Once Delanie had collected herself, the couple ended up making their way to Russ and Luis's dorm. Luis immediately answered the door upon their knocking, ushering them into the very cramped small room. They separated, Adam going to talk to Charlie and Guy, and Delanie finding Connie and Juile. She immediately congratulated her girl friends, hugging them both tightly. "Great way to show how much you deserve those scholarships," Delanie determined, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hell yeah!" Connie cheered, throwing her arm around Julie, who was giggling at her friends.
Shortly after Delanie and Adam's arrival, there was another knock on the door. Luis got up to answer it, catching Delanie's attention. She watched as the boy stiffened ever so slightly before his shoulders gently slumped. She craned her neck to see who was there, but to no avail. After a moment, Luis motioned for whoever was there to come in. To Delanie's undeniable surprise, her brother, Rosa, and Zander walked in.
Rosa quickly made her way over to the girls in the corner, throwing her arms around Connie before turning and hugging Julie the same. She murmured her congratulations before taking a seat on the ground next to them. Delanie crossed the room to her brother, who had already been joined by Adam. When she reached them, Adam immediately wrapped an arm around her. Jett crinkled his nose. "I'm going to have to get used to that aren't I?" he asked, causing Zander to chuckle.
Adam nodded. "Yup," he answered easily, popping the 'p' at the end.
Jett laughed in response. "I suppose I can adjust," he said with an exaggeratedly heavy sigh. His answer was accompanied by a short laugh before his tone sobered. He gaze hardened as he focused on Adam. "Hurt her and you're dead, Banks," he threatened, his tone laced with sincerity.
Adam paled, nodding furiously. Jett held his gaze for a moment before breaking out into a grin. He kissed Lanie on the forehead. "Have fun, be safe," he murmured, his sudden change in tone throwing her for a loop. He caught Rosa's eye and sent her a small wave before disappearing into the hallway behind him.
Zander paused for a moment, looking as though he was about to follow Jett, but hadn't yet committed. He thought for a moment before turning back to the younger couple, his forehead creased. His gaze settled on Delanie. "Don't hurt him," he said, jabbing his thumb in Adam's direction. His eyes twinkled affectionately as he joked, "if you hurt a hair on my son's head, I will end you."
Adam punched the older boy in the shoulder. He rolled his eyes, but the smile on his lips gave away his true emotions. "Don't worry, Z," Delanie promised with a laugh, "I'll take good care of him." She smiled up at Adam, whose cheeks had reddened considerably.
Seemingly satisfied, Zander gave a curt nod. He waved his hand in the air. "Congrats, Ducks," he shouted over the noise, causing everyone in the room to grin at him. He smiled softly, "We're lucky to have you representing our school." There were various cheers as the older boy took his leave, bidding Delanie and Adam one last goodbye before shutting the door behind him.
Adam smiled gently. "I have so much appreciation for that kid," he mused, absentmindedly pulling his girlfriend closer to his chest. He looked down at her, "You know, I probably would've never asked you out if it weren't for him. Nigel tried, but he just made things awkward. Zander was the only one who actually... boosted my confidence."
Delanie couldn't help but grin as she nodded. "He's always been a good kid," she hummed, leaning her head on Adam's shoulder. "It used to feel like I didn't have an older brother. Now I have two."
--
Further into the night, Mabel stormed in, not bothering to knock. Luis furrowed his eyebrows at her abrupt entrance, but didn't stop her as she stomped her way over to the congregation of girls across the room. She immediately jumped into a lengthy rant about how awful her date was -- he had no manners, was way too flirty, and had absolutely no interest in actually getting to know her. Everyone gave her reassuring pats and comforting hugs, but in the end, she just shrugged it off.
"Who cares?" she grinned, throwing her arms around Connie and Rosa, "his loss! Now it's time to have fun."
Everyone gathered in the best circle-like formation that they could manage in such a small space. Shoulders were bumping, legs were crossed, and it seemed like there was always someone complaining about a cramp, but they made it work. Delanie sat in between Adam's legs, leaning back against his chest. Kenny was on one side of them, Mabel was on the other. Charlie suggested that they played a game of "Never Have I Ever," and it seemed that everyone was on board.
As the game progressed, the questions went from simple "never have I ever been out of the country" type subjects to more specific and somewhat embarrassing tales. Rosa accidentally let it slip that she was a cheerleader back in New Mexico, causing Guy to send her a bewildered gaze. "I've seen you in PE. You have zero balance," he pointed out, causing the girl to redden.
"I didn't say I was a good cheerleader," she shot back, crossing her arms with a huff.
On Mabel's turn, she got every single person to put a finger down, as she revealed that she was apparently the only person to never learn how to ride a bike.
