Everyone followed suit and made their way out of the stadium before others began barging out. You, Connie, and Sasha got in her car together, planning on getting to the afterparty right after a quick pitstop at some fast-food restaurant.
After you three got well deserved meals, you finally headed towards where the party was, a frat house right on the edge of the university's vicinity.
"Good thing we ate," Connie said as you three walked in. "We were going to really be regretting it later if we didn't."
You were feeling the effects of a food coma so you rubbed your stomach, "If you find me passed out somewhere, I'm probably just sleeping."
"Wimp," Sasha crooned in your ear. "I seriously need to take you to an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. You wouldn't survive five minutes."
Connie growled, "Maybe because we aren't built like bears."
"Maybe a cub," she judgmentally looked him up and down.
They began to bicker childishly while you took in the house. Well, it was a frat house, that was for sure. With the dozens of barely clothed girls and guys strung along the place holding red Solo cups, it would be quite difficult to label it anything other than a frat party. But this house was huge, it was actually a mansion.
"What group lives in this house?" you side-eyed your friends. "The football team?"
"No clue," Connie shrugged. "But it's huge, and I saw them bringing in a crap ton of kegs."
The overbearing aroma of weed stung your nose as you peered around. You noticed a crowd buzzing around someone in the living room. There was rap music playing in the back, color changing lights were lit in the entire house and it was throwing off your senses a bit.
You hadn't been to a party in a while, you almost forgot how hectic it could be. Inhaling sharply, you looked back to see you already lost Sasha and Connie.
I only walked about five steps, what the fuck.
Well, hopefully one of your other friends would come out of the woodwork. You walked further into the living room, seeing the kitchen not too far from it. A drink sounded nice just about now.
Surprisingly, the kitchen wasn't that crowded. Your eyes scanned over the different types of liquor that were set out, pulling your lip between your teeth as you thought of which to choose.
"That's a lot of concentration on figuring out what to drink," a voice intruded your thoughts.
Your eyes followed the sound to your right, seeing the handsome football player you had seen nail the final touchdown. Hazel . . . that was the color of his eyes. You knew they'd be flawless up close.
His hair was a lot neater now and he didn't look as sweaty—not that you minded the rugged sweat drenched look.
He had a kind look in his eyes and an amused smirk, probably still waiting for you to speak.
"What if I was just reading the labels and comparing the logos?" you raised your brows.
He raised his as well, trying to keep a sophisticated face, "Were you?"
"No."
He chuckled, reaching his hand out to grip the bottle of Jack Daniel's in front of you, "This usually does the trick. If not, try Hennessy."
"You sure know what you're doing," you grabbed a new cup. He gestured for you to hold it out so he could pour it for you. "Aren't you going to drink with me?"
His lip twitched upward, and his teeth showed faintly, "It'd be pretty stupid for me to turn down an offer from someone so gorgeous."
You grabbed a cup for him and held it out, "You say that to gorgeous guys too or did I get lucky?"
He laughed lightheartedly, "Lucky? You trying to say something?"
"Thought I made it obvious," you held your cup out. "Cheers."
"Cheers," he clinked his plastic red cup against yours.
You both took a sip at the same time. Your face slightly scrunched at the fact it had been so long since you even had gone near alcohol. You were never much of a drinker anyway, but you're away from your family so it may have been long overdue.
He watched as you sighed and leaned back against the counter. Drinking in your appearance rather than the alcohol, he licked his lips before holding his hand out, "Jean Kirstein."
You slid your palm into his, shaking it while holding eye contact, "Y/n L/n."
"Well Y/n, I saw you at the game earlier, up in the stands. And let's just say, I had a pretty hard time focusing on the match since I saw you," Jean cheesed, shooting you a knowing look.
"Oh really?" you crinkled your brows, and he in response, nodded. "I'll let you in on a secret, I don't understand football at all. I was just paying attention to you the entire game and pretended to know what was going on."
His tongue poked at the inside of his cheek as he leered at you, trying to figure out the right thing to say, "You didn't stick around, I kept trying to find Sasha and Connie after to ask them, but it looked like they whisked you away."
"We got hungry," you smiled. "So we went to McDonald's."
"Did you get me anything?" he asked, folding his arms as he leaned against the counter with you.
"I didn't have your number to ask," you fake frowned.
He took the hint and pulled his phone out, "Smooth."
