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Stella cheers, and we high-five, and even though the guys sink their shot, too, so neither of us has to drink, I still feel good

We don’t ame, and by the tiroup in the roorown to a crowd, and the cheer they let outand cries, "Ohpartner forever No one will ever beat us" She pulls away

The guys we beat have coratulate us The one in the beanie gives ame," he says

Stella claps and yells, "Who’s next? We’ll take on anybody!"

"I’ll take that challenge!"

My back locks up one vertebra at a tiet it

"Nell, do you wanna?" Stella gestures toward the bedroom door at the sa a hand on her arm "It’s okay"

Torres leans on the other side of the table, and he’s so big, his arrips both sides of the table easily His gaze meets mine, and he raises an eyebrow "So that was your first tie to his voice that I don’t like It oose buh it’s warinner’s luck, I say"

Stella scoffs "You wish, Teo She’s a natural"

He smiles, and holy crap, it hurts It hurts that he can stand there like nothing’s changed, like I’irl for him to tease And the fact that it hurtsto play or what?" I ask

"Who’s on your team?" Stella asks Torres

"Oh, I think Ryan is around here somewhere He’ll do"

It’s Stella who stiffens this tiuy with curly hair that I always see around her steps up beside Torres His lips are pressed together as he looks across the table at Stella, and I can’t read his expression at all

A few beats of tense silence pass before Stella claps her hands "Let’s get to it, then"

I add, "You guys can go first"

Torres shakes his head "Oh no, we’ll decide this the official way With the eyes"

My brows furrow I don’t re this in the set of rules that I read online

"What’s that?" I ask

He picks up a ball and gestures for me to do the same "First throw is decided by eyes One person froets a ball, and you have to stare into your opponent’s eyes and toss the ball without watching where you aiot to be kiddingto believe--"