Hoax in One

| 08 |

One nap, three volleyball games, two cornhole games, one terrible horseshoe game, and thirty minutes of kite flying later, the sun was starting to set.

Being friends with serious athletes was a serious headache. They were all way too competitive—whining about two out of three, pushing for three out of five. Day-drinking had made us all a little sloppy, and we'd started bending the rules of the games.

I had wanted to take another nap to prepare for the party that was undoubtedly coming, but friends were already starting to trickle in. Practically the whole school was at the beach, and we'd run into so many people we knew as they were taking a walk or vice versa.

Everyone would end up in the same place that night: our place, because things seemed to revolve around Matt all of a sudden.

He barked orders at the guys, instructing them where to set up tables for beer pong and flip cup, all of them grumbling behind his back and laughing.

Matt turned to me and Alice and handed us each a sleeve of red plastic cups. "Set these up for me, will you?" Matt looked up at the balcony where Millie's music was squeaking out. "I need to take over the music situation."

Alice rolled her eyes at his back as he stalked away. "He's kind of annoying when he wants be."

I snorted and started setting up for beer pong. Alice gave me a small smile, an olive branch, which I gladly accepted. But I was almost positive she was thinking it was behind us because of Tate—not because I just didn't give a shit anymore.

I'd felt happy earlier for the first time in a while, and I was going to latch onto it. I stepped around to her side and embraced her.

"I love seeing you so happy again." She squeezed me tight. "And no one can make you quite as happy as Tate can."

"Alice..." I started guiltily.

Why was I even lying to her? This wasn't me.

"Though I have no idea how when he hardly ever smiles," she interrupted me. "But I wish someone would look at me like that."

I looked over my shoulder to see Tate leaning on the balcony with his hands clasped in front of him and looking at me like he always did. Sure it was intense and made me feel like I was in a vortex he created, but I saw him look at other people like that. What do people see that I don't? A smile crossed his lips.

"You have to share her sometimes, Tate," Alice called up to him playfully. "You get her all night."

Tate's eyes flipped to Alice. "You're right. I do. Don't play games with me, Alice." There was an edge of humor in his voice like he knew she was trying to get a rise out of him.

"He's looking at you the same way," I whispered. "So congratulations."

Alice chuckled, thinking I was joking. "I wish. Well not with him, but you know what I mean. Can we please mess with him? It's so fun to watch."

"Sure," I laughed. Tate rarely ever got flustered, so she'd have to try hard.

She slipped her hands around my ass and grinned. "Never mind. Devin's going to kick you out so we can spend the night together. We missed each other so much this summer. You can bunk with Matt."

Tate shifted his weight to his other leg as his eyes jumped to my ass where Alice was jiggling it.

I saw it—a flash—something sharp and blazing for a split second in his eyes before he muttered something I couldn't make out and pushed himself off the railing, disappearing inside.

"See! That still hasn't gotten old." She laughed and slapped my butt. "Now go comfort him and tell him he's the only person in the world. Y'all are so cute it's disgusting."