As I make my way around the house, I start realizing a few things that are a complete contrast compared to the many other Haven Falls parties we’ve been to over the past few months. The main one being that all the people here, whether or not I know them personally, are all respecting Noah and Tully’s home. No one is smoking in the house, there are no crazy, drunk chicks spilling their drinks all over the carpets, things are kept tidy, and trash cans are actually being used. Though, some of that might change as the night goes on but it means that Tully and Noah can relax and enjoy it just as much as I can.
Speaking of Tully, where the fuck is she? Tonight is her first night really seeing anyone from school after the crash, apart from the idiots who thought it was necessary to invade her space in the hospital. It’s been three weeks and while she’s mostly healed, she should really be taking it easy tonight.
Noah drags me over to the kitchen table where it’s nearly spilling over with bottles upon bottles of alcohol and starts mixing up something that I’m sure will kill me. “Here,” he says, handing me a red Solo cup. “Try this.”
I cautiously take the drink and give it a sniff. “Shit,” I say as it burns my nose. “What the hell did you put in this?”
He shakes his head. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out when you’re throwing it up in the morning.”
I push it back into his hands. “Nope. I’m not spending the rest of my weekend with my head in a toilet bowl.”
He lets out a sigh. “What a shame,” he says making my eyes narrow on him. “I didn’t realize you were such a pussy.”
“Excuse me?” I demand, snatching the cup back from him and downing the whole thing. I slam the cup down on the table, ignoring the burn that threatens to kill me. “The only pussy around here is you, Noah Cage.”
“Oh, really?” he questions.
I raise a brow as if to say ‘is that all you’ve got?’ and he instantly starts working on another. “Nuh uh,” I say, walking around to his side of the table and bumping him out of my way with my hip before taking over, only I pull out a second cup. “I’m running this show now and if I have to drink this shit, then so are you.”
“Nah,” he says as I start mixing all sorts of shit. “I’m not drinking that.”
“You know,” I grin. “I didn’t realize you were such a pussy.”
“I’m no pussy.”
“Oh, yeah,” I say showing off my award-winning sarcasm. “I completely believe you. Noah Cage is definitely no pussy.”
He narrows his eyes on me. “Give me the fucking cup.” He steals the drink from me and I try to snatch it back, but before I have a chance, it’s already at his lips and the cup is bone dry. Noah coughs out as I howl with laughter. “Holy fuck, Henley. What is in that?”
“I wasn’t finished,” I tell him, trying to control myself. “You took it before I could put any juice in it.”
“Shit,” he laughs, stealing a bottle of lemonade off the table and drinking from the bottle to wash down the foul taste of whatever the hell I just gave him.
I watch him for a second before being hit with a startling realization. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drunk,” I tell him.
“Trust me, it ain’t good.”
I can’t help but grin as I watch him. “Why not?”
A brunette head pokes its way between us before a howling Tully sings out, “Because he gets messy.”
“Fuck off,” Noah tells her as she squishes herself between us and dives for the red Solo cups.
“How do you mean ‘messy?’” I ask as Tully makes herself busy while Noah and I start making each other another drink.
“Well,” she starts. “The last time I can remember; he got naked and-”
Noah grabs her and slaps a hand over her mouth, holding her to his chest like some kind of hostage. “If you keep talking, Tully, I swear, I’ll make your night a living hell.”
She grabs his hand with her good one and yanks hard on it, clearly with every intention in the world to complete story time, only he’s far too strong, so she does what any good sister should do and slobbers all over his hand until he’s thoroughly repulsed enough to remove it. “Yuck,” he groans, ripping his hand away, only to wipe it down the side of her face.
Tully grabs him and wipes her face off on his shirt before grinning up at him. “Either you tell the story or I will, but remember; the birthday girl gets what the birthday girl wants and it looks to me like the birthday girl really wants to know the ending of this story.”