Closer To The Truth

After our toast I downed the delicious blue liquid and complimented my sister's taste in booze, I re-poured her a drink as the kitchen got ridiculously crowded and when I went back to the counter I felt a hand wrap around my wrist and pull me into the living room.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked still holding an empty red cup. I looked to see a slightly amused, slightly scared face looking back at me. I relaxed a little seeing it was John. "Do you always grab girls away without asking?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"I need a beer pong partner and I wanted to learn more about you; two birds, one stone," He grinned brightly holding up two fingers then one, I saw the beer cans in his hand and swiped on away.

"John OH! Beeeer Poooong!" The short brown-haired boy who answered the door, who was incidentally very built and very drunk yelled from the other side of the table, soaking wet with beer and water with cups set up in a two triangles. I started pouring the beer into the cups and John did the same with his can. "Wait, who's that?" He slurred pointing at me, at least this would be a relatively easy game.

"Alaska," I smiled extending a hand to the drunk guy, "I live right over there," I laughed pointing to general vicinity of where our apartment would be. He laughed as if this was some amazing feat and shook my hand.

"Alaska, it's ver-very great to meet such a loverly person," He slurred again wrapping an arm around me for support. I couldn't help but laugh as he rested his head against mine, seeming very tired. "I'm Kirch, Tim Kirch," He yawned until his partner led him away from me and he did the same to the tall blondish-redhead.

"It was nice to meet you Tim," I called out after him as I overheard his BP partner yelling for a new partner. I turned with a giant grin on my face, I loved happy drunks, I was met with a curious face and raised eyebrows, "What?" I asked with some attitude, I didn't really appreciate anyone staring blatantly.

"You're, like, nice?" John asked with an uncertainty, I couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement. Soon Jared came back with a tall brunette and was chanting beer pong loudly, drawing a crowd.

"Don't tell anyone," I winked before taking a shot someone was offering me and chased it with someone else's beer. Not the smartest move before beer pong, but I was barely tipsy. "Let's do it!" I laughed grabbing a ping pong ball and dipping it in the water cup and John did the same.

"Y'all are going down," The brunette yelled causing half the drunken crowd to cheer before fixing his triangle of cups. "Ladies first," He conceded with a confident smile on his face. I lined up with the first cup and arched it straight into the cup.

"Get it GIRL!" Tim yelled before some girls cheered while all trying to get next to him. It was as if they were trying to take advantage of him instead of the other way around. I laughed and moved out of the way for John's shot, which hit the rim then bounced out. He cursed under his breath and got ready to block in case it was a bounce shot.

"Get ready to drink," The blondish-red head smirked before shooting and sinking it into a cup and then turned to the brunette giving him a high-five. I quickly took the ball out and dipped it again leaving it in water cup. The brunette took the shot and sank it into the cup next to it and I groaned before handing John a cup then taking mine and downing it in two seconds. I frowned from the carbonation causing a slight burning and set the cups to the side.

"Balls back!" The brunette chirped causing more half-crowd cheering, I shook my head and grinned brightly and bounced the balls to the other side. "Oh feisty," He said before winking at me.

"Wait, what are y'all's names?" I asked right as the brunette took his shot causing it to barely miss a cup on the edge. He looked up at me with his mouth agape. I smiled innocently.

"Kennedy, this is Jared," the brunette said before pointing to the blondish-redhead. Jared gave a mild wave before buckling down and lining up to take his shot. He sank it into the cup and I took it since we were playing ladies first. Tears came to my eyes from the carbonation again and I took the balls dipping them in water.

"Now, John, no pressure or anything, but I don't lose so if you could try not sucking, that'd be great," I smiled showing him I was sort of joking, but I think he knew me well enough to know that I don't usually lose and I was being pretty serious about the suckage level going down.

"Don't worry about it, babe," He grinned taking the first shot and sinking it. I bit my tongue about the use of babe despite the fact he had just met me today. That and he seemed too confident for comfort, this only reaffirmed the fact that guys are like their friends and he was a look, don't touch.

"Same cup!" I called out before I took my shot and sank it into the same cup and smiled brightly. "Balls back and drink up boys," I smiled before catching the balls they groaned taking three cups and drinking them. I dipped them in water and gave John a ball again.

"Can we get a three-two-one triangle?" John asked looking at the cups and as Jared rearranged them, he took the change to stare at me until I caught him. Before I could even say anything he took his shot and sank the back corner cup. "You were saying?" He asked bending over to whisper right in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"Back off if you want to keep your pretty face pretty?" I asked with a slightly threatening tone but with a smile on my face. He laughed before standing up straight and cheering my name. I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head at him. I concentrated sinking the front cup. "Balls back!" I grinned. This time John caught the balls with a small smile on his face and I couldn't help but wonder who he was.

