Dinner went off without a hitch; no problems or issues arose. My toasting idea worked as planned, as did immediately excusing myself to go to the bathroom to throw up the wine I had just ingested. My mind needs to be clear for tonight, especially if everything is going to go to shit soon. Dappur, Jean-Luc, and Raf helped me clean up, bringing all the dishes, pans, and leftovers to the kitchen.

I finished packaging up all the leftovers; the kitchen had plenty of Tupperware for all of it. When I walk out of the kitchen, I see everyone is torpid, lying around the living room lounge after dinner. People are buzzed, but no one is at the level I need them to be. I need someone to suggest a drinking game, but it shouldn't be me. Emma smiles at me, patting the cushion next to her on the loveseat she's sitting on. I do owe her some one-on-one time. I walk over to her and take the offered seat, and she immediately lays her head against my shoulder.

"You're a good cook, definitely lived up to the hype," Emma said softly, her breath tickling my neck.

"Thank you; cooking is a love of mine," I replied, turning my head to kiss the top of hers.

"I heard you talking to Violet earlier, and I could taste something different on your lips. Did you make out with her? Did you already cheat on me?" Emma questioned, keeping her voice too low to be heard by anyone but me.

"Yes, but it was one-sided," I answered quietly, phrasing it carefully.

"Did that pathetic cunt really force herself on you?" She asked, and her voice has that cold tinge to it that lets me know the mask is slipping.

"Yes, and I made it clear that was unacceptable."

"I can't let that stand. I'm going to say something," she said.

"Not yet. Wait for the right moment."

Jean-Luc suddenly springs up off the chair he was sitting in. He stumbles a bit before steadying himself.

"Alright! Everybody, this Friendsgiving can't just end on a sleepy note. Some of you are still sober, and that can't stand. What we need is a drinking game, something spicy and fun. All suggestions are welcome; we could do strip beer pong?" Jean-Luc asked.

A chorus of boos accompanies his horny suggestion. Thank you, Jean-Luc.

"Drinking games are fun, but it's already ten and I don't want to be driving shit faced," Anika said.

"Everyone can stay here for the night. There are plenty of rooms, even if half of you weren't coupled up already, so don't worry about it," Violet said.

"Damn," Sy said.

"In that case, I'm down. I'm sure Vivienne is as well," Anika said, grinning and elbowing her girlfriend.

"We could do Never Have I Ever," Emma suggested.

"I'm down, but no snipes," Dappur said, looking at Sydney.

"Crybaby," she countered.

"Oh, this sounds so fun," Emma said, meeting my eyes.

This will almost certainly explode.

"Hell yeah! Let's begin, then, but wine is boring. Do you have anything stronger?" Jean-Luc asked Violet.

"Obviously. Doug, come help me. We can get the whiskey. No one has any complaints about whiskey, right?" Violet asked.

Dappur untangles himself from his date, whose name I still don't know, and follows after Violet. The pieces are starting to fall into line. The game needs to get to a point where everyone is too drunk to leave, and then I can strike in the middle of the night. Aubrey will pass in her sleep. I've finally figured out how I'm going to kill Aubrey. I'll overload her with powers. She's not special, and I can just dump all five powers I have into her to fry her brain. It won't be till tomorrow morning that anyone realizes she's dead. It'll look like a random freak accident, and no one will be any wiser.

"Wanna do a couple before they get back?" Aubrey asked.

"Sure," I said before anyone could say otherwise. "Who's going first?"

"Oh, can I?" Emma asked eagerly.

No one disagrees with her ask, and Emma gives off a gentle and warm smile.

"Thank you. Okay, what's a good one to start with?" Emma asked aloud.

"You volunteered without even having a question ready?" Vivienne asked exasperatedly.

"No, I have one," Emma said, making a face at her. "Never have I ever smoked."

"Smoked what?" Sydney asked.

"Anything," Emma answered.

Jean-Luc, Aubrey, Sydney, Anika, and Sy all take a sip of their drinks. Two of those I knew, but the two gay women are a surprise. Sy looks like he smokes cigarettes, and losing his dad likely only made that worse.

"Me next," Dappur's date said. I should really ask Emma what the fuck her name is. "Never have I ever hooked up with someone the same day I met them."

REALLY? I'm supposed to believe that Dappur and this girl have interacted with each other through things other than body language. I didn't think he was capable of not hooking up with strangers. Vivienne, Anika, Emma, Sy, Jean-Luc, and I all take a sip. Leaning over to Emma, I ask her what the girl's name is.

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"Shanice," Emma whispered in my ear.

There we go. I should take advantage of this early game to get more liquor into Aubrey. I have a great way to do that and make her thankful for me.

"Never have I ever crushed on someone but waited on them to make the first move," I said, staring at Aubrey.

"You're a real bastard, Eryk," Jean-Luc laughed.

Aubrey, Raf, Vivienne, Shanice, and Sydney all take a sip. Vivienne's constant gay panic is the type of complex that always comes with quiet crushing on someone. Raf and Aubrey should both thank me, but instead they both gulp down some wine, while blushing and staring at each other.

"Words have power, and that was hurtful. I have no idea why you'd say that," I delivered deadpan.

"Shut up, Eryk," Aubrey said.

Before I can respond, Sy takes his turn.

"I got a good one; Never have I ever been in a fight," Sy said.

Ooo, that is going to get a lot of us. Vivienne, Raf, Aubrey, Sydney, Emma, and I all take a drink. Anika looks shocked at how many people take a drink. Everyone else is staring at me incredulously.

