“Whoo! Go Justin!” I screamed as he got another ball into John and Eric’s cup.

“Hey, I thought you were on our side!” John yelled before downing the cup the ball had landed in.

“Pfft. I’m on the winner’s side, and right now, Justin and Austin are winning.” I laughed at the face he made when I said that. I looked around my apartment to try to find out where Alyssa had ended up, but I couldn’t find her.

“Nick,” I yelled over the music.

“Yeah?” he screamed back.

“Where’d Alyssa go?” I saw Halvo look up, interested too.

“I think she left fifteen minutes ago.”

“Huh. I wonder why.” I mused aloud.

An hour and a half later, and with two very drunk boys in my apartment, I started to clean up the mess they’d all made. I tried to stay away from alcohol. I couldn’t handle it all too well.

Just as I had finished picking up the last of the beer pong cups, Alyssa walked through my door.

“Hey, where’d you head off to?” I asked her, throwing the bag of trash in my kitchen corner.

“I…felt a little tired. You know, long drive?” she said, not sounding so sure of herself, but I nodded. “You need some help cleaning up?”

“Nah. I’ve almost got everything cleaned up. I’ve just got John and Eric still passed out in my living room, though.” Alyssa made this weird face at the mention of Eric and I had to suppress a laugh. “I guess they’re both staying here, tonight.” I walked over to John, who was passed out on my floor, his arms and legs spread in weird positions. “C’mon, let’s go get you a better sleeping place.”

I pulled John up, thinking he was completely passed out, but he stood up clumsily with me. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” I smiled at him, pushing some hair out of his face.

He smiled drunkenly and lay his head on my shoulder.

“Hey,” Alyssa was looking at me with a peculiar smile on her face. “I’m gonna head home. It looks like you’ve got it all under control.” I nodded and smiled at her.

“Goodnight.” She waved.

“You know, you are one heavy boy to carry, John.” I told him, and he giggled. It was a funny sound, seeing how I’d never heard a guy giggle before. He snuggled deeper into the crook of my neck, and I smiled without realizing it.

I only had one couch in the living room, and Eric was already on that, so I guess I’d have to put John in my room. I walked down the hallway, pushed my door open, and set John on the bed. I took off his shoes, and socks, and rearranged him in a comfortable position, and was about to leave when he tugged on my arm.

“Stay with me?” he asked, opening one eye.

I hesitated for a second. We’d known each other since grade school, and we’d slept in the same bed together before, but it felt different this time. Eventually, I decided to stay and crawled into bed next to his scrawny body.
—
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. Confused, I got up and walked into the kitchen where John was already cooking. “Good morning,” he smiled at me.

“Morning,” I smiled back. “What are you doing cooking?”

“Well, since you had to clean up our mess last night,” he smiled apologetically, “I thought it was only fair for me to make breakfast.”

“…shirtless?” I asked, just now noticing his choice of apparel.

“Oh, well, I kinda spilled coffee on it in my drunken stupor,” he laughed, and I smiled at the sound of it.

“Ungh.” Eric groaned from the couch. “Why are you guys screaming?”

“We aren’t.” I laughed.

“Then why does it sound like it?” He covered his ears and sat up.

“Because you lost beer pong last night and got shitfaced,” I answered. “Aspirin is in the t—”

“Top drawer. I know,” Eric said, stumbling into the kitchen with a hand over his eyes.

“Why are you covering your eyes?” John asked.

“The lights hurt,” he replied.

“Halvo,” I laughed. “there aren’t any lights on, stupid.”

“Oh,” he said, removing his hand from his face. “I knew that.”

Someone knocked on my apartment door, and I got up to go get it. I opened the door to find Alyssa standing in the doorway. “Hey,” she smiled.

“Hey, come in. John’s just making breakfast.”

She walked in and made a move to sit at the counter, but catching sight of Halvo, she backtracked.

“Actually, I can’t stay long. I want to go explore the city a bit,” she said, looking at anywhere but Eric.

Suddenly, I had an idea. “Hey, gimme your phone.” I said, holding my hand out, and looking from her to Halvo.

“Why?” she asked, taking out her phone.

“So I can give you my number, just in case you get lost.” I smirked at how easily she was falling for my plan.

“Good call.” She gave me her phone, and instead of entering my number, I entered Eric’s under my name.

“Let the games begin,” I muttered under my breath, giving the phone back to her. John grinned at me like he knew what I had planned, and I winked back at him.
Chapter by; Nickie.