𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐃𝐃𝐒

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑

Pulling into the driveway of the frat house, I felt a bit uneasy and excited at the same time. I searched for an empty parking spot, while also trying to avoid college kids rushing to the steps of the house. Finding a spot, I quickly parked. Amara and I got out of my car, looking around.

"I'm so excited!" Amara said, beaming. Amara was such a bundle of joy and made positivity out of everything.

"Me too, but I need to find some friends." I replied, "Do you want to meet up later or do you want to meet some of my friends?" I asked her.

"I'll meet them. I need to make some new friends here, I don't want to be the one girl whose only friend is her roommate!" She laughed. I smiled, and looked down at my phone. Lila had texted me saying she was 5 minutes away.

"Okay, she's 5 minutes away, so do you just want to go inside for a bit while we wait?" I asked.

"Sure. I need a drink, anyways. It helps me socialize." Amara replied. We entered the party, lights flashing and loud music blasting out of speakers. There were red solo cups littering countertops and floors, and people crowded into different areas of the house.

I held Amara's hand, squeezing through bodies to make our way to the kitchen. There had to be about 20 bottles of alcohol and stacked cups. Amara grabbed one of the bottles, pouring herself a shot and did the same for me. We clinked cups, and gulped down our drinks.

"What is this?" I shouted to Amara over the loud music. Amara laughed, shrugging.

"I just grabbed whatever I thought looked good!" She yelled back. Suddenly, I felt my phone buzzing. Lila had messaged me that she was outside. I motioned for Amara to follow me, and we made our way to the front of the frat.

I opened the door, revealing not only Lila but her twin brother, Caleb, and his best friend, Mateo.

I squealed, jumping into Lila's arms. I hadn't seen her since last month, and I had really missed and needed my best friend. She hugged back, laughing. I pulled away, and hugged Caleb next.

It was more of a shorter hug, because it would be a bit awkward to be hugging a guy I wasn't even that close with for a long time. Also, we had not been on good terms for a while, so it would've been awkward for both of us. I waved at Mateo, and turned to Amara.

"Hey guys! Meet my roommate, Amara. Amara, meet Lila, Caleb, and Mateo." I grinned, pointing to each their own. Amara immediately smiled at them.

"Oh my gosh, hello! It's so great to finally meet you all!" She smiled, "Sophia told me all about you guys. Lila, her best friend of course, Caleb, her best friend's twin, and sorry, but who are you? I don't think she mentioned you." She stared at Mateo, blushing a bit and smiling.

Mateo smiled, and stepped up. "Hey! I'm Mateo. It's so great to meet you." My heart immediately dropped, and I shot a look towards Lila. She was already glaring into my eyes, giving me a look that meant I was supposed to cockblock.

Ever since we were 12, Lila had been head over heels for Mateo. Since the moment Caleb brought Mateo over for a sleepover after the first week of middle school, Lila had always had Mateo on her mind. She had in secret told me all about her master plan to marry him one day, which I thought was a bit delusional. But still, she was my best friend.

"Hey!" I shouted a bit loud, the entire group looking over at me. Mateo and Amara, who had already been having a conversation, paused and looked over, confused on why I would interrupt them. I awkwardly cleared my throat, and smiled.

"Do you guys wanna take some shots? We're all together now, I think it would be fun." Everybody looked around at each other, and collectively nodded. We all made our way to the kitchen, passing different people.