I nod in approval as she absentmindedly tries to slide her phone into the nonexistent pocket on her costume. It hits the floor with a sharp thwack. She bends down to pick it up, and a ping pong ball falls out of her cleavage. The three of us watch in silent awe as it bounces across the room.
“How did you sleep with that in there all night!?” Lisa asks through laughter.
“No idea.” Jackie shrugs before sniffing at the air. “Do I smell coffee?”
I nod. “I made another pot, like, fifteen minutes ago. Help yourselves.”
They happily scurry into the kitchen. While they’re pouring their cups of self-medication, I finish the chapter I’m on, and put my book away. They both come back to the living room and snuggle on the couch with me.
“What happened to you last night?” Lisa asks.
“I texted you. I got tired,” I say, lifting my mug to my lips.
She shakes her head. “No, I mean at the party. One minute, you were there, and the next, you were gone.”
“First of all, you were so enthralled in conversation with Brent, you probably didn’t even notice me, Jackie, and Hannah go to the garage.” I shoot Lisa a pointed look, but she smiles. “Then, when I came inside, you and Brent were…getting familiar.” I bob my eyebrows to encourage her to elaborate. I’m not quite ready to dive into the story about me and Sam, so I’ll divert to her.
Lisa lets out a contented sigh. “Ladies, I think I’m in love.”
“What?” Jackie and I shout in unison, both sitting upright at full attention.
“Mhm. Brent is perfect.”
“But you’re not even dating him.” Jackie crinkles her nose. “Wait, is there something you haven’t told us?”
Lisa shakes her head. “I haven’t been secretly dating him, no. We’ve been hanging out before and after class, seeing each other in passing. But when we’re together, we click.” Lisa stares off into the room, a contentedness in her features. “He asked me out last night.”
Jackie and I burst into giddy giggles, with Jackie bouncing in her seat as I try not to spill my coffee. “I’m happy for you, Lisa,” I say, and I am, but I’m also a bit skeptical. Lisa has flitted from guy to guy for years, never really being into one more than the other. I hope this isn’t another fleeting relationship. “But no wonder you didn’t notice where I was.”
“Yeah, about that…” She turns to face me, and Jackie leans over her shoulder to listen in. “Your turn to talk about your night.”
“Well...” My lower lip works its way between my teeth. “While you were busy sucking face with Brent, Sam found me.”
Lisa’s eyes widen. “Sam was there!?”
“He played beer pong with us,” Jackie teases, grinning at me.
“Did you whoop his ass?”
“Of course, we did.” I high-five Jackie. “But then I went to the kitchen for another drink, and he came inside. We ended up talking.”
Lisa makes a noise like she’s impressed. “From what you’ve told me about him, I’m surprised you didn’t choke him out.”
“I have some self-control.”
“You guys have been hanging out, though?” Jackie asks. “Are you still enemies?”
“We agreed to frenemy terms.”
They both chuckle before Lisa nudges me to continue.
“So, he came to say hi, and we discussed the study group and celebrated our success with a few drinks.” I spill the whole story from the initial civil conversation, to him making us hide from Maya, all the way to me needing a refill. “When he wouldn’t leave the pantry, I started teasing him.”
“Teasing him?” Lisa arches an eyebrow. “Explain.”
I groan. “Okay, in my defense, I was on my, like, fifth or sixth drink.”
Jackie wiggles in her seat. “Ooh, this ought to be good.”
