footle (v.)
to act or talk in a foolish and silly way; to mess around
* * *
WE dashed up the stairs, eager to eat.
In the dining room, a long table was set with fine china. I counted an impressive twenty-three chairs surrounding it.
All of the adults and my friends' younger siblings were serving themselves from the buffet table and sitting down to eat. I jumped in line, loading my plate with the catered turkey, potatoes, salad, and a roll.
When my plate was filled, I sat down, sandwiched between Eli and Ben at the unofficial kids' end.
"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone," Delaney's father announced, lightly tapping his knife to his glass. "Thank you for coming to celebrate with us again. On this wonderful day, I am grateful to have all of my friends and family close. This is a wonderful tradition, and I hope that we can continue even after our eldest children go off to college. Once again, Happy Thanksgiving." He elevated his champagne glass in toast.
Us kids lamely toasted our soda cans and juice boxes as the adults toasted their champagne.
"So what are you guys thankful for?" Aubrey asked the kids' end as she cut her youngest sister's turkey. When nobody responded, she said, "Well, I'll go first. I am thankful for my family. D, you're next." She jerked her head at Delaney.
"I guess I'm thankful for food," she shrugged, picking at her mac and cheese.
"I'm thankful for my amazing and beautiful girlfriend," Ethan said, prompting the younger kids to gag and whine about cooties.
The younger kids went next, each expressing thankfulness for friends or family in different wording.
"I'm thankful for everyone at this table," Eli said, glancing around the room, his warm gaze lingering on me the longest.
"Even me?" his younger brother, Jacob, asked with a glimmer of hope in his voice.
"I meant everyone but you," he joked. "That's what happens when you eat my Oreos and jelly."
Mental note to self: don't eat Eli's Oreos and jelly.
"What about me? Do you love me?" his younger sister asked with a quivering lip, looking ready to burst into tears.
"Of course, Mads. I'll always love you," he said earnestly. As soon as he looked elsewhere, she smirked and stuck her tongue out at Jacob. What a little devil.
"Um, I'm thankful for new beginnings and new friendships," I said. And I was. Without my father getting caught, I wouldn't have had the chance to start fresh and make actual friends. While I couldn't forgive him, I was weirdly thankful for his actions and the chain reaction they set off.
"I am thankful for friends and football," Ben announced after he had finished his mouthful of mashed potatoes.
"Did you accept your Revere offer?" Eli asked.
Ben smirked. "Of course, dude. Eagles Nation for the win."
We all congratulated him, and all eyes turned to Ethan, waiting for him to volunteer information.
"Are you going to accept, Ethan?" Delaney asked, addressing the elephant in the room.
"No," he admitted after a brief silence. "I decided on majoring in biochem and want to focus on school. Football's fun and all, but I don't want to play professionally. It just makes sense to stop now. Maybe I'll join a club or intramural team."
"That's okay, man," Eli said. "There's no pressure to play."
"I still sent in an application to Revere," he said before turning to face Delaney and me. "I know Aubrey's trying for Copley, but where are you guys applying?"
"So far, Copley and Revere. I still need to check out a few more, but I decided on journalism," I said, leaving out the fact that I had been researching Southern Golden State University in California—their program was the best in the country. Applying was worth a try, even if it meant that I would have to move three thousand miles away.
None of my friends had entertained the idea of leaving Massachusetts, so I didn't want to tell them about SGSU just yet. That can of worms would remain untouched until I got an acceptance (or rejection) letter.
Delaney shrugged. "I'm still undecided. My parents and I are having a little disagreement." She looked across the table and shot a nasty glare at her oblivious father. "I don't know what's so shameful about being a finance major instead of going the premed track."
"You still have time, D. It's okay," Aubrey said, squeezing her hand. "So, Ella, what are you thankful for?"
* * *
After eating, Delaney said she had a surprise for us downstairs. The kids and Ben perked up, likely thinking it was food or sugar. They were disappointed to hear that they needed to stay upstairs unless they were in high school.
After locking the door behind us, Delaney dashed down the stairs. Aubrey, Ella, Ethan, Ben, Eli, and I followed her.
"Tada," she sang, holding out two bottles of alcohol. "I stole some and hid it when nobody was looking." She took a wine cork out of a drawer in the kitchenette and effortlessly opened the bottles before pouring six glasses of wine and a glass of water for Aubrey.
"Let's do never have I ever," Ella proposed.
We gathered in a lopsided circle on the open floor-space next to the couch.
"I'll go first," Ben said. "Never have I ever had a girlfriend."
Ethan was the only one to drink—shocker.
"Never have I ever been drunk," Aubrey declared.
Everyone but her drank.
"Never have I ever been arrested," I said.
Ben smirked and made a show of raising his glass to his lips. Eli and Delaney fell into a fit of giggles, whispering about whatever Ben did.
"What happened?" I asked, totally out of the loop.
