The chants continued in the bus all the way back to campus.
Sports bag in hand, I stepped out of the vehicle, said bye to a few of my teammates and started walking down the familiar path to my hall.
"Hey Akwasi!"
I turned around to find Ethan and Seth jogging my way.
"Yoo bro, where the heck are you off to?" Ethan's eyebrows dipped low. "We still have the afterparty, remember?"
"Uh yeah I know, but parties aren't really my thing." I shrugged. "Plus my engineering club has their Science Fair tomorrow and I really want to be there."
"Aarrgh, but you can't miss this party broseph!" Seth placed an arm round my shoulder, shoving me into his armpit. "You're the Legendary Shark, the one who kicked Yooku's ass!"
"Yeah, if you're not at the party, who are we gonna celebrate?" Ethan added.
"Umm, I thought the party was to celebrate the fact that we qualified for Nationals," I quipped.
"That too, but you're the one who took us there," Ethan replied. "C'mon Akwasi, you need to be at this party. You already skipped out on the Regionals afterparty remember? So you have no excuse to miss this one."
"But the Science Fair-"
"Oooh, the Science Fair can wait," Seth grumbled.
"Spending an hour or two at the party won't stop you from going to the fair," Ethan continued to insist. "Besides, there's a saying that celebrating the little things in life opens doors to greater things. You never know, maybe coming to this party might guarantee a win for your club tomorrow."
"But the party isn't a little thing." I lifted an eyebrow.
"All the more reason why you should be there!" The big guy on my side pushed me forward. "C'mon it will be fun."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I-I dunno guys..."
"A-kwa-si! A-kwa-si! A-kwa-si!" Just like that, Ethan started a chant and it wasn't long before Seth and a couple of guys joined in.
"Oh guys nooo..."
The pressure was mounting up and even though I tried moving away from them, they followed me, championing the afterparty agenda loud in my ears. It lasted for about five minutes, until I couldn't take it anymore.
"Ok! Ok!" I huffed. "I'll come with you to the party!"
A victorious cheer coated the air.
"Yes!" Ethan patted my back. "Come on, I'll drive us."
"Sure, lemme just text someone first." I dug a hand into my sports bag and pulled out my phone. Both Akunna and Deon had sent me congratulatory messages, asking me to come celebrate with a gaming session.
I felt bad typing out an excuse. But since I had already committed myself to the party, I had no option but to hit the send button. My eyes then fell on Shola's chat and I suddenly had this tiny feeling to send her a quick heads up that I might be late for the fair tomorrow, but I soon discarded the idea.
I'm not going to spend the entire night at the party, I said in my head. It's only nine pm. I'll just hang around for a while and by ten, I'll be back in the hall. No biggie.
A loud honk blasted me out of my thoughts.
"Yo Akwasi!" Ethan sat in the driver's seat of his Hyundai Elantra. "Get in! This party isn't gonna last forever!"
¤¤¤¤¤
Eden's Lodge was a guest house located on the east side of campus, far away from the students' residential area and lecture theatres.
I'd heard rumours that Ethan's father owned the property. But I didn't quite believe them.
Until now.
Dressed in a simple blue shirt and jeans, I entered the already-packed reception. Ethan had somehow managed to book the whole guest house for the afterparty. Not a single member of staff was around. It was just students, an endless supply of alcohol and ear-splitting music.
"What's up Pen. Uuu!" The swim team captain yelled into a microphone as he mounted the reception desk. "Who's happy to be here tonight?"
Shouts of joy reverberated throughout the building.
"That's what I like to hear!" Ethan laughed. "You guys better have your party pants on cuz this is gonna be the greatest party of the yeaaar! Not only do we have all thirty rooms of this building to ourselves, there are twenty-five handles of Smirnoff just begging to be chugged down!"
The cheers went a notch higher and I attempted covering my ears.
"Oh oh oh, and we also have the Legendary Shark here! The one who led Penfield to victory today! Guys, let's give it up for the one, the only, Akwasi Appiah!"
Just when I thought the crowd couldn't possibly scream any louder, it felt as if all the noise was literally drumming down my eardrums. I managed to smile through the numerous jostles and congratulatory messages, but in my head, I couldn't wait to get out of here.
