Page 66 of Giving In

Chris doesn’t say anything, but I can sense him silently fuming beside me.

“Nooo, man, that’s weird,” Rose exclaims, a cigarette in her mouth, as she realizes Chris has just sat down between her and I.

“I got you,” another voice comes to my ears.

I look up at Luke sitting between Rose and Chris.

“Hmph,” Rose keeps her complaint going.

“Oh my God! ‘Me!” It turns out, the girl Luke was making out with on the bean bags is no other than Emily. My eyes widen as she hugs me from the back. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here.”

She’s drunk. So damn drunk. At least being here means I can keep an eye on her tonight. She sinks between Chris and Luke and everyone looks ready to start playing.

“No cheating,” Beth says as she pushes the deck of cards at the center of the table. “No quitting.”

I look around the table. Beth is on Camila’s right and Jason on the right of Beth. Then the circle goes back to Rachel, Rose, Luke, Emily, Chris and me.

“What’s the game?” I ask Chris as quietly as possible.

“Pretty simple. You do what’s on the card or you drink,” he replies as if I was the dumbest person on the planet.

Right, so kind of truth or dare but instead of truth, you drink. How hard can it be?

“Who wants to start?” Beth asks.

“Here,” Jason says. “I’ll start.”

He picks a card from the game and reads it out loud. “Call your ex and tell them that you want to get back together. Do this or take two shots.”

Jason’s eyes flip to Rose for a split second before putting the card in front of him. She ignores him royally and pulls Rachel closer to her. Jason licks his plumped lips as if he is thinking long and hard about it. In the low light, his skin looks darker than usual. He looks around the table with his chocolate eyes and grabs something from under the table before slamming a bottle of tequila on the marble.

“Yeah, fuck this. I ain’t calling the bitch.” He adds shot glasses beside the bottle and pours two shots. “This game’s gonna fuck me up tonight.”

I don’t miss Rose’s lopsided smile when he calls his ex a bitch. Jason takes the two shots and turns to Rachel. This group is so incestuous it’s ridiculous. “Your turn.”

If this game is about calling exes, then I definitely will end up drunk since I have no ex to call.

Rachel picks a card from the deck. “Oh that’s...no. Let the whole group pinch your nipples. Do this or take two shots.”

Everyone starts laughing but I can’t help a gasp. What the hell is this game?!

Rose starts pouring two shots for Rachel that she takes without hesitation.

“You can play again when there’s only the two of you,” Luke says in a laugh. “Feel free to invite me.”

Rose gives him a shove before picking up a card. “Reveal to everyone every single drug you’ve done or drink twice.”

Jake turns to her in a split second. “Fuck no. We don’t have all night. Take two, Ozy.”

She laughs and takes two shots.

At this rate, we’re all going to be on the floor in the next round. Especially knowing all these guys have been drinking and taking whatever earlier in the night.

Luke picks another card and less than a minute later he’s downing two shots. Emily looks in her element, she’s drunk, probably high on something, and has clearly played this game before. Personally, my stomach tightens the closer it gets to my turn.

“Give the person to your right a back massage for at least 30 seconds while whispering sexually in their ear, or drink four sips.” Emily laughs at the card before turning to Chris. “Someone has to start the game, Chris.”

She’s about to put her hands on his shoulders when Luke grabs them. “Whoa whoa, wait. Four sips are nothing, no need to get handsy.” He grabs her drink and puts it to her lips.

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