Here, now go, fetch!
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The hallways were still freezing as ever. A violent chill went down your spine as you carefully traversed the ancient stone steps of the church. Your teeth chattered and you couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from your anxiety. After the first month or so of living in the convent, you thought you wouldn't have to talk to any more new people. Your roommates always brought in their friends to hang out, and Bea and Beau were both social butterflies who apparently were best friends with half of the damn building. You, however, were not so used to talking to people, especially someone you've never met. Knowing you were going to have to meet dozens, hell, maybe hundreds of new people tonight put you on edge. You weren't actually sure how many ghouls there were. The common room was fairly large, and the basement reached all the way from the nave of the church to the convent, well over three-hundred feet. There was still so much of it to explore. Who knew how many winding hallways and hidden arches there were within those catacombs.
It felt so much more empty in the church because of the holiday. There were no distant footsteps, coughs, or sneezes, no laughter, no breathing. It was like you were in your own little world in here, so far away from your old life. The old recurring thought of your family returned in an unwanted vigor. It was your first Christmas Eve without them. You weren't sure how to feel about it yet. It had been bothering you all week, the thought constantly in the back of your mind. You hoped they were able to enjoy it regardless if you were there or not. Who knows, they might not have been even thinking of you. You pushed away the sadness that crept up your throat. Tonight was not about them. Tonight, you planned on spending time with your friends and forgetting all about the pains you carried.
It had felt like forever since you last went down into the basement, but realistically, it had only been about three days. The events of the previous days were so busy and tiring, you completely lost track of time. You sincerely looked forward to being able to sleep well into the morning in your new room for the first time. Maybe on your vacation, you could start decorating your office. It had been left virtually untouched since you first received the keys for it, the only thing being shifted were the markers that were still on the floor. You could allow yourself to be lazy this once.
The giant oak door appeared in your vision, and your heart picked up its pace. You wondered if Rain was already there waiting for you. You weren't sure how much longer you could wait before you could see him again. He always knew how to calm you down, somehow.
Your arms were a little sore from carrying the two surprisingly heavy platters all the way down with you, but you mustered the strength to balance them in one hand as you pulled on the cold metal handle with the other. It swung out, Newton's first law of motion dragging you with it. Your feet stumbled over each other, and the tower of lussekatter teetered dangerously. Before it could tip over and smash itself all on the floor, two pale hands jumped out from the dark and caught them as you fell to the ground. Your right hand still held on tightly to the door's ring. The stone was so much colder than it needed to be, the surface quickly stinging your ass cheeks the longer they stayed planted there. You looked around for your plates. Black brogue dress shoes led to long slender pant legs, striped white and red socks peeking out at the ankles. A disturbingly bright green sweater depicted a broken gingerbread man on it with the words 'oh snap' above it. Familiar hands held up the two missing trays. Two concerned eyes stared down at you.
"Are you okay?" Rain asked as he steadied the buns with one arm, handing you his other. You grasped it tightly and pulled yourself up with his help.
"I suppose so," you laughed, "-especially since you saved my desserts. You're my hero, Rain." The ghoul's heart stuttered.
This was going to be a long night.
"Oh look at you, you've got dirt all over-" He turned you around. The bottom of your dress and the back of your tights were speckled with small pebbles and powdery dust, the dark black of the fabric now a splotchy brown. If it weren't for your coat, your entire back would have been ruined. Without thinking, he started to brush you off, all the while mumbling some complaint about how filthy the floors always were.
"How are you supposed to clean stone floors?" You asked. Your voice stumbled from the jagged motions of his hand shifting you around.
"I don't know, sweep more than twice a year?" His palm swiped down your bottom and flecks of dirt flew off. You blushed heavily. Last time someone patted you down, a nun was spanking you with one of her dense wooden paddles for 'disobeying' her in class. This, however, was nothing like that. The way he patted you down was much more... uh... wanted? No, caring?
"Last time I actually saw someone scrub this place was like, two years ago, and that was only the entrance hall where everyone tracked in mud from the flood season." He said. You returned your focus to your outfit.
"Nothing stained, right?" You asked, now concerned about the state of your clothing. Everything showed up on black, and this was your last pair of clean tights. Rain gave you a last once over on the back of your thighs, not spotting any change of color. He did a pretty thorough job of cleaning you, if he did say so himself. Admiring his work, his eyes widened as he realized what the fuck he just did. All of the blood in his body seemingly pooled at his feet.
