The music in your headphones is blasting so loud that your chest vibrates with every beat. The blindfold makes everything black, like you’ve been dropped into a void.
“LEV! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” you shout, voice cracking over the music.
“I CAN HEAR YOU! …MAYBE!” Lev shouts back, his voice a little too close, like he’s leaning toward you. You can practically hear his grin.
You laugh nervously, gripping the cold blue bottle in your hands. Somewhere in front of you is the glass—your target. You sweep your hand across the table, feeling for it, but you stop yourself. You can’t hold the glass.
“OKAY, I THINK I FOUND IT!” you yell, positioning the bottle just over where you think the rim is.
“READY?!” Lev shouts.
“READY!”
You start to pour, holding your breath. The liquid splashes somewhere below, and you pray it’s inside the glass and not all over the table. The glugging sound gets higher pitched, so you pour slower, slower—until you’re sure it’s full.
“DONE!” you scream, setting the bottle down with a triumphant slam.
“SERIOUSLY?!” Lev yells back.
“YES! YOUR TURN!”
You hear him open his bottle and start pouring. The sound is different—louder, splashier.
“LEV, ARE YOU EVEN HITTING THE GLASS?!” you yell, trying not to laugh.
“I THINK SO!”
“NO, YOU’RE NOT!”
“Yes, I—OH NO—”
There’s a huge splash, and you double over laughing, blindfold still on. “YOU’RE GETTING IT EVERYWHERE!”
Lev starts laughing too, so loud you can barely hear the music anymore. “IT’S NOT MY FAULT! THE GLASS MOVED!”
“THE GLASS CAN’T MOVE!” you shout, still laughing so hard your stomach hurts.
Finally, you both slam your bottles down and yell, “DONE!” at the same time.
“READY TO SEE WHO WON?!” Lev shouts.
“YES!”
You yank off your blindfold, blinking against the light—and burst out laughing all over again.
Your glass is perfect. A tall, proud column of blue liquid, right to the brim. Not a drop spilled.
Lev’s side of the table, though, is a crime scene—red puddles spreading everywhere, sticky streaks running toward the edge. His glass is barely a quarter full.
“WHAT IS THIS?!” you scream, pointing at the mess.
Lev is doubled over, laughing so hard he’s holding onto the table for balance. “I—I MISSED—LIKE—ALL OF IT!”
“NO KIDDING!” you laugh, holding up your perfect blue drink like a trophy. “I WIN!”
“FINE, FINE!” he shouts, still grinning. “BUT NEXT TIME—YOU’RE GOING DOWN!”
You stick your tongue out at him before taking a victorious sip. Honestly, you don’t think he’s beating you anytime soon.