You grinned, typing in your number and handing it back to him. After tucking his phone away, he noticed your empty cup. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and started pouring it into your cup without any word.
You pursed your lips, "You trying to get me drunk, Kirstein?"
He kept a mellow expression, "Not unless you want to."
He stopped pouring the drink in your cup, letting you bring the drink up to your lips as you didn't break eye contact for even a second. He drank from his cup too, mirroring your actions.
Needless to say, your heart was racing within its chambers like a toy car for the past few minutes.
"Yo! Kirstein! Braun! Hoover! Where the fuck are you?" a group of voices called.
He looked over his shoulder to where the voices were coming from. You muttered to him, "Looks like you're in high demand."
He brushed off the proprietor of the loud voice, facing you, "I don't really care. I'd rather stay here with you."
You smiled a small smile. Historia was right, he was really sweet, and so far he had made no overly inappropriate slides at you. At least he was doing the bare minimum.
"Jean boy!" someone new had entered the kitchen. It was a muscular blonde who you recalled as one of Jean's teammates. "Come on, they're doing a toast."
"I'm coming, Reiner," Jean groaned.
"Now," the man you assumed to be Reiner said rather sternly.
Jean scowled at him, then turning to look at you, "I'm really sorry about this." But then his eyes slightly widened as if something dawned on him. "Wait, just come with me."
"Oh, um, I don't know—" you were interrupted by him grabbing your hand and pulling you with him.
He led you out of the kitchen and into the capacious living room where everyone was dancing and playing games. You finally caught sight of Sasha and Connie with your other friends. Historia's jaw dropped when she saw you and Jean hand in hand.
She was grinning supportively as she mouthed 'What' to which you shrugged humorously. She kept her wide smile as Ymir and Sasha threw a thumbs up. As Reiner and several other teammates crept up behind the star of the team, they leapt at him by surprise.
"We'll return him to you in just a minute," Reiner courteously raised his hand to you.
You gave him a thumbs up and walked over towards your friends. Mikasa patted at an empty spot beside her on the couch which you humbly accepted.
"So that's what you were doing since we got here," Mikasa smirked.
Connie's eyes widened, "Doing? You already did him? Damn I thought Jean had better game than to last only that long."
Your jaw dropped, "Connie!"
He flicked his wrist, "It was just a joke."
Just like that, someone dramatically hopped on the dining table. He cleared his throat, "If I'm being one hundred percent honest, I really thought the new freshmen were going to be benchwarmers the rest of the season. So understand my shock when these three happened."
The boy pointed towards Jean, Reiner, and another tall dark-haired boy. An overwhelming roar from the audience made the three smile.
"Let's hear it for our very own Bertholdt Hoover, Reiner Braun, and Jean fucking Kirstein!"
The screams after that were too overwhelming for you to even describe, maybe it was because you already had two drinks. The same guy went on to individually call out the older players on the team as everyone listened to their toast.
When you glanced to your left, you could see Hitch and Annie talking against a wall in the distance. Discreetly, you strode over to the end where they were.
"Hey," you said to Hitch.
Her face lit up, "Oh hey, you didn't tell me you'd be coming."
"The shuttle rides are pretty short, it slipped my mind," you informed, rocking your head as you did.
She took a sip from her drink, "Ah, right. Hot outfit, I love it."
You grinned, "Thanks, I was looking at yours too. It's cute." You looked at Annie and smiled, "Hey, Annie."
"Hi," she finally said something to you. Shocking.
"You guys know each other?" Hitch asked.
"Mhm," Annie hummed, bringing her cup to her lips. "She knows the others."
Hitch's green eyes lowered back to the contents of her drink, "Oh. That's cool."
"I didn't know you guys were friends, too," you beckoned your head towards each of them.
"We're roommates," Hitch simpered, lovingly elbowing her fellow blonde. She swirled her plastic cup, "You want to come get a drink with me?"
You politely declined, holding your palms up and shaking them, "Oh, I already had two. I probably shouldn't drink anymore. The drunk look doesn't really suit me."
"Does it suit anybody?" she raised a brow, heaving a sharp snicker.
You leaned against the wall on her right side, "Nope."
That rousing speech for the football team had ended a minute or two ago and people were already getting back into the celebratory events of the night.
"Y/n!" Connie stood not so far from you. He was cupping his mouth as if it would help. "We're gonna do shots in the kitchen. Come on!"
You looked back at Hitch and Annie, "Wanna go?"
