After a long week of school, the friend group gathered at Liv's house to relax and unwind. The sun was beginning to set as the group of friends made their way to Liv's house, excited for a casual hangout by the pool.
The sound of laughter and chatter filled the air as they entered the backyard, adorned with fairy lights strung across the trees, giving the space a magical, whimsical feel. The set up looked more tamed than Liv's average house party, which was great for the chill hangout they were going to have. All they wanted to do was unwind and get away from Ghostface.
Liv had set up a cozy seating area that was near the pool, complete with blankets and cushions, and a small table full of snacks and drinks. Music was blasting so loud that her neighbors should've filed a noise complaint. Any regard flew out the window when they started consuming every bit of alcohol in Liv's parents' liquor cellar.
Mindy was the first to jump into the pool, quickly followed by Chad. Tara and Ethan sat on the edge of the pool, their feet dipped into the cool water as they watched the others play.
Y/N lounged on a pool chair, sipping a cold drink and enjoying the warm breeze while Amber popped a cold beer right next to her. Apparently, to Amber, they weren't close enough so she had scooted their chairs together. She had a comfortable hand on Y/N's thigh, rubbing it occasionally as she watched everyone. Anika sat nearby, striking of a side conversation with Amber.
Liv came out from inside the house, holding her phone. She had sort of a focused look on her face, like she was trying to decide on something.
"I'm starving, what are we doing for food?" Anika asked in the right moment.
"That's crazy. I was actually about to ask you guys what we should order." Liv snickered, pointing at her phone.
"What is..everyone in the mood for?" Ethan asked, scanning the room and wanting to be involved.
Things with Mindy had died down since that Monday. No one else really hated him, they still talk to him like normal and he's friends with Anika so that helped him a bit.
"Remember that new restaurant we were talking about at lunch on Monday?" Y/N chimed in.
"I heard they have amazing dumplings."
"Ooh, yeah yeah! We should do that," Amber agreed, nodding enthusiastically.
"You're so smart, baby."
Chad popped up from out of the water, scaring everyone a bit. He was able to get out of that sling within a week and a half so that was great, but the coach wouldn't allow him to play until further notice.
"I'm easy. Whatever you guys want."
Mindy looked at her twin, shocked.
"Usually, you'd be all over a new restaurant?"
Chad shrugged.
"I had a lot of Tara's brownies."
Mindy dramatically gasped.
"Who are you and what have you done to my brother?!"
Chad rolled his eyes, splashing water at Mindy. "They were double stuffed!"
Liv looked at the restaurant's menu on her phone.
"Alright, I'll order us some takeout. What does everyone want?"
As they each placed their orders, the anticipation for the delicious food grew. Liv, Anika, and Tara went out to pick it up and came back about thirty minutes later with many bags of takeout.
After everyone finished their meals, Liv noticed that the atmosphere felt a little dull. They had been hanging out all day, and now everyone was just sitting around with nothing to do. Y/N thought for a moment about a game they could play.
Liv spotted an empty beer bottle laying on the table, a devilish grin playing on her lips. She jogged over to it and placed it on the ground near the edge of the pool.
Everyone looked at each other when they saw the bottle, knowing where this was going.
"Uhh I don't know if that's such a good idea," Ethan said hesitantly.
"Oh, come on, Ethan," Mindy said, rolling her eyes.
"You're worried cause you're a lousy kisser?" She flashed him a taunting smirk.
"N-no," Ethan denied miserably, looking away to hide his pink tinted cheeks.
Liv was the first one to spin, initiating the game. Everyone booed when it ironically landed on Chad and Liv came at him, practically jumping the dude with her tongue shoved down his throat. Mindy cringed seeing her friend and her twin act like that.
As the game went on, the stakes seemed to get higher and higher, with everyone feeling braver and more willing to take risks.
Tara decided to scoot away from the group since she didn't feel like participating. Mindy had teased her for it.
It was now Y/N's turn. She leaned down from the lounge chair and spun the bottle. They were all confused when it pointed at no one. Their eyes trailed over to the direction; it was pointing at Tara who sat at the edge of the pool, kicking water with her non-booted leg. Mindy snapped her head towards Y/N whose mouth fell open, about to protest.
"Hey, Tara! You sure you don't wanna join?" Mindy called out to her.
Annoyed, Tara looked over her shoulder.
"Yes, Mindy. I don't wanna play."
"But it landed on youuu."
"I don't care-"
"Y/N spun it," Mindy deadpanned, thinking that would get Tara's attention.
Tara's eyes widened, her mouth dropping slightly when she made eye contact with Y/N. She had already gotten up and walked over to the ledge and plopping next to her.
"Hi," Y/N said with a drunken smile.
