CHAPTER FIVE JUNE 9, 2020   The group was partaking in the delicious continental breakfast buffet provided by the Panamint Springs Resort Restaurant before their drive to Yosemite National Park that would last about three and a half hours.   “Eat up!” Russell called to everyone as he generously scooped some scrambled eggs and bacon strips onto his plate. “I don’t wanna hear anyone complaining about an empty stomach later, especially since this is an all-you-can-eat buffet. Y’all better be in food comas by the time we leave.”   Elliot and Lucy were standing behind Kallie and Karter as they slowly shuffled down the line, grabbing all sorts of food to eventually feast on. As Kallie was carefully looking through the different selections of bread and pastries, Karter used a pair of tongs to drop a fluffy butter croissant onto her plate and then nudged her forward. “The rest of these have nuts, Kale,” he said, answering Kallie’s unspoken question. “Can’t have you out of commission when it’s so early in the morning and we’re in the middle of the desert.”   Kallie beamed before reaching over and placing a butter croissant on Karter’s plate as well. “Thanks, Kai!”   “You can’t have nuts, Kallie?” Lucy questioned curiously from the side as she picked up a slice of banana nut bread and placed it onto her own plate.   The Chinese-American girl shook her head and explained, “I’m allergic. It since nuts are a pretty common ingredient in a lot of food, but I’ve gotten used to it over the years.”   “That does sound inconvenient, na ka,” Lucy commented with a sympathetic smile. “And I’ll keep that in mind as well. I don’t wanna accidentally share anything that could set off a reaction, na.”   “You don’t like sharing your food anyway, Ru,” Elliot teased as he grabbed an everything bagel from the bagel basket.   His girlfriend used her hips to try to bump him away in jest, but he kept his feet firmly planted on the floor and didn’t move an inch. “No fair, El!” Lucy pouted cutely as she tried again, but to no avail.   Elliot just laughed as he placed a hand on the Thai girl’s shoulder and guided her forward. “C’mon, Ru, we can’t keep everyone else waiting.”   “Yeah, keep it moving, Lucy,” Leon lazily said from behind him. “Aren’t you the self-proclaimed speed queen of Thailand? Seems like you’re more of a snail to me.”   “At least I’m not afraid to say what I’m feeling to the person I like,” Lucy retorted while deliberately grabbing Elliot’s hand and intertwining their fingers. She then reached up to give Elliot a sweet peck on the lips, causing him to hum in satisfaction, before looking back at Leon and smiling triumphantly at him when he pursed his mouth in a straight line, clearly unappreciative of the international couple’s public display of affection.   “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he deadpanned as he added a slice of walnut bread to his plate.   Before his girlfriend could hotly point out Leon’s obvious crush on Vanessa and his complete failure to do anything about it, Elliot lifted their interlocked hands and carefully twirled Lucy towards his body, using his right arm to keep her snugly against him. “Let’s go, Ru,” he murmured soothingly in her ear. “Food first.”   Lucy let out a huff and leaned forward to stick out her tongue at Leon before stepping forward to the next food station and reaching for the giant metal spoon to serve herself some potato wedges.   Once their plates were full, the couple joined the rest of the group at a long table that Russell had claimed and then heartily began eating their delicious breakfast. Noticing that his girlfriend was eyeing his slice of French toast, Elliot cut a neat square of the sweet eggy bread and used his fork to skewer the piece before presenting it to Lucy. She eagerly ate it and then cooed a heartfelt thanks, which he returned with a beaming smile and another section of his French toast for her to savor. Thus began a chain of the couple feeding each other food from their own plates while gazing deep into the other person’s eyes, completely lost in their own world.   While the Thai girl was busily feeding Elliot a spoonful of peach yogurt, Leon sneakily reached over and stole a sausage link from her plate before popping it into his mouth. He smacked his lips together loudly and pointedly looked away when Lucy turned and let out a high-pitched shriek. “Leon Choi! How dare you steal my precious food, na?!”   He shrugged nonchalantly as he chewed the greasy bit of meat before swallowing and saying, “You seemed to be okay with sharing, so I thought I’d help myself.”   “You keep your grubby hands away from my plate, na!” Lucy hastily pulled her breakfast platter to the left before Leon could steal anything else and hovered over it protectively. “El is the only one I share my food with!”   Elliot winced as Leon smoothly reached over and plucked another sausage link from Lucy’s plate, to the Thai girl’s irritation. In an act of retaliation, Lucy stabbed some of the sliced fruit on Leon’s plate with her fork and shoveled them into .   As the two friends continued bickering, Elliot sat back and watched them with an amused smile. This sort of behavior was common between Lucy and Leon, and he had learned not to involve himself too much. At the end of the day, it was all in good fun and their childish arguments provided some fun morning entertainment as he calmly ate the rest of his breakfast.   