Baby's First Party
Izzy was surprised to find that frat row consisted of brick buildings sitting on tidy green lawns. Their white columns and facades granted them grandeur, but their shabbiness spoke of years of harsh use.
Izzy didn't need to follow Tai to find the party anymore. He could hear the music from a block away, could see the mass of bodies writhing on the lawn. He shared an uncomfortable look with Joe. To say that this was not their element would be a gross understatement. He tried to comfort himself with the possibility that Tai would soon forget about them, and they could slip away and agree to never open their door for him again.
Tai led them into the crowd, dauntless of the volume and the crush of people. There were kids everywhere in various degrees of intoxication, and they all seemed to know Tai and want to talk to him. Izzy wondered why someone so popular would bother to needle him into attending. Did Tai really feel that bad about injuring him? I assumed he just didn't want to arrive alone.
When they were finally inside, Tai put one hand on his shoulder and the other on Joe's. "Listen," he said, half shouting despite their proximity so that he could be heard over the pounding bass, "the cheap beer is all over, but Adam's a friend. If you want something better, let me know."
Izzy glanced at Joe, allowing his confusion to show. How could a kid afford to get this many people drunk? Joe shrugged and nodded towards a rectangular table tucked away in a corner. The four chairs around it were miraculously empty. Tai disappeared into the crowd, so they wound through the undulating bodies, practically swimming to the table. The temperature and the smell of bear increased as they ventured further into the room.
They were halfway to the table when a girl collapsing onto one of the chairs. Izzy sighed at the breach in their refuge, but at least no one was following her. He and Joe approached and claimed their own seats. She offered a tight smile, but edged her chair away from theirs.
Her front teeth dug into her lower lip as they shared awkward glances. "Um, hello," she said at last. "I'm Amy."
"Hello. I'm Joe, and this is Izzy."
"Izzy?" she echoed, smiling more naturally. "That's such a cute name." Izzy fought down a sigh. He was aware that his nickname was a common dog name in the states. But there were no signs of teasing in Amy's voice, so he tried to relax.
Since it seemed that a conversation was unavoidable, Izzy squinted for a good look at her in the dim frat house. Amy had long brown hair with bangs. Her facial structure was round, with mostly nondescript features. But her eyes were striking, deep brown and framed with long lashes. There was a slight arch to her brow, calling attention to her best feature.
Amy's finger traced a pattern on the card table as she stared into his face, and then Joe's. Izzy cleared his throat when he realized than an awkward amount of time had passed with no one saying anything.
"Um, I double major in biology and vocal performance," Amy said, throwing her voice into the void.
"Bio?" Joe echoed. "Me, too. Well, I'm premed, specifically, but it's pretty much the same thing at this point."
"Oh? That's so cool. I wish I knew what I wanted to do with my degree. I'm just interested in biology, I'm not tough enough to be a doctor."
Izzy fought down a grin as Joe colored and looked away. He had probably never been called 'cool' or 'tough' before, but Amy had no way of knowing that. She flicked her eyes to him, then tipped her head, smiling expectantly.
"Ah. Computer science and mathematics." Amy's eyes widened, and Izzy steeled himself to be called a nerd or a geek.
"Woooow. Respect! I wish I knew more about computers and math. I'm clueless, and everything seems to come down to them."
Izzy relaxed and pulled his chair closer to the table. "It's impossible to be well-versed in every topic. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to be of assistance." Joe glanced at him and raised a brow, and Izzy realized that he had committed a techie's cardinal sin: implying that he would help with computer problems. His jaw shut with a faint snap.
"You're very nice." She looked as if she wanted to continue, but she turned when Tai approached the table. He was holding three red cups, squishing the third against his chest with his arm. His eyes widened when he saw Amy.
"Amy! I never would have thought I'd find you here!" Tai placed the drinks in front of Izzy and Joe. He handed the third to Amy, and she took his arm and nuzzled her head against it. Izzy edged back, surprised by the display of affection. Could they be dating? Their personalities seem so at odds.
"Listen, I mixed this drink for me, so it's really strong. Don't drink it too fast, and don't have more alcohol, or you'll regret it tomorrow. I'll come around later with water."
