𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 [a rini au]

- ONE SHOT: RELATIONSHIP PEOPLE

The boys soccer opening night win was a celebration for everyone at East Highland Academy, athlete or non, which is why the party following at Kingston Hall was one to remember. However, the excitement was of a different magnitude for the members of the boys soccer team, all stars Charles Kingston and Ethan John Caswell in particular. While members of the elite got to assume that Charlie was off partying with resident head cheerleader, Nini Salazar-Roberts, it left EJ to do what he always did best – fool around with the most viable, yet attractive, girl he could find.

The dark-haired player had been around his friends for most of the night, accepting drinks at will and taking a few hits of pens being passed throughout the respective party rooms. He recalled making out with one girl, probably a cheerleader based on his deductions, but he wasn't as into it as he normally was. He didn't sweat it, though; EJ knew someone would come around. He had developed a high alcohol tolerance, considering the rate at which he had been drinking since sophomore year. But, EJ had lost count of his drinks by a certain point in the night, and he didn't come to realize it until he drunkenly stumbled out of one of the dark, eighth floor rooms and was unable to process where he was.

EJ's arm flailed around for the wall, sighing with vodka-ridden relief when his body caught a hold of it. He used it as guidance to absentmindedly search for the stairwell. Did he know where he was intending to go? Not a clue. Yet, he pushed the door open anyway, beginning a heavy trek down the stairs. He didn't know what floor he was on, everything becoming a blur, until he was spontaneously struck in the back with the opening of the door behind him. He couldn't tell that it was the sixth floor, but when he turned around to see who the culprit was, he was able to recognize her.

"Holy shit! Ethan John!" the squeaky voice of a plastered Georgina Porter cackled as she threw her hands onto EJ's shoulders. She stared deeply into his bloodshot eyes, face reddening as she tried to keep her composure from laughing. There was no suspiciously romantic intent behind the stare as far as EJ could tell, but there was nothing that made him compelled to think there could be in the first place. "Are you alright?!"

"Gina!" he matched her tone, the two of them yelling despite there being no music surrounding them. Both of their ears were pounding, but neither one of them knew about the other.

The curly-headed dancer slouched into EJ, patting him dramatically on the back. "You killed it tonight," she complimented as she separated herself from him. "You're so good at basketball."

The mislabeling of the sport flew right over EJ's drunken head, the boy simply nodding with a limp smirk. "Thanks," he nodded, eyes gradually drifting to Gina's hands still resting on his shoulders. "What....what are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

Gina shrugged, eyes closed as she bowed her head. "Oh, you know," she slurred. "Looking for tonight's sneaky link, ha!"

"It's not a sneaky link if it's just for tonight," EJ was still fixated on her touch, for some reason that he knew only the alcohol was dictating.

His strange response made Gina straighten up and give him a more serious glare. Despite her own temples pounding and head swirling from intoxication, the girl managed to subconsciously slip her hands across to EJ's pecs. "I am so fucked up," she muttered with a bitter laugh, beginning to lose her balance and needing to grab tighter onto EJ's shirt to stay upright.

EJ's thoughts were beyond tangled, and perhaps if he were sober, he wouldn't have replied to her with what he did. But, he looked into Gina's pink-lined eyes the same way in which he did before every potential hookup. Based on the way she reciprocated the gaze, he knew that's how she approached all of her own as well. "You know," he began, voice lowering despite the severe, oncoming headache knocking on his forehead, "we've never..."