Cat’s stomach twisted in knots for most of her Monday morning shift at Jittery Joe’s. Hannah claimed that she didn’t remember what she said to Peter the other night, and seemed to have no memory of anything negative. But if she remembered what she said, how she said it, Cat had no doubt that her roommate would be a puddle of guilt. Despite her hangover, Hannah seemed to have had a great time, enthusiastically describing the trials of different themed drinks that the frat introduced, a hint to a couple of games that they made up.

Normally, there’d be nothing else to think about. Sure, there was a midterm for Human Sexuality she should have been preparing for. Sure, her family kept sending her Halloween decoration ideas and pictures for how the house was turning out this year. That all should have been very exciting. But Hannah’s potentially crushed expression kept popping into Cat’s mind. Peter’s dimples setting in his deep frown, his hunched posture. Hannah was a fierce protector of her friends. She wouldn’t ever intentionally hurt them. What if Peter brought up what she said?

Monday morning, Cat recited a few things to say in her mind before Peter showed up. They had their ritual: he always showed up at the exact, same time for the exact, same order, and she always had it ready for him when he walked in, and he’d just walk to the front of the line, drop exact cash, and pick up his coffee and go on his way. Jeffrey, her coworker, said his blood pressure had remained at stable levels since they started this silent agreement.

But this morning, she purposefully didn’t prepare Peter’s coffee. And he stood in line, seemingly confused. When he was next, Cat already wrote his name and order on the cup, and he already had his change ready.

“Am I early?” he asked when he stepped up. Cat shook her head.

Wasting no time, she said, “About what Hannah said when you brought her back the other night….”

“Oh--oh--okay.” She watched his expression go from confused, to shocked, to something that could only be described as bracing for impact. He probably thought she was going to add onto it. If it was anyone other than Hannah that said it, she would have. But this was for Hannah.

“Hannah doesn’t remember saying it, and I know she didn’t mean it. So if you could just never bring it up….”

Peter must have left his usual quick-wittedness in his other slacks. “I--what?” He held his money in his hand, blinking. She took the bills from him to put them in the register, and though Jeffery had the coffee maker going, she didn’t raise her voice.

“When she basically said no one would date you because you’ve got too much baggage. She didn’t mean it.” What if he didn’t remember it, either? But he didn’t look that drunk. Peter just took his time reacting.

“Oh,” was all he said. His eyes showed hints of recognition, but his thoughts were moving slowly. It was almost frustrating. She was trying to apologize, here! He needed to keep up. There were other people in line.

“I mean as far as whatever you’re doing with whomever, I can’t speak for that. But she didn’t mean it the way it came out and she doesn’t remember saying it. She wouldn’t have said anything, if she knew that it bugged you.” Jeffrey hardly set down the coffee before Cat snatched it up to hand it to Peter. “So...she would say sorry if she remembered.”

He took it, his eyes slow to finally look up at her. “I mean, she isn’t--I don’t think she’s wrong about it.” Ugh. She didn’t start this up to sit there and ease his mind about his eligibility. She didn’t care about it. Who cared about baggage? Everyone had their own set. Cat rolled her eyes.

“You’re not special,” she blurted. “Everyone’s got problems. Your weird blend doesn’t make you any more or less date-able or whatever. It’s just a matter of who’s willing to carry it.” She wasn’t trying to make him feel better, but the slight smile that edged its way onto his lips made her scowl, so she continued, “Still, no one but an absolute idiot would go after you. But there. Just don’t bring this up to Hannah.” To encourage him to leave, she grabbed for her sharpie and a cup, but Peter hesitated.

“You’re hard to read sometimes, Cat,” he said without looking up.

“Then maybe you should get glasses, you blind fuck.” And, completely ignoring his laughter, and the subsequent pang of pride in her stomach, waved for the next customer in line.

To Cat’s immense relief, her roommate’s great mood remained for the rest of the week. Peter seemed contented to keep his version of Saturday night to himself, and he kept himself scarce at the beginning of the week. At first Cat thought he was just avoiding Hannah, but then when he rejoined everyone on Wednesday, Kelsey claimed to be coming down with something and left lunch early, then skipped all their planned meals for the rest of the week. Maybe something was just going around.