"I don't want to drink," Amy muttered, staring into the dark liquid. "It smells awful."
"It's rum and coke," Tai said, sounding affectionately exasperated. "Captain Morgan Private Stock. It's good. All sugar, how can you complain?"
"The mind fairly boggles," Amy retorted.
"Don't worry." Tai's expression went so serious that Izzy almost wondered if this was the same kid who had dragged him here. "Whenever you want to leave, find Matt or me. We'll make sure you get back safely. Don't take any drinks from anyone but us."
Izzy could see and hear Amy swallow, even from the other side of the table. "I know," she whispered. Izzy glanced at Joe and gave him a mystified look, but his friend was focused on Amy, looking grim. He wondered what information Joe was gleaning from this conversation that he was missing.
Tai sighed and took the last free chair. "I can't believe you two are hiding in the corner here. The point is to meet people."
"They're meeting me." Amy tone was bright, but oddly tight.
Tai grinned and mussed her hair. "Well, you got me there. They're in our building, so you should make friends." He glanced at Joe and him and grinned, but there was something intimidating in his expression. Tai patted her back and stood, and the crowd swallowed him up again.
Amy sighed and swirled her cup without taking a drink. "Let me guess. That bruise on your forehead, Izzy? Tai knocked you over or something, and now he thinks dragging you somewhere you don't want to be will make you even."
It took Izzy a moment to recover from her stunning accuracy. "That's… That's precisely what happened."
"Wait, Tai's the guy who threw a door into you? Is that what this is about?" Joe sighed, grimaced, and took a deep drink from his cup, apparently requiring alcohol to get through this evening. Amy held a hand out as he picked it up, but he didn't notice. Soon he was coughing and pressing his face into his elbow.
"Tai makes them strong," Amy murmured. "Mine might actually get up and walk away, since he poured it for himself. And, you know, Captain Morgan Private Stock is 100 proof."
"Y-you don't say," Joe wheezed. Izzy couldn't help but smile, and Joe glared when he saw it. Izzy cast about for a way to remove attention from his amusement at Joe's expense.
"Er, Amy. I hope this isn't offensive, but I wouldn't have pictured Tai dating a girl like you." Amy recoiled in her seat and started laughing. It was a small giggle at first, but soon she was laughing full out, snorting as she fought to breathe.
"Zeus' beard, no! No, no, no, no. He's my cousin." She shook her head and took a cautious sip from her red cup. Her nose wrinkled and her upper lip drew up. "It's awful, but I'm going to need it to stay sane here. It's so loud… I wonder why people like this." She drank some more and pressed her chin to her palm, staring balefully around the packed room.
"What are you doing here, then, if you don't mind my asking?" Joe asked. "You know why we're here." Izzy had been wondering the same thing. She looked every bit as reluctant to be here as they were.
"My roommate insisted. I guess she takes issue with my tendency to study all the time. But that's what I'm paying for, you know? Why pay tuition and buy all those textbooks for no reason?"
Joe's expression shifted from polite to eager. "Yes, yes, exactly! That's what I keep telling people, but do they listen? No, it's always, 'Joe, go get drunk, Joe, go kill yourself rock climbing, Joe, fail out of college and have a worthless existence!'"
Izzy hid a smile behind his cup as Amy pressed both hands to her mouth. Her shoulders started shaking, and Joe's aghast expression had her laughing too hard to hold it back. "You are so funny!" she cried, which made his grin widen. She had no idea that Joe was being deathly serious.
When Amy's laughter finally died, there was a long pause. They all looked at each other and drank. Amy hadn't been exaggerating; the high concentration of alcohol was dry and harsh on Izzy's throat. He had never been drunk before, had only tasted a few drinks, mostly wine. He wasn't sure if he was going to finish this drink or not, but it was worth a taste, if only to satisfy his curiosity.
Izzy noted, somewhat distantly, that he was almost enjoying himself. He wasn't sure if it was because of Joe and Amy's company, or because he felt like a host on a nature show, mentally commenting on an unusual species of fauna, traveling in an environment that he had never seen. He couldn't comprehend why these people wanted to grind on strangers, why they drank bitter-smelling beer, why they had no problem deafening themselves with ear-splitting music and shouting.