Once they all finished eating, Russell waved over one of the waitresses to ask for the check. Minutes later, a black plastic tray with a long receipt was on the table and the Singaporean male was about to place his credit card on top when Lucy brightly said, “Let’s play a game to decide who pays the bill, na! Doesn’t that sound fun?”   “I’m down!” Kallie cheered as she high-fived the Thai girl.   Vanessa worriedly looked at the total amount on the receipt and asked, “But wouldn’t it be easier to just Venmo what we owe to Russ instead of forcing someone to pay the entire thing?”   “I don’t mind either way,” the Singaporean male said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. “If we do, we should play something that’ll wake up these sleepyheads,” he added, pointing and snickering at Bianca whose head was laying on the table.   She opened one eye and shot him a deadly glare. “Shut up, Russ,” she croaked out while throwing up the middle finger at him. “The coffee here . Our first stop better be Starbucks or something if you don’t want me to crash the car.   “Nope, I’m driving today,” Russell cheerfully rebutted while dangling the car keys from his fingertips. “I bet you’d crash the car anyway, since you’re being such a grump right now.”   Bianca let out a low growl, but made no other moves aside from closing her eyes again to resume her nap.   “I’ve got some cards we can use,” Karter piped up as he pulled out a deck of blue Bicycle playing cards and placed it on the table. “What should we play?”   “There’s a simple game called Snap that we can play,” Jason suggested. “We’ll deal all of the cards face-down between everyone, so we all have a pile, and then reveal our topmost card in clockwise order, starting a new pile next to our face-down cards. When someone reveals a number that’s already face-up on another pile, the first person to shout ‘Snap’ and slap their palm on the table wins both of those piles, adding them to their own face-down deck. The game ends when someone wins all of the cards.”   “What if two people say ‘Snap’ at the same time?” Estee asked.   “We’ll combine the two piles and place them in the middle to form the Snap Pot,” Jason explained. “Then we’ll continue playing and if someone reveals a card that matches the top of the Snap Pot, whoever yells ‘Snap Pot’ first gets to add all of those cards to their deck.”   “One deck probably won’t be enough, since we have so many people,” Karter mused as he briefly surveyed the table. “Luckily, I’ve got another one we can play with as well.” With a flourish, he pulled out a deck of red Bicycle playing cards and began shuffling it into his blue deck.   “And instead of playing until one person collects both decks, since that’s a lot of cards, let’s change it to whoever loses all of their cards first has to pay,” Kallie added, her eyes gleaming with fiery excitement.   “We probably don’t wanna drag this out for long anyway,” Vanessa concurred with a nod.   Everyone else agreed, although some less enthusiastically like Bianca who loudly griped about her nap being interrupted without a caramel macchiato ready as compensation. So Karter dealt five cards to each person while giving himself, Kallie, Chloe, and Ripley an extra card. “And start!” Karter flipped over his topmost card, revealing a jack of diamonds.   Kallie went next, flipping over a king of diamonds. The round continued until Amelie flipped over a jack of clubs. Jason, who was next to Amelie and the most familiar with the game, shouted, “Snap!” and slammed his palm against the table before anyone else could react. With a smug smile, he took both jacks and added them his pile. He then flipped over the first card of his face-down deck, which was a king of spades.   This time, Kallie was the one to yell, “Snap!” and slap the table top. She gleefully collected Jason’s card from the surprised Taiwanese boy, placing both kings face-down underneath the rest of her deck, and said, “There’s no way I’m gonna lose and shell out three hundred dollars.”   The game resumed with renewed vigor, since everyone else also wanted to avoid the expensive punishment that would leave their wallets bleeding dry. Kallie and Russell, being the most competitive ones, called “Snap!” the most often while Jason and Karter had the advantage of being used to looking for card patterns. However, the rest of the group soon adapted to the fast pacing of the game as they played and they were all about evenly matched by the time Karter flipped over his third card. The air was filled with sounds of shouts and slaps, and even Bianca was actively engaged after realizing there was no way she could nap amongst all of the noise.   Unluckily for Lucy, she was the first to lose and she groaned loudly when Alexander swiped the rest of her deck to add to his own growing pile after calling “Snap!” on a pair of sixes. “You’ve gotta be faster than that if you wanna beat me,” the Chinese-American boy quipped, looking extremely pleased with himself.   Leon playfully smirked as he added, “Told ya you’re a snail, Lucy,” and then smoothly leaned out of the way when the upset Thai girl lunged towards him.   Sensing that another argument between the two was about to erupt and knowing that his girlfriend hadn’t expected to lose the game, Elliot swooped in and placed his credit card on the black plastic tray before waving down a waitress to take the payment.   “Wait, El, you didn’t have to do that,” Lucy protested once she realized what he had done, a look of guilt crossing her face. “I’m gonna tell them to take my card instead, na ka,” she continued as she stood up with her wallet in hand.   