Emeros X

Day 2.2

As time passed, Erin noticed that there was music playing across the hall. When she opened the door, the music became significantly louder. The bass was practically shaking the walls. She slowly walked in, pulling at the door. She could feel the music through the metal handle. The music started blasting as she swung the door open. Richard was sitting over in a corner, drinking punch and talking to a girl who was laughing, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. Erin felt her stomach twitch and a flash of jealousy hit her.

Erin walked toward Richard, waving at him as she got closer. He quickly noticed her and waved her over, turning toward the other girl to say something.

“There you are! I was wondering when you’d join the party,” Richard smiled, grabbing Erin’s hand and pulling her closer to him and the other girl. “This is the girl I was telling you about, Kelly.”

Kelly nodded, looking down at her cup for a moment before saying hello.

“So, today’s day two huh? dia del dos?” Richard turned toward Erin, talking a bit louder to be heard over the music.

Erin smiled, correcting him on his Spanish vocabulary.

“You know, for someone who’s supposed to be fluent in more than one language by now, you definitely should know how to say ‘day two’” she commented.

“Well you see, that’s the thing. I don’t speak Spanish. I speak Chinese. Watch,” Richard started speaking in what Erin could only figure was Chinese, but he lost her on the first couple words and everything started to make less and less sense.

“What exactly were you even saying?” Erin asked, shaking her head.

“Oh, you couldn’t tell? I said ‘Nothing in the world is single; All things by a law divine in one another's being mingle; Why not I with thine?’”

“You just quoted Shelley, didn’t you? You know, the guy who’s wife wrote Frankenstein?”

“That’s why I quoted him! That’s my favorite book!”

Richard raised his arms and began walking around Erin, moaning and grunting. Erin hid her face in her hands, opening her fingers a bit to watch him as he circled her. She noticed Kelly walk away, dropping her cup in a nearby trashcan.

“I think you scared her away Richardstein,” Erin said, grabbing his arm and pointing at her walking away.

“Oh well, I have you to talk to now don’t I?”

“That, you do. Nice going Richard. You actually managed to scare somebody off in a quest to talk to me.”

“Don’t say I’ve never done anything for you in the future then! By the way, do you want to dance?”

Richard bowed, holding his hand out toward Erin, who slowly took it. He pulled her close, starting a pitiful attempt at the tango, mimicking clutching a rose stem between his teeth.

“Um, Richard?”

“Yes, seniorita?”

“The speakers are playing pop music.”