"I'm glad I met you two," Amy said, pulling him from his musings. Izzy stared as she downed a few enormous gulps from her cup. "I don't know anyone at this school except Tai and Matt, and I don't think I've been adjusting well. Maybe we can hang out some time? I'm on the fourth floor."
"Sure," Joe said. "I study a lot, though, so I may not be the best company." He glanced at Izzy, and he tilted his head slightly in response. "Izzy's on his computer all the time."
Izzy frowned and drank. He didn't need Joe to make apologies for him. "I'd be happy to spend time with you," he said, but there was an annoyed edge to his voice that he didn't bother to smooth out. He pulled back a little when he noticed Joe's slight smile. Had he just been baited?
"I study a lot, too," Amy replied. "But I also play guitar. Do you guys like video games?" Izzy and Joe shared a look. They weren't gamers, and neither of them had that many hobbies. Izzy placed his energy into computers, math, and science. Joe poured all of his time into school, he always had. It was suddenly more obvious why they didn't generally do much talking.
"I don't normally play games, but I did play Portal," Izzy said. "I was interested in the puzzle elements, but it wasn't nearly as challenging as I was led to believe."
"Oooh, I liked that game!" Amy continued to chatter as the three of them drained their cups. Izzy noted, somewhat hazily, that the conversation grew more interesting as he ingested more alcohol. Amy grew giggly, and her smile became permanent. Izzy felt looser, freer, and he shifted by degrees from nearly silent to quiet. Joe just looked like he was getting sleepy.
Eventually, a girl crept up behind Amy with comical care. Izzy watched her, finding everything more interesting under Captain Morgan's hefty influence. The newcomer pressed her hands dramatically on Amy's shoulders, and she jumped, nearly dumping her drink onto her chest. Amy's annoyance shifted to joy as she looked up at the girl.
"Mimi!" she cried, throwing herself to her feet. The two girls embraced, and Izzy grimaced when Mimi shrieked happily. He glanced towards Joe, intending to share an annoyed look with him, but he was staring at Mimi with something close to awe on his face. Frowning with confusion, Izzy took a closer look at Mimi.
She had brown hair just a bit longer than shoulder length. Like Eimi, she had large eyes, but hers were a light shade of reddish-brown. Her ovular face was flawless, with no signs of asymmetry, blemishes, or imperfect features. And, as if her natural beauty wasn't devastating enough, she was wearing makeup with skill that bordered on the professional, accenting all of her features to maximum advantage.
"It's been so long since I've seen you!" Mimi said. Amy tried to pull away, but Mimi held on to her waist. "You're even curvier than I remembered!"
"Mimi! You're already going there? You haven't changed at all!" Mimi's comment drew Izzy's eyes to the girls' bodies. Amy was taller than Mimi, almost by a head, and had a much larger build overall. She was neither thin nor heavy, and had prominent curves. In contrast, Mimi was petite and slim.
"I can't help it!" Mimi cried, giggling in a way that suggested a high level of intoxication. "You're so squishy and curvy, you're the best! Come here, girl!" Mimi stood on her toes and pressed her lips to Amy's.
Izzy stared; he knew it was rude, but he couldn't pull his eyes away. Then he saw Mimi glance towards him and Joe, and irritation formed. Was Mimi using Amy to draw male attention? Dimly, Izzy wondered about Amy's passivity. The tight set of her muscles implied that she wasn't happy with this, but she allowed Mimi to go on, even kissed her back a little.
Finally, they broke apart, and Amy returned to the safety of her chair. "I forgot that you do that when you're drunk." Then she tilted her head and smiled half-heartedly. "That probably was the best kiss I've ever gotten, though."
Mimi laughed, a sound like bells pealing, and settled into the last open chair. "Of course!" she cried. "But boy, do you need to work on your technique. It was like you didn't even want to kiss me!"