However, Elliot quickly wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her into his lap before she could walk away, trapping her in a tight hug. “It’s fine, Ru. Besides, we’re a two-for-one deal. Whatever happens to you affects me too. If you lose, so do I.”   “Hoon…” Lucy angled her head back to gaze at him with stars in her eyes. However, the contrite expression returned seconds later as she said, “But that’s still way too much for you to cover all by yourself, na.”   “And you were okay with one of us shouldering that burden?” Leon remarked dryly.   The Thai girl glowered at him in response.   Chuckling lightly, Elliot tenderly nuzzled Lucy’s neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Ru. What kind of man am I if I can’t provide for the woman I love?”   In the background, Karter and Alexander pretended to barf.   Elliot just grinned, despite knowing how cheesy he sounded. After all, it was true.   If Lucy asked him to, he would move mountains for her. Knowing that every day with Lucy was a new adventure waiting to happen, he would follow her to the ends of the earth. To express how much Lucy illuminated his life, he would paint the inky black sky with stars that twinkled almost as brightly as she did.   Almost, since Ruthai Nilanchananon was the brightest star in his universe.   When the waitress returned with his credit card and a receipt for him to sign, Elliot pocketed the thin card and quickly scribbled his name with a pen before motioning for everyone to stand up. “Alright, let’s hit the road!”       After a scenic drive, the group reached Yosemite National Park at ten in the morning. Bianca yawned and sleepily opened an eye. While squinting, she quickly adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight. The days had been great so far and Bianca was thankful that the skies had blessed them with no rain so far, allowing them to complete their daily itineraries well. She hoped the weather would stay that way throughout the day as she couldn’t wait to rock climb in the afternoon. She had managed to convince Russell to book a guided climb with the Yosemite Mountaineering School and with the thought of finally getting her hands on real rocks instead of artificial rock walls, Bianca instantly felt the remnants of sleep leave her body and her blood pumped with excitement.   Russell reversed smoothly and parked expertly in the parking lot before switching off the engine.   “Guys, we’ve reached the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail! Leggo get some exercise and stretch our limbs!” Russell announced as he unlocked the doors.   Once the group of twenty had gotten off their respective SUVs, they began their leisure walk down the one-mile trail leading to the base of Yosemite Falls. It was the summertime, which meant all of the deciduous and coniferous trees stood tall with dappled sun rays peeking through their thick green canopies. Colourful birds sang their sweet little melodies above the low buzz of cicadas. Bianca skipped along the wooden planks as she inhaled the fresh air.   “I see that you’re enjoying yourself,” a voice came from her left.   Bianca turned and found herself pleasantly surprised to see Lucas’s face. She grinned mischievously at him. “Yes, I’m so hyped for rock climbing in the afternoon! Are you sure you don’t want to join?”   “I—I…”   Before Lucas could finish his sentence, Bianca hurriedly cut in with a sheepish smile, waving her hands animatedly, “I’m not trying to force you to join or anything. You can join the rest and update me on their antics later!”   Lucas returned a kind smile. “Don’t worry, I know. Remember to stay safe and don’t attempt anything dangerous. Yosemite isn’t like your usual rock climbing gyms.” There was a trace of worry in his tone as he passed Bianca a bottle of mineral water.   “I know, I know,” Bianca nodded profusely, “you’re sounding like my mum!” She playfully stuck out her tongue.   Karter breezed past with a loud chortle. “You two are finally on talking terms now?”   “Since when were we not?” Bianca hotly shot back as she chased after the Hong Kong male across the wooden bridge.   Karter sprinted onto the dirt path, zig-zagging around the trees as he dodged Bianca’s hot pursuit. Seeing that Karter had put a sizable distance between the two, Bianca slowed to a halt and started her stroll. She wasn’t going to lower herself to the same level as a boy with only two brain cells. Instead of running ahead to join the rest of the hyperactive few, Bianca decided to wait for Lucas and fell into step with him.   Ever since they had cleared the air, Bianca felt very much more comfortable hanging around Lucas. Having Lucas as a new friend wasn’t as strange as she had initially thought it would be. After all, he remembered her love for coffee and got her a cup of morning coffee to keep her grumpiness at bay, which she was extremely thankful for. Choosing to strike up a casual chat with the boy next to her, she asked open questions about his life as a senior and his career aspirations, hoping that she wasn’t sounding too awkward or too eager.   Much to her surprise, Lucas actually engaged in the conversation with her. He patiently answered her queries and even asked some of his own questions, wondering if she would end up in the fashion industry despite studying business. Feeling elated that she was getting all of the attention that she wasn’t readily given during that short three-month relationship, Bianca became more and more animated as she talked about her fascination with fashion and her desire to set up her own fashion brand in the future. She also openly expressed her worries about moving forward, wondering if she should get some working experience first or pursue an MBA degree somewhere else.   “Hmm, I think it would be a good idea to get some working experience first,” Lucas shared his opinion.   “How so?” Bianca questioned back.   “It’s always good to have some organizational experience, so you can understand how the real business world works. After which, you can further your studies. I’ve heard of many Master’s programmes that bring real-life cases into their curriculum. It would, therefore, be very beneficial if you already have working experience when you attend class,” Lucas said kindly. “You can always take up a role in your mum’s company if there aren’t other fashion companies that you’re interested in.”   “But I don’t really want to rely on nepotism despite my mum’s company being my top choice.” Bianca twisted her lips in thought.   “Well, I don’t think it’s nepotism per se,” Lucas reasoned. “You’re going in as an intern, which is the bottom of the entire company food chain, and not as a manager or something. Plus, I believe that you have the skills and tenacity to do well with whatever you’re assigned. Humans are all judgemental creatures, but I’m very sure they’ll be impressed with your quality work. If you’re still worried about others’ views about you, you can always keep a low profile and pretend that you’re just a regular intern in your mum’s company.”   A wide smile slowly found its way onto Bianca’s face as she slowly digested Lucas’s words. “Thanks, Luka. I almost forgot how good of an advisor you are.”   Lucas flashed her a beam, mirroring hers. “If I have the time, I’ll come find you in Korea.”   Bianca’s eyes lit up. “Really? You promise?”   Lucas nodded. “My grandparents are in Korea. I’ll let you know beforehand when I’m visiting.”   Overjoyed, Bianca made sure to link pinkies with Lucas, sealing the deal between them.   The two soon found themselves basking in a comfortable silence as they both enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Bianca took out her phone and started snapping photographs of her surroundings. She even made Lucas pose for a few portrait photos.   From the corner of her eye, she could see Ripley running through the woods with Jeremy hot on her heels, filming her as she padded across the dirt ground and circled around the thick stems. Amelie was at the side, acting like a director as she shouted directives to both Jeremy and Ripley.   “By the way, do you want to be my partner for that crazy MV that Am is planning?” Bianca asked Lucas, breaking the silence as she was reminded of the music video that she had been mercilessly dragged into filming.   “What am I supposed to do?” Lucas questioned nervously, feeling a little uncomfortable at the proposition.   “Umm, just follow Am’s directions?” Bianca shrugged. “I don’t know what kind of she’s planning for my part either. But the gist is something about lost soulmates, so all seven of us need a partner. Lucy and Ripley are with Elliot and Jerry, for sure. Chanel is gonna rope Alex in, since he’s already been teaching us the choreo. Jonas and Leon will definitely be involved too. I think Karter is in too? I’ll probably rope in Russ if you aren’t comfortable with the idea.”   “I—I don’t mind, I guess,” Lucas eventually said.   Bianca frowned in uncertainty, taking note of his nervous stance. “Really? I don’t want to force you though.”   “I—I’m really alright with being your partner,” Lucas insisted. “I mean, it’s one step closer to getting out of my comfort zone, right? I think it’ll be quite fun as well.” The Korean-American boy plastered a huge smile on his face.   Bianca laughed.   Soon, the group reached the base of the Lower Yosemite Falls. The white water cascaded down the rocky outcrops, looking majestic and sounding powerful. Bianca instantly ran forward as she scrambled up the slippery sharp rocks with ease, showcasing her fabulous rock climbing skills.   Balancing on the highest flat rock, she shouted with glee as she raised up her Chanel crossbody. “NAAAAA SIBENYAAAAAA~” Bianca successfully butchered the lyrics at the top of her lungs without a care in the world.   She was soon joined by Amelie and Chanel as they also ascended the rocks while trying not to slip. Karter and Alexander followed close behind.   “Raise me!” Chanel shouted. “Train your arms! You gotta lift me in our choreo too!”   “What the , no!” Bianca refused.   Suddenly, both Bianca and Chanel felt their legs leave the ground and they screamed in terror. Karter and Alexander had grabbed them by their armpits and lifted them up, dangling them in the air just like how Rafiki the baboon lifted baby Simba.   “ you, Karter! Let go of me!” Bianca shrieked.   “Are you sure you want me to let go?” Karter guffawed as he brought her close to the edge of the rock.   “I meant put me down! On the rock!” Bianca flailed wildly.   Karter laughed harder, but he ended up setting Bianca down safely on the rock. The fashionista shot him a nasty glower.   After some playing at the base of the waterfall with both Karter and Alexander getting slightly wet from splashing water at each other, the group left the trail and made their way to the nearby Cook’s Meadow to have a picnic lunch. Cook’s Meadow offered a stunning view of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Sentinel Point. Estee was excitedly snapping photos of the beautiful scenery before she took over Jeremy’s camcorder. Under Amelie’s instruction, Jeremy and Ripley were being filmed frolicking in the green meadows with butterflies flocking around them. The rest of the group munched on their packed sandwiches as they gathered around a bench, making small talk with one another.   “Guys, let’s go! We’re gonna be late for our rock climbing session!” Once Bianca has finished devouring her sandwich, she immediately dragged Russell and Karter by the arm, pushing them towards the car park. “Bye guys! See y’all later!” the ecstatic girl screamed at the rest, extremely delighted that she was going to finally scale some real rocks soon.       The entire group was congregating in the boys’ room shared by Russell, Elliot, Jason, Lucas, and Alexander for another evening of casual drinking and conversation. Russell had picked up several cases of beer from a convenience store at a gas station during their drive to Yosemite National Park and most of them were indulging in the amber-colored alcohol, save for the ones who didn’t enjoy drinking.   Jeremy tilted his open beer can towards his lips and let a steady waterfall of alcohol stream into his mouth. The cool liquid cascaded down his throat and the familiar feeling of being buzzed soon began to overtake his body. Ripley, who was sitting cross-legged next to him on the floor, leaned her head against his shoulder after she took a swig from her bottle of beer and he felt his heart beat wildly against his chest because of their close proximity. Despite this being a regular occurrence whenever they drank together, Jeremy was now hyper-aware of every little touch between him and his best friend.   Ever since the Jenga game in Las Vegas, his thoughts had been completely overtaken by his strong feelings for Ripley. Receiving encouragement from the others, especially Elliot and Lucy, had sparked a fire of hope within Jeremy that refused to be doused, even when waves of reasonable doubt splashed through his mind.   A relationship with Ripley was completely possible. They had already established a deep emotional connection that went beyond friendship, although unspoken. He just had to be brave and say something to her so that they no longer had to play this cryptic game of cat and mouse.   It was a matter of finding the opportunity to finally make that life-changing jump and close the remaining gap between them for good. Jeremy then tipped some more beer into his mouth and let the buzzing sensation grow. It was too late for him to be thinking about this, especially after a busy day of filming and exploring the vast national park. For now, he was content with basking in Ripley’s presence and feeling the familiar weight of her head against his arm.   Suddenly, Chanel stood up and loudly clinked two soju bottles together to grab everyone’s attention. “The energy in here is way too low right now,” she announced, her words already starting to slur. “It’s too early to be this chill. We’ve gotta amp it up with a game!”   “Hear, hear!” Alexander cheered, shaking his can of beer in the air.   “Karter, you’ve got your deck of cards, right?” Russell asked.   “I always do,” Karter answered proudly as he slapped the deck onto the table in front of the couch that some of the girls were perched on. “What do you guys wanna play this time?”   “King’s Cup!” Russell and Chanel simultaneously shouted.   “Call!” Lani and Bianca yelled in excitement.   “I’ll moderate,” Kallie offered with her right hand raised. “Otherwise it’ll become a huge mess and no one will remember when they’re supposed to drink.”   “You just wanna get out of drinking,” Rowan accused with narrowed eyes.   “That’s also true,” Kallie cheerily admitted while casually shrugging her shoulders.   “I think I’ll sit out then, since I really don’t enjoy drinking,” Estee murmured with a doleful expression.   “No way, you can’t be the only one not playing,” Russell protested. “Tell you what, how about I drink for you?”   Estee furrowed her eyebrows as she worriedly asked, “Are you sure, Russ? Won’t that be a lot?”   “Don’t worry. My alcohol tolerance is very high,” the Singaporean male answered reassuringly. “A few extra drinks won’t knock me out.” He then glanced at Chloe, who also looked nervous about participating in the drinking game. “Nessie’s a good drinker too, so she can also help drink for people.”   Vanessa smiled kindly at both Estee and Chloe, who sent back soft smiles of their own. “Yeah, I don’t mind helping out. It’ll be fun!”   Estee exhaled deeply before saying, “Okay then. I’ll play too.”   “Great, now let’s form a circle and get this party started!” Chanel cheered as she linked arms with Vanessa and pulled her next to Leon.   Karter and Kallie messily spread his deck of cards face-down around the table while Alexander prepared the King’s Cup by lavishly pouring beer, soju, and sake into a red solo cup. Once the powerful concoction was made, the Chinese-American boy proudly set it in the middle of the table before stepping back into the circle between Karter and Lucas.   “Who wants to start?” Kallie asked, already falling into her role as moderator.   “I’ll go first!” Jeremy volunteered with a wide grin before leaning forward and picking up the card nearest to him. “Nine,” he read out before showing everyone the nine of diamonds in his hand.   “Nine means rhyme,” Kallie said, looking at the list of rules for King’s Cup on her phone. “Jerry will say a word that everyone has to rhyme with and whoever isn’t able to think up a word or repeats one has to drink. And go!”   