If there's one thing this town gets excited over, it's football. As I'm leaving my classes on Friday, every teacher tells me they're excited for this new season. With tryouts on Monday during our regular gym period, anyone that's trying out gets to skip PE for the day. Which means a lot of people are probably going to show up on the field with no plans to actually try out. I can't blame them. Forty-five minutes with Tetzlaff is brutal. I'd skip it too if I were in their position. Shit, that's how I even landed the spot of quarterback in freshmen year.

So, on my way out of the school on Friday, a bunch of people I've never noticed before are wishing me luck on tryouts. I don't need luck to keep my place on the team but I don't tell them that. I say thanks every time and I even give most of them a smile.

As soon as I step outside, joking around with my teammates, I see Paulina leaning against the side of my car, reminding me of her long legs beneath that sun dress I eased off her body during the summer. The white wine spilling onto the even whiter carpet in the summer home we practically spent the whole of July in. It reminds me of those few minutes where we let our hands and not our mouth's do the talking.

I give a final elbow jab to the guys before telling them I'll see them tonight at the party. Their eyes follow my line of sight and they wolf-whistle in my ears, jostling me as I stumble down the last few steps. I tear my gaze away from Paulina just long enough to give them the middle finger and then my attention is back on her. My hand hitches my backpack further onto my shoulder and I cross the parking lot quickly.

"Hey you," Paulina says, her smile genuine and just for me. She reaches forward and pokes me in the ribs with one delicate index finger. I capture it in my hand and quickly thread our fingers together, a smile easing its way onto my face.

"Hey," I respond. The lines around her eyes crinkle up when I speak and I run my free hand up her arm, enjoying the way it brings goosebumps to the surface of her skin. This is probably the part where I'm supposed to ask how her day went but we're not dating. We decided that at the end of the summer. I feel like something should be said to fill the silence so I sweep my gaze down her frame before returning to her eyes. "You look good."

Her eyes sparkle in the dying summer sunlight and I count the colors you can see in them. I used to think Paulina's eyes had an unbelievable number of different shades and hues - I couldn't number them all- but I've known her long enough that I can see there are eight. No one has more than a handful of different shades in their eyes. Hers are varying shades of swimming pools and uncharted waters and I can find each one in a single second.

Paulina rests her other hand against my chest, making the skin tighten beneath her touch. "You're still coming to my party tonight aren't you?" she asks, all fluttering lashes and lips I haven't kissed in what feels like ages. Her fingers curl against my shirt, tugging the fabric down as she pulls me closer to her. Our mouths collide, her teeth softly grazing my bottom lip. It twists up memories inside myself, back to a time when I thought I could have a girlfriend and not fuck things up.

She's the one to pull away and it's only so she can stare up at me with pleading eyes. Like she has to even beg me to come to this thing. It's free beer and from the doe eyes she's giving me, there's a high possibility of ending the night in her bed.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm still gonna be there," I respond, dancing my fingers up her arm and smirking when she squirms. "I'll see you tonight."

We part and I throw my backpack through the open passenger window of my Mitsubishi, my eyes lingering longer on my car than the girl in front of me. I untangle my fingers from her grip before flicking my gaze back to hers with a smirk. "Save a shot for me."


Dad's still at the station when I get home so I have the place to myself. Party doesn't start till seven so I crash on the couch, eating chips out of a bowl balanced on my stomach as I channel flip. It's all pretty meaningless stuff when I know there's beer and a hot girl waiting for me. But if I show up too early, I'll look eager as fuck and I'm not into looking pathetic.

My phone vibrates in my back pocket and I have to tip the bowl carefully so I don't spill the chips everywhere as I dig it out, glowering at the screen.

From: Dad

Going to be late tonight

I stare down at the message before dropping my phone onto the couch with a dull thud. I cram another chip into my mouth and snap my teeth together harder than what's probably necessary. I've learned at this point to keep cash on me for the nights he doesn't come home and I have to get something for myself. Somehow, he never remembers to stock the fridge. Whatever, not like I care.