"Because I didn't," Amy replied, but there was no real heat there. She returned her attention to Izzy and Joe, and he tried to banish any lingering signs of his shock and arousal. Izzy glanced at Joe and found that he was gawking, his eyes popped open and his mouth hanging slightly. He kicked him under the table, and Joe rearranged his expression with painfully obvious effort.
"Guys, this is Mimi," Amy explained. "We went to the same high school, but she left after sophomore year. Mimi, this is Joe and Izzy. I just met them." She tilted her head, glancing off to the side as if she had forgotten something and couldn't figure out what it was. "Oh! And I'm Amy."
Izzy clamped his lips together to keep from laughing, but Mimi and Joe were less restrained. "You're hilarious when you're drunk," Mimi said.
"Yeah, well…" Amy frowned and tilted her head, clearly trying to come up with a retort. Izzy grinned at her expression, with her mouth all scrunched up and her eyes narrowed and searching the air, as if she were squinting to read the perfect comeback written there.
"Why are you huddled in the corner at a party?" Mimi demanded. "We've got two good lookin' boys here. Let's dance!" She leaned in conspiratorially and nudged Amy with her elbow, speaking in a stage whisper. "You like the cute type, right? You take the redhead."
Heat swept over Amy's face, darkening it with rosy color. Izzy grimaced internally at the thought of dancing. As for being labeled the cute one, well, he had certainly heard worse things about his appearance, so he let it slide without much consideration.
"I don't think Izzy likes dancing," Amy said, looking at him with wide, imploring eyes. That stung a little, despite the fact that she was entirely correct. But then Izzy noticed her trembling. He glanced at Joe, hoping for his insight, but he was already taking Mimi's hand, looking dazed.
Izzy edged around the table and took the seat beside her, moving with care to accommodate the unusual clumsiness of his legs. "I suppose I don't," he agreed, and she went limp with relief. "I see you don't care for it, either."
"It's crowds I don't like. All these people, I…" She broke off with a shudder and pulled in towards the table. "I'd rather stay out of the way." Izzy wanted to ask questions, but he noticed Tai advancing in the background, carrying a few cans of beer and a stack of red cups. A blond boy followed, laden with more cans of beer.
"Hey," Tai called as he came within earshot, "where did Joe get to?" Izzy nodded towards his friend, and Tai's jaw dropped when he saw him dancing awkwardly with Mimi. "Damn!" Tai cried, looking impressed. "And that girl is- Holy crap, it's Mimi!"
"Be careful," Amy said, reaching out to pull some of the tipping beer cans from his arms. "She might kiss you when she recognizes you."
"Hey, sign me up," Tai laughed, setting the rest of the cans on the table. The blond boy appeared beside him, and Izzy raised an eyebrow. The newcomer was tall, slim, but just muscular enough to avoid being scrawny, like he was. His hair was perfectly messy, the kind of effortless look that cost a great deal of effort. He had classical features, a firm chin, and an aquiline nose. But even among all of that, his eyes stood out. They were hard and icy, a bright, steely blue, brimming with electricity and passion. They were the kind of eyes someone could look into and never completely wander out of.
Frowning, Izzy took his first careful look at Tai, and he almost gnashed his teeth in frustration. Tai was tan, lithe, and brimming with sinew and trim muscle, the kind people gained from frequent participation in cardio activities. His brown hair was a careless mess, almost bushy, but it somehow suited him. Like his cousin, he had brown eyes, but the shade was lighter, somewhere between Amy's and Mimi's eye colors. They were flecked with glittering hints of gold that shone even in the dim frat house. His features were masculine without being hard, firm without being overbearing. Traditional, almost painful masculinity, with the exception of his mouth, which seemed forever set in a slightly cocky, self-assured smile.
Why was he suddenly surrounded by attractive people? Izzy couldn't say why, but it was beyond annoying. He glanced at Amy, glad to see another person who didn't look like she had walked right off of a movie set.
"Matt!" Amy cried, pressing her hands together. "Hey, hey. Hey, Matt! Maaaatt!" Izzy's mouth twitched upwards despite himself when she continued to call the blond boy over and over, despite the fact that he was looking at her.