He shot first again before asking me if I could make it into the opposite corner back cup. I nodded and called 'Same Cup' again before sinking it. John simply picked me up and hugged me, which was awkward since he was so tall. I groaned for him to put me down as Kennedy and Jared seemed a little pissed off before tossing back the balls. They pulled three cups to drink and I smiled brightly before asking for a two-one triangle. When John shot this time he missed and half the crowd groaned loudly.

"Oh that sucks!" Tim yelled loudly staring with a sad face at the ping pong ball rolling towards the edge of the table, he looked up and saw my face and smiled again. "Sink it ALASKA!" He yelled fist pumping, I laughed wondering if he was always like this. I arched my shot and sank it into the first cup.

Jared took the first shot and sank it, Kennedy shot it into another cup before people started cheering again. I rolled my eyes passing the balls back and handing John a cup and chugging mine. We turned back to the boys on the opposite end of the table of us. Jared took a few practice shots before letting the ball bounce on the table. I noticed it just in time to catch it, he cursed loudly.

"Fuck, Kenny you gotta sink it," Jared said turning to Kennedy running his hands through his hair. The air was thin and it seemed strangely competitive for a game of beer pong, but I probably wasn't helping the atmosphere so I stayed silent. Kennedy did indeed sink it and John took the cup to drink as I dipped the balls in water.

"Okay, we can win this if you make a shot and I make same cup," I said to him in a hushed tone since we were discussing battle plans. John nodded and lined up to take his shot before missing. Needless to say I made mine. This went practically the same way until I had hit every cup and punched John lightly in the stomach.

"We won! Fuck yeah motherfuckers!" He cheered before hugging me tightly again and the crowd began to argue about who had next game. I rolled my eyes and placed my hand on my hip.

"I carried us the whole game," I raised my eyebrows and he shrugged nodding slightly. I wondered why he wasn't arguing probably because it was true. He wrapped an arm around me.

"Let me get one of the best BP players I have seen in my partying days a drink," He said before a couple strangers I didn't know gave us random congratulations. He handed me a cup and I took a drink before I sat on the counter and he leaned up against it. I felt like I was in some weird stereotypical teen movie, I was about to share this random thought before John spoke, "So do you have a boyfriend?"

"Way to be subtle," I smirked before taking a sip and drinking again, feeling the Jack was much more prevalent than the coke in my cup. "I haven't had a boyfriend since junior year and I made him cry," I tilted my head thinking of Kyle Jones. John busted out laughing at this.

"You made him cry?! What'd you do and how come you haven't had a boyfriend since then?" John asked in a breath, I laughed remembering the day when Kyle came over and I broke up with him, it wasn't even that he liked me that much, he just needed a senior prom date and he claimed he was in love with me, doubtful, very doubtful.

"You ask a lot of questions John, I just broke up with him and I guess it meant more to him than me, which sounds really bitchy out loud, but if the shoe fits," I laughed. I honestly didn't know why I still didn't have a boyfriend except one thing kept popping up. "I guess I'm sort of hard to handle, and guys can't or couldn't deal," I looked at him with a slight vulnerability, there were times I considered changing to be more of a people pleaser, but that's not who I was.

"That sounds like a challenge," John grinned looking oddly excited.

"Stronger men than you have tried and failed, but go ahead all efforts are appreciated," I laughed jumping off the counter but then seeing how much taller John was than I, it was a bit intimidating. Just on cue the auburn-headed boy from the hallway came up to us.

"There's a girl in my bed. Hey, I'm Garrett by the way, but yeah bro there's a girl in my bed, what do I do?" He asked changing his attention between John and I. I noted how well they were both dressed in dark wash skinny jeans and t-shirts and roughed up vans. It went above and beyond khakis and polos I was used to.

"I'm Alaska, I've never had that problem so I don't know?" I asked turning to John to see what kind of input he would give. He looked at me before turning to Garrett.

"Just go sleep with her," He laughed before I smacked his chest lightly and wondered off to go socialize. I'm pretty sure even though he was very attractive and funny and, God so cute, he was an asshole and friends with assholes. I tried to get my mind to forget about him, but there he was in the back even as I joined other conversations. I felt a pair of eyes on me, I looked up to see John and he smiled at me before waving me over. I don't know why, but I did get up and go talk to him, I noticed how I hadn't seen Roxie in a while and before he could say his practiced line I opened my mouth.

"Hey creeper, have you seen my sister?" I asked looking around the living room and into the kitchen, all of which were overcrowded with people. I sighed loudly wondering if she had gone back to the apartment. I looked up and saw John staring at me again, I felt my cheeks flair up. Why? I have no idea because I'm pretty sure I haven't blushed since the seventh grade. I distracted myself from his bright bluish-green eyes by continuing to scan the room for my sister, wondering where on Earth she could be.