His Secret Obsession

Chapter 4-Just One Drink

I weaved through the sea of people and eventually found the sweeping staircase and swiftly marched up the steps, heading towards Mack's room. I have been here so many times, it was like my second home. I was probably here more than Mackenzie has been in the last six months, seriously.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of laughter and froze right on the spot..crap..I didn't realize Stephanie would be here too. Stephanie Moore was Mackenzie's other 'bestie'. Stephanie and Mackenzie met last year at college. Stephanie is pretty much the blonde version of Mack. Which would make you think we get along right?

Wrong..she seems to despise me, greatly.

I took a deep breath, debating if I should just go home now and cut my losses when the sound of someone approaching made me turn around.

I felt my eyes widen as I stared at the towering figure now walking down the hallway.

Asher. What the hell was he doing here?

He walked up towards me and I stumbled back, pressing my body against the wall.

"Sorry." I blurted, mentally kicking myself for apologizing like an i***t. What the hell was I sorry for? Just standing here?

Asher nodded his head and walked past me, heading toward Carson's room, not even saying a word. Which was fine with me, because let's be honest, what is there to say?

I couldn't help but watch his broad back as he slipped his hands into his pockets before rolling his shoulders smoothly. The movement caused his muscles to tense as I swear my jaw almost hit the floor. Of course he was wearing a black fitted t-shirt that had to be made for him.

Did I forget to mention that he had to be at least 6' 8" now? Yeah, he definitely is a God.

The sound of giggling brought me back to reality and I knew I needed to face what was behind that door. I was here for Mack afterall, I can't let Stephanie ruin that for me.

I took a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm myself down as I tilted my head back against the wall, trying to psych myself up. You can do this. I haven't seen my best friend in weeks and I really did miss her. Damn, why didn't I just stay home and hope Ronan would have been online. That sounded like the better option now.

I pushed off the wall, my eyes still closed when I suddenly ran into a solid object, making me gasp. I snapped my head back before looking up as I soon realized I was now face to chest with Asher.

"Everything okay?" He asked cooly, peering down at me with his steely gaze.

I blinked up at him, my cheeks growing red as embarrassment filled me. He probably thought I was some kind of weirdo. Maybe he didn't even remember who I was. I suppressed the laugh that was bubbling up from the mere idea.

"Yeah, just psyching myself up." I explained awkwardly and he just continued to stare down at me, his hands in his pockets as he towered high above.

"Nice shirt." He blurted out, making me look down at my shirt in confusion. Wait, did he just say he liked my shirt? That was unusual, especially for Asher.

"Uhh..thanks." I whispered, the air growing thick as I looked up at him once more.

My hazel eyes burned into his silver, his gaze causing a chill to tremble though me as I realized I had never been this close to Asher before. God he smelled good. Almost like the ocean.

My heart began to beat erratically and my stomach twisted into a knot, leaving me tongue tied.

Really, what the hell is going on tonight? Did he not remember who I was or something? I swear he has never talked to me this much in my life. The last time I saw him was a few months ago.. maybe he didn't recognize me.

"It's me, Emery by the way, Mackenzie's friend." The words came tumbling out of my mouth, unsure of why I even said them. I guess it's just hard for me to believe that Asher McNeal would talk to me so willingly. He just looked down at me, confused.

"I know who you are." He stated with a cold tone, seeming offended by what I said.

"Oh yeah, of course. I just wasn't sure if you remembered or something. I better go, Mack is waiting for me." This was so awkward. Why did I even say that?!

Before he could say anything else I quickly turned and walked straight up to Mackenzie's door, not even knocking as I opened it and slid in.

"Oh my god Em!" Mack squealed loudly, startling me as she ran over and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Holy s**t, you look amazing!" She exclaimed, pulling back and looking down at me, taking in my full appearance

.

"I missed you so much." I sighed, meaning every word as I hugged her once more. Her sweet floral perfume swirling around me as I looked over her shoulder, seeing Stephanie staring at us with an annoyed look on her beautiful face.

"I missed you too. Now come over here and let's get you ready." She smirked, making me blink in confusion.

"But, I am ready." I looked down at my outfit, thinking I didn't look that bad.

Then I glanced at Mack and Stephanie's outfits, my eyes widening at what they were wearing.

Mack wore a short white jean skirt that went down to her thighs and a crop top with a neckline that went straight across her arms, baring her shoulders. Her shoes were strappy heels and of course, she completed the outfit with a black choker necklace that had a small silver heart dangling from it, she was stunning as usual.

Stephanie wore a baby pink strapless dress with a fluffy type feather situation on the top. Her long bronzed legs were bare for all to see and her pink heels matched perfectly. No way in hell I could keep up with them..

"Em, you cannot wear that.. seriously." Stephanie chimed in, giving me her signature side eye as she pulled at her high ponytail and checked herself out in the mirror.

"Come on Em, this is your first party. You have to dress up pleeease. Especially with how hard you have worked..we can't have you hiding this new curvalicious body." Mack held my hand, pulling me towards her massive walk-in closet.

