The party went on. Laughter, music, groups chatting.
Howard was still unsuccessfully trying to flirt, approaching any girl that breathed. His tactics fluctuated between adorably clumsy and clinically desperate. Incredibly, he hadn't received a single slap that night.
At one point, Andrew went to the bathroom, and when he came out, he stumbled upon an unexpected scene.
There, in the backyard's ping pong table, several half-filled plastic cups were arranged in a triangle. Standing next to them, about to throw the first ball in the classic game of Beer Pong, was Pippa.
At her side, as her teammate, was Cara, lively, smiling, and with the competitive energy of someone who took this very seriously.
Opposite them: the rival team: Regina and Karen.
Both had shiny eyes, slightly unsteady balance, and an easy laugh that betrayed a few prior rounds.
'How the hell did Pippa end up playing that?' Andrew thought, surprised.
She didn't drink. She always avoided these kinds of games at parties. And yet, there she was.
Focused, amused, even slightly competitive.
Andrew walked up, still in disbelief, "Since when do you play Beer Pong?" he asked quietly, stopping beside her with his arms crossed.
Pippa turned her head and looked at him calmly, a smile on her lips. "Since about two minutes ago."
"Did Regina talk you into it?" he asked, suspecting a strategic move. It wouldn't be unheard of.
Pippa shook her head, "No, nothing like that. They're undefeated," she said, pointing at Regina and Karen. "They're looking for new challengers to defend their streak."
"And you volunteered?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah... Cara got excited and convinced me. Plus, I've never played one of these games before... and I thought, why not try something new? A bit of beer won't fry my brain," Pippa replied.
Andrew looked at her for a few seconds, "Who are you and what have you done with my methodical, self-controlled girlfriend?"
Pippa shot him a sharp, amused look.
"You're methodical and self-controlled too, Mr. Diet-Routine-Efficiency. Did you forget your drunken night when you tried to destroy the One Ring?"
Andrew stayed silent for a moment. He opened his mouth. Then closed it.
"Touché," he admitted, raising his hands in surrender. "But that night... was a special case."
"Tonight I'm the special case. Though I won't go as far as you, Leonard, and Howard did that night," said Pippa, grabbing the first ping pong ball.
Andrew chuckled as he stepped back, "Well played. For the record, I'm not complaining. I love this version of you."
"Thanks... now cheer for me. We're about to crush the blonde empire," Pippa said with a grin, aiming at Regina and Karen, who responded with a defiant smile.
The match began with a big crowd gathering to watch the epic showdown between the two most popular cheerleaders at school and Andrew's famous girlfriend, known for being one of the top students and co-creator of Flappy Bird.
Pippa, to her surprise, was much better than she expected.
The problem was Cara's aim.
In fact, every time she threw, it was a potential threat to the eyes of both the spectators and their opponents.
"Hey! Don't aim for my eye again!" someone shouted from the back.
But there was one advantage: Regina and Karen were no longer the undefeated titans they'd been earlier in the night.
The alcohol was doing its job, their laughter got louder, their hands less steady, and they missed shots they'd once have made blindfolded.
That didn't stop Pippa and Cara from having to drink several cups of beer, especially at the start.
Pippa, who had never drunk alcohol in her life, completely underestimated her tolerance. She'd thought beer wouldn't be a big deal, lighter than stronger alcohol, but she was wrong.
'This tastes awful,' Pippa thought after the second cup, her cheeks already slightly flushed.
By the fourth… she was dizzy, flushed, and strangely happy.
Most noticeably: her usual sharp mind and self-control had… malfunctioned.
"Let's go, Cara!" Pippa shouted openly after a disastrous shot from her teammate. "Why do you suck so bad? Your aim is like... like you're throwing with your elbows. Even a crippled guy would be a better teammate."
Cara stared at her, mildly offended for about a second… and then burst into laughter. For some reason, the word crippled struck her as hilarious, probably due to her state.
On the other side, Regina and Karen were getting clumsier by the minute.
Amid laughter and wild throws, they were barely sinking one out of every four shots.
Pippa, on the other hand, was in euphoric sniper mode.
She threw with conviction, laughter, and unexpectedly good aim, partly skill, partly luck.
When the ball landed in the last cup of the rival team, Pippa raised her arms like an Olympic champion, and took a misstep backward.
Andrew, who had been watching her closely, stepped in and caught her before she could fall.
As the winners, the whole crowd erupted in applause, cheers, and screams.
"Did we win?" Pippa asked, looking at Andrew.
"Somehow, you managed to win with a teammate worse than a cripple," Andrew replied with a slight smile.
"Yes! What now? Do I get a trophy? A post-game interview?" said Pippa, trying to stand upright with some difficulty.
"Now you drink water. And after that... more water," said Andrew, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her away from the epicenter of the party.
"Whoa, what aim. How does it feel to have a drunk girl throw better than you, Leonard?" asked Howard.
"Shut up. You're not better than me," Leonard muttered, frowning slightly.
Nearby, Kevin, who had watched the match from start to finish, added, "Impressive couple's accuracy... by default."
'Almost fifty minutes to midnight,' Andrew thought, checking his phone.
He needed to make sure Pippa got home safe. Her stepfather was coming to pick her up at midnight, just like Mitchell was coming for him.
