Page 77 of I Blame the Club

“What’s ABC?” Trip blurts out the question and I look at her in surprise.

“You’ve never been to an ABC party?”

Trip shakes her head and Stella reaches over to pat her hand, “This one is new to the party scene.”

Trip wrinkles her nose, “Does everyone wear a letter?”

I burst out laughing and Wes bites back a grin. Trip glances between us, confusion written across her face.

“Am I missing something?”

Wes pops out his dimples, softening the blow, “It’s an acronym. ABC stands for Anything But Clothes.”

“That sounds… horrible.”

Stella laughs, “It is horrible but that’s the point.”

“So, everyone just shows up naked?” She swallows, “Is that legal?”

I grin, “If there was a nude party in Taber, you already know I would be there. Sadly, this one is tame and most people end up wearing sheets or garbage bags taped together.”

Trip grimaces, “This keeps getting worse. Why would anyone want to wear a garbage bag? That would be so sweaty.”

I look to Wes for help but he’s already on the ball.

“Don’t overthink it, Gorgeous. It’s basically a fun game to see how creative people can get with their outfits.”

Trip blushes and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Got it.”

He smiles back at her, and for a moment, I wonder what it would feel like to have someone look at me that way.

To have Maurice look at me that way.

Mildly disgusted with my myself, I shake the rose coloured glasses from my love-infested brain and address the table.

“It’s settled then. We're throwing an ABC party so Trip can get the full experience.”

Stella squeals and claps her hands, “I already have the perfect outfit for us, Lou!”

Trip pales and looks to Wes for help. He shrugs, giving her another puppy dog smile that has my heart aching.

I cough, interrupting the cuteness overload, “Where should we host it?”

“We could rent out BA$$ again.”

I nod, “Brilliant. I’ll reach out to my friend.”

Stella grins, “Maybe this time Wes can keep it in his pants.”

He throws her wink, “Where’s the fun in that?”

Stella laughs and Trip rolls her eyes. The girls fall into conversation and Wes looks at me with a dimpled smile.

“This was one of your tamer ideas. I was expecting much worse.”

I shrug, “What can I say? I’ve been brushing up on my responsible leader skills.”

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