Blurting out the first word that popped into his head, Jeremy exclaimed, “Film!”   “What the heck, Jerry?!” Ripley immediately screeched. “What rhymes with film?!”   “Sorry! I couldn’t think of anything else on the spot.” He looked at his best friend sheepishly as she struggled to wrack her brain for a rhyme.   However, Kallie reached the end of her five-second countdown before Ripley could think of anything and the rest of the group raucously cheered at her failure. “Drink, drink, drink!” they all shouted at the paranormal investigator.   “This is rigged,” Ripley muttered darkly as she reluctantly gulped down a mouthful of beer.   “Sorry again, Rip,” Jeremy murmured as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He honestly hadn’t meant for his best friend to be the first victim of the game and he internally berated himself for letting his love for film cloud his mind. “Ghost” would’ve been a much better word to start with, now that he thought about it.   She rolled her eyes at him, but the ends of her lips were also slightly quirked up, to his relief. “Whatever, Jer. I guess it’s my turn now.” Ripley then picked up a card and said, “Eight,” while showing the eight of hearts.   “Eight means mate. You get to choose someone to be your mate and whenever either of you has to drink, so does the other person,” Kallie gleefully explained.   “Well, I’m obviously gonna choose Jerry,” Ripley plainly proclaimed. “Ugh, I should’ve gotten this card first and then you could’ve drank with me, especially since you’re the reason why I lost last round.”   “What a surprise,” Chanel sarcastically quipped while laughing.   Jeremy also laughed, but inside, his heart was doing a lively jig. Even though he knew that they were just playing a game, the fact that Ripley had so readily chosen him as her mate was enough to boost his confidence through the roof and he held her against him more tightly. For now, the youngest was going to take advantage of this silly rule and pretend that they were actual mates, rather than solely being game mates.   Bianca was next to choose a card. “Six!” She held out the six of hearts.   “Six means ,” Kallie said. “All the guys have to drink!” The girls erupted into screams of delight while the boys took their first shot of the game. Kallie’s eagle eyes also noticed that Ripley hadn’t moved as well and she readily called out the paranormal investigator for forgetting that she also had to drink. “You’re Jerry’s mate, Ripley! That means you have to drink when the boys do!”   Ripley hissed like an angry cat before bringing her beer bottle to her lips and taking another swig.   Leon then pulled the four of spades, causing Kallie to say, “Four means . All the girls have to drink now!” This time, the girls were the ones groaning while the boys whooped loudly except for Jeremy who obediently drank again as Ripley’s mate.   After swallowing her mouthful of soju, Vanessa picked up the king of clubs and subsequently poured some of her drink into the King’s Cup. Chanel then flipped over the jack of spades and let out an ear-splitting screech, evidently already knowing what the card meant.   “Jack means rule. Nellie gets to create a rule and anyone who breaks it has to drink as punishment,” Kallie explained for everyone else.   “I have been waiting for this moment!” Chanel shrieked excitedly. “My rule is that you have to kiss your mate after you drink.” She looked pointedly at Jeremy and Ripley while grinning widely and wiggling her eyebrows.   “Chanel Wong, I am gonna cut you!” Ripley yelled while Jeremy’s face began flaming up.   “It’s not like this is anything new to you,” Chanel flippantly answered. “You two make out at parties all the time! I have video proof, remember?”   “Oh my god, just wait until I get my hands on you!” Ripley screamed, ready to lunge at Chanel. Not wanting his best friend to go on a drunken rampage, Jeremy quickly pulled her back and used his arm to cage her against him.   Chanel cackled like a witch and smirked. “You’ll thank me later, Ripley. I guarantee it.”   Before Ripley’s tirade could further escalate, Kallie motioned for Karter to pick up the next card, which ended up being the five of spades. “Five means Never Have I Ever. You guys will play a quick game of Never Have I Ever with three fingers and whoever puts all of their fingers down first has to drink,” the Chinese-American girl said.   Starting from Karter, each person said something they had never done before. However, it wasn’t long before Amelie had all three fingers down and had to drink. Alex picked up the seven of clubs after the Taiwanese girl finished drinking.   “Seven means heaven. Everyone has to raise their hands in the air. Last person to do so drinks!” Kallie read off. With that, it was suddenly a mess of limbs as they all shot their arms up. Kallie watched carefully to discern who was the slowest before announcing Jonas as the loser. He wordlessly took a shot of soju, maintaining his stone-cold poker face.   Lucas held up the four of clubs and Jeremy sighed as he drank with the girls again. His mind was starting to swirl from drinking so much in such a short period of time. He cast his gaze at Lucy, who was next, but found her staring back at him with a knowing grin.   “Don’t forget your kiss,” Kallie sang out as she tapped Ripley and Jeremy’s shoulders. “Rules are rules!”   Ripley glared at Kallie and Chanel while flipping them with both hands before turning to her mate. “I swear to god…” she muttered under her breath before cupping Jeremy’s face and meeting his lips in a fiery open-mouthed kiss.   