Brooke and Savannah had been friends since their first year at school and had been inseparable ever since. Despite each of their parents going through a divorce and both moving to a new town, Brooke and Savannah remained close.
Having moved into the area recently, this was the first Christmas party that Savannah's mother had been invited to and Brooke had come along to keep Savannah company. The car journey was short, and Brooke and Savannah giggled and shared their social media stories.
They pulled into a large driveway that led to a grand old mansion house where music spilled from open windows.
'Wow,' Savannah stared at the place, 'looks like a hollywood film house.'
'Now listen, girls,' Savannah's Mom turned round in her seat, 'I'm here to make friends and build up my social life. So you two keep to yourselves and don't get into any trouble.'
'Sure thing, Mrs Reed,' Brooke said.
Brooke and Savannah were ushered through the front doors of the large family home where the Christmas gathering had started. They were greeted by the owners, who simultaneously sipped cocktails, waved to others in the room, and introduced Mrs Reed to nearby drinkers. The two girls stood to one side.
The house was in full throng, the chatter of people barely drowning out the 90's music and everyone looked over 40 and well into their third beverage.
'The other kids are downstairs, why don't you send them down there to be with the boys. I think they are just keeping out of trouble.' Savannah overheard a lady talking to her Mum, and then was ushered to the cellar door.
Kids? Brooke thought. We are both nineteen, and parents still call us kids.
The lady opened the door to the basement and shouted down 'Pip, love, look after these two girls will you. Their Mum is here for the afternoon and the girls are bored.'
In the gloom of the basement three boys stopped playing cards. Pip tutted, 'Sure Ma,' he shouted up the basement stairs, then turned to his friends and grumbled. 'Ma said we had to look after some kids of their friend.'
'Really? We babysitters now?' One of the boys, Jack, muttered, picking up cards at the table and sneakily looking at them.
Brooke and Savannah cautiously walked down the stairs into the lowlit basement room. Dressed in big winter coats they stood at the bottom, looking about them at the ratty sofa, the fantasy posters hanging on the wall, and the three dumb-struck boys sitting at a table.
All three lads gawped as the girls walked down the steps and into the basement. Real females, and gorgeous ones at that.
Pip jumped out of his seat and rushed over to the two girls, offering his hand. 'Hi, er, welcome to the basement. Ah, the pit of despair as we like to call it.'
The two girls glanced at each other. 'Smells kind of funky down here,' Brooke wrinkled her nose.
'Yeah. Sorry about that,' Pip shuffled forward. 'Here, let me take your coats.'
The two girls pulled off their coats, handing them to Pip, who hung them up on a novelty coat rack. He turned back and gasped as he saw the two girls. They were dressed for a festive party.
Brooke raised her hand to say high to the three boys. 'My name is Brooke.'
Brooke was brunette, dark eyes, five foot seven and dressed in a festive onesie, green with scarlet red tree designs and silver baubles dangling all over, with pop studs fastened over her generous chest and down to her narrow waist. Her dark hair ran over her shoulders, silky smooth that caught the light with a soft lustre.
'And I'm Savannah.' Savannah leant forward to wave at the other boys sitting around the table. She was short and petite, with blonde curls bouncing around her cute face, and wore an off-the-shoulder festive jumper that accentuated her large firm breasts, with a pleated miniskirt and furry snow boots.
Pip stumbled as he walked back to the table to join his friends. Safety in numbers. 'I'm Philip. Pip to my friends. Which ain't these two? Ah ha ha,' he said awkwardly.
'I'm Jack,' the shorter lad said, waving his hand, and then nodded to the third bloke. 'And this lummox is George.'
There was an awkward silence as the two girls looked about the place. Brooke pulled self-consciously at her onesie, 'We were expecting more of a party atmosphere. It is Christmas, after all,' she said.
'Has anyone got any booze?' Savannah asked.
'Now that, we can do!' Pip stood with a flourish. George wandered over to a huge wooden cabinet and brought out a crate of bottled beers and an assortment of spirits and mixers. He handed out drinks and the group relaxed on the scruffy leather sofa and various make-shift seats.
They chatted for an hour, sharing stories, drinking, and genuinely enjoying themselves. It was awkward at first, but the alcohol soon relaxed everyone.
Brooke worked at a bookshop but was building a profile on tiktok, dancing and doing dares. Savannah was going to college and studying business. Both girls were nineteen, had been friends since forever, and had moved to the area when their respective Mum's had divorced.
Pip was twenty, no job and no prospects. Jack was into IT and working for a local tech firm, but had only just started as he was eighteen. George was twenty one, a farmer's son and worked on the family farm. They met every Thursday night to play Dungeons and Dragons. And one of them was a virgin - but they weren't saying who.
'Only one of you?' Brooke laughed.
There was an awkward silence. 'Do you have any other games to play?' Brooke asked.
Pip smiled. 'We have quite a few non-geek games we could play.' And he proceeded to pull out various bar games and fun party games from a large bookcase. Pip lay out a selection of games and four were chosen - giant jenga, throw burrito, head basket, and beer pong.
'And to make it interesting,' Savannah clapped enthusiastically, 'we will play for points. Girls against boys. And the winners get to choose the prize.'
'But there are three of us,' Jack said. 'And only two of you.'
