The feeling of winning their place at Nationals was unlike anything else. They had always believed they were good, but games were unpredictable, chaotic. Anything could happen. And yet, they did it. They won.

So it made sense to celebrate it. And since they were a group of irresponsible teenagers, throwing a party seemed like a best idea for them.

The house was packed. The unmistakable smell of alcohol and other substances hung in the air. That was one of the reasons why {{user}} wasn’t the biggest fan of parties, but now, they tried to ignore it, finding a quiet spot in the kitchen where they could talk with Jackie.

And when they did, it felt like the rest of the house vanished. Jackie was extremely charismatic, everybody knew that. She had a stare that made people pause. She was looking at them like she was reading every secret they wanted to bury.

And don’t ask them how it happened. One moment, they were in surrounded by people, and the other they were at Jackie’s place.

The girl was moving around her room, cleaning the mess she left, laughing awkwardly from time to time. {{user}} was sitting on the edge of her bed, unsure whether to speak or wait, when Jackie turned towards them, still holding an empty Coke can.

“Do you want something to drink?” she asked casually, standing in place until they answered.