Try-State Area

Party Time

"It's ten for a cup," Samantha explained as she wrote her name on the glossy red side with a black marker.

Emily nodded. Never really having drank before, she didn't originally plan to drink tonight, but then Evan pulled out his wallet to pay for her before she had a chance to decline.

"Thanks." She bit her top lip while her brain reeled.

I can probably nurse a beer or two and be fine... What did we learn in health class about the rate at which alcohol is released into the bloodstream? I think they covered it in biology last year too...

"Everything okay?" Evan asked.

Emily nodded and smiled. 

They made their way to the kegs and coolers in the backyard. Samantha filled their red cups from the keg, looked at Emily and said, "Bottoms Up!"

Emily lifted her cup. "Cheers!"

She took a tentative taste while Samantha swallowed half her beer in one gulp. Evan looked at Emily, shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a bottle of water from a cooler.

A number of people stopped to say hello and talk to Samantha and Evan. Samantha introduced a few of her friends to Emily adding, "Since Emily doesn't know anyone yet, I'm going to stick close to her for the night."

Meanwhile, Evan didn't introduce her to anyone. Although she did notice that some of the guys he talked with gave her a once over, nodding at Evan before they walked away.

Emily was shocked to realize that it actually made her feel more confident than it normally would to have these boys gawk at her.

But in the present situation, it's probably the effect of the beer...

After she finished her first cup and started on the second, two girls came over to talk with Evan about a baseball camp he would attend this summer.

Emily watched them flirt way harder with him than even she had all day.

One girl stroked his arm whenever she spoke with him. The other one flipped her hair so many times Emily worried that the girl's spine was in danger of damage.

She watched the arm-stroker move her hand up to Evan's chest while she gave an exuberant laugh at his last comment.

Emily turned her head and rolled her eyes.

It wasn't even that funny... Seems I'm not the only one acting tonight...

When the hair-flipper whipped her in the face with the next swish of hair extensions, Emily felt the distinct desire to push the girl away and draw Evan's attention back to her.

You are being completely irrational and it is ridiculous to feel jealous over a boy you barely know...

She was about to interrupt the trio when Samantha grabbed her hand and said, "Let's check out the bathroom situation."

Emily nodded and followed.

It's probably good idea... Especially at the rate we're drinking...

They made their way through the crowd to the line for the upstairs bathroom. Emily drank nearly all of her second beer and wondered if she should say something to Samantha about how odd she felt getting possessive over Evan after just one day.

Instead she leaned into Samantha's ear and said low enough so she wouldn't be overheard by the other people waiting, "Evan's pretty popular huh?"

Samantha responded a little too loudly. "He's our baseball team's star pitcher. He'll probably go to a college on a Division 1 scholarship. Tons of girls drool all over him at school. Honestly I think half the reason my crush on him died off is that I knew he would never be into me. The only girl he's ever dated seriously is the total cliché –a gorgeous, leggy, blonde cheerleader."