the hating game ; lrh

thirty-six

OUTSIDE, THE BASKETBALL TEAM and their dates sit in a circle, passing around a bottle of clear liquid and what appears to be a joint.

Jaden brings me to sit with Finn and Jessica, though thankfully takes the space next to them so that I don't have to. Beside Jessica is Cara, who takes the bottle of what is undoubtedly alcohol and swigs before passing it along to her friend. So much for the bathroom, I think to myself. After a few moments the bottle makes its way around to Jaden, who happily chugs a few sips of the liquid as the rest of the team cheer their star player on. As he does so, I see Luke silently make his way into the group, taking a seat beside Ashton.

"Your turn," Jaden tells me, bringing my attention back to him as he offers me the bottle.

I don't hesitate before grabbing it from him and bringing the lip to my mouth, allowing the liquid — which I instantly identify as straight vodka — to burn my throat as it sails down. After a good few seconds I stop sipping and shove the bottle to the person beside me, bringing the back of my hand to my mouth as I swallow the drink.

After a few more moments the bottle arrives at Luke, who gladly takes it and begins bringing it to his mouth.

"I thought you drove?" I call him out, my heart thumping slightly in my chest. Was this because of me? Had I angered him too much? Despite everything going on there is no doubt that I care about Luke and I don't want anything bad to happen to him.

Luke pauses, glaring across at me. "I did," is all he responds with, the words icy cold.

"So why are you drinking?" I ask him, nodding at the bottle. I try to ignore the rest of the group, who are eagerly watching our interaction, presumably hoping for a grand Rory and Luke altercation. I don't plan on having one tonight, though.

Luke lets out a loud laugh, shaking his head at me. "Jesus, Rory, don't be so uptight," he tells me before finally taking a long swig from the bottle.

I shake my head, willing my frustration and worry to subside. Almost in perfect timing, Jaden holds his hand out to me, the joint that had been making its way around the group sitting between his fore and middle fingers. I gladly pluck it from his hands, pressing the filter to my lips and inhaling deeply. The substance calms me almost instantly, though I'm sure it's mostly the deep breathing that has instantly done so.

"Yeah, they are cute," I hear someone to my right say as I pass the joint along to the next person. I turn to the voice and see Jessica and Finn smiling at me from a few seats over, Cara holding her typical evil glare.

"What?" I ask them, now gaining Jaden's attention beside me.

Jessica giggles, bringing her hand up to cover her lips as she dramatically leans into Finn's shoulder. "Nothing," she manages to say amid her laughter. I simply roll my eyes, instantly uninterested in whatever the laughing matter was.

"They're saying you're a cute couple," Cara speaks loudly, instantly attaining the attention of the whole group — an act which is undoubtedly performed on purpose.

My heart beats hard in my chest all of a sudden as I think about who she might be talking about. Was it Luke and I? Had we been too obvious tonight in our arguments?

"Who?"

Cara's smirk deepens impossibly further. "You and Jaden," she nods at us both.

Jaden lets out a frustrated sigh, instantly glaring at Finn, who shakes his head innocently. "We're not a couple," he clarifies.

"Whatever," Cara rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't roll out onto the concrete. "There's obvious chemistry."

"Finn, you've gotta stop with this, man," Jaden scolds his friend, who continues to maintain his innocence.