"What happened to not wanting to drink more?" Hitch slyly hinted.
You faked a look of confusion, "Did I say that? I don't remember at all."
Grinning, she took your hand. Dropping her empty cup and using her free hand to grasp Annie, they followed you to the kitchen. You were ready to let loose since you hadn't in what was possibly an eternity.
Ymir was somehow already plastered, she was swinging around a bottle of vodka like she just won the lottery. She threw her arm around Connie who was now being fed the drink straight from Ymir herself.
Mikasa was arm wrestling with a random guy and Armin was playing as the referee.
"One, two—Mikasa wins!" he hooted, throwing his arms up in the air.
That same guy that just lost to Mikasa was now staring at her with stars in his eyes. Historia grabbed ahold of yet another random boy, "Hey, let's dance."
The chaos was a lot to keep up with, but you couldn't care less when you and Hitch began experimenting with the drinks.
Hitch's features twisted as she set down the one you made, "Oh, that's vile."
"What!" you cried, stealing the drink from her hand. "It can't be that bad." A girl behind Hitch caught your attention—those entrancing dark eyes were no mistake. "Pieck! Hey! Try this!"
Pieck grabbed the cup from your hand, lifting the drink so she could guzzle down a bit. You and Hitch observed her closely as she gulped, "If bartending was ever a career option for you, scratch that off the list."
Your nose crinkled as Hitch laughed, "Give me that!"
Now you were being scrutinized by their watchful gaze as you drank your concoction. You couldn't even remember what the hell you had mixed in it, it would've been better to remember because— "Oh, that's vile."
Pieck and Hitch burst out into a laughing fit as you stood there with the expression of a child that just ate a lemon.
"This is the fun part," Sasha nudged you. When your eyes followed her, she unveiled an entire bowl of nachos she stole from where the food was put out for everyone.
You gasped, "Dude—"
"Now, I watch you all fall apart while I eat this!" she threw her fist in the air like a warrior.
"Sasha, what are you doing?" another boy came up to her side.
She looked to her right, jaw dropped before she suddenly smiled like a Cheshire cat. "Nicolo! I didn't know you were coming!"
So this was Nicolo. You recalled the girls bringing him up during brunch yesterday. He was definitely cute, especially when he stood beside Sasha.
The blonde boy tipped his head to the side, "Connie convinced me."
Sasha's smile faded, "He did? And he didn't tell me? That son of a bitch." She chucked a chip into her mouth.
Nicolo softly sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Y/n," you answered. "And you're Nicolo, I presume?"
He nodded, "Yes, I am."
Sasha held the bowl of nachos towards him, "You barely told me how your first two days were."
Nicolo picked a chip up, "It was good, boring but good. We just went over safety rules and whatever."
"Safety rules?" you asked, "Was it a lab class?"
"No," he smiled.
Sasha blurted for him through her chip stuffed mouth, "Nic's in the culinary school. He's gonna be the best chef in all of Eldia."
He looked at her, a red hue pinching at his cheeks as his gold eyes flickered with adoration. You almost felt like you were intruding if it wasn't for Sasha constantly offering to share her food.
The three of you got caught up in talking about school and majors. The party went on, guys were jumping onto tables and dancing enough to bring the house down. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if the roof had caved in.
Connie stumbled over to you, Jean just a few steps behind. The athlete came to your side, "Hey, I've been looking all over for you. You get lost pretty easily."
"I wasn't lost," you corrected. "I just wasn't in your sights."
His bottom lip jutted out, "Pretty sure that's the same thing."
You rolled your eyes, lips dragging up, "Well, you could text me. Or are you keeping my number in your contacts for decoration?"
"I'd never let something so valuable like that just be used for decoration," he responded smoothly. He reached his hand out to steal a chip from Sasha but she possessively pressed it towards her chest. Jean yelled, "What the fuck! Why can't I have one?"
"Because no one is allowed to steal my shit," Sasha growled hungrily.
"I saw you giving one to Y/n and Nic!" Jean cried exasperatedly.
"Because they're nice and I like them," Sasha defended herself.
Connie's hand sailed towards that same very bowl, "Aww, you shouldn't have—Ow!"
Sasha had swatted the bald boy's hand out of reach and he jumped in place, caressing the back of his hand. "You don't try it either," she warned.
You threw your head back in laughter before Jean stole the chip out of your hand and shoved it into his mouth.