When the chip bowl is empty and I've given up trying to find something to zone out on, I make my way upstairs, picking through the clothes I have in my closet, deciding on a pair of shorts I normally wear during morning runs and a t-shirt for Imagine Dragons.

I ditch the clothes I put on this morning and change into the new ones, smoothing the material of the shirt across my chest until it's mostly wrinkle free. There's still around twenty minutes before people are supposed to show up so I hang around in my room, checking a couple of social networks to fill the boredom.

There are already a couple photos of the outside of Paulina's home, the sun setting behind her three story house sandwiched in between two identical ones in one of the upper crust suburban neighborhood's Amity Park has to offer. The photos are posted mostly by girls on the cheerleading team with Paulina but there are a few updates from Kwan and I scroll through them, pressing like on his most recent one.

Time ticks by slowly so I leave the comfort of my bedroom and venture out onto the landing, glad I won't be coming home tonight. I briefly wonder about grabbing a pair of clothes to change into the following morning but I decide against it. I don't mind the walk of shame cause dad's never around to see it anymore. When mom was still here, I-

I come to a halt in the middle of the staircase, my breath leaving me like a punch to the gut. I can never think of mom without conjuring up the last time I saw her face, stained with tears and begging me to understand. Pleading with me to grasp that she was abandoning me. To forgive her for leaving me with him.

My lungs cry out for oxygen and I gulp down a few breaths, sinking down onto the staircase and scrubbing my hands over my face. Fuck. I haven't thought of mom since the last Christmas we spent together. My junior year. We were both sporting bruises from his hands so there are no pictures from that day. There's nothing concrete for me to hold onto and I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or not.

The party. I need to just drive to the party and get so fucking smashed that I can't remember the sound of her scream or the shattering dishes my father flung from the table. I need to get to the point where I forget the tears in her eyes when she told me this was goodbye. When she packed a bag in the middle of the night and came into my room to kiss me one last time. She said she loved me but the words left her mouth as she was leaving me on the driveway after I followed her out of our home that was only a house without her there to weather this storm with me.

Don't think about it. Stop fucking thinking about it.

My mind is crawling with a thousand ways it could've gone right if she'd just taken me with her but I can't go there. I can't come up with new exciting ways to torture myself tonight. There's a party. And alcohol. And the hottest girl I've ever laid my eyes on. Tonight will be fun. It has to be.


The clock on my dashboard rolls over to seven forty by the time I park at the edge of Paulina's driveway and I can hear the party already going on in the backyard. The gate is open so as soon as I kill my engine, I head in that direction, my ears picking up the sounds of splashing and general chaotic squealing from girls being tossed into the pool.

I step through the gate and scan the backyard as soon as I round the house, locating Paulina in the middle of this chaos. She's standing with her hands clasped behind her back as she watches the scene unfold – her friends being tossed into the pool and eagerly climbing out to have it done again, giggling at the way my teammates are able to hold them up so easily.

Paulina's back is to me and I head in that direction. Her kisses and the alcohol that's here somewhere will drown out the thoughts of my mom. My dad. Of every fucked up thing that's led me to this point. Sent me barreling down this path. My footsteps match the pounding of my heart and when I reach her, I surprise her by planting a kiss to her cheek. We're not dating but I can still play the doting boyfriend card if I want to.

She turns toward me, her face lighting up when she sees it's me. "Daaash!" she sings, throwing her arms around me as she hugs me. My fingers grip the back of her tank, probably stretching the fabric, but she doesn't say anything. Her hands run through my hair, smoothing it down as I try to center my gravity again. This is where I belong. In the middle of the parties so loud I can't hear myself think and knocking back alcohol so strong I can't remember how to feel anything other than buzzed.

When she pulls away, her eyes are kind. "You okay?"

I shrug, my eyes sweeping the party before I decide to be honest with her. My gaze connects to hers again and I let out a shaky breath that I wish was stronger. "Just… been thinking about my mom," I mumble, the words burn like acid on their way out. I can feel the aftermath of saying that out loud in the way my chest aches and when my hands tighten into fists.