Rain held in his panic as best he could. He totally did not mean to- Satan, why did he keep getting himself into these situations?! He knew better than to touch someone like that without at least asking first! Not that he meant to do it on purpose, he would never do that on purpose. Especially you, someone who he would literally lick a bus seat for if you asked him to.
After the night he stayed in your room, he could not stop thinking about you. Well, that had been his reality since day one, but it was getting so much worse by the minute; Hell, by the second. His every thought was consumed by you. He thought about you during lunch with his friends, when he was trying to write music, reading, when he showered! Even in his dreams, there was no escape from your hold. He had felt so awful waking up, his brain conjuring some... interesting scenarios. It was bordering on unhealthy. It was unhealthy. It's not like you were his partner or anything, just a friend. A gorgeous, kind, funny, smart, amazing friend who he was disgustingly head-over-heels in love with. Having to remind himself of that was more painful than he ever wanted to admit.
Rain looked up at your face for any visible discomfort, expecting you to be horrified by his actions, but all he saw was yourself in all of your beauty, with your adorable darkened cheeks and pretty lips, which held that smile he loved oh-so much. You actually didn't seem one ounce upset. You tilted your head at him. He snapped out of his panic, remembering that you asked him a question.
"Uh, nope, I think I got it all." Rain stood back up from his slight crouch. You twisted your head to look at your dress, but couldn't see behind you all too well.
"I'll have to take your word for it. Thank you for saving my buns, by the way." You gave him a playful wink with the pun and took the top tray off of the pile, having him still hold the other one. The puff ball on top of the Santa hat you wore swung slightly as you moved around. The Santa hat that he gave you. His hat. Rain was set ablaze. "I love your sweater, by the way. I would have worn something more festive, but I didn't really have anything. I was so happy you gave me this this morning. It made my whole day." You pointed to your head. "Don't I look cute?" You teased.
Yes. Yes you did. Rain's jaw tensed.
"Always, pumpkin."
"You sap." You grinned at him with a blush dusting your cheeks once more. "Come on, my arms are getting tired and I'm growing sick of looking at these." You adjusted the plate in your hands. Rain nodded.
"After you." Without tripping this time, you widened the door a little more and stepped into the darkness. You pulled out your phone from your coat pocket.
"Watch your eyes, I'm turning on my flashlight." You warned Rain. He closed his lids as you turned on the torch. You would usually just take Rain by the arm, but with all appendages preoccupied, light was needed. The beam pushed through the dark, the light catching on the strings of small spider webs and ice frozen to the wall. You lifted the platter up to your shoulder and held it between your neck and fingers. The stairs were now visible, and you started to step down them, Rain following behind. With the door closed behind you, you could now hear the blaring music already playing, a cacophony of distant voices echoing up the stairwell.
"How long ago did you guys start?" you laughed. "It's not even six-thirty." Rain scoffed behind you.
"Every year, we all promise not to start until at least after four, and every year, someone pops a champagne bottle at like, noon. So, around two o-clock this time." Your footsteps grew quieter as you descended, the music becoming louder and louder the further down you went.
"And when does it usually end?" It was his turn to laugh.
"I have no idea. I never stayed awake long enough to see it. I'm not sure if there even is an end." Your plate slightly scraped along the wall. You pulled it in a little closer to you.
"I'm guessing you save the clean up for the morning?"
"Yup. Usually doesn't take too long, we've got a lot of hands down here." Anxiety stirred in your chest. You were reminded of all of the new ghouls you'd be meeting. You refused to let Papa's words echo in your head.
"Rain?" You said timidly. Rain immediately picked up on your worried tone.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing's wrong, I just... do you-" You stuttered, "-do you think they'll like me? The other ghouls, I mean." You briefly looked back at him, the light from your phone reflecting off of his metallic mask. His eyes softened.
"I have no doubt they'll love you, especially since you baked us such delicious smelling saffron buns." You sighed, his words relieving you. "Plus," he added, "I already informed everyone about you so there's no surprises. They all know not to crowd you or make you feel nervous. They're all actually pretty excited to meet the new messenger." That made you feel a whole lot better. That meant that Aether knew you were coming as well, and if he didn't want you to, you would've known by now. But that also meant-
"(Y/n)! Holy shit, I never thought you'd get here! I've been waiting FOR-EH-VUUUHH!" A loud voice shouted at you the second your foot touched the bottom step. "You walk too slow!"
Your hyper-friendly and excitable friends also knew.
