The Popularity Project » l.h.

7. Luke Tipsy Hemmings

S T E L L A

"I don't even like beer."

"No one really likes beer."

I rolled my eyes jokingly, attempting to slip away from Luke but he kept a firm but gentle hold on my wrist. "But it doesn't matter 'cause you're still playing."

Luke managed to guide me through the herd of drunk teenagers, clutching my wrist firmly as he pulled me into the brisk air of Tyler's backyard. I never played beer pong, nor have I ever wanted to play but I also never thought I'd end up here in the first place so tonight is full of surprises.

"Don't be scared of them," Luke nudged me as he spoke about the boys playing the game in front of me, "they're pretty slammed already so this is a perfect time to teach you."

Why did Luke feel the need to teach me the drunken party educate? Hell if I knew, but he was being nice about it and I was just glad I wasn't alone. Knowing this crowd, the type of person I am, and the fact that I lost all my other friends in the time span of 0.2 seconds, I would've bolted through the doors to go home if it wasn't for Luke. But here I am, learning drunken teenage etiquette from the tall, blonde boy that had only known me for a few weeks.

"Lucas Hemmotins, back for more I see?" One of the guys said from the opposite side of the table. He was one of Calum's friends, as I tempered him from the unfortunate hallway encounter. "If you wanted to drink beer, you should've just stayed in the kitchen."

Luke emitted a soft chuckle to himself, just loud enough for me to hear. "Say what you want, Bryce. I got this in the bag, especially with the help of Stella over here."

"Well we'll see about that." Bryce's eyebrows raised, though his eyes remained hooded as he was definitely intoxicated from the serval previous matches that he played with the rest of the boys. I didn't understand why he was still playing, as I had the feeling that he was on a losing streak due to how he could barely stand up straight.

"The objective is simple." Luke began, dunking an orange ping pong ball into a clean cup of water before picking it up again. "Get the ball in their cups, they drink. They get the ball in your cups, you drink."

I nodded, looking down at the triangle of red plastic cups in front of me. The levels of beer were definitely uneven and some cups already had lipstick stains from the games before. It was gross but so is parties and I was here for the whole experience.

"I'll go first and then you can go after me, okay?" Luke looked down at me with a soft smile, reassuring me in a way that I'll get the hang of this soon even though I have barely any hand-eye coordination and terrible aim.

I watched his posture and the way he tilted his chin up slightly. His jaw protruded out more than it already was, his icy eyes slender and focused. He was so interesting to observe and someone who enjoyed being watched, it was obvious. Luke's confidence shined through the littlest things, just in the way his arm and wrist were steady as he flicked the little ball into the first cup at the point of Bryce's triangle.

"First shot is dog shit, Hemmings. You know that." Bryce stammered, awkwardly trying to pick out the ball out of the beer he had to drink.

I hear Luke laugh beside me, looking down at me again but shooting a wink my way. It was playful and subtle as I read it in a non-flirtatious way. Nevertheless, I felt a buzz in my stomach and I could feel the cheeks getting hotter. I don't believe that one hard soda should make me feel buzzed but I blamed my feels on that orange bottle.

After Bryce's failed attempt to sink the ping pong ball and accidentally bouncing it off the table and into a girl's shirt, Luke cleaned the ball before handing it over to me.