“You ready to go?” he asked.
“Yep, let me grab my coat.”
When I was all set, I shut off the lights, and we headed to the party.
Pulling up to the house, there were cars parked haphazardly all over the place, and the music could be heard all the way down the street. Orange lights were strung up in the trees, and cheesy Halloween decorations adorned the front lawn. There was everything from Styrofoam tombstones to plastic zombies that looked like they were clawing their way out of the ground. Cobwebs were strung all over the front bushes, and black lanterns lit the path to the front door. The house itself was huge. It was a two-story Tudor style that could use a coat of fresh paint and some new trim. Coupled with the Halloween decorations, the place was pretty creepy.
As we approached the front door I hesitated. Not only was I nervous because I never really hung out with the frat types, but it was made worse because of my chosen attire. Silently cursing myself, I wished I’d gone with the onesie. When Luke opened the door, the party was in full swing. People were packed in like sardines; dancing, laughing, kissing, and having a good time. Up against the far left wall was a small DJ booth with speakers planted all over the house. The booming music of Ellie Goulding-Burn was reverberating in my chest. Those who were dancing had their hands in the air feeling the beat. Luke placed his hand on my lower back leading me through the crowd. People were bumping into me left and right, and I lost my balance a few times in these heels. Thankfully Luke was there to steady me. Several couples stopped us as we pushed our way through the crowd, greeting Luke with hellos and eyeing me with curiosity. We made our way into a kitchen that seemed much too small for a house this size. Assorted alcohol littered the counter, along with cups that were half full or tipped on their side. Luke opened one of the cupboards and turned toward me.
“Pick your poison Nurse Rachett.” The lazy grin he gave me was infectious.
“Beer from the keg is fine.”
“I never pegged you for a beer girl. I would’ve figured Cosmos and anything with an umbrella was more your speed.”
I laughed. “That’s Macie’s thing. I’m not a high-maintenance girl.”
Filling a red cup, he handed it to me and pulled me into him. “No, you’re really not,” he said with such amusement I wondered if that was what he thought of me this whole time.
“Hey, where’s my drink?” Macie asked from behind me. She and Dodger came in right behind us but had gotten lost in the crowd. Dodger had been here a few times before, so he knew his way around and I wasn’t overly concerned about Macie staying by my side. Luke grabbed another cup and asked her what she’d like. She thought about it for a moment, tapping her black nail polish covered fingernail on her chin. “Do y’all have anything fruity?”
Luke and I both chuckled. I caught his smile and shrugged. “I can come up with something. All the guys in here have to keep their dates happy somehow.”
When he handed her the drink she twisted around to face me. “So what are you two going to do?”
“I don’t know. All of these people make it hard to move around.”
“Well, there’s dancing, beer pong out back, there’s also some lounge chairs on the deck that we could sit and relax on if you’d like,” Luke piped in.
“Relaxing sounds nice. I’ve never been a big dancer, and I’ve never played beer pong before in my life.”
His boyish grin hadn’t left his face since we came in the door. “You don’t know what you’re missing. I’m the reigning champ in this house. If you change your mind, you would have an undefeated partner.”
“Good to know,” I said, bringing my cup up to my lips. His eyes were watching my movement, and his pupils dilated.
Turning my back to him, I gave my attention to Macie. “What about you? Where’d Dodger go?”
She bristled and said, “Who knows? He got stopped by some whorish-looking angel before I walked in here.”
My eyes softened toward my friend. I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Mace, I’m sure he was just being friendly. Besides, does Dodger even know you like him?”
Rolling her eyes she said, “I’m sure. We’ve gone out a few times, and he’s even kissed me. But when I’ve asked him inside at the end of our dates, he’s blown me off each time. I’m starting to wonder if he’s gay.”
“Jesus Christ, Macie, I’m not fucking gay,” an irritated Dodger said from the door.
She spun on her heels, not even remotely embarrassed that she got caught saying that. “Then what’s your deal? You’ll make out with me, but you won’t sleep with me?”
He looked from me to Luke and back to Macie. “We’ve talked about this, and I’m not discussing it in front of other people.”
“Oh come on Dodger, anything you tell me, I’m going to share with Keegan.” Gah! Did she really need to bring me into this?
He vehemently shook his head. “No. This isn’t the time, nor the place.”
“Well aren’t you chivalrous,” she replied snidely.
Dodger’s frustration amplified, and he dragged a hand through his almost black hair. “I swear to God, Mace. I don’t know what you want from me.”
She flung her arms up in the air in frustration. “I want you to fuck me!”
Dodgers eyes grew wide and then narrowed on her. “You’re pushing it. Keep this up and I’m going to drag you out of here and take you home.”
“Oh goodie. Then I’m sure you’ll just drop me off and leave me there to take care of my own needs. Such a gentleman.” Her words were laced with venom, and she wasn’t even drunk yet.
I didn’t want to be in here for this, and I’m sure Dodger would appreciate it if we left them alone to sort this out. Touching Macie on the shoulder I told her, “We’re going out to sit on the patio. Come get me if you need me.”
Not breaking her stare, she said, “K.”
Luke grabbed my hand and led me back out through the crowd. “What was that all about?” he shouted in my ear.
“Long story,” I yelled back.
As we passed groups of girls chatting and laughing, I noticed that a few of them took notice of Luke. Jealousy stirred in my veins. He was mine ladies, eat your hearts out, I thought. I also took note that of all the costumes and how mine was surprisingly tame. There were barely there bikinis and Playboy Bunny bathing suits. A few girls were wearing outfits where the back went up their butt like a thong. I shivered. I’d never be caught dead wearing something like that. Not even in the privacy of my own home. The guys, on the other hand, had an array of costumes. From Ace Ventura to Chippendales. A few of them made me giggle with their creativeness. Walking out a set of French doors, we stepped onto a very large deck that spanned the whole back of the house. There were no Halloween decorations out here, but Tiki torches, resting in cylinder holders, lit up the backyard. There were about a dozen lounge chairs scattered across the deck. A group of guys were off to the side loudly talking and having a good time.
“Hey Luke!” a male voice shouted over the crowd. Several heads turned and looked in our direction. Luke smiled, and we went over to where they were sitting.
Luke palmed several of their outstretched hands, and they all greeted each other.
“Keegan, I want you to meet some of my brothers from the house. This is Holden, Brent, and RJ.” I gave a shy wave to the three of them. “And the rest of these clowns are pledges.” There was a resounding grunting coming from the males standing in front of me. All I could picture was every one of them sitting in front of a television with a beer and their hands down their pants. The thought made me want to laugh.