Kelvin's car rolled to a stop at the end of a long line of vehicles stretching down the street.
Bass thumped through the night air, heavy enough to feel in Liam's chest even from here.
The house at the end of the block blazed with light, every window glowing, shadows moving behind curtains.
Kelvin killed the engine and grinned.
"Ready?"
Liam stared at the house. The porch was crowded with silhouettes, figures shifting and swaying. Someone's laugh cut through the music, too loud, too sharp.
'No. Not even a little bit.'
"Yeah," Liam said.
They got out.
The night air hit him, cooler than expected, carrying the smell of beer and weed. Kelvin locked the car with a chirp and started walking, his black button-up catching the streetlight.
Liam's stare swept the space, sharp and searching. Everything looked wrong. Or right. Or like he'd never seen the world before at all.
'What the hell am I doing here?'
The closer they got, the louder everything became. Music pounded from inside, some rap song with too much bass. People clustered in groups on the lawn, passing a vape pen, someone's laugh cutting through the noise like a knife.
Liam's stomach twisted.
"Yo, you good?" Kelvin asked, glancing back.
"Yeah."
"You don't look good."
"I'm fine."
Kelvin shot him a look but didn't push it. He wanted to say something reassuring, but calling out Liam's nerves would just make it worse. Better to stick close until he found his rhythm.
Liam took a breath. 'You can do this. It's just a party.'
"Alright. But hey, Kira's meeting us out here, so at least you'll see a friendly face."
'A friendly face who's probably gonna be all over you while I stand there like an idiot.'
Before Liam could answer, the front door swung open.
A girl stepped out.
She wore a tight black crop top that stopped well above her navel, showing off a flat stomach. Her jeans sat low on her hips, dark denim that looked painted on.
Long brown hair fell past her shoulders in loose waves, and her lips were bright red even in the dim porch light.
She spotted Kelvin and her face lit up.
"Kelvin!"
She practically jogged down the steps, everything bouncing with the movement.
She threw her arms around Kelvin, pressing herself to him. The hug lasted too long. Her mouth went to his ear, lips brushing his skin as she whispered something Liam couldn't catch.
Kelvin grinned like he'd won the lottery.
When she pulled back, she turned to Liam. "Hey! Liam."
"Hi."
She stepped forward and hugged him too—quick but warm. Her perfume hit him immediately, something sweet and floral that caught in his throat.
Above her head, glowing numbers appeared.
[80/100]
'Eighty? Why is she always this high?.'
"So you actually brought him," Kira said, turning back to Kelvin. "I'm impressed."
"Told you I would." Kelvin looked way too pleased with himself. "You gotta trust me more."
"Sure, babe." She said it casually, like the word meant nothing, but her hand brushed his arm.
'Babe?... Since when?'
Liam forgot his nerves as something twisted in his chest. Not jealousy. Irritation. The way they moved around each other, the casual touches, the jokes he wasn't part of.
"So where's Tasha?" Kelvin asked. "Figured she'd be out here with you."
"She's inside." Kira's expression shifted, something guarded sliding into place.
"Why didn't she come out?"
"I told her you guys were here." Kira crossed her arms. "She said she didn't want to."
Liam's stomach dropped.
'That's how much she doesn't want to see me.'
Kelvin glanced at Liam, eyebrows raised, but kept quiet.
"Come on, let's go inside." Kira gestured toward the house. "It's freezing out here."
They walked up the porch steps.
The wood creaked under their weight. Someone had spilled beer across the boards, sticky under Liam's sneakers.
A couple stood against the railing making out, the girl's hand shoved down the back of the guy's jeans.
Inside was chaos.
Bodies everywhere.
The living room had been cleared except for a long table set up for beer pong. Four guys played on one end, shouting over the music while a crowd watched.
The kitchen doorway straight ahead showed more people clustered around a counter, bottles and cups covering every surface.
The music was louder in here, rattling Liam's ribs. Colored lights flashed from somewhere deeper in the house, red and blue cutting through the smoke haze.
"Kelvin! Liam!"
A blonde guy pushed through the crowd, grinning wide. White t-shirt, board shorts, looking like he'd just rolled off the beach.
"John!" Kelvin called back.
"Glad you guys could make it!" John clapped Kelvin on the shoulder, then did the same to Liam.
"Thanks for the invite, man,"
"No problem. Drinks are in the kitchen, beer pong's over there, and if you want something stronger, Drew's got a setup downstairs." John kept talking, gesturing around the room.
Liam zoned out halfway through.
Kira leaned in close, her breath hot against his ear. "Tasha's that way."
She pointed toward a doorway on the right. "And just so you know? Based on how much she talked about you to me today and how you totally ghosted her, you really need to fix this."
Liam's face went hot. "Thanks."
"Good luck." She gave him a little push, then turned back to Kelvin.
Liam stood there for a second, surrounded by noise and bodies and smoke, feeling completely out of place.
'Did she say den or game room? I already forgot. I'm screwed.'
Nothing about this felt easy.
He moved through the crowd, shouldering past people who didn't notice him.
The den was smaller, darker, lit by a single floor lamp in the corner. A couch sat against one wall with two girls sprawled across it scrolling their phones.
A card table near the window.
That's where he saw her.
Tasha sat in a metal folding chair, arms crossed, staring at nothing.
Tasha had her leather jacket hanging open, like she tossed it on without thinking.
A red tank top under it squeezed her boobs together in a way no one was ignoring.
Her skirt sat way too high on her hips and stopped way too early, leaving a lot of thigh out in the open. Smooth legs, tight waist, soft pout.