"Eryk, there is no way you've been in a fight before," Jean-Luc said, laughing.

"Sy, you meant a physical fight, right?" Aubrey asked.

"Yeah, like a fistfight," he answered.

"Then, Eryk, you shouldn't have taken a sip. I've never even seen you shout at someone before," Aubrey said.

Emma is trying and failing to stop herself from giggling. Even now, she's putting on a performance; the faint cutesy giggling isn't a sound she would ever make. It's a manufactured creation just for this group, this party, this occasion. It isn't even that she doesn't find this funny; she likely does. The dichotomy between the Eryk she knows and the one they all believe me to be is probably hilarious to her. But even you don't know me, dear. I'll have to let her in tonight; I will cement our bond.

"He's been in a fight before, hell, he's been in several. If it weren't for him having my back, I don't know how I would've gotten out of some scraps. Nobody, nobody has ever had my back more than him," Vivienne said, catching herself before she slipped up.

Lock the hell in, V, and watch your mouth. Loose lips sink ships, and secrets can capsize the sturdiest of carriers.

"You know I got your back, girl," I said.

"And I got yours," Vivienne replied.

I can see Anika starting to revise the opinion she has held of me this entire time. You aren't qualified to judge me. No one is.

"That's my boyfriend; he's so strong and powerful," Emma purred.

Violet and Dappur return just in time to stop the conversation about me. Each of them is carrying several bottles, with Violet holding three in each hand. The tops of each bottle are between her knuckles in a blatant display of her powers. She might be more tipsy than I thought she was. Dappur doesn't look any worse for wear, so the two of them didn't have an argument like Aubrey and her did earlier. She's caring less and less about decorum as the night goes on.

"Here we go. Some real shit," Jean-Luc rejoiced.

One by one, we all change out our wine glasses for shot glasses. I'm beginning to feel tipsy, and that isn't good. Just thinking about the recklessness I displayed while intoxicated is enough to make me cringe. The only thing I can do is hope that the future rounds don't apply to me, or if they do, that no one here can bring up that it does. When it becomes my turn, I have to keep mine boring and basic. Preventing anyone from targeting me in revenge is my first priority.

"Who's going first?" I asked.

"Let's go clockwise," Sydney suggested.

"You wanna go first? Can't wait to hear what you think is a good one," Dappur snarked.

"I'd love to. Never have I ever hooked up with three different people in the same night."

The silence in the room is a palpable physical weight on all of us as Dappur pours a shot and throws it back. The two of them cannot stop antagonizing each other, but Sydney just fired the shot heard round the world. After saying no sniping, the first thing she does is snipe Doug. It was a low blow to say that in front of Shanice. Clearly, he likes her if they didn't hook up the first time they met. Going from Shanice's slight grimace, any hope of bedroom gymnastics just died in the womb. And Dappur's turn is next.

"That felt spicy," Anika said jokingly.

"Never have I ever masturbated to the thought of a friend of mine," he fired back.

What the hell is he talking about? Sydney's face is bright red in a mixture of equal parts embarrassment and rage. Violet, Aubrey, and Sydney get up to all pour a shot together silently until Jean-Luc's drunk self ruins it.

"Oh, this is one of those freak freak friend groups. Hell yeah, ladies, do ya thang," he said, laughing.

This is turning into a repeat of that Christmas party when he got way too fucked up. He can't help but be a nuisance when he drinks.

"Was that shot for Marcus or for Raf?" Jean-Luc continued.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Aubrey asked. "Why the fuck would you say that?"

"Whoops, stepped on someone's tail, haven't I?"

Aubrey looks ready to sock him in the face, and he's grinning like a drunk idiot. Shanice's turn is next, and she still looks unhappy about the Dappur reveal. But she also looks disgusted with Jean-Luc. And this is why you are single.

"Never have I ever gotten trashed and made a fool of myself in front of my friends," Shanice said icily.

He stops laughing, staring at Shanice like she shot him. He pours his shot, downs it, and plops back down into his chair.

"I guess I'm next," Vivienne said, actually trying to defuse the situation that is quickly becoming untenable. "Never have I ever cheated in a game because I didn't want to lose."

Never mind, she's just fueling the fire as well. They don't mean to, but Violet's teammates all glance in her direction as she sits there like it doesn't apply to her.

"Vye, don't you think you should have a shot?" Sydney asked.

"No? I've never done that," Violet said dismissively.

"How fucking fragile is your ego that you can't stop lying?" Aubrey asked loudly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what the hell I mean. Just take the shot, Vye; don't be a sore loser again," Aubrey said, rolling her eyes.

"Anika, it's your turn," I said, trying to stop this new fight from breaking out.

"Vye, just take the shot. You know you have," Raf said, taking Aubrey's side.

Okay, so everyone is just going to ignore me. This drinking game is speed running a friend group imploding in record time.

"Wow, Raf, what a white knight you are, coming to poor wittle Aubrey's defense. I'm sure she'll let you fuck now," Violet said mockingly.

"Don't talk to him like that," Aubrey said, standing up.

"Hey, why don't we all stop this before someone says something they don't mean?" I suggested, putting my hands up.

"Yeah, you're the fucking expert on that, Eryk," Violet spat at me.

"And you're the expert on being a pathetic slut who kisses other people's boyfriends," Emma said loudly.

Well, that's what I get for telling her to wait for the perfect moment. Fuck.

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