Shutting off your light, you tried to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. You barely had time to see who was talking to you before the tray you held was taken from you and thrown back onto Rain's. "I'll take it from here, lover boy." They said as they grabbed your wrist and started to drag you away.
"Sorry Rain, I gotta go, see you later I guess!" You yelled, trying your hardest not to faceplant on the ground. You managed to see Rain give a wave as he said,
"I'll catch up with you later. Go have fun!" You looked forward, your hand coming up to grab your kidnapper's wrist to desperately hold onto. You knew only one ghoul that literally drags you to wherever she damn well pleases.
"Multi, where are we going?!" You were already out of breath.
"My room! Rain told me you didn't have any Christmas clothes, so I'm gonna dress you up!" Uh oh.
"Slow down! I can hardly fucking see!" You laughed. Multi eased her pace from the sprint she started with to a much more manageable slow-jog.
"I've literally been waiting for hooouuurrrsss, you don't understand." She looked back at you with her gray-blue eyes.
"Not my fault you guys start drinking at lunch." She threw her head back and cackled wildly.
"But what's the fun in waiting? There's so much to do and not enough time to do it all. Oh, I can't wait for all of the games we get to play. My girl and our friends have been dying to meet you." You smiled and shook your head. You laughed at yourself for being nervous in the first place. Multi was the most boisterous and talkative ghoul you knew. She probably knew everyone down here by first, middle, and last name. You dropped the tension in your shoulders and let your guard down. There's no way Multi would let anyone get to you.
As you sped to her room, you were able to see the arches that supported the ceilings of the hallways without straining. Multi-colored Christmas bulbs were strung up on each side and illuminated the space. A blur of rainbows danced across your friend's silver mask. A string of blinking lights around her neck created a beacon for you to follow. For the most part, you were looking down at your feet to keep your balance, the hallways still a little too dark for you to confidently walk down without fear of slipping, but every so often you glanced up to see if you were at your destination. You passed multiple ghouls you had never met before, each one of them perking up as you flew by. Some managed to give you a wave, others a friendly greeting. You tried to say hello back, but Multi's pace was too fast. You twisted through what seemed like endless passageways and corners. Her room was much further away than Aether's and Rain's. At one point, it felt like you were going backwards towards the stairs again.
With a final turn, Multi slowed down into a brisk walk. There was a hallway with a dead end in front of you. Numerous doors lined either side, a few of them open, gentle light spewing out from the frames.
"This is my room! Come on, get in! We don't have any time to lose!" Multi shoved you into the fifth room down, the door already open wide.
"Alright, alright, I'm going!" You squealed. Stepping into the room, your eyes were allowed to adjust to the light. Similar to Aether and Rain's rooms, hers was the exact same size and shape, albeit, maybe a little wider. A full sized bed was placed in a pale wooden bedframe and pushed up against the wall to your right, the foot of the bed facing west. Two bedside tables were crammed on either side of it, there being barely enough room for them. A small table lamp was lit on one of them which was surrounded by empty water bottles and more alarm clocks than standard. Plain white sheets complemented a patternless golden-yellow bedspread. On the foot of the bed, a bright turquoise throw was draped haphazardly. The two colors strikingly contrasted with each other, and yet they were still complimentary.
To your left were two staggered professional stage keyboards. A circular drum seat sat in front of it in place of a piano bench. The piano bench was actually pushed up against the wall with the door, a keytar layed on top of it. The one corner of it was incredibly chipped and blunt, like the door had repeatedly been swung into it. A large rectangular rug covered the floor. On the far wall, a cheap looking white and beaten-up dresser was being crushed under the weight of a much larger and heavier oaken dresser. The top dresser seemed to teeter dangerously. You questioned Multi's design choices.
"Welcome to my humble abode, (Y/n), like it?" You opened your mouth to answer, but Multi cut you off. "-don't answer that, we don't have time. Take off your clothes, I've picked out the perfect costume for you." She walked over to her double dressers and opened the very bottom drawer of the white one. You looked over to the door of her room, which was still wide open. The heel of your shoe came up to kick it shut, the force of the action causing a loud thud to echo the hall. Multi didn't seem to mind or even notice. Pulling several articles of clothing out, she slammed the drawer shut and faced you again.
"Ugh, you didn't even take your jacket off?!" She complained.
"It's cold and I don't like to undress in front of people!" You pouted. She tossed the clothes at you and turned back around to face the wall.
