The red solo cup made a sharp crackling sound as Chloe crushed it in her hands. She took the balled-up mess of plastic and tossed it through the air. It sailed with a perfect arc and swished into the trash can.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. Everything was going her way. She had just turned 18, had taken first place at the high school swim meet earlier, and was now at one the biggest parties of the year. She still had her hot pink swim uniform on under her clothing.
Chloe normally didn't drink much, but tonight was a special occasion. She was a little bit of a celebrity. Maybe it was just her inflated imagination, but it seemed like everyone at the party knew her name.
With her finished drink successfully disposed of, she found a nearby empty couch and sat down heavily.
She was normally very coordinated and light on her feet, but she was exhausted from the long day and the small amount of alcohol in her system was wearing her down.
She laid her head back and focused on her breathing, willing the room to stop spinning. She'd only had a few drinks, but her small body didn't even break 130 pounds, even when her long blonde hair was soaked from the pool.
The long day was catching up to her and she caught herself nodding off as she rested. She forced herself to wake up and looked around at the mess from the party.
The night was winding down, it looked like most of the kids had already left. Only the brothers that lived there and a few other seniors were still hanging around into the late hours of the night.
She decided she'd had enough for one night and was ready to head home. As she approached the front door, a hand reached out to stop her.
Adam, the older of the two brothers, blocked her way.
He spoke up, "Hey Chloe, you're not leaving already are you? The party is just getting started, now that all the losers have gone home."
"Yeah," Chloe replied. "It's late and finals are starting soon. I think I'm going to head home and try to study a little before bed."
Adam shook his head and said, "No way. It's too early. Come on, we just set up this awesome drinking game. You should join us!"
Chloe hesitated and paused in the doorway. Adam WAS one of the most popular guys at her school. He was already 19 and had a car and everything.
He continued, "Come on, just one game with us and then you can go."
Chloe sighed internally, but finally broke down and nodded her agreement.
"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Follow me!"
He led her into the massive kitchen area, where several other students had gathered around a set of red solo cups. She recognized all of them as seniors. Adam and his brother were there, as were two other girls.
They were sitting in a circle on the floor with five cups between them. She was the fifth person, and the fifth cup was for her.
Adam took her by the shoulder and guided her to an empty spot in the circle. She sat down and looked over the cups. All five were filled with clear liquid.
"Okay," Adam said. "Here's the rules. Four of these cups are filled with water. One is filled with vodka. We mixed them up, so nobody knows which is which. On the count of three, you pick your drink up and drink! Simple!"
Chloe sighed. More alcohol. Just what she didn't need. She hoped the cup in front of her was water. She could drink, and then go home.