Friday started off far too early, for Cat’s taste. Switching shifts with Jeffrey so she could go to the Halloween party was a worthy sacrifice, though being at work by five-thirty in the morning when she had a quiz that night in Communications was not her favorite thing.

Posting a new thread in Talkative, Demon Teachers, granted her over a thousand laughing reactions with her first post in the thread: “Scheduling quizzes on a night reserved for Halloween parties.” Dozens of random other people lamented with the exact same issue, which somehow twisted the thread into being proof that teachers were literal demons, a conspiracy theory led by none other than PumpkinKing, himself. It maybe wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand if PandaSex69 didn’t post, “Halloween is just like every other holiday. So what if there’s a quiz?” But, the naive panda enthusiast became a martyr for his cause when Pumpkin started to target him, specifically, for being a “sleeper agent” for the demon teachers.

Cat frowned at the amount of laughing emojis that Pumpkin got from her thread.

“You stole my reactions,” she messaged him that night while she was putting on makeup for the party. Hannah was spewing some makeup tips in the background like she was a YouTuber. Cat already knew them, but let her explain since she was so happy to talk about the perfect “Cat eye” and how hilarious it was that her name made a pun for so many beauty terms.

She was caught when she laughed at Pumpkin’s response: “Be funnier.” But Hannah didn’t mind.

“You don’t have to be anonymous on there, you know,” her roommate said with her face still shoved up to her closet mirror, fingers working delicately on her eyeliner. “You can meet people on there, too. Friends and...not friends. I mean, it’s local, so whoever it is has to be within like fifteen miles of the city they registered in.” Cat shrugged, then put her phone in her cross-body purse to physically stop herself from replying.

“Yeah, this is fun, though. There’s less pressure.”

“Truer words,” Hannah agreed through laughter.

“So is Kelsey coming, too? Or are we meeting her there?”

“Nah, she said she isn’t feeling up for it.” Hannah’s tone was weird about it, but Cat didn’t read too much into it and instead began to brush through her hair, now that she was satisfied with her makeup. “You wearing that? It’s cute.” Hannah popped the lid onto her eyeliner and stepped away from the mirror, gesturing to her roomie.

Cat spun the skirt of her dress a little. It was a very flowy, black dress, with red buttons to her waistline, where the pleats flared out. She grinned.

“Yeah, I like it.”

“Just don’t sit down or you’ll give a show,” Hannah said with a laugh. “You always have the cutest dresses.”

“Harder to lose a dress than a shirt, I’m hoping,” said Cat, referencing the first party of the year. The girls howled in laughter, and after final checks and touch-ups, started on their way to the party.

This was it: her first frat party. It was literally across the street from the campus, though it didn’t look like the way parties did in the movies. The front yard was tame, the bushes trimmed, no windows broken in. Maybe Fraternity Row had an HOA.

Once the front door opened, though, music poured out, groups of people huddled to different tables, and Cat spotted a large, open door to the back yard. That’s where the kegs were.

“Hey, Hannah!” the taller guy standing post at the door called. She granted him a quick side-hug. “Who’s your friend? Is she cool?”

“Roomie! She’s cool!” Hannah shouted, then waved for Cat to hurry inside to shut the door. The nighttime breeze was crisp against their skin, and the sudden burst of hot, sweaty air nearly stopped her heart. Hannah pulled her out of the way for more people to come inside, toward the kitchen where several mixed drinks in home-made bottles were mixed with cute Halloween labels.

“I’ve gotta leave early so I can be up for a group meeting tomorrow,” Hannah explained as she reached for a couple bottles to hand one to her roomie, “but Cam and Peter should be here, so you don’t have to walk home alone. And I’ll let you know when I’m headed out, in case you want to bounce early.”

The girls toasted to one another and opened their specialty drinks to take their first sip.

“Oh!” Cat sounded. Cinnamon-y. She glanced to the label: Autumn Sampler. “What’s in this?” Hannah pondered hers, smacking her lips.