"I won't look, just hurry up! I don't know how much longer I can wait." She crossed her arms impatiently. You got the message and dropped the costume, unzipping your jacket afterwards and tossed it onto her unkempt bed. You kicked off your shoes and pulled down your tights with them. It was still absolutely freezing down here, and goosebumps started to trail all along your skin. The button to the top of your starched white collar was popped open, and the zipper was pulled down to the bottom, just below your shoulder blades. You looked at the pile of clothing you were supposed to put on.
You picked up a pair of velveteen-esque green shorts. The waistband and leg hems had elastic sewn into them, and cheap buttons with a candy peppermint pattern were lined up the front. It looked like someone had taken scissors to the waistband and snipped the elastic, rendering it useless. Still on the floor was a red and white striped long-sleeve shirt and a matching pair of knee-high socks. Red suspenders were tangled in a ball next to it. Two pieces of what seemed to be tattered shoe covers sunk into each other. An elf hat with felt ears laid on top of them. You looked back up at Multi. It didn't seem like you had much of a choice, or any choice at all.
You stepped into the pants one leg at a time and pulled them up under your dress. They would have slid down had you not pressed your legs together to catch them. You then took the socks that were bunched together and tugged them onto your feet. They were able to stretch over your calves easily as they were already heavily broken in. You did your best to balance while you pulled them up to your knees and tucked them under the elastic of the pant legs. Next came the shirt. With another glance at Multi to make sure she was still facing the wall, you slipped your black dress off and threw it on top of your jacket. The shirt was quickly yanked onto your body to preserve what little heat you had left, then were also tucked into your pants. The waistband came to rest high on your hips. Suspenders were then clipped into place, and you swiftly loosened them so they didn't draw the seam of your pants up your ass crack all night. You opted out of the shoe covers and kept the Santa hat that Rain gifted you on. You notified Multi that she could turn back around.
"Oh you look so stupid, I love it!" She exclaimed, her hands clapping together.
"We're kinda matching, aren't we?" You laughed. She had on a similar elf costume, the difference being a loose green and red tunic with a red string tied around her waist, and matching red and green tights.
"I know, I have great taste, don't I?" She teased. Multi stepped over to you with a mysterious bottle in her hand. "But you need a little more sparkle, don't you think?" She said ominously.
"Like what?" You gave her a look of mistrust.
"Hold still, if you move, you'll mess it up." Multi brought her hands to your face, grabbing your chin with one and rubbing something onto your cheeks with the other. It felt like a wet cream of some sorts. You tried your very best to not move a muscle with how much she was moving your head. She applied more of whatever product she had onto her finger and lightly patted the tip of your nose. The urge to sneeze became tenfold as the pads of her skin did their thing.
"Breath bitch, holy shit." She laughed. You exhaled furiously and chuckled along with her.
"I didn't even know I was holding my breath."
"You looked like you were going to pass out."
"You told me not to move."
"I didn't tell you not to breathe!" she exclaimed and closed the bottle. "Anyway, I'm done. Go look in the mirror." She pointed to the wall behind you. You walked over, your eyes meeting your reflection.
"It's even worse than I thought." You cringed.
"I know, isn't it wonderful? I haven't seen you ever wear anything else, so this is an absolute treat for me." You looked at your costume and shifted uncomfortably. You couldn't remember the last time you wore pants. From a young age, your mother controlled your wardrobe, going so far as to set out your clothing for the week. She didn't stop until you moved into the convent. Even then, everything you wore was something your mom picked out for you. Coming to the unholy church, the one style of dress you wore every day was the first time you really got to choose what you wore. You didn't have much of an option at the moment, since that was now the only thing you owned, but it was yours. When you went shopping for the first time, you didn't even think to look at pants and shirts. Dresses were really the only thing you ever wore, save for the vile ankle-length jean skirt your aunt had gifted you for some birthday. You had only worn that once, and that was when you tried it on in the mirror. You wondered if it was still shoved in the back of your closet back home somewhere.
You swiveled around to observe yourself more. The pants were baggy and swished with your every movement. The shirt was not too snug, but big enough to comfortably move around in. The suspenders you wore were really the only thing keeping your pants up. The waist of the pants could barely hold onto your hips alone. Your socks were a very nice change from the tights and kept your calves nice and warm. You felt like you could actually breathe in your costume without the band of your tights cutting into your stomach.
This suddenly became the only outfit you ever wanted to wear.
Upon your face, Multi had smudged some liquid blush onto the apple of your cheeks. Your nose was a rosey red. Your skin shined with tiny sparkles of glitter. She was right; It really did pull the look together. You readjusted the hat on your head.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one going out like this." You smiled brightly at the ghoul.