"Mmm, that's good," he chewed. "Needs cheese though." Your mouth was agape still, and he casually slung his arm around you. "Thanks, this heinous she-devil would let me starve to death if she could."
"Who you calling a devil?" Sasha pointed her finger into Jean's chest. Although he was well beyond the six-foot mark, she still had no fear in putting him in his place.
"You," Jean put his hands on his hips.
Sasha gritted her teeth, preparing for war. Connie had slid in to grab the bowl of chips just to hurl them at Jean, leading him to run off screaming, "Connie, stop!! It's getting in my hair!"
Sasha angrily chased them, "Connie, no! What did the chips do to you?"
You and Nicolo watched. Panic stricken, he bared his teeth in a display of guilt, "I've got to take care of this."
He rushed off in their direction, leaving you by yourself in the overpopulated living room where guys and girls were constantly bumping into each other. It was beginning to get hot, and the room of sweaty college kids wasn't making things easier.
To the best of your ability, you attempted to navigate through the labyrinth that was an intense college party. Whenever you'd look to your left or right, you'd see strangers kissing or them pushing all up against each other.
Now you remembered why you stopped coming to these. Your head was beginning to spin, and the ground seemed like it was trying to suck you in. You had one shot too many, drinking so much may not have been the best idea.
A group of guys you happened to be passing were talking amongst themselves, and you heard a familiar name. "You guys hear Eren Jaeger came today?"
"No fucking way," another fussed. "Y'all know what he did right? Right before summer break?"
"Yeah," one scoffed. "How has anyone not heard?"
I didn't hear anything, you thought to yourself with a frown.
What were they talking about? What did Eren do? Ironically you were one of the people the last one would ridicule. Just as you tried to eavesdrop, they had already changed the topic.
"Did you see Stacy's ass in that dress?"
You groaned, eyes reeling to the side as you kept on your path. You found your way to the back door that led to the backyard. It was open already, and it wasn't even a surprise that it was just as unruly outside. There were people in the pool, couples kissing, and friends racing. Others had their feet dipped in as they talked and spectated on the side.
With staggering steps, you passed the hot tub, hoping to find an empty space to sit wherever you could in the crowded lawn. You kept looking around, that's when someone set their hand on your shoulder.
It was Reiner, "You okay?"
You nodded, "Yeah. Thanks."
"Are you sure?" a taller man by his side asked, it was that Bertholdt kid from their team.
"Yeah, I'm okay," you repeated nicely.
They weren't fooled by your wobbly legs and inability to keep your head up, but Reiner nonetheless advised, "If you need anything, let us know. You're looking for Jean, right?"
"He's being chased around inside by Connie and Sasha," you pointed towards the mansion.
Bertholdt snorted, "Sounds like things are okay then."
Both men trudged off, leaving you by yourself.
"You're not trying to make your way around the entire team, are you?" a deep voice rasped. Your eyes shot towards the source. Eren Jaeger. "Cuz that's a lot of people."
He was sitting in a lounge chair, well, laying in one actually. He had a blunt in his hand, and he reeked of marijuana. He brought the joint to his mouth, wrapping his lips around the end and taking a hit. All while his emerald eyes flickered from the cyan shade of the pool water. The whites of his eyes were blood shot red at the veins.
He was in a baggy brown graphic T-shirt and a deep charcoal pair of pants. Baggy clothes seemed to be his go to from what you could tell so far.
"Are you insinuating something, Jaeger?" you kept a stern look on your features.
The notorious Eren Jaeger incredulously gaped at you, scoffing and raising a brow, "We aren't even on first name basis? Damn."
He exhaled, a puff of smoke clouding the air. You didn't respond.
"You following me or something?" he used his knuckles to rub the tip of his nose.
"No," you seethed. "You're the one that keeps bumping into me. And you're the one who called me over."
This was odd, acting like you were meeting for the first time all over again. How could he possibly forget that entire hour you spent together just two nights ago?
He exhaled once more, "I guess." He held the blunt towards you, "You gonna smoke with me or just stand there all night?"
"I don't smoke," you shook your head.
"But you drink," he fired back. You remained silent and he beckoned towards the empty seat on his left, "Here, you look like you're going to fall over."
For a moment, you both stared at each other, there was a telling twitch in his brows that urged you. Wordlessly, you groaned and sat down in the lounge chair.
