(Matthew’s POV)

    Olivia was held in my arms, feeling my heat through the thin fabric. She instinctively resisted and took a step back, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

    I surprised her by retreating first, sitting down on the sofa. My voice was soft, a stark contrast to my earlier intensity as I beckoned her.

    “Come here.”

    I was giving her a choice, waiting for her toe to me willingly. Olivia hesitated and took another step back, her heart clearly a whirlwind of conflict.

    A flicker of deep disappointment and sadness crossed my face, a rare c***k in my stoic facade. The sight of her rejection struck something deep within me.

    I stood up to leave, my voice quiet. “Rest early.”

    As I turned away, I heard her sharp intake of breath.

    He grinned and nced at me through the rearview mirror.

    “Well, if you need me to pick you up early, let me know,” he told me. “I know how these parties are and I wouldn’t me you for wanting to bail sooner thanter.”

    I nodded, appreciating him so much for that. As he parked the car, I thanked him onest time before leaving and walking towards the student lounge where I promised I’d meet Nan. We were nning on walking ot the party together.

    When I didn’t see her, I waited. I sat on the stairway, not caring if I had dirtied my dress and I continued to wait for her for what felt like an hour. I nced at the time with a frown; I thought she wanted to meet at 8. It was nearing 9.

    Had she gone to the party without me?

    Just as I was about to stand and walk to the frat house by myself, I heard my name being called.

    I turned to see Nan rushing towards me. She was beautiful in her ck dress; it was super short and showed off her legs and cleavage perfectly. It certainly put my simple dress to shame. Nan had always been beautiful and there was a part of me that was envious of it.

    When she got closer, I saw that her eyes were a little red.

    Had she been crying?

    “Are you okay?” I asked her when she finally reached me.

    She gave me a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

    “Yeah,” she said breathlessly. “Sorry, I’mte. I ran a little behind tonight. I had to go shopping for this dress and got back a littleter than I nned.”

    I nodded thoughtfully and draped my arm through hers.

    “It’s no problem,” I told her. “Let’s get this over with.”

    She chuckled.

    “That’s the spirit,” she said with a smile.

    Together, we walked to the frat house. It was loud and there were so many people on the outside and inside. It was a nice night, so it didn’t surprise me that there were a ton of people hanging out outside as well.

    The music was bumping, and it gave me a slight headache almost immediately.

    We shimmied our way through the crowd and reached the front door. Nan kept a hold on my arm the entire time as she said hi to some of the guys she knew. They all looked her up and down and I could see their gazes darkening with lust. I made a mental note to keep an eye on Na tonight.

    I didn’t trust any of these frat guys, especially not with my friend.

    “Let’s get some beer!” She said.

    I crinkled my nose.

    “I hate beer,” I muttered.

    “It’s a frat party, Judy. They don’t have much else,” she told me.

    I sighed and followed her through the house, and we reached the kitchen. There were a ton of coolers set out filled with different types of beer. She grabbed one of the cans and handed me another.

    When we cracked it open, she held up the can to me.

    “To our first frat party!” she cheered.

    I couldn’t help butugh and clink my can with hers. We sipped the beer, and I nearly gagged at the taste. I truly hated beer, but maybe I could learn to love it.

    The music was much louder in the living room; there were a bunch of people in the center of the room dancing. Most of them were already drunk. Some of the girls were grinding against some of the frat boys and they were soaking it up.

    Nan and Iughed at the sight of it and we started to mock dance in return. It was fun to let loose with my best friend, especially because she was just as silly as I was.

    We drank our beer and the more I drank it, the better it started to taste. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Nan finished her beer first and she grabbed another one. She was also lightweight so she was getting tipsy off the one beer, I could only imagine how she would be after her second one.

    “Beer bong outside!” One of the frat boys announced. It made everyone cheer and rush towards the back patio. Nan grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her. We joined the others around the beer bong table and when one of the frat boys asked who wanted to be his partner, I was surprised Nan volunteered.

    “Nan, you’ve never yed before,” I reminded her.

    Sheughed and shrugged.

    “So what?” She said lightly. “There’s a first time for everything.”

    She rushed towards the giant frat boy and high-fived him. He took one look at her and his brows raised; it was obvious he liked what he saw. He motioned for her to go first.

    She missed the cup on her first try, making everyone, including herugh. The guy on the other team got the ball in the cup on the first try and Nan was forced to drink. She chucked the entire cup of beer in one go and I was shocked by this.