Best Friend's Ex Box Set

“It’s what?” I begged. “Tell me!”

“That’s it. My middle name is It’s,” he said, with a serious look on his face.

“So you are telling me that your parents named you Cheese It’s?” I asked with wide eyes full of confusion and disbelief.

“Yep, that’s my full name,” he proudly announced.

“Wait, what’s your last name?” I drunkenly asked.

“Rock,” he replied.

“Your full name is Cheese It’s Rock?” I said as I bit my tongue to keep from laughing out loud at the poor guy’s misfortune.

Suddenly we were interrupted by a group of human cannonballs running toward us and as we stepped apart, one of the ballers looked at me and yelled, “Is he telling you his name?”

“Yeah!” I hollered. “It’s unbelievable!”

“Did he tell you it’s Cheese It’s Rock?” the baller shouted over the thundering sound of bodies hitting the water.

“He did! Can you even believe it?” I laughed.

“No!” yelled the baller as he ran toward the edge of the pool and yelled, “Dude’s name is Christopher Michael Jackson! But we call him Jackass!” And with that he turned and yelled “Cannonball!” as he splashed into the pool with the rest of the ballers.

“Christopher Michael Jackson!” I shouted.

“What?” Cheese looked over at me expectantly.

“You are a jackass!” I laughed. “You had me going!”

“I know,” he laughed. “But you were so earnest and trusting, I couldn’t help myself!”

“Jackass!” I laughed as I walked over to him and punched his shoulder.

“You hit like a girl,” he observed as he grabbed my wrist and pushed my fingers into a proper fist for punching. “Never tuck your thumb inside your hand when you make a fist. That’s a good way to get it broken. Now, punch me again. This time like you mean it.”

I pulled back, checked my fist, and then landed a drunken punch that nearly knocked me off my feet. If it hadn’t been for Cheese (or was it Christopher?) catching me, I would have fallen forward into the pool with the rest of the drunken idiots. As he set me on my feet, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Are you okay, Ava?” Brian asked.

“I’m fine!” I cheerfully shouted. “Cheese is throwing me how to pack a punch! I mean, showing me!”

“You seem a little drunk,” he said quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine!” I shouted a little too loudly. “I’m having fun for a change!”

“Ava,” Brian spoke quietly in my ear. “Don’t you think that given the current situation and the fact that we don’t know where Dominic is, that it would be smart if you stayed a little more sober tonight?”

“What are you, my father?” I belligerently protested. “I’m not a child! I can do what I want, and what I want is another drink!”

“Ava,” he warned. “I’m not your father, I’m your bodyguard and I’m just saying that I think you should stay a little more in control of yourself tonight.”

“Back off, SEAL!” I slurred as I pushed him away. “I’m in charge of things, and what I go says! I mean, what I say goes! I’m not afraid of that coward and I’m going to prove it by having a damn good time tonight!”

“Dude, I think the lady has expressed her wishes and it’s time for you to step down,” Cheese advised Brian.

“Fine,” Brian nodded, but from his expression it was easy to see that his ego had been bruised by the frat boy’s enforcement of my decision. “I’ll be over here if you need me, Ava. Let me know when you’re ready to go home.”

“I will,” I cheerily tossed off as I linked my arm through Cheese’s arm and skipped over to the table, where they quickly refilled my punch glass. Soon I was dancing up a storm with several of the now-dry cannonballers who had latched onto Lara and Jessie. We sang along with every song the DJ played and made up new dances that we had little hope of remembering the next day, all the while laughing and drinking. The guys kept refilling our glasses as we emptied them, and I lost count of how many I’d had, and then I felt the floor begin to undulate. It was like I was standing on a ship’s deck during an ocean storm. I staggered to the nearest couch and landed with a thud right on Cheese’s lap.