Love, Zed

8. Your Annoying Sister

Nate drags me outside in the garden area where twenty or so people are surrounding a table full of styrofoam cups. I smell beer. I can smell alcohol even if it's a mile away. Not bragging.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Zed yells over the shouting crowd. The garden is as crowdy as the hall inside. It feels better to be outside, the night breeze smell mixing with all the alcohol. People are making out at the same time puking under the bushes. Eew!

"Yes! Would you rather see me sulking in a corner?" I yell back laughing. Nate takes me in between the crowd and calls everyone to his attention.

"Ladies and...assholes..." Nate yells, his voice raspy. Everyone laughs including me. "Aria, my friend here," He looks at me grinning. "...is a pro at Beer Pong!" Everyone hoots looking at me.

"He lies! I suck!" I shake my head. Everyone laughs. "Everybody cheer up for Aria!" Nate yells and some of them literally push me to the table where ten beer cups are kept to make a triangular form on the both sides. I feel someone's arm on waist and turn to look at Nate who's cheering with everyone else.

"Who's in with her?" He asks and a tall good looking guy walks up grinning at me. I smile back.

"Jacob, you better be good, man!" Nate laughs and the guy- Jacob, smacks Nate in the shoulder playfully.

"Aren't you gonna play? We'll make it three?" I ask Nate. He puts up his hands dramatically. "I'm wasted, girl. I'm here to cheer!" He slurs.

"I won't let you lose, Aria." Jacob whispers in my ear. I smirk at him. I see Zed watching us with an odd expression. When our eyes meet and he smiles but it's limited. I smile back.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!" Everyone yells and I get ahold of the ping pong balls.
Memories come rushing back in my mind and I grin widely.

A girl in the opposite team throws a ball across the table and it perfectly lands on one of our cups, beer splashing. I grab the cup and down the beer. Everyone hoots and boos. I throw the cup smirking.

"Real girls play beer pong!" I yell and everyone hoots again. Zed shakes his head at me amused.

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I've been drinking for straight three years now. I can handle all the dizziness and slurriness but I've got no control over the vomiting part. It's almost like my body doesn't just accepts alcohol. The amount of retching has definitely lessened through the years but it still happens anyway. So here I'm retching in this dingy frat house kitchen. Yippie.

"Do you have more?" Zed asks handing me a tissue again. He's been standing next to me since I started retching.

"Are you really this habitual of watching girls retching all over here?" I ask shakily taking the tissue. The retching is stopped and I can feel my senses clearing out.

"Sure, I love the sound of girls retching." Zed rolls his eyes and pulls himself to sit on the kitchen counter.

"Very funny. Haha. Why are you looking out for me, Zed-" I say breaking off not knowing his last name. Did he mention it earlier?

"Evans." He says like he's offering me a box of chocolates.

"Evans. Zed Evans. ZE." I muse. Zed raises his brows sucking in his lower lip. "God, your initials make you seem like some Rock singer!" I say crackling up.

"Really?" Zed gives out a small laugh. "Yeah, you should try a career in music." I say walking up sit beside him. My legs are giving up.

"I'll think about that." Zed laughs and puts a cigarette in his mouth lighting it. Just then my stomach grumbles. I bite my cheeks. Fucking great. Your stomach making noises when you're sitting beside a hot guy.