Chapter 2
Skylar
When I finally makemy way back to my dorm all I can do is stand in the doorway and stare. My bed is pushed to the side, up against the white cinder block wall. My roommate’s bed is opposite of mine, and a small desk is at the foot of each mattress. All in all, the room reminds me of what a prison cell would look like. Heaving a deep sigh, I go to my bed and start unpacking my stuff.
“Hey, watch it, prick.”
The voice coming from down the hall draws my attention. Before she even enters the room I know that coarse language has to be coming from my roommate. At least I hope. I’ve heard horror stories from Alex about his freshman year and the roommate he got stuck with. I have been dreading who I will end up bunking with, praying it isn’t someone uptight and that I will be able to get along with her.
When she rounds the corner and steps into the room I know my eyes have to have widened in surprise. The first thought that comes to my mind is that I am bunking with a gypsy. Her hair is a wild mass of black curls, falling over her shoulders and down to her waist. The sound of twenty bangle bracelets jangling against her wrists precedes each step she takes. Her multicolored ankle-length skirt swirls around her as she literally sashays through the threshold. She is gorgeous. All of a sudden I feel very plain compared to her.
“Oh hey. You must be my roomie.” I should be offended by the way she eyes me up and down, but her warm smile makes it hard to feel that way. She offers her hand to me and I take it. “I'm Claire Jacobson.” She drops my hand and tosses her bag onto the free bed. “Do you have a name or should I just call you girl?” She is teasing, I can tell in her voice.
“God, I'm sorry.” I feel my cheeks heat as embarrassment washes through me. “Skylar Sarris.” Claire laughs and lifts her hand as if to brush my comment aside.
“No worries. I was just giving you a hard time.” She continues to remove things from her bag. The sound of her bangle brackets jingling on her wrists seems to fill the room and keeps me in a kind of trance.
“What's your major?” Claire doesn't stop putting her stuff away as she makes small talk with me.
“Well...”
Claire laughs and turns around to face me. “Undecided, huh?” I look at her sheepishly before smiling myself. “Hey, you're entitled to be your first year. Just don't let it carry over after that or you become one of those students.”
“One of those students?”
She sits down on the edge of the bed and leans back, resting her upper body on her elbows. She watches me for several seconds before smiling.
“Yeah, one of those students that are in college for like six years, making it a career.” She laughs. “One of those students that enjoys the college life way too much to actually grow up.” She tosses her hair over her shoulders and watches me intently. I just nod my head in acknowledgement. “So, you from the area?”
I shake my head before saying, “Not the Columbus area. I lived in Seville before coming here. My brother has been attending OSU for three years.”
“Seville one of those out-of-the-blue towns where you bring your tractor to school?”
I start laughing. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”
She grins. “I can tell you and I are going to get along just fine.”
I meetAlex outside of the dorm a few hours later. I hear the bass in his Jeep before I actually see him rounding the corner. I can't help but roll my eyes as he stops at the curb. I can feel the deep, rhythmic thumping all the way to my bones. I quickly look around, feeling embarrassed by how obnoxiously loud his music is. His windows are rolled up so I can't make out the lyrics, but I have no doubt they are fast, loud, and filled with profanity.
When I reach the door I pull it open and am immediately assaulted with an array of profanities that have me blushing harder. I am used to Alex's choice of music since that is what he would blast in his room at home when his friends were over. But when students actually stop what they are doing to openly stare at us, it is the first time I was mortified. I quickly slip into the seat and shut the door.
“Do you have to have the music so damn loud?” I hiss through my teeth and the only response I get from him is a chuckle. He does turn the music down, though.
“You better get used to it because once we get to the house it's gonna get a hell of a lot worse.” He shifts the Jeep into gear and makes his way down the road. During the three years Alex has been going to OSU I have never once visited his place. He started off in the dorms, but during his second year he and a bunch of his buddies decided to rent a house about five minutes from the main campus.
It only takes me a minute to realize Frank isn't in the car. I don't need to ask Alex where my dog is because he is already answering my unspoken question.
“Ryan and Max got a kick out of seeing Frank and are watching him.”
Before I know it we are pulling into the driveway of Alex's house.
The houses close to the university look very similar: two stories with a small covered porch, peeling paint on the wooden siding, and a small paved driveway. Although the sun is still out there are cars lined up on each side of the street and parked along the curb.
He kills the ignition and gets out of the vehicle. I follow suit, then we are making our way toward the front door. I can hear the booming music coming from inside the house. Splashes of red from the solo cups everyone holds catch my eye. Everyone greets Alex with either a slap on the back from the guys, or a seductive smile from the females.
We step inside and I feel lost in the crowd of people, the music, and the clearly sexual actions going on around me.
Yup, this is an Alex party.