"You've, uh, had a few." He turned to Tai and said, "I'll walk her home when she's ready. I'm a little tired, anyway."
"Deal," Tai said, grinning as he lined up empty cups on one end of the table. Izzy watched him form a triangle made of six cups. Tai popped open some beers and poured them into the waiting vessels.
"Maaaatt, Maaaaaaatt!" Amy sang, waving her hands in front of his face.
Matt plopped a hand on her shoulder. "Yes? I do hear you."
"Mimi!" she cried. "Mimi's here, see, see? She kissed me. It was gross, but also nice. She tastes like cherries. She's a good kisser. But why is she kissing me, she's just teasing me, everyone teases me."
"She what?" Matt echoed. "That again… I'd talk to her, but I don't think she'll listen."
"I guess it's alright. She just thinks it's fun to kiss a girl when she's sloshed." Amy shrugged.
"Pardon me, but you seemed uncomfortable with it," Izzy said. "Perhaps you should try to make her understand that?"
Tai looked away from his setup and stared at him. Finally, he cupped Amy's shoulder and said, "Make friends with Izzy. He's a good guy." Izzy blinked as Amy focused on him. It was an odd feeling, being pinned down by those eyes. They seemed to look past him into some strange otherworld and land on secrets.
Then something shifted, and she was no different than anyone else in the room. "Okay, Tai." Izzy shook his head to clear it. Captain Morgan was having just a little too much fun with him, it seemed.
Izzy watched as Tai made another beer triangle on the other side of the table. "May I ask what you're doing?"
"It's beer pong, Izzy" Amy explained. Her eyes widened, and she rocked in her seat, flailing to catch Matt's attention, nearly knocking the chair over. Gasping, Izzy took hold of the back of it, keeping her upright, but she didn't seem to notice. "Matt, Matt. This is Izzy. That's Joe over there, dancing with Mimi. They're nice. They're smart, they like computers and…and doctors. Izzy, this is Matt, he's the best, he's a rock star, even though he plays the bass. And I'm Amy."
Matt and Tai snorted at the exact same time, and Izzy couldn't help but smile, too, despite the fact that he had already heard her make the same mistake. He wondered just how strong Tai had poured her drink. She was clearly much further along in her intoxication than he was.
"'Even though I play the bass,' huh," Matt echoed, shaking his head. Amy smiled hesitantly, not quite understanding what he was saying.
Tai pulled two bottles of water out of the pockets of his cargo shorts, placing one on either side of the table. "Two questions," Izzy said. "First, would you happen to have another bottle of water? And, second, could someone kindly tell me what beer pong is?"
"Beer pong is for making you drunk," Amy said, nodding her head sagely. "And you talk funny. You sound kinda like Mr. Darcy. I like it!" Tai and Matt were both laughing, but Izzy maintained a neutral expression. He was used to people commenting on his formal way of speaking, but it was rare for someone to approve of it.
"Could you provide more specifics?" he asked, choosing not to comment on the rest of what she had said.
"You won't get very far with her when she's drunk," Matt said. "In beer pong, you take turns trying to throw a ping pong ball into the other person's beers. If you get the ball in the beer, the other person has to drink it. Then they put the empty cup back. If you throw a ball into an empty cup, then you have to drink one of your own beers. The first person to run out of beer loses."
Izzy pressed a hand to his chin and furrowed his brow. "So, the more you play, the more difficult the game becomes. There's something almost poetic about that. What is the function of the water?" He had finished his rum and coke, and he was parched. Izzy often forgot to eat, but he drank water and bottled tea constantly.
"So you can wash the ball if it bounces off the table," Tai said. Izzy blanched and glanced down at the carpet. It was stained and threadbare. People had probably vomited and had sex on it.
"Yes," he said, staring at the floor. Was that a blood stain he saw? "Because water is known for its remarkable sterilizing properties."
Amy blinked at him, then started laughing so hard that her face went red. Eventually she stopped making sound at all, unable to produce noise with so little air left in her lungs. Izzy stared, and he found himself joining Tai and Matt in their responding laughter. Rarely had he seen something more ridiculous looking than drunken Amy in hysterics.
