Page 58 of The Forever Play

My stomach sank, twisting uncomfortably as Miguel started flipping my books closed. “So, you get your ass out of that chair and come party with me, man.”

I wasn’t sure what to do, but the thought of coming all this way only to ride the bench like I would have at Brighton College forced me out of my chair. I was there to impress and get my ass on that field. And if that meant I had to get in good with the senior players… the ones with the most influence… then I guess I had to do it.

It took twenty minutes to walk to the party, and when we got there, it was in full swing. Music was reverberating so loud that I could feel the floor vibrating beneath me.The off-campus house was packed with luscious eye candy that was impossible not to stare at. A couple girls were dancing topless near the couches, and another was in the kitchen, lying on the table, covered in shot glasses and laughing as guys took turns plucking them off her stomach with their mouths.

I’d never been to anything so wild, and I felt instantly on edge. Miguel shoved a beer in my hand and told me to loosen up before taking off after a brunette with long curls and a back tattoo.

I nestled myself into a corner, sipping my beer and wishing for Sienna, second-guessing my decision to leave her.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Hey, tiger.” A sultry voice curled around me, and my head snapped to the right.

“Uh… hi.” Heat shot down my spine as my eyes traveled the length of this sexy-ass woman dressed in a string bikini and red heels. What the fuck? Did this place even have a pool?

She draped herself against me and whispered, “Wanna dance?”

“Um… I…”

Before I could finish my reply, she dragged me onto the floor, gyrating against me while I tried and failed to get into it.

Was it seriously worth all this?

Partygoers pressed in on me from every angle as I moved my body in a half-hearted dance and fought the urge to bolt for the door… until a cup of beer was launched across the room and I was soon covered in sticky alcohol. The girl dancing with me threw her head back, laughing hysterically, then started licking my face.

Okay, too much. It was too much.

I eased away from her with a polite smile. “Gotta go.”

“What?” She frowned at me while I shimmied through the crowd.

I’d nearly made it to the front entrance when a large body stopped in front of me. I jerked back, looking up at Hodgkins and trying for a cool, calm grin. “Hey, man.”

“Where you going?” He lightly pushed me back toward the dance floor.

“It’s, uh… getting late.” I swallowed. “I’ve got to get some studying done.”

“Bullshit.” He laughed, nudging me back another step, his eyes glittering with something dangerous that I didn’t fully understand. “You’re part of this team now, and if you want to stay that way, you play by our rules. It’s party time, lil’ freshman. So you party.”

He flicked his fingers, and a girl holding a tray of shots sashayed over to us. Hodgkins grabbed two of them, handing me one and holding the other up in the air.

“To hot women!” he yelled, throwing back the drink, then looking at me expectantly.

I gazed at the glass in my hand. I’d never had hard liquor like this before.

I’d drunk beer at high school parties, but that was as far as we took it.

Gripping the tiny glass in my hand, I looked around me, feeling every expectant gaze like a laser beam. Glancing up at Hodgkins once more, I caught that hardening in his expression and held up the glass with a weak smile.

“To hot women.” Throwing back the liquor, I struggled to hide the fact that it was burning my insides raw.

I let out an awkward cough and Hodgkins started laughing, then pounded me on the back. “That’s our boy!” He raised his hands, and the entire party cheered for me as Hodgkins ordered another shot down my throat.

I took it, because what the fuck else was I going to do?

I was all too aware that every eye was on me. The pressure was intense, and as I downed my third shot, I had to remind myself that I wanted to spread my wings. I needed to fit in and become part of this team. I had to prove I belonged there, so I partied it up, acting crazy and winning my way into Hodgkins and Williams’s good books.

And it did feel kinda good.

---