Jeremy instantly melted as their tongues sloppily explored each other’s mouths. The kiss felt like it lasted both an eternity and only a millisecond when Ripley finally released him, a string of saliva dangling from the edge of her lower lip. Jeremy had the strong urge to kiss it away, but used his thumb to wipe it off instead, knowing that there were several more kisses still left in the game.   He had to contain himself and keep his hormones on a tight leash, lest they lead him to the point of no return. But god, his resolve was starting to fray by the second with Ripley sitting so close to him and her pink lips shining so delectably.   Her presence was so distracting that Jeremy almost missed seeing Lucy pick up the two of hearts.   “Two means you. Go ahead and choose someone to drink,” Kallie told the Thai girl.   Lucy immediately pointed at Leon, who raised an eyebrow in response. “That’s what you get for stealing my food this morning, na,” she declared.   “I mean, you were sharing with El, so I don’t see the difference in sharing with me,” Leon answered with a shrug before drinking some soju.   “You’re nothing like El, na!” Lucy retorted.   “Really? We’re both tall Korean business students who have to deal with you,” Leon deadpanned with a playful smirk. “We’re practically the same person.”   Elliot hastily picked up a card, the queen of hearts, and looked to Kallie for an explanation before the two friends could begin bickering again. She gladly obliged, reading out, “Queen means questions. Everyone can only ask questions. The first person who doesn’t has to drink. El, you can start.”   He began the chain reaction of questions that eventually reached Chanel, who looked at Ripley and saucily asked, “How was making out with Jerry earlier?”   “I am gonna feed you to the demons that haunt this place!” the paranormal investigator spat before cursing loudly when she realized she had lost the round.   Chanel patted herself on the back while smiling smugly as Jeremy and Ripley drank again. This time, Jeremy was ready for the kiss as Ripley looped her arms around his neck and planted on his. The kiss grew progressively messier and he was panting loudly when they finally parted for air, pulse racing at the speed of light.   Russell revealed the king of spades and dumped an ample amount of sake into the King’s Cup.   “That’s way more than I put in,” Vanessa pointed out.   “It’s fine. It’s not like I’m gonna end up drinking this,” he replied while pouring in some beer as well.   Estee picked up the six of diamonds, forcing the boys and Ripley to drink again. As Jeremy made out with Ripley for the third time, he wasn’t sure if his head was spinning from the copious amount of alcohol he’d had or from the animalistic way Ripley was devouring his mouth.   Amelie drew the queen of spades, starting another round of questions that eventually ended with Karter failing, and Jason pulled the five of clubs that resulted in Bianca losing the next round of Never Have I Ever. Jonas flipped over the two of spades and he silently scanned the circle while ruminating who to choose. His gaze then alighted on Alexander who was stretching his arms over his head and uttered, “Alex, you drink.”   “That’s a random choice, but sure,” the Chinese-American boy commented before taking his third shot.   “You looked like you were volunteering,” Jonas tonelessly said.   “Dude, I was just stretching. It’s cramped in here,” Alexander explained with a snort.   Chloe then showed the three of spades to Kallie and anxiously waited for the new rule. Glancing back at her phone, the Chinese-American girl said, “Three means me.” She winced as she continued, “Sorry, Chloe. That means you have to drink.”   The Korean-American girl blanched at her poor luck and grudgingly sipped some beer. As she drank, Rowan reached over and picked up the ace of hearts.   “Ace means waterfall. Everyone has to start chugging their drinks. Since Rowan picked the card, she can stop whenever she wants and then the person to her left,” Kallie pointed at Lani, “can stop drinking whenever. And he stops drinking, the next person can stop. And this goes on until everyone stops.”   “Does—does that mean I have to drink the entire time?” Chloe squeaked out, looking absolutely horrified by the prospect.   “Dang, Marshmallow, you’re lucky!” Karter hooted from across the table.   “I can drink until the end for you,” Vanessa offered with a kind smile.   “Please…” Chloe answered weakly, now extremely relieved.   Vanessa temporarily squeezed herself in between Jonas and Chloe as Rowan began the waterfall. She chugged her sake for five seconds before stopping and then watching the rest of them end their waterfalls one after the other. By the end, Vanessa had just about drained her entire soju bottle and she slammed the empty green bottle onto the table with a satisfied grin. Once the Singaporean girl returned to her original spot with a new bottle of soju in hand, Lani drew the ten of clubs.   “Ten means categories. Lani chooses a category and everyone has to say something that belongs to that category,” Kallie explained. “Whoever can’t think of anything or repeats something has to drink!”   “And the category is…” Lani paused for dramatic effect before announcing, “ positions! Sixty-nine!”   The rest began spouting off other positions they knew until it reached Lucas, who stammered nonsensically before ultimately giving up and taking a shot as punishment. Jeremy then picked up the ace of clubs, starting another waterfall with Alexander replacing Chloe near the end this time to save Vanessa from finishing another bottle so soon after Rowan’s waterfall.   