"You…are…so…funny!" Amy choked. "You should tell jokes in the student union." This had Tai in particular doubling over and pressing his hands to his stomach.
"Oh, God," he choked, "my stomach hurts!" Shaking his bushy head, he rested his palms on the table, using it to support his upper body. Finally, he drew back and grinned at Izzy.
"So, Izzy, how about it? You and Joe verses Matt and me, huh?"
"Should we interrupt his friend?" Matt asked. Izzy followed Matt's eyes and saw that Joe did look pretty happy, at least by his standards.
Izzy leaned closer to Tai, intending to make it clear that he had no desire to play beer pong, but Amy raised her hand and downed the last of her drink in one huge swig. "Pick me, pick me! I'll play with Izzy!"
Tai smiled and ruffled her hair, and she hissed and tried to wriggle away. "You hate beer, Amy, remember?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Bleeeeeh, beer. But I wanna be on Izzy's team…" Izzy had no idea why Amy had decided that he was her new buddy. Don't worry about it. It's likely just a drunken impulse.
"Actually, I happen to share Amy's opinion on the subject of beer, so I'll have to decline, as well." Tai crossed his arms and fixed him with a hard, challenging stare, and Izzy narrowed his eyes warily.
"So far, you've hidden in the corner and had a sip of rum. You need to do more than that to get the party experience. Either start dancing or start playing. Your choice."
"A sip?" Izzy echoed incredulously. "There was plenty in that cup, thank you, and you'll notice I'm holding it quite well." Annoyance was building rapidly under his buzz, and it was driving his mind to thoughts that he normally wouldn't have considered, to emotions that he normally would have squelched down. He wanted to shove Tai's arrogant face in it, but how?
"That was nothing," Tai replied. "I've had more than twice what you've had, and I could still kick your ass at beer pong!"
Izzy walked to an end of the table and placed his palms on its surface. "We'll see about that." This was stupid, very stupid. Tai was bigger than him and seemed to have much more experience drinking, so his tolerance was doubtlessly higher. But, if he really had ingested as much alcohol as he said, then his hand-eye coordination might be impaired enough already to give Izzy an edge.
A slow, lazy grin appeared on Tai's face, and he took the opposite end of the table. "That's what I like to hear!" he said. "Let's just get rid of three of these cups, then."
"No," Izzy said, and there was an odd chill to his voice. "Keep all six." If he was going to go down, he would do so in blazing glory, and he would drag Tai's domineering ass down with him, damn it. A tiny, rational voice in his mind asked what was glorious about spending the night curled up like a miserable hedgehog at the foot of a toilet, waiting to barf into it, but he ignored it.
"Uh, Izzy," Matt said, turning towards him. "You might want to reconsider that. Do you really want to drink six beers in twenty minutes?"
"Not in the least," Izzy scoffed, "but I'll do it to wipe that obnoxious grin off Tai's face. And I also have a wager to propose. If I win, Tai has to stop badgering me. Permanently."
There was a stunned silence, and Matt and Tai shared wide-eyed looks. "I like him more and more," Amy said.
"Me, too," Tai and Matt said as one. Izzy colored slightly, sensing that he was being teased by the boys. He had wanted to sound serious, but apparently nothing he said was worth taking to heart. That's it, he thought, wrapping his fingers around the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles turned white. I am going to win this.
Tai pulled a ping pong ball out of his pocket and smiled. "And if I win, you have to dance until the party is over… Naked." Amy's eyes popped. Although Izzy agreed with the sentiment, he tried to keep his expression impassive. Memories rose, reminding him what someone from his past had thought of his body. None of it was remotely kind. He swallowed hard, trying to force down rising bile.
Amy was staring at him again with those distant, far-seeing eyes. She leaned towards her cousin and tugged on his shirt. "That's too mean! Izzy is shy. Just make him take his shirt off." Izzy swallowed his relieved sigh. That would be bad enough, but he could live with it.
Tai frowned at her thoughtfully. "Alright, alright, fine. You're lucky she's taken a weird shine to you, man." He grabbed one of the bottles of water and told Amy to drink it. She complained, but ultimately obeyed. Izzy watched with equal parts envy and confusion. He was desperate for some water, for one. And he had no idea why Amy was so submissive.