“I think it’s probably just Angry Orchard and Fireball or something. It doesn’t quite taste like Fireball, though…. Maybe Apple Pie Moonshine?”

"Moonshine?” Cat echoed with wide eyes. “Like, prohibition, Moonshine?” Hannah waved a hand.

“Come on, let’s find a game to play. I’m sure the guys will catch up later.”

This was, possibly objectively, the best Halloween party Cat had ever been to. The snacks were themed, color-coded with gluten-free options for the different frosted cookies. There were sets of themed drinks spread out to different tables and spots on the floor for people to easily grab. Then, of course, there was this weird plastic crate that Hannah told her to stay away from, full of something called “Jungle Juice.”

“What’s in Jungle Juice?” Cat asked as they made their way to a starting game of King’s Cup.

“Everything delicious and every bad choice. I lost all my virginities from Jungle Juice.” Cat opted not to ask any more questions about it in favor to learn more about King’s Cup. It turned out that Peter and Cam were already there, already sweaty, red-faced, and laughing at things that weren’t necessarily funny because they had won the latest game of Beer Pong. Peter didn’t have work today, but he still wore a pale blue button-up and jeans. Maybe girls weren’t the only ones that tried to look a little better when it came to parties. And she’d be lying if she said every guy didn’t look better in button-ups. Especially when they pushed the sleeves up to their elbows when they got too warm.

Learning the rules to a drinking game was already a risky move, especially since the more she drank, the less she remembered each rule related to each card. But she wasn’t going to black out tonight. After being absolutely terrible at King’s Cup, Cat switched to water and carbs, stealing an entire plate of cookies for the group of people at the table she was at.

To her immense surprise, a familiar face joined the group.

“Oh, hey!” Cat sounded, gesturing to the newbie. Dressed in a plain tee and jeans was a third of her rescue team from when she hit her head. “Nate, right?”

“Hey!” Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome waved to her, and walked around Peter and Cam to stand beside her. “Glad to see you’re still alive. How’s your head?”

“Healed, thank you.” Her cheeks were as warm as the arm he wrapped around her in a weirdly-forced half-hug. She didn’t say anything, just took another swig of her water bottle. Hannah nudged her under the table.

“Glad to hear it,” Nate continued with a wide grin. “What are we playing?” He gestured to the deck of cards in the middle of the table, and Cam shrugged.

“Haven’t decided yet. Taking a carb break. Speaking of which….” And, as gracefully as Six Beers Cam could be, sloppily leaned over the table to snatch an oatmeal raisin in the shape of a ghost from the plate Cat just set down.

“No hugging the porcelain throne tonight for you guys. So does that mean I can’t get you a drink?” Nate now looked Cat square-on. His oh-so subtle version of hitting on her was almost too much. Thankfully, she was already flushed from the drinks she had during King’s Cup.

“You can, I just won’t drink it yet,” Cat said, offering him a small laugh. But the stares of her tablemates were heavy. “So--um, you play water polo with Cam and Peter?” A loud snort from Cam made her jump.

With a full mouth, he pointed to Nate and said, “Peter and I play Water Polo. Nate sits by a net for an hour.”

“I do not just sit there--!”

Hannah leaned in as she started to giggle. “Now you’ve done it.” The boys started to bicker about their respective positions in a game that Cat had literally never taken the time to watch, so the girls instead laughed at them in a huddle until Peter’s loud voice broke through.

“Look, you’ve just started talking about how little you do, and the girls are already bored!” The group laughed, even the butt of the joke. For a brief moment, Cat felt an odd twinge in her stomach. Peter usually only insulted her, but he extended this to Nate. It was a little strange to be in his presence and not be the target--uncomfortable, even. What was that about? It wasn’t like she enjoyed being taunted.

Nate moved his hand, pulling her out of her thoughts, and placed it on her shoulder.

“If you’re bored, let’s go do something,” he urged. “They’ve got good music in the backyard. Wanna go dance?” It was a little warm inside. Cat looked up to him, her stomach flopping with uncertainty. He was so bold. She wasn’t entirely sure how to handle that.

“Break’s over--” Peter announced, rising from his chair. “Shots?”