I'm talking HUGE people..like bigger than my room at home. It has a shoe wall, purse wall, with racks and racks of clothes. Since she is a part-time model a lot of times she gets to take the clothes she wears home afterward.

This will be the first time I have ever been able to even wear anything from her closet, well we will see. Mack is a size small and I am definitely a medium with my full chest and curvy butt.

As soon as we walked into the closet the lights turned on and anxiety filled me.

Oh god..why.

She started sifting through the wracks and pulled out a couple of items. I nixed the mini skirts right away. No way in hell could I pull that off. I didn't even shave my legs this morning.

She finally settled on a pair of tight leather skinny jeans and a satin black top with thick straps that hung off my shoulders.

Passing them to me I quickly pulled them on. Surprisingly they actually fit. I buttoned up the pants and slipped on the top which made me have to take off my bra. I gasped as I stepped in front of the mirror. The woman before me was almost unrecognizable.

I looked sexy.

Not only that, I looked beautiful. The satin top fit me perfectly although my cleavage was clearly hanging out more than I was comfortable with and the pants clung tightly to my thighs and hips.

I slipped on my yellow Converse and walked out.

As soon as Stephanie and Mack laid their eyes on me I swear their mouths dropped.

"Holy s**t Em you look hot!" Mack squealed, bringing me over to her vanity as she started applying some makeup on my face.

"Maybe tonight you will actually lose your virginity." Stephanie chimed in, making me gulp as I met her gaze in the mirror.

"Steph, baby steps. We don't want to throw her to the sharks, yet. Plus, you know Carson is going to be on patrol." Mack frowned, knowing how protective her brother is.

Mack actually has the biggest crush on Craig Stevens. He is one of Carson and Asher's teammates. She has wanted to get with him for almost a year now and Carson has put a complete stop to it. Which I kind of get. I wouldn't want one of my friends sleeping with my sister either. Things could get messy.

"Okay, come on, let's all take a shot before we go down stairs." Stephanie added excitedly, bringing out a bottle of tequila from her bag.

I bit my lip anxiously, watching as Stephanie took a swig of the bottle and swallowed it quickly, not even reacting like it was a shot of water. She passed it to Mack and she took her own swig. Her reaction was more of a gasp as she scrunched up her face making a disgusted noise as she glared at Stephanie who just shrugged.

They both looked at me, the guilt rising up inside of me as what I told my dad echoed through my mind. I had never drank before. Yeah maybe a sip or two from my uncle's beer but nothing like this. We are still only nineteen. If something happens we could get in big trouble.

"Come on Em, just one drink won’t hurt." Mack said with her sad puppy eyes, while she passed me the bottle. Hey perfectly glossed lips pouting as she batted her eyelashes at me. “Pleeease.”

"Okay, just one." I nodded, causing both girls to clap happily.

I lifted the bottle to my lips, tilting it back as the amber liquid flooded into my mouth. It took everything in me not to spit it right back out. I swallowed the burning tasting drink and began coughing immediately.

"Ah, that was horrible." I gasped, handing the bottle back as Mack laughed.

Suddenly I heard a small ping from my phone. I walked over towards my purse as the alcohol made its way down and burned in my stomach. The taste was so horrible I still had a frown stuck on my face as I grabbed my phone.

Mack began playing a song on her Bluetooth speaker as they took another shot from the bottle. I couldn’t help but shake my head while glancing down at my phone.

Dad: You doing okay bug?

Crap, I completely forgot to text my dad.

Em: Yeah all good, just hanging out with Mack and Stephanie in her room.

Dad: Okay, love you kiddo. Call me if you need anything.

Em: I love you too Dad, and I will.

I was about to put my phone back when I noticed I had a message on my chatting app that connected me with my gaming friends.

Ronan74: Hey, how's your night going?

I blinked down at the screen in surprise.

Holy s**t, Ronan messaged me. He was wondering how my night was going. I couldn't hide the humongous smile that now pulled at my lips as Mack came over and plopped down next to me on the bed, glancing at my phone.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked suspiciously as she looked down at the screen.

"Oh, your gaming guy." She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What? He's really nice.." I grumbled sheepishly while typing a response to him.

Katina: It's going good, just hanging with my friends. Wishing I was home already so I can log into the game. Haha.

"What gaming guy?" Stephanie asked while fixing her eyeliner in the mirror.

She was being more friendly than usual. Most times she just ignores me.

"Oh this guy she met on her nerd game that she has the hots for but hasn't even seen a picture of." Mack said with a smirk and I couldn't help but glare at her.

"We are just friends." I mumbled, trying to play it off like it was nothing. Even though I really did have a huge crush on him, more than I would like to admit.

I saw Ronan’s name pop up again as another response came through.

Ronan74: That bad huh?

Katina: Just not my usual scene, lots of people. Tall athletic people,haha.

Ronan74: Sounds horrible. Tall athletic people are the worst.

