Vibe Check Part 6
The Party Never Dies
The Frat Boy Au
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Beer tastes like ash when Steve is mad at him. He says he isn’t but there’s something about the way he’s acting, the way he always has his head in his phone now, hardly wants to hang out… it’s driving Billy crazy.
But beer is beer and the bass is heavy and he’s looking at Jason Carver wondering how he didn’t see it.
Jason is dancing with Eddie Munson and girls Eddie procured from nowhere, part of an endless parade. Tinashe is pounding from the speakers, and a girl is grinding against Carver’s jeans and he looks just sort of vaguely embarrassed by the whole thing. his hands keep jumping around the girl’s body like he’s not sure what to do with himself.
Munson is cackling, conjuring another girl out of thin air, and he doesn’t seem to notice Carver’s discomfort at all, which explains one thing at least.
Carver was still awfully bold leaving the lube and hardcore dvd out in his bedside table with his loudmouth of a roommate. But Munson probably knows. Has to know, right?
It would explain why Carver doesn’t seem to care about Munson’s girlfriend, if Munson is covering for his secret too. Billy hasn’t seen Carver on the apps but he seems like a real one trick pony so he probably has some secret boyfriend.
Billy’s not sure if he wants to do anything about it yet, but he also isn’t sure he wants to do nothing either. It’s not like Steve is around to talk to anymore, not really.
Billy drifts away from the dance floor back to the kitchen where Steve is holding court. He has a huge bucket out, like the sort you might wash a large dog in, and he’s pouring in bottles with reckless abandon. A little of this, little of that. He turns to Billy, and the smile on his face falls off.
Steve brought a girl. Or this girl has been hanging around him, Billy can’t say. She sidles up to Billy now, eyes curious.
“Can I get you another?” She asks.
He frowns, “Isn’t that my line?”
She blinks at him, “come on, it’s no bother.”
He downs the rest of his beer and shrugs, handing his bottle over.
She half climbs around Steve’s mess of bottles, hand lingering on his shoulder. She doesn’t look like Steve’s usual type, black polished chipped on her fingers, smudge-y liner around her blue eyes. But she’s pretty. Billy’s certainly not going to start picking her apart now, or he won’t be able to stop. This used to be Billy’s job, back when Steve gave him the time of day.
The thought occurs for the five hundredth time. That Steve knows. That he’s sensed something and is just too nice to say it, doesn’t want to out Billy. But they can’t go on like this.
Or to be more accurate, Billy can’t go on like this. His palms itch. He’s sweaty and out of place in his own kitchen, with his own supposed best friend.
He turns and leaves, ignoring the girl’s squawk when he does.
He stalks over to the dance floor, “Hey, Carver!”
Jason’s head whips up from where he’s looking at Munson grind with two girls.
“Stevie needs more supplies. You sober enough to drive me?”
Carver frowns but nods, whispering something to the girl he was dancing with and patting her rather awkwardly on the arm, like a stereotypical dad at a barbecue.
Billy has never been so happy to leave a party. They head out towards Carver’s truck, and he dutifully starts up, staring his left turn signal to turn towards the closest liquor store. A Christian rock station is playing quietly, and Billy switches it off as soon as Carver looks up at the road.
“No,” Billy says. “Go straight.”
The irony of those words isn’t lost on him, but Carver just nods along.
“Does he need something from Meijer?”
“No. We’re going to the Cottonmouth.”
“What’s that?” Carver asks after a beat too long.
“Come on man. You looked like God’s weakest soldier out there.”
Carver’s eye twitches. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well I do. Because. Because,” Was he really doing this? “Because if I have to see Steve hang out with that Robin girl one more second I’m going to go batshit.”
Carver whips his head around, “you’re serious?”
“Yeah, I’m fuckin’ serious. I wanna go to the Cottonmouth and I wanna dance with like five twinks at least, and I think only you or Argy would go with me.”
Carver’s eye twitches again. “Yeah. Ok, I can do that. Fuck yeah.”
“That won’t get you in trouble with a boyfriend or anything?”
Carver doesn’t move his eyes off the road, but rolls his fingers on the wheel. “Not tonight.”
Billy nods. “You want me to sober up for the drive home?”
Carver shrugs. “Or we get shithouse drunk and call someone for a ride home. I have a title on the mechanical bull, I get a free drink whenever I go.”
“Bullshit you do.”
“Check it if you don’t believe me.”
“How have I never seen you there?”
Carver shrugs. “I was thinking the same thing.”
They both seem to hold a breath for a second, and then break into a slightly nervous laugh.
“How’d you know?” Carver asks, grin still on his face.
“Now don’t shit a brick but I was in your room lookin’ for my weed and I saw your nightstand.” Billy cringes. “But then I just started looking closer. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“Don’t know what you mean,” Carver smirks. “I’ll have you know I’m totally masc.”
“Please. You just have fraternity letters on,” Billy laughs. “You really have a boyfriend? Do I know him?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Is that an answer to the boyfriend or the knowing him?”
Carver just shrugs. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Just trying to figure out if I need to stop you from going home with someone tonight. Do I?”
Carver glances at Billy as they stop at a light. “Do I have to stop you?”
“No way, man. I’m going home with someone tonight come hell or high water.”
Carver just nods. “Unless I show off my mechanical bull skills. No one will look twice at you.”
“You’re on, Carver. And I’m beating that record tonight.”
Carver just scoffs. “You wish.”
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