“Fuck you,” I answer. “They should be back by now. She texted earlier and I told her to come over when she was done. How long does it take to go to three parties?”
“You do not want me to answer that. Especially when we factor in how hot your girlfriend is. Trust me.”
God help me, but I want to punch this kid. JD wanted us all to bond before the season officially starts next weekend, so we’re all hanging here at the hockey house. It’s a chill, low-key kind of night. Some guys are playing Madden, and there’s a foosball tournament in the dining room.
I might actually be having fun if I weren’t so goddamn miserable.
Tomorrow is Paige’s birthday, so when she wanted to go out with her girl, Emma, I wasn’t about to suggest otherwise. And besides, none of the other girlfriends are here. Although, I’m definitely not the only one checking my phone every five minutes.
“I’m giving it ten minutes until I go to Kappa,” I say to myself.
“You won’t.” Zac has this annoying habit of following me around and commenting on my every move.
“I might. Look, bonding time is pretty much over. And this house is not a prison. I can go for a walk, if I want.”
“You can. But going to a party to go and get your girl? I dunno, Briggsy, that’s not cool.”
I roll my eyes at Meysy who’s joined our conversation, if you can even call it that.
“Jesus, give me some credit. I’m not going to drag her out of there or give her a curfew. But she’s not answering her phone. Besides, maybe I want to hang at Kappa for a bit.”
“Uh, yeah. Cause that worked out so well for you last year…” Zac coughs, but what does he know? Last year, he was still in high school.
A cheer erupts from the living room, and I look around the corner to see that JD’s been crowned the winner of Madden 21. He stands for a couple high-fives before saying, “All right, gentlemen, I’m calling it a night. See you fellas at practice tomorrow.”
That’s my cue, I guess. A lot of the guys are heading back to their apartments now and some of my housemates are heading upstairs. If I slipped out the door, no one would notice.
But Meysy has a point. It’s kind of a dick move to go to the party now. Besides, she’s with Emma and I know they haven’t hung out in forever, because Paige and I have been spending all our free time together.
So, I put my big boy panties on, grab some water, and head upstairs. Westley and I will have a guys' night. “What do you think, huh? You up for a little Avengers marathon?” I ask my leopard gecko. And no, no I haven’t hit rock bottom.
Or maybe I have, because he doesn’t answer. I peer into his cage to see that he’s fast asleep. Just as well. I’ve got practice in eight hours. I wash up and brush my teeth, then strip down to my boxers for bed. Shit. I should grab sweats. I get hot as hell sleeping next to Paige most nights, but the prospect of sleeping alone, has me contemplating my nighttime wardrobe choices.
Ping
The hell was that? I shuck my boxers and toss them in my hamper as I reach into my bottom drawer for a pair of joggers.
Ping!
Jesus. What is that noise? It sounds like beads spilling, or someone pouring rice or cereal, or…
Ping!
Someone’s throwing stones at my window. My very old window in my very old house. Not caring that I’m buck-naked, I walk to the window. I swear to Christ, if Meysy and Zac, or any of the guys are outside throwing shit at my window, I will be pissed.
I pull the window up and do the same for the screen, sticking my head out.
Ping!
“Jesus!” That fucking stone nailed me in the temple. I’m gonna give Zac so much hell for this. But when I open my eyes, I see my girlfriend sitting in the tree that stands just to the left of my window.
“Sorry! Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you? But wait. You’re a goalie. I feel like you should have ducked. Everyone says how good you are.” She looks confused. And also adorable. And possibly drunk. “Maybe we’ll just keep this little incident between us.”
“Did you just nail me with a rock? And subsequently challenge my athletic prowess?”
“It was a pebble. And I’d like to nail you. Or wait. You nail me, right? Like, your penis is the hammer?”
Yep. She’s drunk.