Liam noticed a guy talking to her. He stood beside her, leaning against the table like he had settled in.
He recognized him vaguely from campus.
Tall, lean, and shaped from real effort. Broad shoulders, clear lines on his arms, chest filling out his shirt without looking stuffed.
Short dark hair kept neat. Strong jaw, focused eyes, the kind of athletic look you notice even if you pretend you don't.
He almost turned around right there.
But then he saw Tasha's face.
Completely blank. The same dead expression she'd given Liam when they first met—total disinterest.
The guy kept talking anyway, gesturing with his cup, clearly not getting it.
But Liam caught the tension in her shoulders. The set of her jaw. She wasn't just bored. She was pissed.
'Fuck it.'
Liam walked over.
"Hi, Tasha."
She turned. Her eyes went wide for half a second, something lighting up in her face—then she remembered she was mad. Her expression shut down completely and she looked away.
"Yo." The guy straightened up, sizing Liam up in one glance. "Can't you see we're talking? Beat it."
"I'm not here for you," Liam said.
The guy's face darkened. "What'd you just say?"
"You heard me."
The guy stepped forward and shoved Liam hard in the chest.
Liam stumbled back, his sneakers skidding on the hardwood. Pain flared where the guy's hands connected.
'What the...'
People started noticing. Conversations dropped off. Heads turned. Someone near the doorway nudged their friend, and within seconds a crowd began forming at the edges of the den, drawn to conflict like moths to flame.
Before Liam could recover, Tasha shot out of her chair and stepped between them, her hand slamming into the guy's chest.
"Fuck off, Chase, or whatever your name is," she said. "I don't want you here."
'Now I remember, he's Chase from our university basketball team,' Liam thought to himself as he watched him.
The guy stared at her, then at Liam, then back. "Are you serious right now?"
"Did I stutter?"
"WOOOOOOO!"
The crowd erupted, voices overlapping, someone whistling, another person cackling. The noise cut through the music for a moment before fading back into the general chaos of the party.
Chase's jaw clenched, his face turning red. "Whatever." He turned and shoved through the crowd, people parting to let him through.
Tasha turned to Liam, already reaching out. "Are you okay?"
'i can't believe a hot girl sent a basketballer like him away for me,' Liam thought to himself, stunned she picked him, a rough 6, over a solid 9.
"Yeah, I'm..."
"Yo, Liam!"
Kelvin appeared in the doorway, Kira right behind him. His eyes went straight to Liam, then to Tasha. "What the hell happened?"
"Nothing," Liam said quickly, straightening up. "It's fine."
"That didn't look like nothing."
"Kelvin, seriously, it's..."
"There he is."
The crowd shifted, people stepping aside.
Chase was back. And he wasn't alone.
Another guy stood next to him—shorter but stockier, dark hair slicked back and a neck like a linebacker's. They both stared at Liam like he was prey.
"Let's make him regret crossing you," the linebacker said, cracking his knuckles.
"Yeah." Chase's smile was cold. "You're gonna regret embarrassing me."
Liam's stomach dropped. His fists clenched at his sides, but his mind was racing.
'Two of them.'
He'd barely survived Kyle one-on-one with the boost.
'I'm fucked.'
Before he could think of what to do next, Kelvin stepped forward, moving to stand right beside him.
"Bring it on," Kelvin said, his voice steady and sharp. He rolled his shoulders back, hands loose at his sides, completely unbothered. "We're right here."
Liam glanced at him.
"What? You think I'm gonna let you fight alone?" Kelvin's grin was back, but this time it had an edge. "That's not how this works, man."
Chase's eyes flicked between them, jaw tightening. The linebacker took a step forward.
The crowd pressed closer, phones already out, the energy in the room shifting from curious to hungry.
"Yo, yo, YO!"
A voice cut through the noise, loud and commanding.
Everyone turned.
A guy pushed through the crowd—tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a graphic tee and joggers.
His dark curls were pulled back in a messy bun, and he had the kind of easy confidence that came from owning the room.
He stepped between the two groups, hands raised like a referee. "What the hell is going on in my house?"
"Who's this guy?" Liam muttered to Kelvin.
"Drew. The organizer of the party," Kelvin whispered back. "John introduced him to me after you left."
They both straightened up, trying to look composed.
"This asshole..." Chase started.
"I don't care," Drew cut him off, his tone flat. "I don't care who started it, I don't care what he said, I don't care about your feelings. This is a party. *My* party. And nobody's throwing hands in here."
Chase's face went red. "So what, we just let him..."
"You want to settle this?" Drew looked between Chase and Liam, eyebrows raised.
"Fine. But you're not disturbing my party while doing it."
He crossed his arms, scanning the crowd like he was thinking. Then his face lit up.
"We're gonna play a game."
The room went quiet for a second, confusion rippling through the crowd.
"A game?" Chase repeated, incredulous.
"Yeah. A game." Drew's grin widened. "You got a problem with each other? Settle it like we're at a party. Not like we're in some back alley."
He gestured around the room.
"Beer pong. Flip cup. Kings. Hell, I don't care, pick something. Winner takes all.The Loser shuts the fuck up and moves on."
The crowd started murmuring, some people laughing, others nodding like this made perfect sense.
Chase stared at Drew, then at Liam, his jaw working. "You serious right now?"
"Dead serious." Drew stepped back, arms still crossed. "Either you play, or you leave. Your call."
The linebacker nudged Chase, whispering something no could hear.
Chase's eyes stayed locked on Liam for a long moment. Then he smiled, cold and sharp.
"Fine. Let's play."
'I think I'd prefer throwing hands,'Liam thought to himself, trying to understand how it all escalated to this.