Awakened

Nine

I don't even want to look because I know exactly who is behind me. There is only one person who would have remained completely silent as I invaded their privacy, and that is Beau.

"Care to tell me what the fuck you are doing, Katherine?" I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think of a good explanation.

"Hello? I know you can hear me. What the fuck were you doing in my room?" He is pissed. I am terrified to meet his gaze. I slowly turn and face him.

"I - I'm really sorry... I was just curious. I don't know why I looked." I stutter but manage to complete a sentence. He glares at me and says nothing. I bite my lip and wait for him to scream at me again. He takes a sharp breath in and looks as if he is going to say something, but instead he closes his mouth again. Okay, the silence is worse than getting screamed at. It looks like he is in deep thought over how to handle this situation. His hands are balled into tight fists, and his knuckles are white.

"Sorry.. I'm really sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking. I can go." I offer, and move to step around him. He holds up his arm and blocks my path. At this point I have no clue what is coming. His hand rests on the wall creating a barrier that I cannot cross.

His eyes soften, and he speaks quietly, "Look, I don't like people going in my room. I shouldn't have yelled at you though. Head back downstairs and grab a drink." My face must give away my shock and confusion. I am terrible at hiding my emotions. He rubs his temples and repeats himself, "Its not a big deal. Go get something to drink and meet some people." I nod timidly and take a step towards the stairs.

"Are you sure you don't want me to leave? I get that you don't like me, and I know this probably just made that worse. I don't want to cause any problems. I can go." He looks exasperated.

"I don't dislike you, Katherine. You just surprised me. That's all." I nod again and make my way downstairs.

Way to go Katherine, I think to myself. If he didn't think you were a creep before he sure as hell does now! Thomas sees me and waves me over to him.

"This is our new neighbor, Katherine. She will be here all summer." His friends greet me warmly, and I feel a little more at ease than only moments before.

"You any good at beer pong?" One of the guys asks me.

"I- I've never actually played." I answer hesitantly. I am fully expecting to be laughed at, but instead the guy yells out "Hell yeah, beginners luck is the best. You're with me this round." His name is Mick, and he has known the Dalton brothers for years. His family lives close by, and he shares an apartment with two of the other guys here. Mick is hilarious, and I am glad he wanted me as his teammate.

"Okay, so here is how you play-" He excitedly explains the rules to me while using animated gestures. I laugh the entire time which has helped me to shake off the nerves from my interaction with Beau.

"So basically try to get the ball in the cup?" I ask. It seems like a pretty simple concept that didn't require the long drawn out explanation, but I humor Mick anyways.

"Yeah new girl, ball in cup. Follow my lead." Thomas and one of Mick's roommates line up to play against us. He is a bigger guy that goes by Kev, and he too is hilarious. Between these three they have me cracking up. I watch as Mick empties several beers into the red solo cups.

"So if they make the cup we drink the beer?" I ask him.

"You got it!" He responds. I am not too thrilled about drinking beer that a dirty ping pong ball has been in, but I want to fit in... and I really am having fun.

Thomas and Kev start, and they each make a cup on the first throw. I look at Mick and give him a worried expression.

"Relax, there is a long way to go. Drink up!" He takes one of the cups and hands me the other. I remove the small white ball and drink the beer quickly.

"Oh gross!" I exclaim, and they guys laugh.

"Beer is an acquired taste for some, Sweetie. I'll shoot first." Mick teases. He lands a cup, and I miss terribly. Thomas drinks, and we keep going.

"I think I got the hang of it now!" I tell Mick.

"Well its about time! We're losing big time." I look down at the two cups that remain on our side, and the five underneath Thomas and Kev. Yeah, this isn't looking too good. Mick bounces the ball on the table and it falls into one of the cups. Almost instantly Kev plops it out with his finger.

"Hey! Can he do that?" I yell. The guys laugh at my outburst.

"If its bounced, the ball can be fingered or blown out of the cup." I'm sorry, what? "Guys finger, and girls blow." Kev winks after he speaks. Oh Jesus.

"Okay.. I think I understand." Beau walks up to the table and smirks at me.

"I don't know guys, she doesn't look like she can blow to me." A few laughs come from the crowd around us and I scowl at him. It's my turn to throw, and I make the cup. Mick picks me up and spins me around. One down, four to go. Kev throws and misses. Thomas tries to distract me, and then bounces the ball across the table. Without thinking I lean forward and blow. The ball flops out of the cup, and I direct my gaze straight for Beau.

"Looks like blowing isn't that hard after all." I say, and I am shocked at the attitude behind the words. Mick lets out a long winded "OHHHHHHH" and gives me a high five. Beau's eyes don't leave mine, but I pay him no attention. Instead, I focus on the game. The tables have turned, and we are now making every single shot while Thomas and Kev miss each time. We are down to our last cup, and of course Mick misses. Someone hands me some kind of shot and tells me to down it for good luck. I throw it back and a strong cinnamon flavored liquor slides down my throat. There is so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, and when the ball leaves my fingers I already know it's going in.

The cheers coming from this group of strangers fill my ears, and Mick has thrown me over his shoulder and is taking a victory lap. I can't stop laughing, and have quickly decided this is the best night of my life. Pathetic as it may be, I don't have much to compare it to.

Mick shouts "WHO'S NEXT?" at the crowd, and I laugh even harder. We play two more rounds and win both. I can no longer count how many cups of beer I have drank, and my body is tingling. Mick is hammered, and I see him stumble towards the sofa.

Kev yells, "New girl needs a partner, Mick is down." I look over and sure enough Mick is out cold.

"I got you!" Thomas replies. Before he reaches the table Beau picks up the second ball and shakes a finger towards his brother.

"You are already on a team, I'll sub in." Thomas furrows his brow and sticks his middle finger up at Beau. Well, this should be interesting.