A private party

Casey had fought the urge to slap Lucas into sobriety. Instead he conceded, allowing himself to be pulled along through the packs of people. He offered half-heard apologies and small, apologetic smiles as Lucas bumped into others in his path. The insults and looks seemed to slide off him though as he glanced back, crooked smile on his face as he tried to focus on Cass.

"That guy, Joseph. Super cool mannn. Totally got you didn't know and like, didn't mean anything by it." Casey blinked, "I didn't think I was that much of a dick, honestly man. I mean-"

"Shhhh!" Lucas hushed him, putting a wobbly finger in front of his lips. Casey felt a slight flare of irritation. Being dragged away from a sure thing only to be treated like a child by someone he would not doubt be babysitting for the rest of the night was frustrating. Okay, maybe Sophie hadn't be a sure thing but she was certainly into him. And Lucas was certainly on his way to being blackout drunk.

"Listen. They've invited me and you and a few other guys to come hang with them, right? Little private party huh. Might be a few tests. See if we'd fit in with them." Casey rolled his eyes, biting back as he went to speak. He was getting sick of Lucas banging on about these Beta Psi guys. "I agreed to help you out man. But I'm not being judged by a bunch of assholes." Lucas shook his head, taking a longer then normal to stop. "Nahhh, I get you. But their not assholes. People judge too much. Come see, talk to them yourself." Lucas could, even tipsy, could sense Casey's trepidation on the matter. "You've never been judged before? Yeah, right. So just give them a chance, man. You're likely the only guy on campus who'd put up this much of a fight for a good thing."

Casey resigned himself, following his friend along and brooding silently. Lucas had led them out of the house and across the main party, around the Beta Psi house and down a track leading from the back of it. Small garden lights lit the path as they moved further and further away from the party, following the old track down. A few lost looking figures were throwing up in the distance, having sought a quiet spot no doubt. The treeline of the surrounding woods slowly reached up above them as a building become clear. A decently sized wooden 'cabin' nestled on the edge of the trees. It was too modern for the traditional image the name brought to mind but it had clearly been styled to appear similar. The Beta Psi symbol was engraved on a large stone which sat guard out front. Along side it a large man wrapped in a black bomber jacket stood vigil.

Approaching, Casey couldn't help but feel an uneasy sensation growing in the pit of his stomach. He eyed the guy by the porch who in return, glared at the two boys. "Names?" He barked before they'd even come to a stop. "Lucas. Joseph invited me." Lucas smoothed his hair back, attempting to pass off as more confident then he probably felt. The guy by the door narrowed his eyes at Casey who looked to Lucas before answering to. "Uhm, Casey. He brought be along." He pointed to Lucas, shifting from foot to foot. The guard watched them both for several seconds before reaching for his phone and slowly tapping at it a few times. "We good or-" Lucas was silenced by a raised finger. "Okay, you can go in. But I got nothing bout him." The guard pointed a large hand in Casey's direction. The two boys looked between each other. "You sure, I mean-"

"I'm sure. Now you in, and you, fuck off. Before I deny both of you."

"Okay, okay. Dam, man." Casey raised his hands. He wasn't that upset to be honest. Leaving Lucas with here felt wrong and a small voice in the back of his head was telling him he definitely shouldn't abandon his friend. However, there didn't seem many options. "It's cool, Lucas. Look just-"

"It's cool, Nick. They're both welcome. Even blondie." A voice called out from the porch behind the guard. Casey and Lucas had barely noticed the door open. Leaning casually against the railing, a beer in hand and a rather smug expression on his face stood Dean. Joseph's Beta Psi friend. His dreads hung freely around his head, falling to his shoulders and he was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, showing off his inked arms once again. He took a swig from his bottle, nodding to the guard who accepted his word without question, gesturing for the two to go up and join Dean. Lucas grinned and Casey sighed.

"Thanks!" Lucas said as he quickly joined the taller man on the porch. "My pleasure." Dean spoke smoothly, glancing from Lucas and fixing Casey with a look. Cass nodded his thanks, struggling what to make of the guy's expression. "Joseph is excited to have you come. As are the rest of the boys actually. Come in, come in, we were just gonna have some more drinks. Then maybe some 'games'." He smiled, just a little to widely for Casey's comfort. Like he was amused by a private joke only he could hear and understand. The uneasy feeling only seemed to grow.

Pushing the door open, Dean gestured for them to enter. "Ladies first." He chuckled and Lucas snorted, clearly seeing it as banter between boys. Casey got the distinct feeling Dean was just trying to belittle them though.