Fallin' Into You

3

Kayla's POV

I wasn't even planning on going out tonight, but T.J. just wouldn't let up.

"Kayla, for real, you gotta come to this party with me. It's gonna be lit!" T.J. said, leaning against my dorm door with that playful grin he always wore.

"I don't know, T.J. I've got a ton of stuff to do," I replied, half-distracted while scrolling through my phone.

"Girl, please. You've been cooped up in this room too long. Come on, it's a four-day weekend! You can study later. What's one party?" His grin widened when I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," I said with a sigh, knowing he wasn't going to stop until I agreed. "But don't expect me to stay all night."

That's how I ended up here, in this packed house party. The second we walked in, the smell of weed and alcohol filled the air, and the bass from the speakers practically shook the floor. People were already dancing, drinks in hand, and the vibe was energetic.

As I started to settle in, "Gimme My Gots" came blaring through the speakers. A grin spread across my face before I even realized it. "Oooh, this is my song!" I shouted, running toward the crowd of girls already prepping to twerk.

T.J. followed close behind, laughing. "Knew I could get you to loosen up."

I grabbed T.J.'s arm for balance and immediately started throwing it back on whoever was behind me. I didn't even turn around to see who it was, just felt the rhythm take over as I twerked to the beat, my body moving in sync with the music. The girl behind me caught on quickly, her hands gripping my waist as she hyped me up.

"Yeah, b—h! Throw that sh-t!" she yelled, her voice blending with the music.

We switched it up, and now I was catching what she was throwing. Her moves were smooth, and I was keeping pace, throwing my hips in a circle while she caught the beat right behind me. I could hear her friend hyping us up, shouting, "Go bestfran! Throw that MF back then!" and recording us on her phone.

Two songs later, we finally pulled ourselves off the dance floor, breathless and laughing. I was wiping sweat from my forehead when the girl I'd been dancing with turned to me, still grinning.

"I'm Monica, by the way," she said, holding out her hand.

I smiled back, taking her hand. "Kayla. And, oh wait, didn't I bump into you the other day?"

Monica laughed. "Yeah, I thought you looked familiar. Small world, huh?"

We both laughed at that, and her friend stepped forward, waving her phone.

"And I'm Skylar. Y'all killed it out there. I've got it all on video."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Great, that's just what I need—evidence."

The four of us, including T.J., hung out for the rest of the night. It was chill, and I found myself clicking with Monica and Skylar almost immediately. Over the next few weeks, the three of us started hanging out more—studying, grabbing lunch, just vibing.

Monica's POV

I didn't even want to go to that party. Skylar practically dragged me out of my apartment.

"Come on, Mo. You need to get out more! You're always studying. You're turning into a hermit," she said, pulling at my arm as I half-heartedly protested.

"I'm good, Sky. I'm not really in the mood," I muttered, but she wasn't hearing it.

Fast forward to the party, and somehow, I found myself dancing with this girl who had no clue I was behind her when she started twerking on me. But I wasn't complaining. The energy was fire, and she could dance. I was hyping her up, completely caught up in the moment.

We ended up dancing through two songs before we finally left the dance floor to grab something to drink. It wasn't until we introduced ourselves that I realized who she was—the same girl I bumped into on campus a few weeks back.

Her name was Kayla, and she was cool as hell. By the end of the night, it felt like we'd known each other forever, and we started hanging out regularly. Studying was more fun with her around, and Skylar? She had taken to Kayla immediately too.

Kayla's POV

It was another typical study session with Monica and Skylar. We had books scattered everywhere, but we weren't actually getting much studying done. Instead, we ended up talking about people we'd seen around campus.

"So, have you seen any fine people on campus?" I asked, throwing the question out casually.

Monica shrugged with a small smirk. "I've seen a few... girls."

I blinked, a little surprised. "Oh, you're gay?"

Monica chuckled, nodding. "Yep, I am."

"Oh, okay," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I hadn't thought about it before, but it didn't change anything. Monica was still cool as ever, and we'd been vibing for a while now.

Monica noticed my reaction but didn't make a big deal of it. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, her grin growing. "What about you? Anyone catch your eye?"

I thought about it for a second before shrugging. "I mean, I've seen a few boys, but nothing serious."

Monica raised an eyebrow and glanced at me like she was holding in a laugh. "What about T.J.? You sure he's just a friend?"

I burst out laughing. "T.J.? No way. He's like a brother to me. Yeah, he flirts, but he's not serious. Plus, he's got this little thing going on with a girl at Prairie View. I swear, his nose is wide open for her."

Monica let out a laugh. "His nose is wide open?"

"Yep. He's smitten," I said, shaking my head with a grin. "The boy is head over heels."

Monica just smiled, clearly amused but letting the conversation drop. We went back to our books, but I couldn't help thinking about how easy it was to get along with Monica. She was chill, and I found myself looking forward to hanging out with her and Skylar more and more.