"The night is still young peeps! So let's get this party staaarted!" Ethan dropped the mic and hopped down, allowing the DJ to take over with a slew of beats. Kwesi Arthur's Celebrate then wafted out of the speakers, sending the crowd into a dance frenzy.
Weaving through the bumping bodies, I made my way over to the bar's display fridge for a simple can of Coca-cola. Just a few more minutes and I'll be out of here. I snapped the can open and took a large sip.
"Well don't you look cute."
My head shifted to the side. "Oh Princess." A double take of her outfit and I nearly choked on my soda. "Wh-what are you wearing?"
Her red coated lips expanded. "You like?" She gave me a dramatic twirl in her corset top, booty shorts, fish net stockings and black ankle boots. "I thought it wouldn't hurt to dress up for the party. What do you think?"
"You want the truth?"
"Yeah obviously."
Another glance at her ensemble and I gave my honest opinion. "You look like a pornstar."
"Well it's not the first time," she laughed wholeheartedly then her eyes fell on the drink in my hand.
"Seriously Akwasi." Princess quirked up an eyebrow and at lightning speed, snatched the can from me.
"H-hey!" I tried taking it back, but she was fast enough to move away, darting behind the counter.
"You can't come to a party like this just to drink coke." She rolled her eyes. "That's like an insult to all the alcohol."
"For your information," I leaned against the counter. "I didn't come here to consume any alcohol. I want to be sober the entire night."
"Aww, where's the fun in that?" Princess tossed the question over her shoulder as she began pulling out a variety of bottles from the display case behind her.
"Wait what are you doing?"
"Whipping up something special. You're gonna love it, trust me." Setting the last of the bottles down, she grabbed the cocktail shaker and screwed open a bottle of vodka. I watched her pour about an ounce of the colourless liquid over some ice cubes. Next, she added about four different beverages and two tablespoons of lemon juice. Like a pro bartender, Princess put the cover on and gave the metallic container a vigorous shake. Grabbing two red cups, she emptied the mixture in them, added the rest of my coke and topped it with two fresh lemon wedges.
"Tadaa!" She pushed a cup in front me.
"Uh, no thanks." I lifted myself off the counter.
"Oh c'mon, it's not that strong." Princess quickly dashed out of the bar. "It's just one cocktail. How is that gonna get you drunk?"
"I saw you add like five different bottles of alcohol," I quipped, stepping further away but Princess wouldn't give up. She grabbed both drinks and stood right in front of me.
"Look, I get that you want to remain sober, but this is a party, Akwasi. A party to celebrate the fact that you got us to the Nationals. So live it up, would you? Enjoy yourself! You're not gonna die if you drink just one cocktail, loosen up!" Without warning, she pressed the cup to my lips and a bit of the cold beverage slipped past them, sending my tongue on a surprisingly sweet journey.
"Mm!" You couldn't even taste the alcohol. It was just a sweeter, more amplified version of the coke. The lemon wedges added a tangy kick that had my tongue darting out to lick the remaining drops on my upper lip.
"See, it's good right?" Princess beamed, still holding the cup. She pushed it into my hands and this time, I took a larger sip, basking in the sweetness and tanginess.
"Ah, there you are!"
A large hand clapped against my back and I immediately knew it was Seth. "We're starting a good game of Suck and Blow and Ethan wants the Legendary Shark to be a part of it."
"Oooh, can I join too?" Princess chimed in.
"The more the merrier," Seth grinned, steering us both through the throng of people.
"But I don't know how to play this game," I protested, trying to get myself out of it.
"No need to worry bruh," The big guy assured me in a lazy tone. "It's just a simple game with simple rules."
Holding the beaded curtain to the side, Seth ushered us into a fully furnished lounge area with half of its wine rack empty. A couple of scantily dressed girls whom I recognized from the volleyball team, were giving some guys from the swim team lap dances.
"Where have you been buddy?" Ethan appeared at my side. He seemed more energetic than before and his cologne had been replaced with the strong stench of alcohol. "You haven't been in any games tonight! So you better win this one."