“Oooh, yeah!” called Hannah as she joined him. “I can do a shot or two before I’ve gotta get going.” Well, that would certainly help her make decisions. And Nate seemed like the kind of guy that could joke around, so maybe it was worth exploring if she liked him or not. Plus, Peter didn’t like him. That was only an added plus.

The party only grew sloppier as time went on. It took a little while to get to the kitchen and find enough shot glasses; Cat and Hannah had to share. Not too long after taking her second helping, Hannah bade everyone good night, gave hugs, and excused herself. With their protective shield now gone, and Peter and Cam made themselves scarce right after. Cat wasn’t entirely certain if it was to give her and Nate privacy, though now as she looked through the doorway to the backyard, she realized it probably had a lot more to do with the tall brunette that hung on Peter like life support.

“You try the Jungle Juice yet?” Nate shouted to her ear. She shook her head.

“What’s in it?”

“Try it and see if you like it. I was here when they started making it.” Cat clutched the Spooky Spritzer he’d gotten her, some sort of soda-tequila mix in a mason jar with a little ghost on it, and let him pull her to the plastic tub. After filling a solo cup with the plastic ladle, he handed it to her.

“What’s in it?” she asked again as she sniffed it. Good lord, that was sweet.

“It’s mostly fruit juice. Fruit punch, pineapple, apple juice--those are all the main ingredients. You’re not diabetic, are you?” Cat laughed.

“No, I’m not.” And, slowly, she tipped the cup to her lips to take a sip. She hesitated, her brows furrowing. “There’s alcohol in this?” No wonder why Hannah had such a tough time with it. This was delicious, without a hint of the bite that liquor normally held.

“Shit tons.” Nate poured himself a full cup, smiling as he took his first sip. “And I saw them dump the leftover Apple Pie Moonshine in here after they made the themed drinks.” Cat coughed on her second taste. Okay. This was definitely something to drink very slowly.

“It’s diluted a little, though, right?” she guessed, gesturing to the massive tub. “There’s just so much of it.”

“Oh, yeah, good point. Did you like it?” Cat nodded, but gestured with her Spooky Spritzer.

“I’ve got some work to do.” And despite the water and carbs she had earlier, the shot she had with everyone was starting to creep up.

“Want to race?” He gestured with his solo cup. Cat laughed at him.

“No, that’s fine. I’ll--”

“It’s okay to be a loser.” He said it with such pity, and a pout that made her eyes go wide. As if!

“I’m not a loser! I’m pacing myself!”

“You’ve got two drinks in your hands. Doesn’t look like it.” As he said it, she looked down at her cups and had to agree with a laugh. “Look, I bet I can drink two of these before you even finish your mason jar.” Okay, he was definitely just trying to get her drunk faster. Again, she wasn’t entirely certain how to feel about it. For now, things were fine. She did feel a little out-of-place, being the only one with two drinks in her hands. People must have thought she was an alcoholic.

“What are we betting?” she decided on a whim. Nate was facing away, already pouring himself a second drink, but she could tell by the way his shoulders shook that he was laughing. He turned to her, setting his backup cup on the table beside the ladle.

“Whatever you want.” Though his gaze was pretty clear with what he was thinking about, his smile crooked and eyes twinkling.

“And you…?” she prompted. If he was classy about his response, maybe she’d play along. But if he was a creep….

“Ladies first.” He gestured innocently in front of them. Well. Maybe it was his way of estimating what was alright with her. Cat bit her lip for a moment, and turned around to check out the party. She couldn’t see Cam anywhere all of a sudden. Maybe he found his own brunette to hang off of him. Where was her safety net? Probably best to play it safe.

“Um, okay. If I win, I want you to--” She shrugged, decided last-minute to pull back a little. “If I win, I want you to try and sing karaoke over the music until you get booed off of the microphone.” Nate clearly wasn’t expecting a response like that, and gave her a genuine laugh.

“You want me to get kicked out of the party!” he said. “Alright, fine. And if I win, I want a kiss.”

Cat pursed her lips. Another test was needed. “A quick kiss,” she offered.