"Last year," Delaney sniggered, "We played truth or dare... He was dared to go streaking on Main Street. The cops... the cops were at the town hall doing paperwork as he ran by. They caught the entire thing on the security cams, and... and he—"
"I was arrested with public indecency," Ben bragged with a cocky grin on his face.
"Not something you should be proud of, dude," Ethan quipped.
"I have nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, look at this hot bod. You know what I'm talking about, D." He wiggled his eyebrows and made vulgar hand gestures.
"I can't believe I ever slept with you," Delaney's face contorted in revulsion as she flipped him off. "My turn... Never have I ever caught my parents having sex."
"C'mon, you did that on purpose," I whined, taking a small sip. Delaney flashed me a smug smile, which I responded to by sticking my tongue out at her.
"Never have I ever cheated on a test," Ella revealed.
Everyone else drank, including me. Were you really a high schooler if you hadn't cheated on a test? It was practically a rite of passage. Hell, I only passed my AP Chem class because of the formulas I wrote on my wrist.
"How have you never cheated?" Ethan asked. "I'm calling bullshit on that one."
"It's because, unlike you guys, I have morals."
"Goody-two-shoes," he muttered. "Well, never have I ever pissed in the shower."
Delaney, Eli, and I drank. The non-drinkers looked at us in disgust, as if peeing in the shower was the worst crime you could commit.
"That's gross. Remind me to never use your showers," Ben said with a sour look on his face.
"Hey, it's no worse than using a toilet. The soap and water clean it out," Eli protested. "It's no better than jerking off in there."
"We didn't need to hear that last tidbit," Aubrey said, face visibly turning green in the dim light. "And it's definitely not better."
"Yeah, you stand in a puddle of your own pee," Ella chimed in. "How do you not find that gross?"
"Okay, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes," Eli mocked. "I bet you haven't done anything in the shower but wash yourself."
"I'm sorry," Ella said, "but isn't the whole point of a shower to wash yourself?"
Ben chortled, "Yeah, what kind of freaky shit are you getting up to in there?"
"I—"
"We don't want to know," Delaney quickly interrupted. "Well, Char might want to, but the rest of us don't."
"Um, no! What does this have to do with me?"
"You know what? Let's just move onto Ethan's turn," Aubrey said.
"Good idea," Eli and I both mumbled.
"Never have I ever gotten a speeding ticket," Ethan said.
I was the only one to drink. Everyone looked at me, eyebrows raised and mouths hanging open.
"What?" I assumed that they got speeding tickets all the time. After all, we lived in Massachusetts—a state notorious for its shitty drivers.
"You, out of all people, got a speeding ticket?" Eli asked, eyes wide with incredulity.
"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Getting a ticket wasn't my finest moment. I had to use a whole month's paycheck to pay it off, and was still embarrassed about it to this day.
"No," he hurriedly assured me. "It's just surprising. Seems like something Ben would do."
"Hey! I'm a good driver," Ben grumbled.
"No, you're not," I interjected. "I've only known you guys for a little over a month, and you've almost killed me four times."
"Okay, fine, I speed. It's all about charming your way out of the ticket, though. I'll have to teach you hags."
We collectively rolled our eyes.
* * *
We were all buzzed—some more than others—after playing for an hour. Eli and Ethan were showing symptoms of drunkenness after taking shots for fun and raiding the liquor cabinet. They were laughing at inanimate objects, slurring their words, and stumbling blindly around the room.
For some odd reason, Ben and Delaney drank way more than them, and neither seemed the least bit buzzed.
Aubrey, Ella, and I were the only sober ones. I had one drink but switched to soda afterward, knowing it would be more enjoyable to watch their antics sober.
It seemed like Ella had the same idea. She sat perched on the counter, videoing everything they were doing. She would have enough blackmail material for years.
At first, the drunks were playing Wii Sports, but they quickly got bored and decided to have a roast-off competition. Eli had the brilliant idea of forming a makeshift boxing ring for it, so he enlisted everyone to pivot the couches into a square. Then he took all the cushions off and lined the floor with them.
Us sobers stood on the outside of the ring as the drunks started their roasting.
"You're so pale, you look like a white crayon," Ethan said to Eli.
"You're important as a white crayon," Eli snickered.
"Trash pickup's tomorrow. Be ready," Ethan shot back. "You too, Ben. Betta go stand outside to don't miss it."
"That's the worst you could do?" Ben goaded. "Even your insults are pussies."
"I was 'scribing you, not insulting you."
"Boo-hoo," Ben said, mimicking tears. "I could eat alphabet soup and shit out something smarter than that."
"Well if I had a dollar for every smart thing that came out of your mouth, I'd be... rich!" Ethan exclaimed.
"You mean broke?" Ella interjected.
"Hush, you're not part of this," Ethan glared at her. "Stay out of it."
"Yeah, El. St' otta it," Eli said.
Ethan redirected his scowl at Eli. "Stop repeating everything I say."
"Top 'peating ev'thing I say," he shot back.
