Social Experiment

44 | Pong Championship

Another lovely chapter for my lovely readers! Just a side note: if you want to make a cover for this story, message me and I'll happily put it up! Comment & Vote!
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With sounds of Van Morrison floating through the speakers, I raise the red solo cup to my lips, and relish in the cold and deliciously familiar vodka cranberry. My toes involuntarily dig deeper into the warm sand as my senses fill with only pleasantry. 

The sun that hung in the middle of the sky was warming my skin all over while my cold drink hydrated me. Tess was lying in the middle of the floating dock in the water as she tanned and the guys were currently invested in a very important game of beer pong by the house, which left me soaking up the sun beside the lake. 

It felt as if everything was going so right that I half feared something was about to go wrong. However, I pushed the discomforting feeling of foreboding into the back of my mind and thought again of how amazing the past two days have been with the perfect weather, company, music, and drinks. 

As I continue lounging, I let the lapping of the water mix with the soft instrumental sounds until they lull me into relaxation. My perfect background music is cut through by the guys hooting and hollering from the picnic table by the house and, seconds later, I hear my name being called. 

"Lauren!" I recognize the slight slur in Asher's voice as he beckons me toward the picnic table. "Get your butt over here!" 

I peer at the boys from the top of my sunglasses and see the scattered cups on top of the picnic table in front of them. They all call me over in the same manner and I grab my drink before pulling myself out of the beach chair so I could head over. 

"We were playing one on one but it's easier with two against two," Vincent explains as I approach the table. 

"So can you play with us?" Nathan finishes hopefully and with his most charming smile. 

Little did they know, I spent all summer last year playing this exact game with Luke and Cole, and I was basically a trained professional. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. So, upon hearing their proposition, a wicked grin appears on my lips. 

"Okay," I agree gleefully. "What are the teams?" 

Asher suddenly reaches out and grabs Nathan's arm, yanking him toward his side of the table, and cries, "I call Nathan. Vincent sucks at pong."

Vincent, the only one not in sunglasses, narrows his eyes at Asher. "I do not suck."

Nate and Asher begin laughing mockingly and I roll my eyes at them. It was just going to be that much sweeter to beat them if they were going to trash talk my partner. 

"Come on Vince," I say confidently. "Let's kick their ass."

Vincent and Asher begin resetting the cups on their respective ends of the table, but Nathan just stands there with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his lips. "Those are fighting words, sweetheart."

"Didn't I say we were going to be a couple that doesn't use pet names?" I ask rhetorically with raised eyebrows. "And besides," I smirk at him once more. "I can talk big if I'm going to win."

Nathan welcomes my challenge with one of his own in the form of a threatening step toward me. "We'll see about that." 

"We will," I say confidently as I match his step, bringing us toe to toe. "Good luck. You're going to need it." 

Nathan smirked at me as if my sureness merely amused him, and he leans down to me until we were inches apart, and I felt my confidence waver. My breath hitches as he brings his lips toward mine, but they brush past mine and instead I feel his breath fan across my ear.