Noah sat nervously in a circle of peers, hands clenched as a bottle spun in the middle of the dorm room. The bottle slowly stopped, landing on a girl named Mel. Noah let out a deep breath. If that bottle had moved a few more inches, it would have been Rachel.
"Fuck..." Jack said, looking at Rachel with hungry eyes.
"Don't look so sad Jack, you still get make out with me," Mel said, leaning forward into the center of the circle.
"Yeah yeah..." Jack stared at her a moment before glancing back over at Rachel. Then he leaned toward Mel, beer in hand, and promptly stuck his tongue down her throat. His eyes never left Rachel as his hand wrapped around Mel's neck. Mel hungrily kissed Jack back, nearly headbutting him in the process.
But why wouldn't she? After all, this was Jack. He was one of the hottest, wealthiest students at Godfrey. His only rivals also happened to be his best friends.
Ethan, Luke, and Mike.
All of whom now sat in the spin-the-bottle circle with Noah and Rachel. Noah often remarked that when the four were together, they looked like a boy band. Rachel found it just as funny as he did.
Jack was the traditionally handsome rich whiteboy, and he was a master at flaunting his wealth in humble ways. He was chiseled, lean, and dark-featured. Of all his friends, Jack was certainly the brightest. Even now, as he aggressively made out with Mel, Noah could tell the wheels were turning in his mind. It was a stark contrast to Mike, who sat next to Jack with a goofy grin slung across his face.
"Fuck Jack, how long are you going to take?" Mike's words were slurred, Noah was honestly surprised he was even coherent after the amount of shots he'd pounded back.
If Jack was the suave intelligent group leader, Mike was the simple-minded sidekick. Though Mike made up for it with his bulking muscles, faded haircut, and revealing clothing. Without a doubt, Mike was the most physically attractive of the four.
Jack pulled away from Mel, who leaned back in a stupor and giggled with her friend. "Am I detecting jealousy?" He asked.
Mike snorted. "The fuck would I be jealous for? Mel!" Mike leaned over to the overly-tanned brunette. Mel, who was equally tipsy, squinted at him.
"What?!"
"Fuckin... make out with me," Mike said. Strangely, his complete lack of candor worked well for him. Without hesitation, Mel shrugged and immediately locked lips with Mike. It took only a few seconds before his hands trailed up Mel's shirt and began fondling her C-Cup breasts. It seemed Mike made it a point to act purely on instinct, and strangely, Noah admired him for it.
"You're fucking disgusting Mike," Ethan, the group's all-star college athlete, said. Mike pulled himself away from Mel, a string of saliva trailing off their lips and falling into the circle's center.
"What?! Jack was just doin' it!" Mike shouted.
"At least have some tact. Fuck man, Rachel are you seeing this guy?!" Ethan asked. He leaned closer to her as his eyes drifted up and down her body.
Noah had seen it before. Any chance Ethan had to speak to Rachel, he would. Noah had found them alone on more than one occasion. While Noah could see it, Rachel seemed oblivious to what Ethan was trying to do. Even now, she simply let out a warm laugh while enjoying the moment.
"Oh I'm seeing, Mike... you are very very gross," Rachel said. Ethan leaned over and nudged her shoulder.
"We seriously can't take this guy anywhere," Ethan wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her tightly. He held her for a moment too long before letting Rachel go.
"Oh, he's not that bad," Rachel countered.
"He is, in fact, that bad," Jack said.
Luke, the quietest of the four let out a soft laugh. "You're one to talk Jack."
Ethan looked at him with surprise. "The hell you talking about man?"
Luke smirked. "I can't take you three anywhere."
"Shut the fuck up, you barely come out as it is," Jack said.
"Now you see why," Luke replied blandly. He looked at Noah and gave him a knowing smile.
Noah always wondered how Luke had found his way into Jack's crew. Sure, he was handsome, in fact often it seemed like Luke got the most attention when the four were in a room. But his moody demeanor, tattooed arms, and painted nails made him an odd fit.
"Luke, I think you need to get your friends in line. They are getting rowdy," Rachel said as she swooped underneath Ethan's attempt at another side hug and scooted closer to Noah.
"You're asking the impossible," Luke replied, taking a swig of his beer before leaning his head against the wall.
"Very funny Luke. So are you getting in on this next round or what?" Ethan asked. Luke shook his head.
"After seeing you and Mike kiss twice, I think I'm good. I'm surprised you have the willpower to keep going" Luke said.
"Don't listen to that guy, we have to keep playing," Jack insisted. "One more round, at least one more."
"Agreed. Mel, Kate, you two doin' this or...." Mike said. The pair of rosey-cheeked girls looked at each other before collectively giggling.
"Sure..." Mel said.
While it was masked in an innocent game, Noah could see what was happening. The group had already spun the bottle six times, but the bottle hadn't landed on Rachel. It was clear the game wasn't going to stop until it did.
As Noah fixated on the green bottle in the center of the room, He felt Rachel squeeze his arm tightly.
"This is so exciting! I'm so happy I'm getting a chance to do this," Rachel whispered into Noah's ear. Noah could smell the alcohol on her breath, but her smile was innocent and genuine. She was having the time of her life.
"I'm so glad babe," Noah replied.
