My Professor

5. Sigma Phi

Saturday afternoon finally rolled around and I decided to actually send my night over at the Sigma Phi house with Maria. If anything, a party would be a great distraction for me, since my mind still struggled to shake Theodore from my thoughts.

"You made it!" Maria exclaimed when I knocked on her front door an hour early.

"Yeah, I figured why not?" I said as she let me inside of the old but well maintained two story house.

Inside the house was a foyer that led to multiple rooms on either side of the house, as well as a staircase leading to the second floor. Past the staircase was the kitchen. A few more rooms were past the kitchen and the back door led to the massive backyard. The house was huge, which was warranted since twelve girls shared it. The wooden floors and the intricate trim indicated that the house was built as early as the turn of the century, though it was decorated with modern, college girl flair. Soon, the house would be packed with an assortment of twenty-somethings from a wide variety of social groups, from hippies to hipsters.

"That's what I like to hear," she replied. "Come on, help me get ready."

Maria and I spent the following forty minutes chatting in her bedroom was she dug around for something to wear. She offered to let me borrow a dress, but I declined. I was comfortable with my dark green skirt and black turtleneck. Once she'd found a dress that she was satisfied with, she went downstairs to help her sorority sisters finish setting the house up for their guests. I stayed upstairs and watched the women wrestle with a couple of card tables out in the backyard - one to pose as a bar, and the other as a beer pong table.

It wasn't long before the sun sank behind the treetops and people began to arrive at the house.

I finally went downstairs to join the festivities after I heard music begin to pump through the sound system. More people were beginning to arrive, and I would be able to avoid the awkwardness of being one of the first people to arrive. I went down to the kitchen and got myself a drink. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened it, sipping it quietly while I watch the room fill out. People around me talked over the music, drank, and some began to dance.

After about twenty minutes of dwelling I decided to suck it up and at least attempt to put myself out there. I downed the rest of my beer and opened the fridge to reach for another one.

"Want something a little stronger?"

I turned around in surprise. A petite girl with long, uncombed black hair was standing to my left. She was already picking up a bottle from the counter before I could respond.

"Sure," I said, attempting to loosen up.

The girl poured the clear fluid into a red plastic cup without measuring it followed by half of a diet soda.

"Here you go," she said as she handed it off to me. She gave me a smile before spotting someone she knew. She left to go talk to them instead.

I drifted toward the living room to see who all had arrived and to people watch a little. I didn't see anyone I knew in particular, other than Maria on the other side of the room, talking to her boyfriend, Clyde. Clyde was tall, well-built like an athelete, and had a crop of dark brown hair that matched his dark brown eyes. I didn't know him well, not enough to have much of an opinion on him, even though he and Maria had been dating for a little over a year at that point. The few times I'd crossed paths with him, he'd always seemed more interested in something else going on, whether it was a nearby TV or another member of our party.

I wasn't intersted in crossing paths with him, as much as I liked Maria, so I ducked back into the kitchen and hung around while eavesdropping on the people around me. I didn't hear anything particularly entertaining, to be honest, but it helped passed the time. I was sure I looked odd, standing alone, but I doubted anyone was paying that much attention. People continued to file into the house, and the booze kept pouring.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for me to get bored, and although I felt pretty distracted from my invasive thoughts of my Chemistry professor, I could only stomach lingering as a wallflower for so long. I decided to throw in the towel and go home, but first I wanted to do the nice thing and give Maria a proper goodbye. It was the least I could do.

"Hey, girl," I said as I apporoached her; She was in the same spot I'd seen her in perviously, although her boyfriend had wandered deeper into the party.

"No," Maria said, cutting me off. "Don't tell me you're leaving already."

"I had a beer and more than my fair share of random gossip. I think I'm good for the night," I told her.

"But, the party just started," she protested. "Things are just getting going."

"I know, but you know me. I can only take so much," I replied, insisting on clinging to my white flag. "Thanks for inviting me. It's been fun."

"It would be even more fun if you stuck around, but I understand," she relented. "Thanks for stopping by and hanging out eariler. I'll see you in class?"

"Yeah, I'll see you."

After I left Maria, I went straight for the front door and wedged myself through the enterance to get back out onto the patio. The patio was littered with people as well, and streams of people were still making their way towards the house. I knew I was better off leaving sooner rather than later; if the night was anything like what Maria was hoping, it would be a wild one, and I wasn't exactly here for it. I enjoyed hearing her stories about living in a soroity house, but living through them sounded significantly less appealling. Instead, I quickly left the patio, crossed the lawn, and walked myself home.