"Please, you should see what everyone else looks like," Multi waved her hand, " -we take Chrissmus seriously around here. Here, put these on your ankles if you're not going to wear the shoes. I wanna hear you walk with them." She handed you two bracelets. A dozen silver bells were all strung together on a stretchy jewelry string. You rattled them, and a beautiful soft jingle rang through your ears. You laughed and bent down to put them on. They easily stretched over your mary janes and onto your shins, the bells jingling all the way. You stood up and gave them a test stomp. You could tell it was quickly going to annoy you. Multi snickered.
"Now I'll be able to hear you over everyone. You'll be like my new cat or something." You pushed her shoulder lightly in protest.
"I am hardly the size of a cat, I don't know how you could lose me. Now come on, I'm getting antsy." Multi gasped excitedly and grabbed your wrist once more, throwing open the door with little regard to any of her furniture. A thunderous crash came from the door hitting the piano bench, just like you suspected.
"Oh I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so excited! This is going to be the best night of your life, I swear! I'm so happy you're here!" Multi suddenly stopped in her tracks just to spin around and give you a crushing bear-hug before quickly letting go to start dragging you again. You beamed. You had missed her too.
Entering the dim hallways again, you passed the same ghouls from earlier. Some of them were in little groups of three or four, and some were just in pairs. All of them had some form of alcohol in their hands. It was like Oktoberfest in December.
The bells on your ankles alerted everyone to your oncoming presence, and yet you still had no time to get a single 'hello' in. The speed at which she was pulling you was incredibly impressive, moreso that you were keeping up. You were incredibly thankful the ghouls decided to decorate the halls with lights. It certainly helped with visibility.
As you rounded the last corner, Multi had finally slowed into a normal walk. Your lungs wheezed in and out, the musty dampness of the basement already getting to them. The music and voices had gotten much louder, the source of them coming from what seemed to be a common room, different from the one you were used to. This basement was much, much bigger than you originally guessed.
A series of screams and groans bounced along the old stone walls, followed with bellows of laughter. It was a miracle you weren't already backing down. Parties were largely overwhelming for you, but you were at least willing to try again. Bea and Beau always dragged you to whatever get together they could find, and you've been growing accustomed to the activity. Who knows, you might actually really enjoy yourself tonight.
Multi let go of your wrist, instead touching her hand to your shoulder and leading you into the room. This common room was similar to the other one, a large fireplace blazing on one wall, a television above it. Multiple mis-matched chairs were distributed around the room. Several fold-out tables were set up, a plethora of bowls and platters set upon them. An older looking boombox radio had its volume cranked all the way up, some unknown Christmas song blasted from its speakers. Drinks were being poured, games were being played, and it very well looked like fun was being had. A large group of ghouls gathered around a white folding table where a match of beer pong was taking place. That must've been where all of the yelling was coming from. It seemed pretty intense.
Multi's arm was still around your shoulders as you walked into the busy room. The jingle of your feet could not be heard over the noise. She searched around the room for a bit before raising her hand and waving it. You looked for who she was waving to. Four ghoulettes perked up at the sight of you and Multi. You had no time to react before being pushed over to them.
"Ugh, it's about time you guys showed up, we've been waiting foreeevvvverrrrrrr!" A very short ghoul greeted. A reindeer antler headband adorned with bells rang as she bobbed her head side to side. She wore a lazy reindeer onesie and plain white sneakers to complete the costume. Multi scoffed and let you go before pulling the ghoulette in for a chaste kiss.
"I know, Rain was hogging her all to himself, and she walks slow." She held each of your shoulders. You gave her a look of betrayal.
"Bitch-"
"Shh," Multi hushed, "We've got lots of people we're meeting tonight, let me get through with it." You closed your mouth and rolled your eyes playfully. She took it as a sign of your obedience.
"Okay (Y/n), this is Cirrus, my girlfriend, say hi Cirrus." The small ghoul raised her pinky at you, bringing a can of soda to her mouth. You nodded at her. Multi has talked about her partner more times than you can count, and you were well acquainted with her through Multi. She was much more tame than your friend, probably for the better. Having two Multi's would be exhausting.
"This is Cumulus," She pointed to a taller ghoulette in the back in a white sweatshirt with two round ears on the hood and a festive scarf around their neck. On the front of the shirt, "I am one of the coke bears" was written across it in black sharpie. You tilted your head.