Tara chuckled. "Hi."
"It's okay if you don't wanna do it, Tar," Y/N whispered, hoping only Tara would hear it.
"Yes you have to Tara. Get on with it so we can all have a smooch with Y/N!" Mindy yelled over the music, clearly drunk.
Amber and Anika simultaneously shot a glare at her. Anika smacked Mindy's shoulder, making her wince. Liv laughed at them.
Y/N and Tara both laughed, staring into each other's eyes. Y/N cupped Tara's face, trying to ease her nerves. Tara felt like she stopped breathing for a second.
Y/N's lips were soft and warm against Tara's as they kissed, and Tara couldn't help but feel the irritating growl in her stomach practically burst. The small droplets of pool water dropping on Tara from Y/N's body was cool against her skin, adding a refreshing contrast to the heat of the moment.
As they kissed, Y/N's hand found its way to the back of Tara's head, deepening the kiss as she pulled her closer. Tara's hand slid down Y/N's back, sending shivers down her spine, forgetting that their friends were even there.
The rest of the group cheered and hollered as they watched, some egging them on to continue while others simply basked in the hot and steamy atmosphere. Amber watched with a mix of jealousy and desire, her eyes fixated on Y/N and Tara's lips as they parted from the kiss. Liv and Mindy enjoyed seeing Amber's jealous face. It looked like she wanted to burn holes in Tara.
Y/N pulled away from Tara, a smile on her face as she looked at her friend. Tara's cheeks were flushed, and Y/N could tell that she was extremely affected by the kiss.
Giggling at her reaction, Y/N pushed herself up and took her place back on the lounge chair.
Amber snatched the bottle before anyone else could, shooting a glare at Tara. No one else protested, seeing the permanent crease on her face. Tara gulped, suddenly fearing for her life.
Amber, who had been watching their kiss intently, felt a pang of jealousy. No, it wasn't a bang, it was a fiery monstrous ball of jealousy. It took everything within her and the little voice in the back of her head that had to same voice as Y/N, to keep her composure and not smash the beer bottle and stab Tara straight through the heart.
She knew she was possessive of Y/N, everyone knew that very well. So Tara was a bit on edge, despite a bit happy that she shared an amazing kiss with Y/N, because she knew how angry Amber might be right now. Y/N was a bit too tipsy to be thinking about how Tara was feeling. She just wanted to have fun. She was already three drinks in and cheering when everyone else was cheering and laughing when she didn't even know what they were laughing about.
Amber spun the bottle with more force than necessary, startling everyone when the loud clang of the glass hit the wet concrete. They watched as it landed on Liv.
"Oh god, this should be good," Anika said, giggling, bumping into Mindy who had an amused smirk on her faced.
Liv and Amber smirked when they looked at each other. Being dramatic, Liv opened her arms, beckoning for Amber to come to her.
The two girls shared a kiss, and everyone laughed and cheered. But as Y/N watched them, she couldn't help feeling like something was off. She averted her gaze from them, her face tinted red from jealousy and remorse.
As the game continued, Y/N tried to focus on having fun and not letting her jealousy get the best of her. But every time the bottle landed on Amber or vice versa, her heart sank a little.
She knew she was being silly and irrational, but she couldn't help the way she felt. Seeing her girlfriend kiss someone else was like an out of body experience.
Her possessiveness wasn't anything compared to Amber's to the point of murderous intent, but she still felt a sting. Now she had a better understanding of Amber being reactive to anyone that even stared at her for too long.
Y/N had had enough of spin the bottle, pulling Amber towards the deep end of the pool. She dragged both of them into the water. Amber squealed as the cold water hit her skin. Her and Y/N shared a laugh when they both resurfaced. She didn't have time to think when Y/N threw her arms around Amber's neck, attacking her into a heated kiss.
Tara watched everything with a pang of jealousy. Seeing her two best friends be this way, especially with her feelings for Y/N, made her fume with envy. Huffing, she got up and plopped next to Mindy, joining in the game.
Tara grabbed the bottle before someone else could go next and spun, everyone held their breath in anticipation. It finally landed on Ethan.
Tara just wanted to get it over with; she needed a distraction. Ethan blushed and looked down, unsure of what to do. The group cheered and chanted for them to kiss.Y/N and Amber turned to see who the next pair was, surprised to see Tara had joined them.
"Go for it, Ethan," Tara whispered, a smile on her face.
Ethan leaned in, his heart racing. He hesitated for a moment before finally closing his eyes and pressing his lips against Tara's. The kiss was hesitant and awkward at first, but as they both relaxed, it became more naturalThe group cheered and hooted, clapping as the two finally pulled away. Ethan looked dazed and a little surprised, but also thrilled.
