Abby Ryan has her whole life planned out, up until graduation that is. As a journalism student at the University of Southern Washington, she has one goal in mind for her last semester of senior year: secure a scholarship for graduate school. But whe...
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When Tristan invited me to his birthday party, I figured it would be a bit different from the brunch celebrations that Jenny, Nia, and I usually throw for each other. I definitely wasn't expecting to walk up to his house shaking from the blasting bass while overflowing with drunk USW students.
I have to pull into the driveway behind his truck because there isn't a single open spot on the entire street. A few stragglers outside eye me curiously as I cut the engine, and I relish the last few moments of heat before throwing open my car door and sprinting up the frozen drive.
I don't bother knocking since the music is loud enough to send vibrations through the door, but I hesitate by the entryway for a second as my eyes adjust to the lower lighting. Multicolored Christmas lights are strewn across the living room ceiling, paired with a few strobe lights, which effectively sets the rave-like vibe. The crowd pulses rhythmically to the music blaring through the speakers, and their hands create a sea of neon light with their glow stick bracelets.
It's too dark to search for Nia or Jenny from here, so I ease my way through the group of people circling the kegs near the entryway to get closer to the living room. I nearly shriek when someone grabs my wrist and tugs me back, but when I catch Nia's bright eyes staring back at me, I stop resisting and let her lead me back toward the kitchen.
Jenny's sitting on one of the stools at the island, and she sits up straighter when she spots me, waving a little too enthusiastically to be sober. Nia drops my hand and rounds the island, pulling a red solo cup from the pack. She has about six glow stick bracelets on her left wrist, which cast a glow on the bottle of Fireball she's currently pouring.
"Come on, babe, you've got to catch up," Nia yells over the music, sliding over the shot she just poured for me.
I take a step closer to Jenny when a guy double my size stumbles past, his eyes not so subtly locking in on my chest as he goes. I tug at the pale pink silk camisole, but the deep cut of the neckline doesn't offer much coverage. The top of my black lace bra is peaking out, and I feel even more exposed than I anticipated when I picked it out of Nia's closet. Paired with the same leather mini skirt from the last time we all went out, I'm giving off major Nia vibes.
"Oh, God, that's strong." I cough into my hand as the liquid sends a shock of heat down my throat. Jenny grabs me a can of Coke from the cooler next to her, and I pop it open and chug a few sips to clear my mouth of the aftertaste.
Nia smacks her lips as she pours me another shot. "Come on, slowpoke, you have to catch up." She grins, sliding me the next shot.
"I've been at work," I remind her, throwing my head back and swallowing as fast as I can. I have a bad habit of letting the liquor sit in my mouth, which only makes the experience worse.
"All the more reason to take another shot." She grins as she slides me another one. I push it away, shaking my head as I down a few more gulps of the Coke, desperately trying to wash away the putrid aftertaste.
