I smiled inwardly at the compliment while we returned to our game.
Hunter shot his ball, landing it in a cup. Derek’s partner took it away to drink, leaving just one cup remaining on the other end of the table. I positioned my arm just like Hunter had shown, took aim, and let the ball fly.
It arced like a rainbow, hanging in the air for an impossible amount of time. The ball came down in the middle of the cup, splashing beer up in a small plume.
I gave a little fist-pump of victory, but Hunter waswaymore enthusiastic.
“YEAH ERICA!” he shouted, wrapping me in a big hug and lifting me into the air. I yelped with surprise as he spun me around in a circle, then lowered me back to the ground. He raised my hand in the air like a boxing referee announcing the winner. “I told you she was my secret weapon!”
Derek and the girl on the other side of the table groaned with defeat.
“Let’s play again!” I said, drunk on victory and popularity rather than beer.
“I’m out,” Derek’s partner said, taking her cup and wandering back into the party.
“I need to find a new partner,” Derek announced. He pointed at someone coming down the stairs. “Hey, JP! Get your fat ass over here and play beer pong!”
“I’ll grab more beer,” Hunter told me. “Back in a flash.”
There was still beer left in one of the cups, so I sipped it while looking around and absorbing the atmosphere of my first real party. When I blinked, Derek Offerman was suddenly standing next to me.
“Where are you headed this fall, Erica?” he asked.
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. “Oh, I’m not going to college. Not yet, I mean. I’ll be a senior this fall.”
“Wow,” he said, giving me a quick up-and-down look. “I would’ve bet my entire football scholarship that you were our age. Hey, it’s not fair you’re playing with Hunter. He’s too good already. Play the next round with me. I don’t have anyone else to play with.”
There were at least a dozen students surrounding us who would havekilledto play beer pong with Derek Offerman, but I didn’t say that.
“Oh, uh, I don’t know…” I said. “I’m trying not to drink too much. Hunter’s been taking most of my cups for me.”
Derek flashed his homecoming king smile at me. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll be the designated drinker for our team. I’ll take all the cups, and if you want one, just tug on my arm.” He leaned in closer to whisper. “Come on, please? Hunter dumped my sister Katie a few months ago, so I kind of want to kick his ass at beer pong. Help me out?”
Derek was the most popular guy in school, the star quarterback who was going to college on a football scholarship, so I smiled and agreed. Plus, playing on this side of the table would give Hunter and I a chance to exchange playful banter as opponents.
Hunter came back from the garage with two beers in each hand. “Woah, what are you doing over there?”
“Your secret weapon is nowmysecret weapon,” Derek bragged. “Let’s go!”
We filled the cups with beer and arranged them on the table. Hunter went to retrieve Brad to play as his partner. My brother gave me awhat are you doing here?look as soon as he saw me.
“Brad, dude, you didn’t tell us your sis was so cool,” Derek said.
Brad’s eyes widened like he had seen a ghost. “Yeah, uh, she’ssocool.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “Let’s play.”
Hunter grinned at me, never breaking eye-contact, as he tossed the first ball. Even though he had been looking at me the whole time, it landed flawlessly in the first cup.
“Bam,” he said, snapping his fingers and smiling wider at me.
Like Derek had promised, he took the beer for me. I mouthedthank you, and he gave me a friendly wink in return.
When it was our turn to shoot, I copied what Hunter had done: I stared at him while shooting. He put his palms on the table and squinted back at me, unfazed. My ball landed in the center cup with a little splash.
Hunter nodding approvingly. “Touché.”
Brad looked around in confusion. “Who the hell is this girl and what did she do with my sister?”