"This is Stratus," The ghoul was in an even worse costume, the only thing that made it a 'Christmas' costume was the piece of computer paper taped to it that said "Ugly Chrissmus Sweater". A cheap circular mirror hung onto the sweater with dignity, prayer, and cellophane.
"And that's Sock." Ignoring the disappointment of the group not having another cloud themed name, you could at least appreciate Sock's outfit, a simple slip on candy-cane costume. You felt they missed the chance to be a stocking.
"Everyone, this is (Y/n). She's the new messenger, blah blah blah, yadda yadda, we're playing beer pong." The friend group cheered as you all finally walked over to your first event for the night. It looked like they had just cleaned up from the last round and were pouring new cups.
"Special! We're coming in on this round, we've got a guest with us!" Multi shouted over the music to one of the ghouls at the table. He looked up at you, and you squirmed uncomfortably in his gaze before shifting your eyes down with a bashful smile. He nodded and pointed to the left side of the table. You and Multi walked over and waited for everyone to finish setting up.
"I don't know if I feel like getting hammered tonight, Multi." You said to her. She waved her hand in dismissal.
"That's what you got me for, I'll be your stand in. I just need you to make the shots because I'm already drunk and I've got terrible aim." You both laughed. Hopefully the poor bastards who were going to compete against you wouldn't get alcohol poisoning. You weren't planning on losing.
_________________________________________________________________
"COME THE FUCK ON!"
"ARE YOU SHITTING MY DICK?!"
A cacophony of groans and screams clashed against you and Multi's cries of triumph. Your friend grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you around while you both laughed uncontrollably. She probably had the stupidest and most gleeful look on her face.
"I don't think I can drink anymore, I might throw up-" The ghoul across the table whimpered.
"GLUG GLUG, BITCH!" Multi shouted. The poor man took a deep breath before downing his fifth cup in a row. The start of the game was slow at first, the nerves of being the center of attention making your hands shake, but as it progressed, you began to get into the groove of things. Winning over and over again felt just as good as pitting snowballs against Rain. Multi was not as drunk as she wanted, but the sound of the other ghoul's anguish was just as dizzying. You couldn't help but feel lighter on your feet too.
"She's setting a fucking record, were you in like, softball as a kid?" Cirrus's voice came from behind you.
"Baseball."
"Yeah, no kidding." She scoffed. The table rumbled as the ghoul across from you slammed their hands onto it.
"I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your face, (Y/n)." The one named Deuce growled playfully.
"Ooo, I'm so scared~" you replied. "Eat my shorts, loser. You can threaten me when you're actually winning."
"Eat a fart sandwich." He picked up a neon orange ping pong ball. "Watch this." With drunken confidence, he overshot the cups on your side by a few inches, the ball coming to bounce at your feet. "FUCK." He bitched. You laughed obnoxiously at his failure.
You picked it up off the floor and aimed for the last remaining cup on their side. You weren't completely sure that you'd get it in, but it certainly helped that you had the advantage of sobriety. All heads turned to you, but you refused to shrink under their gaze. You needed to focus on your shot. You didn't spend months strengthening your hand-eye coordination for nothing.
The ball left your fingertips and arched into the air. Everyone's eyes followed it as it sailed closer and closer to the flimsy plastic cup. A splash of cheap beer leapt up from the rim and landed onto the table as you scored your final point. Cheers erupted from all around you. Multi pulled you into a tight embrace as you both jumped up and down with excitement.
"YOU'RE THE BEST FUCKING GAME PARTNER EVER!" She slurred. All you could do was smile from your achievement. If this was the only eventful thing that happened tonight, it was a night well spent.
"With no cups remaining, (Y/n) and Multi win the beer pong championship!" The referee announced in a regal voice. "And we shall now adorn you both with your medals of victory! Congratulations to you both." You turned around to see Special holding two plastic medals of dollar store quality, both of which had '#1' stamped onto the front. 'Beer Pong Maniac' was written in black marker on the back. This would become your newest and most prized possession. You took both of the medals by the red strings and handed Multi hers as you strung yours around your neck.
"If our parents could only see us now." You said to Multi. She cackled.
"Hey, no school achievement can rival this, now can it?" She grinned with the award in her hand. You shook your head with a smile.
"No way!" Looking around you, your heart swelled with joy. Everyone had a smile on under their masks, no matter the outcome of the game. They all patted each other on the backs and fired each other up in genuine camaraderie. Your parents would be disgusted, but you didn't care. It felt like happiness was busting out of your seams. With all of the glee in the air, you just couldn't wait to see what the rest of the night was going to be like.