He closed his eyes, relaxing and breathing as steadily as one could between each drag. You observed him closely, his hair and eyes of course were something that caught your attention, but other than that and his muscular body, you noticed his lengthy eyelashes.
They made you sort of envious.
You turned to face the pool. A bunch of people were spectating an intense match of chicken fight in the water.
"You almost fucked up my wheels," the words came from him out of the blue and unprovoked.
You diverted your view to the brunette who was casually opening his eyes to look at you now. He had a weary gaze as he eyed you. His jade eyes slowly fell from your face, down your body, and back to your eyes. The infamous boy wasn't making it hidden that he was checking you out—Well, maybe not checking you out, but definitely noting your appearance. What he was thinking right now was something you would probably never know.
It became clear he was talking about his skateboard to you, "Are you serious? How many times do I have to say that you're the one who almost left tire tracks on me?"
"Yeah right," he folded his arms. "If you wanted to talk to me so bad you could've just done so."
Wait a damn minute . . . Was he hitting on you? Horrendously too?
"No, I didn't even know you were there," you folded your arms too. "Are you always this pretentious?"
He scowled, "Why are you out here? Did you get dumped by your football player boyfriend or something?"
"No," now you were the one to scowl. "I was just having a headache. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with all your friends inside?"
He made it apparent several times that he was annoyed by your presence, so you were a bit taken aback when he outright told you, "I was fucking this girl upstairs. It was a dare but I didn't think she was going to act so clingy and emotional afterwards."
You blinked several times, astounded by the lack of shame and remorse for leading that poor girl on. Not only that, but the disgust you felt that he just left her alone after he was done using her.
"Why did you do it in the first place if you had no good intentions to begin with?" you interrogated.
"Never said I was perfect," he mumbled.
You sat up, glaring at him, "Clearly not. That's just shitty."
He glowered back, "Hey, I don't need some uptight bitch acting like my mother. Keep your nose out of it."
You quickly stood up, not even caring that your legs still felt weak, "Don't worry about me. Trying to give you the benefit of the doubt was obviously stupid on my part."
"Obviously," he restated, rolling his eyes.
Whoever the hell this was, was definitely not that boy from the bookshop. The one who refused to let you walk alone at night and started to immediately read a book based on your recommendation. This was a completely different person. And you could not stand him one bit.
"Y/n!" it was Jean, he was by himself. "Has anyone ever told you you'd be good at hide and seek."
"So you are handing yourself around the team," Eren chuckled to himself.
Pretending not to hear, you faced Jean. "Sorry about disappearing again," you pressed your lips sorrowfully.
"Kirstein," Eren greeted, "Congrats on the win, bro."
They dapped each other up and Jean smiled, "Thanks, Jaeger."
"This your girl?" the teal-eyed boy gestured to you. "She did hell of a job of ruining my high."
You huffed and clenched your teeth, "Let's just go inside, Jean."
Not even sparing the skater another glance, you headed towards the mansion with Jean. He mumbled to you, "What was that about?"
You shrugged, offering no verbal response and luckily the boy had just brushed it all off. The two of you returned to where the others were. Just about everyone was dancing or caught up in other things.
You still felt lightheaded, you honestly wanted to just go home now. Sasha was too busy dancing with Ymir and the others, though, it hardly seemed like she was even near wanting to go.
Jean ran this fingers through his hair, "So you've met just about everybody, I feel like there's still someone missing." He tapped his chin, "You even met Jaeger. But—Marco!"
His arm shot out to grasp an equally tall man passing the two of you, he abruptly stopped in his hold. The man had dark hair with a middle part and freckles speckled across his face.
"Yeah? What?" the new figure's mouth moved down as his eyes opened wider with curiosity.
Jean patted his back and looked at you, "This is my best friend, Marco. Marco, this is Y/n. Pretty sure you haven't met."
You pressed your lips in a courteous smile, "Hi."
Marco smiled as well, "Hello. No, we haven't met. I would've remembered for sure."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jean suspiciously narrowed his eyes.
"Guys!" Sasha grabbed your shoulders from behind. "We're playing beer pong outside!"
Her excitement made it seem like it was something worthwhile. So you, Jean, and Marco shared a look. Then, when you all shared an impromptu shrug of your arms, you followed her back outside through the same doors you had stepped through not so long ago. There was a ping pong table that you noticed earlier out on the grass.
