Chance Encounters

three

Dedicated to Aurie (affiniteas) because she's kind and awesome and hella rad and her comments always make me go "awwww." Thank you <3

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Chapter 3

When I first got off that couch to go along with my best friend's "quest," I already knew it was going to turn out badly.

I just didn't think it would be this bad.

The look of horror on Lewis's face as realization dawned on him, connecting two and two together to find out who this "bitch" his friend was talking about, would have been hilarious if I hadn't been pissed.

"Dude, uhh." He shot his friend a wide-eyed stare before quickly switching his gaze back to me. "He really didn't mean that."

I raised an eyebrow and fixed my stare on Coke Guy. "Right. Of course he didn't." I gave Tori a pointed look. She didn't seem to notice it, seeing as her eyes have pretty much turned into hearts. "Tori, I'm starting to feel a little light-headed. Maybe we should head back?"

"I didn't know spilling your drink on someone can make a person feel dizzy," Coke Guy interjected.

Having had enough, I turned to him with an aggravated sigh. "I told you, it was an accident." Throwing my hands up in the air, I thought ah, fuck it and gave Tori a we-should-really-go-now-or-else-I-might-kill-someone look.

She looked between Lewis and me, like she couldn't decide between the two of us. My best friend couldn't decide between me and a random guy. I eyed her accusingly.

Biting her lower lip, she looked at Lewis and then at me, before reluctantly grabbing me by the arm. "Maybe we should talk."

"Maybe."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes when she actually bothered to excuse us from Lewis and Coke Guy, wordlessly dragging me to the dining room. I almost stumbled behind her, but I managed to keep up without tripping. Thankfully, the drinking game was off, leaving the table with a lot of disposable cups and spilled beer all over the place. The room was almost empty, save for a few girls taking pictures of themselves in different poses.

"Wasn't Lewis adorable?" Tori giggled as soon as she turned to face me.

My mouth dropped open. "Really, Tor? Really? Didn't you, I don't know, maybe hear Coke Guy calling me a bitch?"

"Coke Guy?"

I gritted my teeth together. "Yes. Coke Guy. The dickhead who accused me of spilling my beer purposely on his shirt."

"What?"

"Earlier. I bumped into him and spilled my drink on—"

She gasped. "You did that?"

"It was an accident."

She was shaking her head. "Why would you do that? I know you hate the guy, Reed, but doing that is really childish and—"

"It was an accident," I repeated, crossing my arms over my chest.

I wasn't quite sure if she believed me, but she shut up and thought deeply about this. I watched her brows furrow the slightest bit in concentration, like she was trying to solve a problem. Suppressing a groan, I balled my palms into fists, making an effort not to just yell at her for us to call the "quest" off so we could finally go home.

"Well?" I prompted.

She sighed. "Lewis was really cute."

I couldn't believe I was hearing this from her. "Tori."