Page 49 of Out in the Open

He held his cup in place. Edge. Fingertips.

Lorna positioned her cup with ease and relaxed precision, like she’d done this a million times. Maybe she had.

Ethan inhaled and steadied his fingertips. His body entered a state of calm as he flicked his fingers. The cup flew in the air and time stood still. Ethan held his breath, watching the cup spin.

And it stuck the landing! Ethan threw up his hands and cheered, screaming as loud as his teammates.

“You got this!” he said to Sahil. Who did, quite easily. He chugged and flipped in a matter of seconds.

“Yes! WOO!” Sahil high-fived Ethan so hard his fingers almost snapped off.

Ethan’s team fistbumped each other. One girl hugged him tight. Lorna was not a sore loser at all.

“Not bad for a first timer. I’m glad I could pop your cherry,” she said. “But now it’s time to kick your ass.”

“Wait. That was your first time?” Sahil asked.

Ethan nodded.

“Holy shit! You’re like a fucking savant or something. My first time it took me like five minutes to flip the fucker.”

Ethan shrugged. “I have a gift.” Sahil slapped his back. This time, Ethan braced for impact.

“Yeah, you do!”

“We playing again?” Ethan asked the table.

And they played a few more rounds. By the fifth game, Ethan forgot how sour the beer tasted. He forgot about everything. His body felt lighter, filled up like a helium balloon. In a game break to change the keg, Ethan rested his arm on Lorna’s shoulder.

“Having a good time?” she asked.

He clinked his cup against hers and finished his beer.

Φ

“G,” Lorna said, flicking her eyes at a tall, blond guy pouring himself a screwdriver.

Ethan shifted his eyes up to get a look. He was cute, with freckles dotting his face, and he had this jovial way about him that Ethan could tell he was gay. Hence, the G. It wasn’t the most subtle code, but for two drunk sophomores at a tailgate, it worked.

Lorna waved and greeted him with a “hey, sexy.”

He was unfazed and hugged her.

“Dean, I want you to meet Ethan.” Lorna waved her cup at Ethan; beer splattered onto the pavement.

But Ethan had already spotted another G. Greg was a few cars over with his fraternity. A banner with their Greek letters hung across the side of a black SUV. Greg chilled in the corner by the keg with some of his brothers, but he spotted Ethan quickly. Ethan wondered if he’d caught him staring or if Greg had known he was here the whole time.Blame it on the alcohol. Whatever was going on, blame it on the alcohol.

Lorna snapped a finger in front of Ethan’s face. It startled him, but it still took a delayed moment for him to face her.

“Shouldn’t the game be starting by now?” Ethan asked, apropos of nothing.

“It’s only nine-thirty,” Dean said with a laugh. Not a hearty laugh like Greg. Ethan wasn’t going to play this game with himself. “Kickoff isn’t until eleven.”

“Wow. You guys start early,” he said.

“Some people started tailgating at seven-thirty.”

“Some started last night,” Lorna said. Her face changed as she figured out who was hogging Ethan’s eyeline.