over, laughing at a joke told by one of his teammates.

"Well, that's almost half of us," Kai says. "Did the others come with you?"

"Should be here soon enough," Jetta offers. She takes one of the bottles from Kai's hands. "Shot glasses inside?"

Kai grins and winks. The two tear off into the house after each other.

Roman shakes their head and follows after, gesturing for the other two to join.

Tom bends slightly and offers Vieira his hand. She tentatively takes it, letting his palm wrap around hers. Fingers squeezing each other tightly, they head into the party.

Jetta and Kai are already pouring shots. They both cheers and pour one back. They exhale, their throats ablaze and their eyes glimmering despite the low lighting. Kai looks over at Jetta. From her heavy make-up and big hoops, she finally looks like she belongs.

"You're better at that than I am, and that's saying something," he pounds on his chest and coughs, smiling at her.

Jetta scrunches her nose, her tongue pressed against the back of her teeth as she smiles. She shakes her head at him and brushes back, "you're not too bad yourself."

Ez pulls up to the house and pays the cab driver, shooing him away. He has a book in his hand, and he finds a spot on the stairs inside the house. People have to squeeze past him, but he doesn't care. He secretly hopes someone will be interesting enough to talk to him about his book.

When Evelyn arrives, she sneaks through the crowd. She finds her way over to Roman, who offers a friendly wave but doesn't speak. Normally chatty, they find that Evelyn sucks the air out of the conversation.

Oblivious, Evelyn begins to rant and ramble, despite her sobriety.

"Do you think Tom and Vieira are a thing yet?" Evelyn begins. "They are just so cute together, you know."

Evelyn points across the room, where Tom and Evelyn are dancing. While they have stopped holding hands, they stand out in the crowd. Their goofy dances and giggles single them out as people who do not belong at a dim-lit grind fest.

"Small minds discuss people," Roman offers.

"Hm?" Evelyn says, turning her head. "Sorry, it's hard to hear you. Also, I was zoned out looking at them dancing."

In the cab on the way over, Briar and Ellie exchange information. Poppy is healed, the campus police will do nothing, everything is as it was before the events of the previous weekend happened.