I look over my shoulder at Kendall, whose eyes are bright and cheerful. There’s a smile on her lips. It’s like she’s completely forgotten about what even happened with Torres and me. That or she’s doing a damn good job of pretending it doesn’t bother her. I’m sure it’s the former. Kendall doesn’t really care about certain situations unless they personally affect her.
“Sure. We’ve never been to a party. That sounds fun.”
“Fuck yes, so get ready! Janine snagged another bottle from Christa’s stash and we’re gonna take shots before we go.”
Kendall clicks the door shut and I sigh. I don’t know what possessed me to say yes to a party. I hate parties, and I can’t imagine what a sorority party on a Tuesday night is going to be like.
Regardless, I shuffle to the tiny closet space I have and rifle through it for something to wear. Maybe this party will do me some good—get me to forget about Torres for at least one night and get back to my regular self.
THIRTY-EIGHT
This party is exactly how I imagined it would be. It’s loud inside from the booming music pouring out of the standing speakers and it’s dark as hell. Strobe lights are flickering from random places, which helps a little, but not much. People are dancing or singing or yelling. Some are playing flip cup, while others are playing beer pong.
It’s so crowded that I feel claustrophobic.
“This is great, right?” Janine yells in my ear over the music. I look at her and she’s rolling her eyes.
I break out in a laugh. “That’s exactly how I’m feeling!” I shout.
“I don’t know why I agreed to this!” she shouts over the music again. “I guess just to say I’ve been to a sorority party? I need something to tell my future grandkids!”
I laugh. “Kendall clearly loves this!”
Janine looks from me to Kendall who is at the flip cup table, competing with a group of football players. She’s currently beating all of them and they’re all trying to break her winning streak.
I check my phone, as if a text will magically appear. Nothing.
“Let’s go get a drink!” I say to Janine over the music.
She nods and leads the way to the kitchen. We walk right past the punch bowl that has been tampered with since we got here and that Kendall warned us not to touch. Every time we came into the kitchen, someone was pouring a different kind of liquor into the bowl. I have a feeling it is now a disgusting concoction that will make you vomit as soon as you sip it.
We pour ourselves some Coke and rum, and as I take a sip, I feel someone step close behind me. The person is pretty much glued to my back. I spin around, ready to snap at whoever it is taking up so much of my personal space, only to see that it’s Stephen.
“Look at you at a party!” he says, laughing. “Didn’t think I’d ever see you at one.”
I shrug and step away. I’m really not in the mood for him right now. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Having fun?”
“Meh.” I shrug and sip my drink.
“I’m going to find Kendall!” Janine shouts and I so desperately want to reach out to her and make her stay with me, but instead I watch her walk away.
Truth is, I ignored all of Stephen’s text messages over winter break. He kept trying to meet up, but I wasn’t in the mood for it. I thought he took the hint because in psychology class, he was flirting with some girl in my face but, apparently, he’s still after the chase.
“So, what’s up? We haven’t hung out in a while,” Stephen states, running his fingers through his hair.
“Yeah, I know. Track pre-season started and it’s gotten pretty busy for me.”
“Oh, yeah, I know how that goes. We have our last game Friday. You should come.”
“Hopefully we aren’t conditioning that night.”
Stephen nods and takes a swig of his beer just as a beefy football player charges into the kitchen and rushes for Stephen. “Dude! Fucking flip cup tournament going on! Some chick who does hurdles is winning!”
My phone vibrates and I lift it up and when I see the name on my screen, I swear my heart skips a beat.
I place the cup down and unlock the phone immediately to read the message.
Torres: Don’t be mad. Needed time to think. Let’s meet somewhere.
Three little sentences and they make my smile like a lunatic. How can I be mad? He’s clearly been thinking about me too.
I respond.
Me: Place?
Torres: It’s a little far from campus…
Me: It’s fine. I’ll catch an Uber. Send the location.
“So, you want to go upstairs?” Stephen asks, and for a moment I forget he’s standing right in front of me. I lock the screen of my phone and step back.