Once Lani finished chugging, Ripley picked up the jack of clubs and stared at it for several seconds without saying anything.   “What rule do you wanna make, Ripley?” Kallie prompted.   “Let’s just do body shots off of the person to our right,” Ripley slurred before tossing the card to the ground.   Chanel snickered. “Making out with Jerry isn’t enough for you, huh? Now you wanna drink off of his abs?”   “Maybe I do,” Ripley shot back as she swayed dangerously against Jeremy’s arm, which was clasped tightly around her.   “Wait, the rule needs a condition,” Kallie said while using her hand to steady Ripley and prevent the drunk girl from toppling out of Jeremy’s embrace.   “What?” the paranormal investigator shouted.   “A condition,” Kallie patiently repeated. “A reason for the rule to activate.”   “What?” Ripley shouted again. “What?”   “I think she means you have to take a body shot every time you say, ‘What?’” Jeremy clarified as he held his best friend more securely against him.   “Gotcha. Okay, moving on!” Kallie pointed to Bianca, who picked up the six of spades.   As he and Ripley kissed for the fourth time, Jeremy found himself taking time to explore every inch of with his tongue while she did the same. By now, he could map out the entire space if he wanted to. And he smiled in drunken stupor when he remembered that several other cards remained in the deck that would allow him to make out with Ripley even more.   Leon grabbed the three of clubs, so he drank some more soju, before Vanessa flipped over the queen of clubs. Another round of questions began, but it soon devolved into chaos when most of the questions began with “What?” and Kallie began calling on people to fulfill their body shots. Deciding to end the pandemonium, Russell purposely lost and drank some beer as punishment.   Upon revealing the nine of hearts, Chanel started an easy line of rhymes with the word “lime” but lost when her turn came around again and she accidentally repeated, “Time.” Karter then pulled the two of diamonds and chose Alexander to drink, which the Chinese-American boy happily obliged.   After finishing his shot, Alexander drew the jack of diamonds and shouted without hesitation, “We’re playing one round of strip poker! Moderator, bring out the other decks while we bet our clothing! Best hand of five wins and the losers can’t wear the wagered clothing for the rest of the game!”   Chloe and Estee stared at the Chinese-American boy as if he had grown horns out of his head, looking absolutely scandalized by the crazy rule. “I have nothing to bet!” Estee cried out.   “You’re wearing plenty,” Alexander smoothly replied as he immediately stripped off his shirt. Chanel followed suit and revealed the lacy black bralette that she was wearing underneath, causing him to whistle loudly.   Estee’s hands flew up to cover herself, even though she was still fully clothed. Her fingertips then brushed against the silver necklace around her neck and she reached back to undo the clasp. “Accessories count as clothing,” she challenged with a hard glint in her eyes. “Right, Bianca?”   “Definitely,” Bianca agreed as she removed her pink hair clip to wager.   Leon unclasped his watch while Jonas pulled off the hair tie he always wore on his wrist, causing Chanel to pout and a finger at Leon accusingly. “You can’t do that!”   “Bianca just said accessories are okay,” Leon impassively replied. “Therefore, watches also count as clothing.”   “You’re so lame,” Chanel complained with a huff.   “Don’t worry, Nellie. I’ll spice it up for you,” Karter declared with a grin as he shimmied out of his pants, leaving him in his blue-striped boxers.   “Me too!” Without warning, Amelie’s light blue bra flew across the room and landed on Jason’s duffel bag that was resting against the wall by the door. Jonas’ right eye twitched while Jason, who was undoing his belt, looked as if he were about to faint from sheer joy.   In the meantime, Elliot and Lucy each removed one matching sock while Ripley sluggishly pulled off her stockings. Jeremy and Lucas also undid their belts, and Russell, Lani, and Rowan tugged off their shirts. Vanessa lightly bit her lower lip before sighing deeply and removing her glasses. And Chloe looked extremely displeased as she carefully removed one of her socks.   With everyone’s bets placed, Kallie dealt everyone their initial five cards. After they all finished exchanging some of their cards to increase the strength of their hands, each person revealed their final combination one-by-one. To everyone’s surprise, Chloe ended up with a royal flush and she hastily pulled her sock back on while sighing in immense relief.   The game of King’s Cup resumed and Lucas flipped over the two of clubs. Unable to choose someone to give the shot to, he closed his eyes and randomly moved his arm until it landed on Lani. “Sorry,” Lucas murmured when he opened his eyes.   “Don’t worry about it, bro,” Lani replied as he gladly drank some sake.   Lucy was the next to pick up a card and she grinned slyly when she showed the eight of clubs to the group. “Leon Choi, you are now my mate, na,” she announced.   He arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Not your precious El?”   “No way! You’re going down with me, na,” she declared.   Leon just shrugged. “Okay, your loss.”   In the meantime, Elliot pulled the ten of spades and called out, “Korean side dishes,” as his cate