Page 8 of The First Play

“But I was so nervous to be here,” I try to explain. “And then Liv dared me, and I needed some liquid courage.” My words tumble together. I’m not sure if he can even understand me, but he lets out a soft laugh.

“Liquid courage, huh? And why were you so nervous?”

“Because they dared me to talk to you.” My eyes go round, and I grip his forearm. “And that’s scary because I like you so much.”

“You do?” He blinks, obviously surprised.

I gape at him. “How could I not? You’re Zander. I’ve liked you for forever.”

His eyebrows wrinkle. “Didn’t you just move here?”

“I’ve been here like four weeks.” My words are lagging, and trying to talk is like dragging cotton balls out of my mouth, but for some reason, I just keep going. “I saw you in the mall my first week here, and I was like… he’s hot. And then I spotted you again at the movies, and I was like… yup, still hot. So I started looking for you everywhere I went… and you kept popping up.” I flick my finger through the air with a giggle. “It helps that I was looking in all the right places. Olivia knows your hangouts and where you guys practice.” I’m trying to point at him, but my hand is kind of droopy. I swing it back to point at me as I lay my head on the edge of the toilet seat. “So, Olivia knows that I’ve got, like, a mondo crush on you, and she was like ‘Let’s throw a party, and you can catch his eye and flirt and stuff.’ She tells me you’re nice, too, so you’re like the whole package, and I can tell. I’ve been watching you, Zander Donohue.” My lips curl into a tipsy smile. “And I like what I see.”

Zander lets out another laugh. “So, you threw this party for me, huh?”

“Of course.” My tongue feels thick and floppy as I lick my lips. “But I’m not very good at flirting, and I didn’t want to sound like an idiot or anything.” I rub my nose and blink. My eyelids feel heavy, my brain starting to float. “So, I thought I’d have a few drinks to take the edge off.”

“Maybe one too many, huh?”

“Yeah, maybe,” I murmur, then blink again, the world going fuzzy. “Do you think he’ll like me?”

“Who?” the husky voice asks.

“Zander.”

There’s a pause, and I open my eyes as wide as I can, the blurry image in front of me shifting as I start to fall forward.

Something solid catches me, and I let out a soft sigh, a black fog taking me away as I float into oblivion against something that’s both firm and gentle.

CHAPTER 4

ZANDER

She fell asleep against my chest, her open mouth leaving a fine coat of drool against my left pec. Awesome.

Considering how many bodily fluids this girl has left on me tonight, I’m a little surprised that I’m still sitting here cradling her against me… but I just can’t help it.

There’s something about her. It could be the drunk confessions, which were plain adorable. It could have been the hungry way she looked at me, although that was kind of disconcerting. Or maybe it’s the fact that there’s something sweet about her smile. There’s something playful and intoxicating about the curl of her lips.

I need to get to know this girl.

“Has she stopped puking?” Olivia eases the door open like she’s approaching an armed bomb.

“Yeah, she fell asleep.”

The door punches open, the muffled music rolling into the room with a loud wave of clarity. I wince at the thick beat as Olivia rushes toward us, crouching down to check on her friend. “Shit, she doesn’t have alcohol poisoning or anything, does she? Like, she’s legit breathing, right?” She holds her fingers near Sienna’s mouth and sags with relief when she feels her friend breathing. “Thank God,” she murmurs. “I had no idea she was such a lightweight. She just wanted something to take the edge off, and I didn’t realize she’d been downing so much.”

I give Olivia a dry look, not sure if I believe her or not. The girl is known to party.

“What! It’s the truth!” She slaps my arm, then stands with a huff. “Can you help me get her upstairs, please?” Her tone is terse, her pointed glare leaving no room for argument.

Moving carefully, I adjust Sienna in my arms, then stand with her against me.

“I’ll get you a clean shirt too.” Olivia’s nose wrinkles as she looks into the bathroom sink. “I’m gonna burn that one.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s only puke. I can just wash it.”

“Gross, no. I’m getting you a clean one.” She leads me upstairs, and I lay Sienna down on Olivia’s bed. “Wait, she doesn’t have puke on her, does she?”

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