It looked like Ymir and Connie were setting it up with cups and filling them up with liquor. Armin was trying his hardest to align them as best he could, Historia helping him out while continuously swatting Reiner's hand away from his attempts to steal a cup.
Mikasa stood by and watched as her dark eyes shifted to you and Jean. You approached her, "You gonna play?"
She shook her head, "I think I'll just watch. How about you?"
"I wanted to go up against him," you used your thumb to casually point at Jean.
The athlete scoffed, "I'd smoke you."
"Hmm, yeah, right," you jabbed. "One on one, me and you. Loser has to do whatever the winner says."
"How about loser has to jump into the pool," Jean pointed at the glistening water not too far from you.
"Deal," you pridefully accepted.
As you and the football player were in the midst of shaking on it, Reiner announced, "Okay, we're doing teams of five. Let's all pick now."
It seemed like you weren't the only one that noticed Mikasa, Armin, Nicolo, and Annie sitting on the side. Jean and you could've been telepathically linked for how keen his observation was, "We're only nine, we've got four sitting out."
"That's 'cuz I'm playing too Kirstein," someone drawled.
Your eyes flicked to Eren, he was walking with his hands casually placed on the back of his head. Everyone else seemed excited, even Jean when he replied, "Sweet."
You rolled your eyes, clenching your jaw while glaring at Eren who was coolly walking towards the opposite end. He stood beside Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie, and Sasha. That left you with Historia, Ymir, Marco, and Jean.
"Here are the rules," Reiner grandly announced. "We have one player from each team step up, and it's kinda straight forward so I don't think I need to even go on."
"Worst description ever," Jean scoffed, stepping up first.
"Pick who you want to go against," Reiner said to Jean.
The mullet adorning boy pointed at Sasha, "Get up here, Braus."
She giggled, skipping towards the end of the table. She picked up a neon orange ping pong ball. She aimed first, closing her left eye while keeping her right one open. Her lips were lopsided as she let go of the ball. You all watched as the ball bounced against the table, making a slight click before it bounced into a cup towards the left.
Sasha jumped up in a frenzied scream as Connie, Bertholdt, Reiner, and Eren cheered for her. Jean snapped at them, "Oh, keep your pants on, I still have to go."
They all still had grins on their faces, while watching Jean get into a ready position. His wrist swayed back and forth while aiming to take the shot. He then released the ball, you all watched tensely as it bounced on the table and into the cup in the back middle.
This time you all cheered and jumped. Jean pumped his fist in the air before turning to grab you, spinning you once before setting you down. You were still grinning from ear to ear as you gave him a high five right after.
"Yeah, yeah, drink from the cups," Armin called from the side. "Now pick the next players."
Jean rubbed his hands together, picking up the cup that Sasha made the shot in. Sasha did the same for the one compromised on their side as Jean picked next, "Hmmm, Bertholdt."
Sasha pointed at Historia, "Come on over here, princess."
Historia stepped up, taking the first shot and making the front most cup, "Woohoo!"
"Atta girl," Ymir high fived her.
Bertholdt got one in and the game went on. Connie went off against you, both making it in cups and guzzling down your respective drinks. The next round began and it was Ymir and Eren, unsurprisingly they both got it too.
Now that there were less cups, Sasha had made it in but Historia missed. Then, it was Ymir and Bertholdt, the former being the only one to take down one of their cups. Then it was Connie and Jean, both missed and whined childishly. The game continued, mixed with a tied result of only two cups left on each team.
Connie pointed at you to go, and Marco pointed at Eren. You stepped up, seeing Eren's half lidded eyes on yours. There was a flicker of something behind them, a silent taunt, only for you to understand.
You grabbed a ball, watching the boy mirror your actions, imitate them down to the way you were bending your arm. You took the first shot, missing, he took his shot right after. And he got it in. His team jumped and cheered while yours groaned miserably.
"Pick the next pair," Armin called from the grass as you drank the cup he made the shot into.
"Y/n," Eren's hand extended out towards you.
You scowled, "Eren."
Since the two of you made your pick, you watched as he went first, missing. You let out a breath, letting go of the ball and watching closely as it bounced into his cup.
"Ha!" you threw your hands up, high fiving Jean, Marco, Historia, and Ymir. You turned back to Eren, "Drink up."
He rolled his eyes, picking up the cup and keeping his eyes on you while drinking. He then cleared his throat, "Make your pick."
You kept a straight face, "Eren."
He scoffed, choosing the next person, "You."
