Page 41 of Fundamentals of Chemistry

“Hey hey!” Phyllis laughed and tipped the flask into Ashley’s drink and then her own. “That’s a girl!”

“But—why?” I sputtered.

“Just between us hens,” Ashley said with a shrug before taking a sip.

Phyllis was already tipping the flask into my cup before I could protest further, then tucking it back into her pocket. She held up her cup to me and Ashley. “What should we drink to?”

I pinched my eyes closed before looking down into my doctored cup and then back up to Ashley and Phyllis. At least if I got caught, I wasn’t going down alone. “October, obviously,” I sighed and bumped my cup against theirs.

“And fine-looking men,” Phyllis added, bumping her cup into Ashley’s.

I choked on my drink. “What?”

Phyllis gestured over my shoulder with her cup, and I turned just in time to see Cooper and Alan walking down the path. Alan looked like a lumberjack—red plaid shirt tucked into blue jeans tucked into brown boots. Beside him, Cooper looked positively edible in dark jeans and a long-sleeved henley that stretched across his lean chest. His dark hair was a little messier than he usually wore it for class, falling over his forehead. The rest of his angular face was bronzed to perfection in the firelight.

My heart jumped up into my throat even as my stomach plummeted to my feet. I hadn’t been expecting either of them to come tonight. The part of me that missed our games was thrilled to see Cooper. However, there was no way to know if the playful mischief-maker was here tonight or if it was the tense professional rival. I desperately hoped it was the former, but after a week of avoidance and awkwardness, I feared it was the latter.

I suddenly became very aware of the plastic cup in my hand, and its contraband contents.

“Shit,” I cursed. “Do you think they saw us?” Ashley and Phyllis were one thing, but Cooper absolutely could not catch me breaking rules.

I did the first thing that came to mind. I threw back my head and downed my drink in one long swallow. The whiskey and carbonation burned as it ran down my throat. In hindsight, I probably should have dumped out the cup rather than chugging, but at least the evidence was gone.

Misinterpreting my distress, Phyllis and Ashley both laughed. “Slow down, girl.” Phyllis patted me on the back while I coughed. “There’s plenty more to go around.”

“Plenty more of what?” Alan smiled good-naturedly around our little circle. Next to him, Cooper looked stiff and unreadable.

To my horror, Phyllis produced the flask again, waggling it playfully. “Plenty more of this.”

“We’re way ahead of you.” Alan laughed and knocked Cooper’s arm with the back of his hand. “Right, Coop?”

Cooper shared a smirk with his friend. “Right.” His voice was low and husky. I leaned in to hear him over the sounds of the party.

“Good man,” Phyllis said. “What’s your poison?”

“Whiskey,” Alan replied and patted a pocket which bulged conspicuously.

“Us too, us too. Got to pace yourself—though Melanie shotgunned her first round.”

We stood in the shadows, so, thankfully, no one could see the flush bloom up my neck and cheeks. “Well, I—”

“Still the party princess.” Cooper’s eyes were dancing with firelight.

“No!” I protested, my gaze jumping from face to face. “I didn’t—”

“It’s fine,” Alan said, though it felt anything but. “You’re not a student anymore.”

“I didn’t want to break the rules,” I said.

“They’re more like guidelines.” Ashley took a prim sip from her cup and gave me a knowing look. “Most of the faculty live on campus, so it’s not like we can just go to a bar after class.”

Even stringent, rule-abiding Ashley thought I was too uptight. Relief mixed with a touch of embarrassment as I finally started to believe them.

“As long as you aren’t reckless or breaking any laws, there’s wiggle room,” Alan added.

“Right,” I said, still feeling very silly.

I needed a little space. I raised my empty red cup and stepped out of the group. “Well, I think I’m going to go check on the students and get some more ginger ale.”