"I'd feel more fortunate if you hadn't," Izzy muttered, and then he realized that he had said it out loud. Grimacing, he stared into the six beers in front of him, and his temper slipped further. They smelled horrible. Why would anyone drink this stuff?
Tai split the other water bottle between the two empty cups, and Izzy knew there was no going back now. Tai tossed the ping pong ball up and down a few times, grinning in that annoyingly confident way, then made his first throw. It sank into the cup at the top of Izzy's triangle.
Izzy pulled the ball out and dropped it in the water cup, just for somewhere to put it. Then, trying not to think about it, he grabbed the beer and drank. The beer was bitter and had a weird, bread-like aftertaste. He shuddered and smacked his mouth, as if that would clear his palate.
"That was absolutely foul." Amy applauded, and a few people joined her. Izzy suddenly realized that the game had drawn attention, and strangers were watching the proceedings, crowding around the table. Pro-freaking-digious. Sighing, he picked up the ball and took aim.
"Tai's gonna trash this shrimp," someone slurred, laughing. Izzy rolled his eyes. He always assumed that the fraternity bro accent was a comical exaggeration for the benefit of webcomics and sitcoms, but apparently there really were people who spoke that way.
We'll see about that. I rather doubt Tai is as well versed in physics as I am. He could roughly calculate the angle of the throw and the force he would need to get the ball where he wanted it, but the problem was the execution. He wasn't sure how to throw it as required, but it was still more information than Tai had.
He threw the ball, and it flew true, sinking into a cup in the back row of Tai's triangle. And it went on like that, each of them forcing the other to drink every round amid drunken cheers. Izzy was beginning to feel sick, for two reasons. The first was that Tai had gone first, which meant that he would win if he didn't miss a shot soon. The second was that he had downed four beers in about ten minutes, and they were heavy in his stomach, sloshing around like polluted water.
Finally, they were each down to one beer, and Tai was preparing his throw. Izzy held his breath as the ball arched, looking anywhere but at Tai's shark-like smile. There was a faint sound of an impact, and Izzy realized that the ball had bounced into an empty cup, where it sat with a strong sense of finality.
There was a loud "Ooooh!", as if this were a football game and Tai had fumbled. To his credit, Tai took his defeat with good humor, shrugging and downing his last beer.
"Well," he said to Izzy as other people nudged them aside, eager to have their own game, "I guess you're free to go home now. I can't believe that was your first game of beer pong…"
"Izzy's gonna leave?" Amy echoed. Blinking, Izzy realized that she had attached herself to Tai's arm when the crowd surged in and pushed them aside. "Can I leave, too? I really hafta pee, but I don't wanna go here." She glanced around her cousin and smiled. "You were cool, Izzy. I mean… Well, beer pong is kinda stupid, I think? But you were all, like, 'I can take you down, Tai!' and it was cool."
Tai frowned at her. "Hey, whose side are you on, here, anyway?" Amy pressed a hand to her mouth and giggled. Tai shook his bushy head and waved at Matt, catching his friend's eye. He quickly explained that Amy wanted to leave, and Matt nodded and fell into stride with the two of them. Tai patted Amy's back and disappeared into the crowd.
"That was great," Matt said. "He's my friend, but it's always fun to see Tai taken down a notch. And it's good for him, you know?"
"Uh, thanks," Izzy muttered. He didn't feel much like a winner, despite the triumph still running through him. More than anything, he felt nauseous. "I'll be heading back now, too, so…"
"Walk with us!" Amy chirped. Izzy stared at her, unsure of how to behave in the face of such open friendliness.
"Um, alright," he said, pulling his cell out. "Let me contact Joe. I don't see him anywhere." But his call and text went unanswered, so, in the end, he left the party with Amy and Matt, feeling grateful for the cool night air, the quiet, and the lilting sound of Amy's voice as she prattled in a circular, drunken manner.
Maybe parties weren't so terrible after all, but he had no desire to attend another soon.