I think I expect that same kindness in Paulina's eyes to come pouring from her mouth when she speaks. Maybe that's why it feels like a slap when it doesn't. "Don't bring everyone else down, okay? This is supposed to be fun." Her nose crinkles up when she says the word 'down' like she's never experienced the feeling in her life. Like the only disappointment in her life is a bad tan-line on her sun kissed skin.

She was the only one besides Kwan that I was honest with in sophomore year. Told the both of them how bad I was struggling. Her and I started dating seriously that year but that summer she went away and when she came back, there was a difference to her. Like she'd distanced herself from my problems and only cared if I was there to bring gifts or help her start a party.

To hear her brush this off makes my skin crawl. It makes me want to turn around and leave this stupid party. But leaving this means going home and of the two, Paulina's the lesser evil. No matter how thin that line gets every day.

"Whatever," I spit, leaving her arms in search of alcohol. Something to numb the pain. To make it all go away. To make the pounding in my head and the pressure in my chest ease for just a little while. Jack Daniels is a favorite of mine and dad always has him in the liquor cabinet back home. But fuck, I'll take a Bud Light or a Coors any day. Which is exactly what I find on the refreshment table across the yard from the pool.

A few of my teammates are near it but I don't look at them. I pick up the first can my fingers touch and pull it up from the cooler, popping the tab with my thumb in a fluid motion. It's cold in my hands but I don't care about how it feels going down. I drain half of it before I stop to breathe, chugging the rest of it when my lungs stop bitching for air.

I grab a second one but only take a few sips before I'm wandering around the yard, trying to remember why I came if it wasn't for the beer. Kwan's leaning against the side of the house, talking quietly with a guy I've never seen before.

His hair is parted on one side, kinda flopping into his eyes. It bobs in and out of his vision as he talks but he's got a grin plastered across his face when Kwan laughs, touching his hand to the guy's chest. I guess he's the one Kwan's been telling me about. They met on some dating app just before the start of summer so I've heard about him non-stop.

Deciding this is as good a time as any to meet him, I casually stroll near the two, waiting until Kwan realizes it's me before looking his way. His hand leaves the guy's chest but it's only to wave at me. "Hey, Dash!"

I wander a little closer, offering up my best attempt at a smile. It's probably a shitty one given the circumstances but I make an effort for Kwan. "Hey man," I say softly, my gaze drifting toward my best friend. He's beaming and I decide to make myself scarce after this. Despite the bitchy way she said it, Paulina's right. Tonight's supposed to be fun and if my skulking is obvious, Kwan won't have a good time. He'll be focused on me and I'm not doing that to him.

"H-Hey, Dash, right?" the guy asks, holding his hand out toward me. "I'm Jared, I've heard a lot about you."

I shake the hand he's extended. "Same here. I'm surprised I didn't know you were coming, cause Kwan hasn't shut up about you," I respond, sipping my beer again as I ignore the daggers my best friend shoots my way.

"Shut up, that's not true," Kwan says, his face flushing as he leans over to push my shoulder. His laugh is shaky and I guess it's cause he's nervous. I've never understood that about Kwan or the other guys on my team. They get nervous around girls – or in Kwan's case, guys – and I've never felt that way. It's just small talk until you fuck. How difficult can it be?

Kwan's eyes stray back toward Jared and he smiles softly. "Jared was just telling me about what he's studying after high school," he says, urging the guy on to tell me.

Jared ducks his head and I guess he's embarrassed or shy about it. "Uhh… I'm um, I'm going into photography," he admits, bobbing his head in a nod as he flicks his gaze up to mine again. "Y-Yeah, I uh, I've always been interested in it but I just recently decided to go for it."

I nod, taking another drag from my can. "That's great, man." I flick my gaze toward Kwan and decide to torture him a little. "I'm sure Kwan would be a willing subject in your work." Kwan squeaks and I smirk despite the glare he throws my way.