Blatantly disregarding his girlfriend, Ethan summoned others to join the game and instructed us to sit in a circle with the pattern girl-boy-girl. I pulled the nearest beanbag chair and sat down. Princess took the one on my left and Akweley--one of the girls from the swim team--settled down on my right. Next to her was Nana Kwame and on his right sat Amina who had Seth leaning so close to her, whispering stuff in her ear.
Ethan soon returned holding a single card in his hand. "Ok y'all know how this goes. Pass the card around with your lips only! No hands. If the card falls, you have to kiss the person you were passing it to and not just a peck on the lips, I'm talking about a real kiss here! French kiss that dude or chick till their tongue falls off! Are we clear?"
Whilst the entire group chortled out a response, unease crept up my spine at the thought of french kissing Princess.
"Umm," I subtly cleared my throat. "Don't you think you should sit next to Ethan? He's your boyfriend after all."
But before Princess could even open her mouth, a chirpy Kafui--the girl Ethan took to the Val's day dance--plopped down beside him and pecked him on the cheek. Ethan responded with a wide smile and a quick kiss on her lips.
Princess' face turned grim.
Attempting to hide my surprise, I picked up my cup and gulped down the rest of my Coca-cola cocktail. Once again, I had no idea what had happened between them. Ethan and Princess' relationship to me, was too much of a light switch. Today it's on, but in the next minute, it's off.
Seth started the game, dramatically passing the card on his lips to the girl on his left. She in turn, passed the card over to an elated Ethan. The first two rounds went on smoothly even when Seth and Nana Kwame tried taunting people into dropping the card.
A third round began and in the process of passing the card over to Kafui, the card fell off Ethan's lips. The two did not hesitate to share a passionate kiss, eliciting a number of 'ooos' from everyone.
The red cup in Princess' hand started to crackle and I quickly had to pull it out of her tight grasp. She was going to waste a perfectly good cocktail because of jealousy and I could not let that happen. Tipping the cup, the sweet mixture went down my system, relaxing my muscles and putting me at ease.
Ethan and Kafui's kiss would've escalated into something else if Nana Kwame hadn't pried them apart in order for the game to continue. A sly smirk touched Kafui's face the moment her eyes landed on Princess. But Ethan's girlfriend didn't have the time to react because it was her turned to receive the card.
Puckering her lips, Princess took the card and turn to me. My head dipped low to receive, instead I felt a soft breath on my cheek and the flimsy paper fell on the carpeted floor. When my eyes flickered up, they met a cunning grin on Princess' face before she smashed her lips on mine.
Taken by surprise, I stumbled back and she took that as an invitation to climb onto my lap. "Hm! Prin-"
"Just go with it!" She pushed her tongue into my mouth. Astonishment and confusion lingered in my system, but they were slowly being replaced with bliss and pleasure. Her boobs pressed had against my chest and her tongue did wonders in my mouth, igniting a fire of goosebumps on my skin. But the moment was suddenly cut short as Nana Kwame, once again took to his duty of ending intense smooching.
"Ok guys, that's enough!" He pulled Princess back, turning me into a panting mess.
Princess gave me a warm grin and proceeded to climb off my lap, only to find Ethan and Kafui embarking on another lustful kissing adventure.
"Arrgh, c'mon guys!" Nana Kwame groaned. "How are we supposed to enjoy this game if all of you start kissing the life out of each other because other people are doing it?"
The couple didn't seem perturbed. After a moment, they stopped kissing and opted to quit the game so they could continue their lustful activities in a more private area. As the two took their leave, with Kafui beaming like the sun and throwing one last jab at Princess, I couldn't help but feel awkward.
The very thing I wanted to avoid in the beginning had just happened.
I could've stopped it. I could've easily pushed Princess away.
But I didn't, because as much as I hated to admit it, it all felt...good. Having her warm body against mine with her large ass pressed hard on my groin. My body wanted it all again, to relish in that feeling.
But I knew it wasn't going to happen. Princess was Ethan's girlfriend. She only did that to make him jealous. There was no way it was gonna happen a second time, and in order to seal in that thought, I chugged down the rest of Princess' cocktail and asked for a beer.