infuriating (colby brock fanfiction)

chapter two

the night goes on with little to no more introductions. devyn and tara have cornered me into a girl talk about all of the boys here. tara mentioned devyns ex briefly before backtracking and avoiding the subject. tara once again reminds me, with the assistance of devyn to stay away from the three forbidden boys. colby, who i met and blew my imaginary shot with anyways. jay, who was weird and overbearing. and brennen, the guy who i haven't even spoken a word to. i guess it's like an initiation to their group. tara knows i don't date, but she seems to remind me nonetheless.

"can i join you guys? colby is being dumb," a girl walks up behind us. i look to her and smile. i met her earlier. she came here with colby and jay, so i wanted to keep my distance but she seemed friendly enough so i wasn't hesitant when the girls welcomed her into our conversation.

"amelia, you're really with colby? what's up with that?" tara asks, her tone joking but her face dead serious. i try to decipher how she feels towards the girl, but i can't quite figure it out. "i mean, we hooked up a few times," she explains and i cringe. hooked up? what does that even mean? they had sex? or they went on a few dates? or they made out? i don't understand these people very much.

"oh, that's how me and corey- never mind..." devyn begins to talk but stops herself. this poor girl has been avoiding mentioning her ex boyfriend all night. it's clear that it's a sensitive subject and i feel for her. she seems so genuine and actually hurt just by the mention of his name. it breaks my heart to see her face when others ask her about him. it's happened three times now, twice accidentally by a drunken kevin and once by yours truly. i didn't realize that it was such a fresh wound and i wish i never asked. she was polite though i asked her such an intrusive question, and i find myself liking her more every second i am around her. she seems like the perfect girlfriend to have in a group this hectic.

"tara, join me will you?" jake calls out to his girlfriend, my roommate and best friend, from the kitchen. he is holding a full shot glass in one hand, and an empty one in the other. she pops up from her spot, running to his side. i admire how in love she seems to be with him, but i could never even imagine doing shots together as a romantic gesture.

"andro, join me?" jays voice calls out to me. he is also holding two shot glasses, only they are both full. i roll my eyes as devyn takes my arm and leads me up and to the space between the couch and the kitchen. everything so far has been calm, but something tells me that people taking shots leads to a change in pace. this night is either about to get really interesting or become a prolonged anxiety attack for me.

"stop messing with her!" tara calls jay out, and i watch brennen laugh in defense by his friend. i cringe at the crudeness. these boys seem so rude.

"do you drink?"

i hadn't noticed colby's presence next to me until he asks me this question. i turn to him, finding that his eyes are staring straight into mine when i do so. i try to calm my breathing, his close proximity making me nervous.

"i do not," i answer honestly. if i were to say i did, he would've told me to take shots with him or something. because apparently that's how you flirt in this environment. drinking together must be the new holding hands.

ive only seen tara come home drunk a few times, but seeing the way it made her act turned me off from the idea. not to mention my dad being drunk all the time when i was young completely shut me off from the idea regardless.

"i don't either," he says lowly, leaning his weight on the couch behind us. devyn converses with amelia and the other girl who i met earlier, but i cant seem to recall her name. this night has been too hectic for me to remember all of the events of it.

"why not?" i say, turning back to the group. i watch as tara and jake take a shot simultaneously. they quickly down whatever is filling their red solo cups afterwards. i do not want to look at colby or even continue the conversation with him, but i was so rude earlier that i couldn't let him think that's just how i am.