"What language was that?" Ben looked around the room. Nobody answered. "Well, it sounded like bullshit to me."
Ethan looked towards us with glazed eyes. He zeroed in on Delaney, who was drunk texting someone. "Hey, Delaneys," he pointed right at Delaney and then a few feet to her left. "Yous looks like pennies."
"Thanks," she giggled like a schoolgirl.
"Not a compliment," he sniggered. "It's 'cause your hair is penny-colored. Plus, you're two-faced and not worth much." Looking for applause, he gave Delaney a dopey grin.
She put her phone down. "If I'm a penny, you're a fat circus elephant."
"Cool!" Ethan exclaimed. "I love elephants! Isn't that right, Ella-elephant?"
"And you, Eli," Delaney said, catching his attention. He somehow escaped his boxing ring and was standing by the piano, entranced by the keys. "What's the circus without the clowns? You could be Ethan's opening act."
Eli nodded and hummed a tune, very out of it. "Guys! I made up a song." He spun around and looked at me with wide eyes. "Char-wit, wanna hear?"
"Sure, Ewi," I chuckled, mimicking his baby voice.
He started humming an off-key rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. "Twinkle, twinkle little star, your face is so subpar. You think you're so mighty and high. I think it's a fucking lie." He burst into a fit of giggles.
"Eli, that's so mean," I said, wanting to screw with him.
Aubrey caught on, "Yeah, Eli. You made her cry."
His giggles ceased and the blood drained from his wine-flushed face. "Oh no. Oh no. Char-wit, don't cry."
I buried my face in a loose pillow, pretending to weep.
He rushed over and sat on my lap, forgetting that he weighed close to sixty pounds more than me. His clammy hands searched all over my face, accidentally jabbing me in the eye.
My eyes started watering—for real this time.
"Shit. I'm sowwy," he croaked when he felt the moisture on my cheeks. "Eli didn't wanna hurt Char." Tears started leaking from his bloodshot eyes.
Ethan and Ben stopped their arm wrestling match upon hearing his infantile sobs.
Ben whipped out his phone and recorded. He was still mad about the video Eli took of me slapping him, so he probably thought this was perfect payback. And it definitely was—Eli was so shitfaced, he wouldn't even remember anything in the morning, making the video all the more useful.
"It's okay," I said, rubbing Eli's back. "There's no need to get upset."
"No. I... hurt you," he hiccuped, burying his face into my hair and blowing his nose.
Scrunching my nose, I carefully removed his snotty face from my clean hair. "I was kidding. It was a joke, I'm not hurt."
His glossy eyes peeked at me through a set of long eyelashes. "You pinky promise?"
"I pinky promise."
Eli sniffled and wiped his nose with my sleeve. It was disgusting, but I didn't want to argue with him—he would probably start crying again.
"Can I hug?" he asked, hope shining in his dilated pupils.
Eli was too adorable to deny, so I allowed him to wrap his arms around my body. His arms snaked around my torso, squeezing the life out of me like a boa constrictor. He also made no effort to pretend he wasn't petting me and sniffing my hair.
"Eli," I wheezed when it became too much. "Can't breathe."
He loosened his fierce grip. "Sorry," he said, affectionately patting my cheek before standing up to join Ben and Ethan's brawl. Within seconds, he stopped crying and had Ethan in a headlock.
"He's adorable," I whispered to Aubrey, not keeping my eyes off Eli.
"Reminds me of Annie sometimes," she said, a fond smile taking over her face as she watched Ethan stumble around. "You know, I've only seen Eli cry a few times in the past thirteen years."
"Really?" I had only known him for a month, and he'd nearly cried in front of me multiple times...
"Yep. Not even when he broke his arm or sliced up his face while snowboarding. He's usually not this sweet."
I chuckled, watching him mercilessly kick Ben in the balls, "You can say that again."
"Really, though. I know you haven't been around long, but you should have seen him last year." She exhaled a sharp breath, "His life consisted of eating, sleeping, and football. He was always at the gym or the field, and only hanging out with us during the off-season. But then you came... Everything has changed, that's for sure. "
"It's true," Ella said from behind us. "We never knew he was such a teddy bear on the inside until recently. I mean, just look at him." She pointed to Eli, who was now pinning Ben into a cushion. He sat on top of Ben's back, grinning and waving at us with an adorable dopey smile.
Drunk Eli—and normal Eli, I guess—were so precious.
Yep, I definitely was starting to fall for him.
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A/N: Thank you for reading chapter 18! Don't forget to vote and comment! 💚
Also, can we talk about that twinkle twinkle little star rhyme? I'm oddly proud of myself for making that up, especially since I am terrible with rhyming haha.
QOTC: If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends/family assume you had done?
My Answer: I'm not a crazy person whatsoever, so probably speeding. I tend to drive too fast when I'm listening to certain songs. But, unlike Char, I haven't ever been pulled over or given a ticket lol