Katina: Yeah, it doesn't help that they all play basketball too. Gotta Google a lot of stuff just to understand the simplest conversations. Who knew guys would like talking about balls so much. Basketballs that is.

I smirked, trying to hold in the laugh that wanted to escape me.

Ronan74: Well, you can keep talking with me. I won’t mention a single word about balls, unless you ask me to of course.

I swear I almost choked on the gasp that I inhaled. I felt my cheeks starting to warm as Mack suddenly bumped into me, prompting me to hide my phone. She didn’t need to see that.

"Come on Em, we're ready." She said with excitement and I nodded, my head already feeling fuzzy just from that one drink. Well, maybe from Ronan’s text too.

The girls made me take another shot before we walked out the door and I decided I would stay the night for sure and texted my dad, promising I would be responsible. Which I planned on being. Two shots shouldn't derail that, right?

That’s when I noticed another message from Ronan came in and read it quickly.

Ronan74: Also, maybe stay away from those guys. It sounds like they have issues.

Katina: Honestly, I wish I was on the game with you instead. That sounds much more fun.

Okay, that was pretty forward. Is this why they call it liquid courage? Because honestly, I feel amazing. Like I can say whatever I want and not even feel slightly nervous about it.

I kind of like this.

We walked down the stairs and I swear a hush filled the room. Everyone's eyes seemed to be drawn to Mackenzie and Stephanie like always as I just followed behind them.

I kept my head down while checking my phone as I felt it vibrate in my hand.

Ronan74: Really? You would rather be on the game with me?

I bit my lip, staring at his words as I blindly continued to follow the girls. Hearing a few comments I had grown used to hearing whenever Mackenzie entered a room full of guys.

"Wow, she is hot." One guy said.

"Holy shit." Another added.

"Shut the f**k up before we get in trouble, you know what Carson said." Another guy hissed.

I just tuned them out after that, following Mack toward the kitchen.

Katina: Yeah, I really like playing with you. I even get all excited whenever I see you are online.

Wow.. Trixie would be proud. Who knew I just needed a few shots of tequila to finally make the move.

"Here, do this jello shot with us!" Mack shoved a small plastic cup in my hand as I peered down at the orange jiggling blob.

"How do I do this? Do I chew it?" I asked in confusion, hearing a loud laugh coming from behind us.

"If you want to, but it's easier if you just swallow it." Ethan chimed in, appearing out of nowhere. I looked up at him as he stood next to me. His hand magically finding its way around my shoulders again.

He seems to do that a lot.

"I've been looking for you everywhere.. You look f*****g amazing by the way." He whispered against my ear, the smell of alcohol clearly on his breath. I won’t lie though, his compliment caused my cheeks to warm instantly.

“Um, thanks.” I squeaked, glancing towards a shocked Mack and Stephanie.

"This is Ethan. He helped me carry the soda in." I rushed, expecting that to be enough of an explanation for them.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Stephanie but you can call me Steph." Stephanie purred while fluttering her eyelashes before reaching out and touching Ethan’s arm seductively.

Her flirt game was clearly going into overdrive. Surprisingly it didn’t seem to have any effect though. Ethan just nodded and continued to look down at me, eyeing the shot in my hand.

"Why don't we do it together?" He offered, grabbing a shot for himself as I couldn't help but feel nervous. Why did I have a bad feeling about this?

Before I could protest, Mack tapped her cup against mine.

"Cheers bitches!" She shouted, causing everyone to cheer and take their shot.

Ethan looked at me as he slid the plastic cup back, swallowing the jello whole.

"Just like that." He winked and I smiled nervously, feeling like everyone was watching me. I tilted the cup to my lips, letting it fall into my mouth and swallowing it whole. The texture was weird as I felt it go all the way down, making a shiver tremble through me. At least the taste was sweet.

Ethan grabbed the cup and replaced it with one more. Suddenly I felt something behind me, that tingling sensation I felt earlier returning as I turned slightly, my eyes meeting with those cold silver ones. He had his phone out and was watching me intently.

"Come on Em, one more, and then you can teach me a few things on the court like you promised." Ethan teased, making me turn my head and slam the jello shot back quickly.

The room was so loud that it was hard to focus. Everyone was laughing and talking when my phone vibrated in my hand again.

Ronan74: Seems to me like you're having fun.

My stomach dropped.. Crap, did I miss something he said and ignored it? Worry filled me as I quickly stepped out of Ethan's arm, prompting him to look down at me with a frown.

"I just have to use the restroom real quick." He looked into my eyes and nodded.

What was going on? I felt my head begin to spin and hurriedly walked towards the bathroom seeing there was a long line. So instead I decided to just try and get some fresh air.

That’s when my gaze locked eyes with Carson. Crap, this wasn’t good.

Asher was whispering something into his ear, making Carson frown. He had his arm around a red-headed girl and quickly pulled away from her as he barreled toward me.

Yeah, this wasn't good.. not good at all.