Meanwhile, Pippa moved through the party like an unlocked version of herself.
She wasn't out of control or doing anything she'd completely regret.
But she had the kind of euphoria that only someone who'd never drunk alcohol before could experience, realizing her inner filter was far too easy to turn off.
Andrew followed closely, like a bodyguard, making sure she didn't end up standing on a table yelling or doing anything too wild.
Nothing that would make her wake up tomorrow regretting her actions.
Though, to be fair, nothing she was doing now compared to that one time he, Howard, Leonard, and Steve wandered through Los Angeles at dawn convinced they were the Fellowship of the Ring, trying to destroy the One Ring...
And how they mistook some shady guys in an alley for orcs. And Howard mistaking a homeless man for Gollum, Andrew even offered the guy a dollar to convince him to guide them to Mordor, which only made the man chase them, forcing them to run away.
'Yeah, this is definitely more low-key,' thought Andrew, just as Pippa turned with purpose and headed straight toward Howard.
"Howard," said Pippa firmly, with a half-smile, as if she knew he was already afraid.
"Yes?" Howard replied, his expression tense. He had already heard a few too many blunt comments from this new no-filter version of Pippa.
If you were a bystander, it was funny to watch, but if she set her sights on you, you were screwed.
"Your flirting attempts are garbage. And I don't say that out of hatred. I say it with hope, hope that you'll improve. They're borderline sexual harassment," Pippa said seriously, pointing at him with her nearly empty water bottle.
Howard blinked several times, "Excuse me?"
"I heard you told a cheerleader tonight that her body had more curves than the Monaco Grand Prix. Are you trying to seduce her or get security called on you?!" she added, outraged.
"I... I thought it was clever. You know, girls like guys who know about cars," said Howard, shrinking slightly.
"No, no… that's never going to work. You won't get a girlfriend if you come off like a creep who's only interested in her body," said Pippa without hesitation. "Show some respect or at least stick to basic flirting that doesn't involve curves, boobs, or butts."
"Okay... got it," Howard nodded, swallowing hard.
Leonard, who was off to the side, couldn't help but laugh at Howard's expression, like he'd just been scolded by his mom.
Pippa turned toward him. "Don't laugh so much! If you keep living in existential fear of anything that walks on two legs, you'll never ask Willa out."
"What? I don't even look at Willa…!" Leonard protested awkwardly.
"Silence," Pippa cut him off, raising a hand like she was moderating a debate. "You're sabotaging yourself. You've got brains, a good heart, and even a certain tragic nerd charm, but you have to stop acting like a scared squirrel. Asking her out or trying a bit of basic flirting won't summon a black hole! Just do it."
Leonard lowered his head, nodding like he'd just received academic feedback. "Thanks… I guess."
Andrew appeared beside Pippa, gently placing a hand on her waist. "Time to sit down, sharpshooter. Your victims need time to reflect in peace."
Pippa turned toward him slowly, with the same evaluative look she had used on Howard and Leonard, as if now it was Andrew's turn to face final judgment.
"You…" she said, narrowing her eyes.
Andrew raised an eyebrow, amused but slightly concerned, "Me… what?"
Pippa stared at him for another second, then her expression completely changed. It softened entirely.
"Nothing. You're perfect," said Pippa, and without another word, she hugged him tightly, resting her head against his chest.
Andrew froze for a moment, surprised… then smiled and hugged her back.
"I knew you'd eventually fall for my charms," he murmured teasingly.
"Shut up," said Pippa, not letting go. "I'm drunk, not deaf."
Andrew laughed.
He hadn't imagined the best part of the night wouldn't be the game, it would be seeing Pippa like this.
Andrew managed to get Pippa seated and did his job well: gave her water, kept her sitting, kept her away from the party chaos, and let time do its work.
When Pippa received a message on her phone, she mumbled while reading it, "Victor's here."
"Alright, let's go," said Andrew, helping her to her feet, though she was much steadier now than an hour ago.
A black car was waiting parked in front of Liam's house.
Andrew walked her to the sidewalk.
Victor rolled down the window, and upon seeing them, smiled. "How's the Beer Pong champion doing?" he asked playfully.
Andrew blinked, surprised, "How do you know?"
Victor chuckled softly, "At some point during the night… I got a message from Pip, very enthusiastically announcing she was 'the best sniper on the planet at this alcoholic ping pong thing,' or something like that. The grammar was awful. Which says a lot coming from her."
Andrew chuckled, shaking his head, "Yeah… she was pretty euphoric. But she drank water, she's stable now. Nothing out of control, I swear. I took care of her the whole time."
Victor nodded with a calm smile, "I trust you, Andrew. And besides… if I were her age again, I'd have been way worse. So don't worry. No lecture tonight."
Andrew carefully opened the back door and helped Pippa get in. She dropped into the seat with a satisfied sigh.
"Are you okay?" Andrew asked.
"Undefeated," Pippa replied with a sleepy smile.
'You only played one match...' Andrew thought with a strange expression, but didn't say it out loud. He closed the door and looked at Victor.
"Thanks for taking care of her, Andrew."
"It's nothing. She took care of me once," Andrew said.
"Good night, Andrew," Victor said as he started the car. It drove off smoothly, disappearing down the street.
Andrew only had to wait a few more minutes before Mitchell arrived, and he headed home.
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