Love at First Song

2. Does Your Mother Know

The walk to this so-called Quad Delt is an entertaining one. Nothing is better than people-watching, especially when the people in question are intoxicated. The best way to describe a college campus on a Saturday night is that it is just like kindergarten recess but the kindergarteners don't have to come inside until they want to. College itself is like the best parts of sleepaway camp, but with homework and class mixed in to break up all of the fun. The voice in my maps tells me to turn onto Ackerman, a street that I have only heard about but never seen. It's dark walking down this way, and it doesn't seem that a frat house should be this out of the way. I walked past a few on the way here, but I'm in unfamiliar territory. I'm not too worried though, as the noise didn't dissipate as we further from the main strip of student housing, it seemed to get louder. In Jill's text, I was told to look out for a sign with the words "Quad Delt" written on it. As Siri tells me that the house is on the left, I scan the house for what I expect to be large Greek letters nailed to the front of the building. I am instead met with a flag. A flag with a picture of a human leg with four triangles on it, specifically found on the quadricep on said leg. I am both shocked and impressed by the design of this: shocked that this house is identifying as a frat with the name Quad Delt and impressed with how funny I found this ridiculous flag. "This is going to be a long night," I chuckled under my breath. I texted the groupchat, giving my roommates the heads up that I'm outside and about to walk in. Suddenly self-conscious about my outfit and the state of my hair, I take the hood off of my head, remove my headphones and put them in my bag, and pull my hair out of the messy bun. My long blonde hair falls on my shoulders, smelling of citrus and flowers because of my shampoo. I'm so glad I took a shower this morning. I run my hands from the front of my part to the back, shaking out the knots from a day spent hidden in my hoodie. I readjust my glasses on my face nervously as I approach this strange house. As soon as I open the front door, the sound of laughter and music burst into my ears, making me both excited and nauseous at the thought of how many people are up there. I close the door behind me and realize that this want to vomit may not be from my own anxiety, it might be the smell radiating from upstairs; the stench of beer and boy. My bright blue orbs peek from behind my glasses, glancing up the beaten-up staircase. The waves of academic stress seem to melt away with every step I take. The waves are replaced with excitement and a want for adventure; a new feeling that I could definitely get used to. I make my way to the top of the stairs and am met with faces I've never seen before. I feel the blood drain out of my own as I have come to the realization that I might not know anyone here besides my roommates; a new feeling that I definitely want to get rid of. The silence is as heavy as my backpack, which suddenly made me feel 100 pounds heavier, but that silence was cut short with my roommates crashing through the party's front door. With their eyes wide and skin sweaty, they grab me and pull me inside, giggling and yelling my name as if they had not just seen me 6 hours earlier. I quickly recovered from the whiplash, realizing that I am now inside this faux frat, filled to the brim with undergrads and alcohol.

"Here! Give me your stuff!", shouts Spencer in an attempt to be heard over the intoxicated conversations.

"What?", I yell back, still adjusting to flashing lights on the walls. Abby begins to tug at my backpack, signalling me to take it off so Spencer can take it away. In one quick movement, I throw my coat and backpack off of my shoulders and into my left hand to pass it to her. Spencer attempts to take it from my hand, almost dropping it in the process.

"Holy fuck Peyton, what do you have in there? A small child?", Spencer yells jokingly.

"Hey, it couldn't be any worse than the brick factory that operates out of Abby's backpack," laughs Jill as she helps Spencer pick up my backpack. Abby makes a mocking pout face and laughs with her. Spencer finally gets a grip on my bag and slinks off to hide it somewhere. She clearly knows this place well. My eyes have finally given me the chance to digest the scenery around me. To pair with the flashing lights is weird decor covering the walls, ranging from movie memorabilia to thrifted junk. Another Quad Delt flag was pinned on the wall closest to me. A fireplace can be seen just beyond the crowd on my far left, its mantle holding a magnificently stacked collection of empty alcohol containers. It's an absolute miracle that they're still standing. I can see a group on the opposite side of the room mingling in front of what seems like a bucket, dunking their Red Solo cups into it to refill their drinks. As soon as I saw just how many people were in this room, my body realized how hot it was in here. I grabbed the neck of my hoodie and began to move it in and out, trying to create some cool air between it and my torso. Jill notices this and grabs my and Abby's hand, leading us to an area that isn't as densely populated. We walk through the living room, past the drink station and bowls filled with miscellaneous snacks, and into a dining room, home of a righteous beer pong battle. Jill pulls us past the war zone and into a nook, which holds three mystery doors. She picks the one on the left and charges through it, Abby and I the calvary behind her. It's a bedroom, a boy's bedroom. It's full of backpacks and winter layers, and weirdly enough, all of the chairs from around the house. I don't question it, I'm too warm to think about anything else. I see Spencer putting my backpack and coat alongside hers and the other roommates' stuff on top of the bed. I walk over to her, my Doc Martens just barely stepping on the tails of long coats as I maneuver through the space. While doing so, I decide to take off my hoodie and stow it with the rest, as I know I will not last another second in this house without passing out. I'm just glad I'm wearing one of my nicer tops under all twelve of my layers. I quickly check myself out in the full-length mirror: my hair is behaving itself and shows no evidence of being shoved into a bun since 9:00 this morning, my nose and cheeks are bright pink from the chilly walk here, my mascara is surprisingly intact, and my colourful jeans are making a convincing argument that this party was the main event of my evening – definitely not wasting away in front of a blank Google Doc. I consider this look a win with how last notice this outing was. I turn to my roommates, gesturing at my outfit and my looks for approval. They all smiled and say I look great, all of them eager to get back out into the sweat fest just beyond the bedroom door.

"Do any of you guys have something to drink? I feel like I'm going to need this to start being social," I ask half-jokingly. Abby reaches into her bag and pulls out a Twisted Tea. My saviour. I thank her for her donation and crack it open. I take a gulp, letting the slightly chilled beverage bring my body temperature down.

"Ready to roll?", asks Spencer, making sure that all of us are ready to re-enter the party. We all nod and do final checks in the mirror. I take another gulp of my Twea as I look at my friends. There's something in the air – definitely not oxygen – and I can tell that tonight is going to be a good one.

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Hello Hello! Sorry for the late update - it took me longer than I thought to be bailed out from jail! My stupid ex called the cops on me for stalking! Anyways I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope you all love it as much as I do!

Luv you all <3

xXminnesota_luverXx