"Sloane?" Leo asked, eyeing the dark bottle in her hand. "Can I... can I take a shot of that?"
Sloane paused, looking at the bottle and then at him. A slow, mischievous smile spread across her face. "You know you're way too young for this, Leo-Lion. If your parents found out, they'd have my head." She leaned in, her eyes gleaming. "But... I guess the 'Man of the House' can handle one little sip. Just don't tell a soul."
"I won't! Go get a cup for me so we can cheers to it!" Leo said, his eyes wide with fake excitement.
"Alright, alright. Hold your horses," she laughed, heading back toward the kitchen.
The second the screen door clicked shut, Leo's "innocent" look vanished. He moved like a shadow, grabbing the bottle and dumping the bitter, amber liquid into a large ceramic flower pot nearby. He wiped the rim of the bottle, sat back down, and waited.
When Sloane returned with a small glass, she stopped, blinking at the empty bottle in Leo's hand. "Wait—you drank it already?"
Leo let out a fake, heavy breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah! I'm sorry, I was just... I was so excited to have my first beer. I couldn't wait."
"Whoa, easy there, tiger," Sloane said, sounding genuinely surprised. "You're going to feel that in a minute."
Leo played his part perfectly. He started to let his eyelids droop. He swayed a little on the blanket. "Wow... I feel... really sleepy all of a sudden. I think I need to go to bed, Sloane."
"I bet you do," she said, her voice dropping to a gentle, almost maternal hum. She helped him up and guided him toward the stairs. "Sleep it off, Leo. You did good today."
Leo stumbled into his room, closed the door, and waited. The second he heard her footsteps head back downstairs, his eyes snapped wide open. He wasn't sleepy at all. He crawled to his door, pressed his ear against the wood, and held his breath.
Leo lay flat on his stomach, his phone screen glowing under the blankets. Downstairs, the house was vibrating. It wasn't just Sloane anymore. He had heard the front door click five times, followed by low laughter and the heavy thud of boots heading straight for the basement.
He dialed Maya, his voice a frantic whisper. "Maya! You were right. She's got people over. Like... five of them."
"I told ya!" Maya whispered back, sounding excited. "Is it just one guy?"
"No, it's a whole group. Three guys, two girls. They went into the basement."
"Oooooh," Maya squealed softly. "Leo, maybe they're having an orgy."
Leo's heart hammered against his ribs. He didn't want to look like a "pussy" again, so he let out a short, knowing laugh. "Yeah. Totally. An orgy. I figured."
"Go and take a look!" Maya urged. "It'll be like a movie. Call me back and tell me everything!"
They hung up, and the room went silent. Leo's smile vanished instantly. He scrambled to open a private browser tab and typed: W-H-A-T I-S A-N O-R-G-Y?
He hit search.
As the results loaded and the images popped up, Leo's eyes went wide. His jaw literally dropped. He felt his face turn a shade of red that was hotter than a stovetop. He dropped the phone on his chest, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.
No way, he thought. Not Sloane. Not my Sloane.