Ring of Love

Punch

Ally's Pov:

It wasn't for another hour when I finally found Claire and Zoe sitting on the back patio with a few other students.

When the guys brought us to this party house, I knew it was big, but the fact that they also have a huge back patio definitely gives it some brownie points.

"Ally!!!!" Zoe yells when she sees me walking to them with Axel following shortly behind.

We had decided to get some fresh air after the kitchen started to get a bit overcrowded. I also think Axel was starting to get annoyed with all the students who kept bumping into us and interrupting our conversations to talk to him.

I don't know how he does it, I don't think I could handle having to respond to the same questions over and over again. I get he's this top notch, popular boxer, but no one had even asked him anything other than his boxing status.

I completely understand now why he gets frustrated with it, I would be too.

Axel always handles it well though, he knows how to quickly end a conversation in a span of a few words.

Me on the other hand, I have trouble ending conversations with the fear of hurting some else's feelings.

Although they had drinks in their hands, Claire and Zoe didn't seem to be that drunk, which was a bit of a surprise since Zoe is a light weight like me.

I wasn't that drunk either, mainly because I decided to slow down my drinking to carry a civil conversation with Axel.

"What are you two strangers doing out here?" I joke, taking a seat beside them on the grass.

"Getting fresh air. It got so crowded we couldn't even move." Zoe answers.

"That's why we came out here also. We kept getting shoved around with students going in and out of the kitchen." I say.

"I overheard one of guys from this frat say that they are going to start kicking people out if they didn't know them, but I don't think that's going to work since students are just sneaking through the back anyways. We also lost Dylan and Bryce when making our way back here, but I'm sure they are probably still dancing." Claire says, filling me in.

"How drunk are they on a scale from one to 'we need to head back now'?" Axel asks, continuing to stand since he probably knew the answer to his question already.

"We should definitely bring back two plastic bags with us, just in case." Claire answers, causing Axel to groan while rubbing the side of his face.

"Alright, I'll go get them. Stay out here so nothing happens since the house is crowded." He adds, before heading back in to find them.

Just as he is out of sight, both Zoe and Claire turn towards me with matching grins.

"What?" I ask, after a couple of seconds of them just creepily grinning at me.

Obviously, I knew what this was about.

"So, you and Axel?" Zoe starts off, nudging my shoulder with hers.

"We are-...."

"I swear if you say just friends, I'm punching you." Claire adds, crossing her arms over her chest.

I throw my hands up in defense, "It's technically the truth though."

She punches my arm.

"All I'm trying to say is that we are in a good place right now, and if being friends is the only way to maintain it, then I'll be fine with just that. But...."

"But...." Claire drags out, looking at me intensely.

"But if he wanted to be something more, I wouldn't particularly mind." I shrug my shoulders while Zoe and Claire squeal from beside me.