The Three Slips

Chapter 2

As Sam watched Eve leave- weaving through the crowd and away from him- a cold, heavy sensation gripped his chest. He attempted a deep breath but found the action unsatisfying.

This girl was going to torment him for the rest of his life if he didn't do something about her. She'd already been a constant in his thoughts since he was three.

"Dude- I call dibs on that." Dominick 'Nik' Anastas's voice cut through Sam's engrossed concentration.

He pitched a glacial glare at his host. "What?"

"That- Eve- I call dibs." Nik lifted his chin in the direction where she'd disappeared. "I have been wanting to hit that since junior year at Webster High."

This was the girl he loved, the girl he was going to marry. And Nik Anastas was going to 'hit that.'

Sam made up his mind in fourth grade when she wore a leprechaun costume to school for St. Patrick's Day and handed out rocks spray painted with gold paint. She gave the rocks to the socially awkward kids first; she was always doing things like that, befriending the underdog, taking on charity cases.

Sam shifted with purpose, straightened to his full height, "No."

Nik frowned, his gaze was laced with confusion as was his voice, "No? No what?"

"No. You do not have dibs."

"I don't..." Nik blinked and he shook his head, "Dude, Sam- do you- are you still into her?"

Sam's jaw ticked but he didn't respond.

People flocked to Eve because she was beautiful and intelligent and kind and made them feel good. He'd always watched her from the periphery but it was understood- by everyone- that she was off limits, that she belonged to him, with him. He'd never said the words distinctly; rather, he emanated a deliberate yet unstated undercurrent of possessiveness

Everyone just knew.

All through their school years other guys had readily befriended her. No one ever boyfriended her.

"How long are you going to post these no trespassing signs without doing anything?" Nik licked his lips, it was an anxious gesture, and leaned forward just slightly- presumably so that no one would overhear, "I thought by now you would have either given in or given up."

Sam glared at his once close friend and stuffed his hands in his leather jacket, "Back off." The warning sounded like a growl because it was a growl.

Nik help up his hands, "Ok, ok- I get it. But you should know that tonight, at the lake house, the private party is going to be-" Nik's eyes focused on a spot over Sam's shoulder, he sighed, "There are going to be an equal number of girls and guys and we'll be playing some... party... games."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Why don't you just say it."

"Fine." Nik's attention moved back to Sam's, "We're going to be playing 'Three Slips.' I already have the girls' names written down and the locations in the house where people will go. Once the girls get there they'll write down the forfeits."

Sam was familiar with this game.

The basic premise was that each guy would pick three strips of paper. One strip had a girl's name on it; another had a location around the house- could be a bedroom or a closet or under a table... or on top of a table; the third slip had a written forfeit, each girl would write down something that they were willing to do with any of the guys in the room.

This usually ranged from taking off an article of clothing to playing a drinking game to giving or receiving a back massage. The forfeits were typically tame; however, what they ultimately led to- when you added a dark, enclosed space and alcohol to the mix, were typically less than tame. Each guy/girl pair had to spend one hour together. At the one hour point the pair could opt to stay where they were- with their current partner- or go back to the main room and draw three slips again.