Page 145 of Scrimmage

“No shit?!” I almost crash the car in my stupor.

“No shit. Tomorrow. I figured we should let him throw the party, and then go the cunty way like you and Penny are always saying.”

I pretend to swipe tears from my eyes, then reach over and grab her hand. “I’m so proud. My baby cunt is growing up.”

“Well,” she says haughtily. “This baby cunt is ready to act like a fucking fool and move on in his face. I mean, if you want. Having a ‘not’ boyfriend and everything kind of makes that complicated.”

“Key word. Not. I’d love to fuck shit up with you.”

Since none of my coworkers are college students, they don’t party like them either. I miss Penny terribly, but she’s knee deep in her internship already. We text all of the time and we’ve had a few phone calls, but we know how to prioritize. Angel is fun and sweet, and I don’t mind hanging out with her.

The front lawn doesn’t overflow with people like a football party, but it’s just large enough that it doesn't feel intimate. People I’ve met a few times hang out on the front porch with beers, and I recognize some other artists from different conventions. I pull up and park, and low and behold, Prince is standing there waiting. It’s been a few weeks since he moved. We’ve talked a little, but I didn’t realize he would actually come back to visit.

“Prince?” I step out of the car and slam the door.

He grasps me in a hug. “Angel showed me that Greek god you did last week. Fucking stellar, Sweetheart. Ya know I’m saving you a spot at my new shop for when you change your mind about pursuing a career in ink.”

“Still thinking about it,” I laugh. He hands us both beers, and I knock the cap off with the side mirror.

“Don’t do that,” he admonishes me. “It’s a nice car. You’re going to ruin the paint job.”

“Good. He can afford a new one.” I pull out two bottles of liquor from the trunk and hand one to Angel.

“Oh yeah? Back with Football Chance?”

Angel gives me a shit eating grin. “He’s back. He’s real back.”

“Just teaching him a lesson.” I chug the beer, snap the cap on the whiskey, and pour some in my mouth.

Prince winces. “This looks like a woman scorned, not a lesson.” He pulls out a few blunts, passing them out to us.

“Angel is scorned. I’m a cunt. Time to start the party.” I light it and tuck another behind my ear, marching into the party. It doesn’t take long before we're taking the place over. Gavin is standing in the corner absolutely livid as we stand on the kitchen counter shaking our asses like we were born in a strip club.

I jump down, grabbing Jell-O shots from the fridge and handing them out to the group we've accumulated.

“To Gavin!” I scream. Everyone cheers, and Angel flicks him off. If he hadn’t figured it out, he has now. I can’t stop fucking laughing. I grab a cup and put it up to the water cooler filled with some mixture of god only knows what.

“…and boys are obviously stupid, so it was easy to get him naked,” I laugh. Angel’s eyes widen, and Prince looks like he’s nervous. “What?”

I follow their gazes behind me. Towering over me with wet hair is Koda, and goddamn do I love to see him when he’s freshly showered and angry.

“Go on, Ash. Don’t let me interrupt,” he clips.

“Did you invite him?” I ask Angel. She shakes her head no. “This is a private party, Ko-duh.” I have to work to enunciate my words.

“You left your phone. Don’t leave your fucking phone.”

“Bleh. Phones connect us to society. It’s unhealthy how they force us to watch people in their fake lives and make us compare ourselves and feel insignificant.” I wave my hand. “And the government.”

He shoves his hands into his pockets and looks to the side, trying to keep his cool. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Obviously not enough, dad.”

He takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes narrow, but I see the glint in them as leans down and tucks my hair behind my ear. I hold my breath as the scent of cedarwood and pepper overwhelms me. “Is this the game you want to play tonight?”

That should not make me as wet as it does. “I-I…”

“Go ahead, Ash. Enjoy yourself. Take as long as you want. You can call me daddy later when we’re done here.”

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