"Hold up," Luis began, his eyebrows furrowed, "how the hell have you never ridden a bike?"
Mabel just shrugged, deciding to own it rather than be embarrassed. "Fell off once. Never got back on," she said simply before motioning for Delanie to take her turn.
The brunette girl's question was some rendition of the fact that she was afraid of the dark until two years ago, causing Adam to snort behind her. She elbowed him, her face bright pink, "Don't laugh! Our house is like, super old. It creaks constantly. That's terrifying at 3 am."
As they went around the circle, Averman admitted that he's never kissed anyone, causing Rosa, Adam, and Delanie to all put their fingers down. Charlie put one down, too, as did Connie, Guy, and Luis. Julie meekly raised her hand, "You mean like, on the lips, right?" When Averman nodded, she did too, keeping the same number of fingers in the air.
Adam raised an eyebrow, "Is there a particular reason you needed to specify?"
Everyone turned their gazes to focus on the blonde goalie who was now bright red. She cleared her throat. "I mean, I've been kissed on the cheek," she admitted, intentionally keeping her response vague. It was clear that she was putting a lot of effort into avoiding a particular story.
Goldberg chuckled. "Recently?" he clarified, his eyebrows raised. Everyone was staring at the blonde expectantly now, including Delanie and Mabel. When Julie met Delanie's gaze, she let out a heavy sigh. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to get out of this one.
Juile nodded in response to Goldberg, and Delanie reached over Mabel to nudge her leg. "C'mon. Now you have to tell us who," she urged, though there was already a knowing look in her eyes.
Julie sighed as she accepted defeat. Her face was bright pink and she was avoiding making eye contact with any of her friends. "Scooter may or may not have kissed me on the cheek after tonight's game," she confessed quietly.
There were various reactions. Delanie and Mabel squealed excitedly, giving each other matching we-totally-called-it looks. Goldberg and Averman gagged while Charlie crinkled his nose. Before anyone could really say anything, Julie waved her arms in the air. "Can we just keep going? Goldberg, you're up."
--
The game continued on for a while until Fulton was finally named the champion, as he was the last one with fingers remaining. "Not necessarily a good thing. Just means you're boring," Russ joked, causing the bigger boy to glare at him.
Everyone mulled around for a while longer, not really moving from their positions scattered about the room. It had taken so much effort for them to get comfortable, no one really wanted to throw that all away. After a little while, a few people, like Connie and Guy, dispersed, as it was past their curfew. Some more of the boys left, seemingly on their way home. Adam and Charlie had decided beforehand to spend the night with Luis and Russ, and Dwayne and Kenny, who were just next door, stayed too. Mabel left a little bit early, exhausted from the day's events.
Julie, Delanie, and Rosa stuck around for a while, chatting with the boys who remained. Delanie stayed in her spot against Adam's chest, his arms wrapped comfortingly around her. She shifted slightly to reposition her back which had begun to ache. Once she was situated, Adam kissed the crown of her head. "Comfortable?" he asked, the closeness of his voice sending shivers down her spine.
She nodded, humming contently. She rested her head against his shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut. "-Could stay like this forever," she murmured.
Adam chuckled softly before burying his face in the crook of her neck. His light breath tickled the exposed skin of her neck, causing her to giggle. He kissed the tip of her shoulder before resting his chin there comfortably, his own eyes shutting. "Staying like this forever sounds good," he whispered soothingly. After a quiet moment, he yawned out an addition to his prior sentence, "I dunno. Just being with you sounds good."
"Sounds like a plan," Delanie mused jokingly, leaning further into the boy's embrace. Her mind was beginning to fog with sleep, and his bodily warmth wasn't doing much to keep her awake. She felt herself slipping into a slumber as his quiet voice flooded her ears.
Adam laughed, tightening his arms around her waist. "Let's do it," he said definitively, his words lulled with sleep.
There were no more words swapped between them that evening, as they were both much too tired and far too comfortable to stay awake any longer. Julie smiled at the pair, but decided to let them rest for a while before waking her roommate up to escort her back to their dorm.
There was a lot that Delanie had wanted to say to bring the perfect evening to a perfect end, and perhaps in the morning she would be angry with herself for not saying them. But in the moment, she was content. Her world had completely flipped in what could have potentially been the scariest of ways, but she embraced it. Never in a million years did she think that this was where she would be, but now that she was, she knew that she wouldn't be leaving any time soon. She was right where she belonged, right next to the people she belonged with.
High school was sure to be a challenge, but she was ready for it. With friends like hers, she knew that there wouldn't be a single thing that she couldn't do. Eden Hall didn't scare her anymore. Not much did.
She had two older brothers, 4 best friends, an entire hockey team, and a boyfriend whose heart was too big for this world.
Everything would be okay.
And it was.