"That was amazing," Ethan said, his cheeks flushed.
"You're a good kisser," Tara teased with a playful smirk.
As the game came to an end, Liv had dragged Chad back into the house to do who knows. Amber and Y/N were too engrossed with each other to care about anyone else. She had asked Mindy for another drink, to much of her annoyance. Mindy still made her one anyway and gave it to her.
They sat on the other side of the pool, away from the others. Y/N was sipping on her fourth drink of the night while Amber just sat next to her, staring at the pool water. Y/N easily gulped down the entire drink within seconds. Placing her empty glass down, she took Amber's hand. The raven haired girl looked up at her girl with a raised eyebrow.
"Let's go upstairs." Y/N was beaming, obviously a bit tipsy than she intended. She would've never said that if she was sober.
Amber didn't even give it a second thought and got up. They started making their way to the stairs. Amber pushed the door open, to no surprise, Liv and Chad were in there. But the scene before them was quite surprising, Chad was blindfolded and tied to the bed with a cloth in his mouth and Liv was standing there with a knife in her hand.
Liv whipped her head around, scared for her life. The pair stared at each other, unmoving, until Amber's expression darkened and she strode over to Liv. Y/N followed her, unaware of what was going on.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Amber demanded, her voice sharp.
Liv hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, "I just wanted to cause a scene a bit."
Amber's anger flared, yelling at Liv for her careless behavior, "You're fucking ridiculous. We are supposed to be having fun! What? You throw a huge welcome party and nothing happens but then hold a small get together and you wanna make a fucking blood bath?"
Liv rolled her eyes, not grasping the seriousness of Amber's words.
"It's just something small. I'll say I was in the bathroom when Chad got attacked. And since you guys are here-"
"See it just sounds fucking stupid coming from you. You're not thinking!" Amber screamed right in Liv's face. Thankfully, the music that Liv had playing in the background drowned them out.
"You're not being very nice, Freeman," Liv said snarkily. Her grip on the knife tightened.
Y/N watched with a sinking feeling, wishing she could make things better. She peeked over Amber's figure to see the glinting knife in Liv's hand. Her eyes expanded, tugging Amber back by the wrist.
"Guys, stop it. Ambs, please, let's just go somewhere else," Y/N said in a soft voice, worry starting to consume her.
Amber glanced down at the knife and then back up at Liv who had an intense death stare.
"What? You gonna stab me now, McKenzie?" Amber threatened.
Liv clenched her jaw to the point where it was starting to hurt.
"Ya know, that wouldn't be such a bad idea."
Y/N had never sobered up so quick.
"Hey! Hey, okay no. We're good here."
She turned herself into a barrier, blocking the two. She laid her hands on Amber's chest, making them take a few steps back.
"Amber, my love. I need you to calm down, okay?"
Amber immediately took her eyes off of Liv to stare into Y/N's pleading brown eyes. Just like that, she was reduced to a less violent state. Feeling slightly relieved to see the angry crease on Amber's forehead flatten, she turned her attention to Liv.
"Liv?" Y/N slowly approached her.
"Listen to me, please. We cannot do this now, okay? We need to be careful. Let's do this when we're all sober."
Even with Y/N's pleads, Liv would not look at her, eyes still locked with Amber's.
Y/N tried again, hoping to get through her.
"We're here to have fun. No funny business. Please.."
Eventually, Liv gave in. She finally looked down at Y/N who seemed so worried and teary-eyed. Without another word, Liv dropped her tense shoulders. She walked over to the dresser, stabbing it into the wood. That startled Y/N and she rushed to remove the knife and stuff it inside a drawer.
Turning back around, she stared at the two in silence. After a few seconds, she changed her mind and took the knife out of the drawer.
"I'm going to put the knife back and then we're all going to resume as normal, yes?"
The pair looked at each other and then nodded. Y/N sighed in relief that the two weren't protesting. She was about to leave the room when Amber grabbed her arm.
"No, baby. I'll do it."
Amber felt weird seeing Y/N with a knife. Funny enough, she didn't want Y/N anywhere near sharp objects.
Y/N inspected Amber for any signs for resentment from the argument, but when all she could see was a protective Amber, Y/N released the knife into her hands.
"Be careful. I'll be right out." Y/N gave Amber a peck on the lips.
Amber slid the knife in the back of her shorts and over her loose button up and then left the room. She waited a few minutes before turning back to check on Liv but she was already on top of Chad. Heat fumed into Y/N's face as she squeaked and turned back around, swiftly opening the door.
The second she opened the door, she ran into Tara who was stumbling on her feet. Y/N noticed the almost empty bottle of vodka in her hand.
"Y/NNNNN. Just the girl I've been looking for." Tara had the biggest grin on her face.
