I've just about lost sight of Ferris when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to find the bartender frat guy has returned.

"Got your drink." He says with a bright smile, holding out a red cup with fizzing dark soda.

"Thanks." I take the cup from him and take a sip. The drink is cool and refreshing, but I frown at it as a strange taste I can't quite place swirls around my tastebuds. The guy notices and is quick to apologize.

"Yeah, sorry about the weird taste. The guys bought some cheap off brand sodas so they could spend more on the alcohol. I can get you something else if you want?"

"No, really, it's fine." I assure him. I'd hate to make him play fetch again. He reminds me of a dog trying to please it's master. Maybe he's a new fraternity recruit and that's why he's on drink duty.

"Okay, well, I'm CJ by the way." He holds his hand toward me as an introduction. I take it with my own and give it a small shake.

"Tori." I offer with a smile as we drop our hands.

"Cool, well uh, maybe I'll see you later?" He looks to me with a shy, but hopeful smile.

"Yeah, maybe." I smile as I begin to step away. "I'm gonna go find my friend." I say, pointing my thumb over my shoulder at the dancing crowd behind me.

"Alright, see you around, Tori." He lifts an awkward hand in a half wave as I turn to go find Ferris.

.

I wander through the mass of bodies as I sip my cheap soda. I locate Ferris at the beer pong table just as he sinks his final shot on his unsuspecting victim. He seemed to have beaten his opponent very easily, judging by the amount of cups still sitting in front of Ferris in a broken triangle formation.

"Ha! Drink bitch!" He yells in victory. At the other end of the table, a guy with light brown hair and a dusting of highlights, quirks a brow as he lifts his final cup to drink.

"Rematch?" The guy asks. "And we'll make it more interesting this time."

Ferris takes the bait. "What do you have in mind?" He asks as he leans on the table.

"You won the first round, what do you want?" 

Ferris takes a moment where he looks to be thinking it over before he says, "How about you stay with me tonight?"

My brows shoot up as I take a sip of my drink, looking back to the other guy for his answer. I knew Ferris had game, but very rarely did I get to play witness to it.

"Okay." The guy agrees simply, as if he just agreed to something as basic as grabbing a bite to eat. "If you win, you take me to your dorm."

Ferris smirks, "So what do you get if you win?"

"If I win," The guy's gaze wanders lazily over Ferris's form, heat in his eyes. "I take you to my car."

I can't help when my mouth drops open a little at the challenge. I passively wonder why they want to bother playing another round when they both clearly want the same thing. Ferris agrees to the bet, obviously, but then the guy continues.

"You really wiped the floor with me in that first round though, it may be more of a fair game if you played with a proxy. How about your friend?" He gestures to me.

"Deal." Ferris states before I have a chance to say anything about my sudden involvement.

The two of them reset the cups in their triangle formation as I look to Ferris. I give him my best What the hell? look as I stare at him with wide eyes. He just smiles back, clearly giddy.

"Win or lose, I'm getting my pretty boy tonight." He says to me quietly, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Just have fun with this game, then go find yours!" I just roll my eyes and turn toward the table. What's a party without a game of beer pong, right? At least I get to play it sober. I square myself up to the table as I prepare for my first toss.

.

The time ticks by and the music pounds on as we play our game. I'm losing, not that it really matters. I've only got three cups left in front of me, my soda is more than half gone now. Half the triangle is still in place at the other end of the table. I don't normally have the best aim to start with, and I can tell it must be nearing midnight as I start to feel a little groggy. Strange though, it didn't seem like we'd been here that long yet.

I squint my eyes and try to focus on my target, my arm poised in the air in front of me, ready to let the little ball fly. Suddenly, I jump as cold liquid spashes down my back. I lose my grip on the ball as it bouces away across the table.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

I turn to find the bartender, CJ, with a now empty red cup in his hand.

"Oh, Tori!" He exclaims as he sees my face. "Oh man, I'm so so sorry. I lost my balance and- oh man, I can't believe I just did that."

"It's okay, really. It was an accident." I console him even as I shudder slightly, the cold beer soaking through my satin shirt and sending a chill through me.

"Please," CJ offers, "Let me help you get cleaned up. And I can get you a dry shirt to change into."

I look back over at the beer pong table. Ferris is now at the other end of the table with his 'pretty boy' whispering into his ear. I guess we're forfeiting the game. A new pair of players begin to take our place at the table for the next game. I grab my soda from the edge and turn back to CJ.

"Yeah, that would be great actually. I was probably going to head out soon anyway, I'm getting a little tired, but it would be nice to drive back in something dry."

"Again, so sorry." CJ manages a weak, apologetic smile. "Follow me."

I follow him up the stairs and out of the basement. He leads me to a second set of stairs, just off the living room and pauses at the base. He turns to look at me and glances down at the half drank soda in my hand.

"Um, do you mind finishing that? The house has this rule about open beverages upstairs."

"Oh, yeah of course." I say before chugging down the last of my soda, hoping the remaining caffeine will give me a boost of a second wind so I can stay awake on the drive back to my dorm. I set the empty cup on a small table against the wall before following CJ up the stairs.

"I've got a small bathroom attached to my room so you can clean up in there." He says as he leads me into a slightly messy bedroom. He gestures to an open door in the corner. "I'll get you a shirt while you clean up, there's clean towels under the sink."

"Thanks." I smile as I head for the bathroom and shut the door.