Kwan opens his mouth to retort but we both turn when our names are called out across the lawn. The guys from the team are jogging over to us, a bottle of chartreuse in Jeff's hands. One of the wide receivers, Blake Weston, has shot glasses stacked in his hands, eagerly grinning at the pair of us.

"It's shot time," he says, passing out glasses to the rest of the team.

I take the glass I'm handed but my eyes stray back to the bottle and I raise an eyebrow when Jeff meets my gaze. "Stole that from Paulina's house, huh?" There's no way Jeff's parents would willingly have a bottle like that in their house, especially knowing how shit-faced he gets on just a couple of beers.

He grins, nodding his head. "She won't care. Her parents won't even miss it, dude they had so many other bottles in there, you wouldn't believe it."

Actually, I do. I was well acquainted with the Sanchez' liquor cabinet both here and at their summer home. It's one of the best things about being a part of this crowd. The alcohol never runs out and keeps my head fuzzy enough not to think. I'm gonna miss them come next year when they're all in colleges and working toward whatever the hell they decide to do with their lives.

My teammates and I crowd our glasses together as Jeff pours the chartreuse in each one until they're almost overflowing, each one of us carefully bringing it away from the others so we don't spill it. Kwan hands Jeff's over to him and all at once, we throw it down our throats, letting the spicy burn follow up after the momentary sugary taste.

"To the new season!" Blake yells, snatching the bottle from Jeff's hands to pour us all another shot. None of us complain and we all throw it back with yells of the same thing. I notice Kwan doesn't take the second shot, instead passing it off to Jared. They disappear shortly after that and I stop counting how many shots I take.

Tonight's supposed to be about seeing the summer off and welcoming in the new season. Not caught up in the past or thinking about might have happened if things had turned out differently. I throw back whatever alcohol is passed my way until I can't see straight.


The party's still alive around ten and I'm so fucking buzzed, I can't walk without stumbling. I bump into people and I think I mumble sorry a couple of times but I don't care. I can't care when I'm like this. It's amazing. This is what I come to these things for. Kwan was right. I'm drunk on the feeling that nothing matters beyond the weekend.

A lot of people are in the pool now and I'm about to join them. I'm in the process of kicking my shoes off when a hand dances along my shoulder blades, turning me around immediately. Paulina stares up at me, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Her fingers run through my hair and her gaze is inviting. I step closer to her and my hands already know what to do. I've lost all ability to resist her. The alcohol and the longing are coursing through my veins and twisting my gut further as my lips kiss hers.

Paulina drags her fingernails down the nape of my neck and I groan, stumbling backward with her as we head toward her house again, her bedroom the only thing on either one of our minds.

Her mouth fits perfectly against mine and once we make it to her bedroom, it takes me a few minutes to realize we're there. I don't remember climbing the stairs or even leaving the backyard. Suddenly, we're just… here. And she's staring up at me as she sinks down onto her mattress, her lip captured by her teeth again. She knows how weak I am to that. Knows how much it drives me crazy to see that white on pink. Knows I love tracing the indents of her teeth with my tongue.

I groan, making my way to where she's sitting, and kneel on the floor in front of her. Our lips meet again and it's clumsy with alcohol and shaky fingers and want. The need to have our bodies molded together again sparks higher than anything else I feel and suddenly we're stripping.

Her hands work my shirt off and I follow suit with her tank, kissing my way down the valley of her breasts, my hands cupping her ribs as my mouth works. She tilts her head back, her hair falling over her shoulder, tickling the backs of my hands.

We don't stay clothed for long and then we're on her bed. And we're kissing and she's pulling my hair. I'm biting on her skin and she's dragging her nails down my spine. The heat builds between us and for just a few minutes, we're both overcome with the feeling of belonging to someone again.


A/N: Thank you for reading the latest chapter! Poor Dash... that boy gives into Paulina so easily.

The title of this chapter comes from the song 'Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time' by Panic! At The Disco. I put that song on repeat while writing the party scenes because the whole vibe of the song is what I wanted to come across in the chapter. I hope I did a good job with it. I appreciate all feedback and do my best to respond to everyone. I look forward to hearing from all of you!