You fake smiled and picked up your ball, he did the same. You observed the slight crinkle between his brows when he was about to toss the orange ball. And when he did, it bounced along the rim of the cup, rolling down towards the pool. His team groaned as Ymir patted you on the back.
You breathed in and out, not prepared to get into the pool at any point tonight. Then, it felt like time was slowing down when you tossed the ball upon aiming it. It swiveled along the rim of the red solo cup, but it tipped inwards, falling into the cup.
Your team broke into cheers, and you could hear your opponents carping in defeat. Sasha had her hands over her face while Connie rubbed his head.
Without any warning, Jean picked you up and spun you around. You let out a scream, "Jean! Put me down!"
He stopped spinning you, gently lowering you but not letting go, "I might be really drunk, but I really want to kiss you. Can I?"
You laughed, cupping his cheeks and nodding, "Yes."
He grinned, pulling your face against him and pressing his lips against yours. You could hear the woos of everyone around and mainly the girls screaming in shock.
You pulled away, laughing along with the boy as you turned to see the others sulking. Eren's eyes though, were drilling into yours. His body was facing the water but his head was turned over his shoulder, eyes on you as he yanked his T shirt off, showing off his incredibly toned body.
He tossed it towards the grass in front of you and Jean before he dived into the pool. Everyone clapped as Connie, Sasha, Bertholdt, and Reiner followed behind, jumping into the water as well.
"Let's go inside," Jean nudged you.
You held his hand, walking in the direction of the mansion. That look Eren gave you was unsettling, you couldn't get it out of your mind and you had a sneaking feeling he'd still hate you after this party too. You hated the fuck out of parties, and this could be a new top reason why.
"That was pretty impressive," Jean poked his teeth out.
"What was? The game or that kiss you asked me for?" you raised a brow.
He lightly tapped your shoulder, "You're so pretty I couldn't help myself."
You flicked his shoulder in return, "So, I'm the one that asked for your number, and I allowed for us to kiss. Am I going to be the one to ask you on a date too?"
"No," he said sassily. "But you sure do like going fast. I feel like we'll be signing marriage papers by the end of the week."
"Don't make me laugh, Kirstein," you held your hand up.
"You like me though, don't you?" he teased. Your eyes reeled towards the side while you still kept a lighthearted smile.
His hope to catch a response was cut short when a yawning Armin approached with a drunk Connie leaning on his side.
"Good night, guys," Armin drawled.
"You're going back to your dorm?" you asked.
He sighed, tipping his head to direct your attention to Connie who could barely keep his head up. "You want me to take you back?"
The three of you were going to end up in the same place anyway, there's no need in delaying that, especially when your head was pounding this much.
Slowly, you nodded a shy nod, "If you don't mind."
"Of course not," Armin poised, a genuine tone in his voice. "Let's go, my car is a bit further down the street."
You came to Connie's other side, "Here, let me help." Your eyes moved toward Jean, "Make sure to use the number I gave you, it's not there just to look pretty."
He grinned, trying his very best to suppress how it even made his eyes crinkle, "Got it."
"You're leaving already, Armin?" a low voice questioned from behind Jean.
It was Eren, he kept his eyes only on Armin as they spoke. It was like you weren't even standing there helping his friend drag his other drunk friend through a party.
"Yeah, Connie had way too much to drink," Armin grimaced, he seemed all fatherly. "And I'm taking Y/n too, she lives in the same complex. Remember I told you?"
"I remember," Eren was quick to respond, almost like he wanted to move past the topic. "Get home safe, I'll call you tomorrow."
Armin nodded, looking at you right after so you both could head out with Connie. And so you did. As you walked out, you had your left arm around Connie's back and your right on his chest to prevent him from toppling over.
To the best of your ability, you got to Armin's car, hauling the drunk boy in the back seat as you climbed in the front with the blonde. You clicked your seatbelt into place, Armin had started the car and began pulling out of that street.
You felt bad for not saying bye to everyone, and for not leaving with Sasha. As you pulled your phone out to text her that you had left with Armin, you noticed your screen light up with a new text from an unknown number.
Unknown number
You shouldn't keep this number for
decoration either or else
it'll get lost like you
always do.
Jean.
You smiled at the screen but felt too disoriented to text back immediately. Surely, he'd understand that you deserved a full night's rest. You'd be needing it if you had any hopes of surviving another four years in this school.