Nate put a hand over his heart. “I’d be honored.” God, he was so cheesy. But, from the heat of the room and the burning from the alcohol, she couldn’t tell whether or not she was into it. “Ready?” He held his cup to her lips, and she mirrored him with her mason jar--but he was already drinking! Coughing away her surprise, she tried to pour her drink down her throat like ice water on a hot day, but she was barely halfway through when he dropped his first plastic cup and grabbed for his other.

A bit of her drink trickled from the corner of her mouth as she struggled to keep up, but it was clear who the winner was. After a full ten seconds, Cat gasped for air and set her empty mason jar on the table. Ugh, now her stomach was so full, she could feel it slosh with every movement.

“Those--those cups are way smaller than a mason jar,” she said, panting through her laughter. Nate laughed with her, then reached for her hand.

“Want to dance?” Oh! Maybe he sensed she wasn’t fully into the idea of a kiss. That was gentlemanly. Cat nodded. Smiling, Nate grabbed the ladle for the Jungle Juice and began to fill his cup again. God, he had a stomach of steel. “Here.” He gestured to her solo cup. “Top you off so we don’t have to stop.”

Cat shrugged and let him put another ladle-full in her cup, silently promising herself to make it last the entire rest of the night, and let him lead her to the backyard toward the thumping music, the bass reverberating down to her bones. The night air was shocking against her face. Desert nights were always so unpredictable. Just because it was eighty degrees this afternoon didn’t mean it wouldn’t get to freezing temperatures tonight.

Still no sign of Cam. Maybe he was back inside. But Cat hesitated near the edge of the mass of dancing bodies, keeping Peter and his dance partner in view. Just from the walk from inside to out here, she could feel the lightheadedness creep into her brain. Maybe being within eyeshot of Peter was the best she could do for a safety net right now. And, well, so far Nate was trustworthy. So when he gently placed a hand on her hip to sway to the beat with her, Cat silently scolded herself for being paranoid.

Nate was a perfect gentleman. He kept his hands where she allowed them, and didn’t even try to cash in his prize. Over the next few songs, she allowed him to slowly close in until he completely grinded against her. This might have been too much encouragement, though, because now he lowered his lips to her ear, his breath hot and his words slurring.

“Sooo ’bout that kiss….” Well, he asked, at least. He could have just planted one on her. That’s how guys usually did it, anyway.

Cat giggled and brought her drink to her lips to take a sip, and looked up at him through her lashes. Okay, so maybe she was starting to feel alright with this.

“Whata-bout it?” she challenged through her laughter. But, when she looked up at him, to try and play a little more, he silenced her with his lips. Despite the slight edge of disappointment to her stomach, Cat sighed and let him press against her. While one arm hooked around her, still full with his drink, the hand that held her hip slid to the small of her back, to pull her closer. Really, he didn’t notice she wasn’t reciprocating? She told him a quick kiss. When his hand started to travel further south, she made a split-second decision, and tipped her cup to spill her drink over the back of his tee shirt.

It took a second of the wet slapping of the liquid on the grass before Nate jumped, yelping as he sat up. The sudden absence of his arms made her stumble, but she straightened herself up, giggling.

“Sorry!” she lied. She let herself sway more than she needed to play off that she was drunker than she actually was, and Nate smiled at her.

“Hey, shh--totally worth it. I’ll be right back.” And, with her dance partner now out of the picture, Cat straightened herself up and glanced around. Maybe she just wasn’t into him. He was nice enough, but he didn’t stoke any strong emotions from her. And after that last move, her initial attraction for him started to slip away quickly.

“O-eh!” sounded a familiar voice next to her. Cam stumbled with an empty shot glass in his hand, gesturing to her as he laughed. “I came to save you, but you had that handled.” Cat eyed his glass and laughed.

“I’m sure you came right over.”

“I did! I can walk and drink! Look!” As if to demonstrate, he took a step around her and raised his shot glass to his lips. “Oh, fuck. It’s gone.” Cat had to hold onto his arm to laugh at him, and nearly spilled the last half of her drink on herself.

“Come on,” she decided with a grin. “Let’s get a refill.”