"Hey, Tar." Y/N huffed, seeing the shorter girl.
Tara stumbled over to Y/N, and her words were slurred as she spoke.
"Y/N...I have something to tell you," she said, her words a little unsteady.
Y/N looked at her, her expression curious.
"What is it, Tara?"
Tara took a deep breath and looked down at her feet before raising her head to meet Y/N's eyes.
"I...I'm in love with you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Y/N's eyes widened in surprise. This confession from Tara was the last thing she was expecting tonight.
"Tara, you're drunk..I'm drunk..Fuck, I'm too drunk for this."
"No, Y/N!" Tara yelled, her voice cracking.
"God, I've been in love with you since we were fucking kids. Way before Amber!"
She now had tears in her eyes, the pain of this confession was too much to bear but the vodka in her system gave her some edge.
"You know, I sometimes think if I had the guts to ask you out, then maybe.."
Y/N felt a pang of guilt and confusion. Amber had said that they both liked her but now that Tara was professing her feelings like this, her words were stirring something inside her.
"Tara.."
She said, trying to reason with her.
"You don't know what you're saying."
But Tara wasn't deterred.
"No, I do know what I'm saying," she said, leaning in closer.
"I've always wanted to do this."
Before Y/N could react, Tara's lips were on hers. Y/N was frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do, but then she pushed her away gently.
"Tara, no," she said firmly. "I'm with Amber."
Suddenly, a loud scuffle broke out and Y/N was snapped out of her trance. She looked up to see Amber standing there, her eyes blazing with anger.
"What the fuck, Tara?!" Amber shouted, charging at her.
Tara stumbled backward, clearly taken off guard by Amber's sudden outburst.
"I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"Didn't mean to what? Kiss my fucking girlfriend? You fucking kissed her!" Amber screamed, her fists clenched.
Y/N tried to intervene, but before she could say anything, Amber had tackled Tara to the ground. The two girls were rolling around on the floor, punching and kicking each other. Tara was sluggish, taking all blows and Amber was significantly stronger.
Y/N could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the scene unfold. She knew she had to do something before things got even more out of control.
"Stop it!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping to get the attention of the others, hoping they weren't too wasted.
"Amber, stop!" Y/N said in between sobs.
"Get off of her!"
Everyone had heard her cry, bolting over to see Amber on top of a bleeding Tara. Chad swooped in, yanking Amber off as she thrashed around in his hold.
Anika and Liv helped Tara up, moving her to the couch. Anika hastily tended to Tara's injuries; her nose was bleeding, probably broken, there was a cut on her lip, her cheek was also red from where Amber had initially punched her.
"Okay! Even though this isn't my house, I am going to be the responsible one and call it a night!" Mindy yelled, waving her arms around; she also had a few drinks before then.
"Yes! Thank you, Mindy!" Liv nodded towards her.
"You guys remember your rooms, right?" She asked as she looked at everyone, referring to the specific guest rooms everyone occupied when they would stay over sometimes.
"I wanna go home," Y/N murmured, hugging herself. She looked so small, like she was going to break.
Amber moved to look for her keys, unaware of her busted knuckles that were stained with Tara's blood.
"Okay, let's go-"
Y/N was about to protest that she didn't want Amber to take her home but Mindy shook her head, interjecting.
"Amber you are not driving," Mindy said sternly. But Amber only ignored her as she started tearing the couch pillows for her car keys.
"Actually, I can take her," Ethan offered.
Amber stopped, snapping her head in his direction. He shuffled uneasily beneath Amber's scrutiny. He definitely did not want to have his face broken in. His black eye just cleared up a few weeks ago.
"You are not–"
Although she enjoyed the drama, Mindy was starting to feel exhausted by it. Tonight was too much to handle right now.
"Okay! No one is driving home! As if we wanna make Ghostface's job easier by dying from drunk driving."
Y/N groaned loudly as she rolled her eyes, feeling annoyed. She just wanted to get away from everyone. They looked at her as she stomped away. Liv chased after her.
"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, pulling her to the side. At this point, she was the most sober one.
Y/N stared at the ground, kicking at air until she looked back up at Liv.
"I don't wanna be around Amber right now."
"Uh okay, yeah no problem." Liv nodded.
"You can sleep with me and Chad can bunk with Ethan."
"Thank you," Y/N spoke softly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Y/N didn't feel like saying goodnight to anyone. Glancing at everyone who were still awkwardly standing around in the living room, her eyes landed on Amber. She didn't say anything, only exchanging a blank and tired look before turning on her heel to the stairs.
Amber scoffed, shaking her head. She walked over to the fridge to pop a cold one. The other girls went to check up on Tara. Ethan and Chad just looked at each other, not knowing what to do.