Hazel's

October Fifteenth

I rocked back and forth on the toes of my gym shoes while I impatiently waited for Clair to come and pick me up. I had been ready for over twenty minutes and was extremely nervous for the party. I had never been to a party before, let alone a huge college party and I had no idea what to expect! I paced back and forth around my room and checked my phone constantly for a text from Clair saying she was here.

After anxiously waiting for fifteen more minutes, I heard a notification noise on my phone. It was a text from Clair.

Clair: Ready when u are :)

I smiled and ran outside the dorm, looking for her car. A blue nissan rolled down it's window and I saw Clair waving at me from inside. Waving, I walked over and hopped in the backseat. There were a few other girls in the car as well.

"Hey Spencer!" Clair greeted me warmly. "These are some of my sorority sisters. Introduce yourselves, guys," she said.

The girl in the passenger seat turned around and smiled. She had very curly black hair and a narrow jaw. "I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you, Spencer," she said kindly. I smiled back and waved.

The two girls on my left also introduced themselves. They were identical twins names Annie and Laura. They both seemed very sweet. For the duration of the car ride, Laura asked me questions about my undergrad. She was very interested in biology and surprisingly knew a lot. Sarah and Annie were having a conversation about a band or something, and Clair focused on the road in front of her while listening to some Eric Clapton. I noticed her mouthing the words. When we arrived at the party, we all unbuckled our seatbelts and got out of the curbside door.

"Okay guys, who needs a ride home?" asked Clair. I was the only one to raise my hand. "Okay. We will meet back here at ten. Sound like a plan?" she confirmed. I smiled and nodded, but was a bit worried. I didn't know anybody at the party and I was afraid that Clair would ditch me to hang out with other people. "Oh, Spencer, come with me! I want to introduce you to some people!" she interrupted my thoughts and I felt a sudden sense of relief fall over me and my fears of being left alone.

The house was insanely crowded and there were people doing shots almost everywhere I looked. I was almost certain that a guy with long hair in the corner was doing drugs, but I couldn't see him well enough due to the lack of proper lighting. Clair grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the kitchen. The table was stocked with beer, alcohol, and red solo cups. She grabbed two cups of beer and handed me one of them while downing her own. I was not a drinker, but I took one sip to be polite before setting it back down on the table. I grimaced as I felt the hot acid run down my throat.

"Welcome to the party, Spencer!" she laughed wildly while grabbing a shot off of a tray that somebody was carrying around. She drank it quickly, throwing her head back afterwards. I was worried that she would be too drunk to drive home later. She turned around and walked over to some guy in a Lakers jersey. I stood awkwardly behind her and listened to their conversation. They started by talking about the newly assigned project for their Calculus class and then moved on to a new reality show. She started laughing and then turned around to get another drink. She locked eyes with me and her eyes filled with shock. "Oh my gosh! Spencer! I totally forgot to introduce you to Jack!" her eyes were turning red probably considering the fact that she was on her third cup of beer and it had only been twenty minutes. I smiled shyly and looked at the ground. She grabbed my wrist again and pulled me back over to the guy in the Lakers jersey. "Spencer, this is Jack. Jack, this is Spencer. Say hello, boys!" she slurred, turning around and skipping away tipsily. I watched her go but turned around after hearing Jack clear his throat loudly.

"Hey, Jack," I started off the conversation awkwardly. He smiled back at me and downed his beer before throwing his cup on the ground and putting out his hand for me to shake. I grabbed it and his grip tightened, pumping it up and down.

"Sup bro. S'this your first party man? I can totally tell. You gotta be keepin it real now that you're partyin with us," he laughed loudly and obnoxiously, sounding more drunk than Clair. I flashed him a fake smile and attempted the most real laugh I could come up with. "So how'd you manage to meet Clair? Damn does that girl have an ass," he guffawed stupidly.

"Well I met her at this coffee shop called Hazel's," I responded. He nodded with his eyebrows raised as if he were extremely amused.

"Well that's pretty exciting. What do you think of her ass?" he asked again. I felt uncomfortable and excused myself to go to the bathroom. Jack just waved and took another shot before blacking out on the hard wood floor. Rolling my eyes, I turned around and bumped into Sarah. She waved sweetly before screaming with excitement and running to go hug one of her friends that she had probably seen earlier today. I walked to the front of the house and stepped outside onto the patio. It was so loud and hot inside and I just needed some fresh air. Over my left shoulder, I saw a girl leaning over the railing of the patio. It looked like she was sick. As I walked towards her, I realized it was Clair.

"Clair! Are you okay?" I asked her nervously. She nodded, but her face looked green. Leaning back over the railing, she threw up and started coughing. I ran over and held her hair back while she emptied out her system. When she was done vomiting, I saw her crying. "Hey. What's wrong?" I asked in a concerning tone. She wiped away a tear and looked back up at me.

"Why don't you like me?" she asked angrily. I was shocked.

"What are you talking about Clair? Of course I like you!"  I shouted back at her. She locked eyes with me though I could see them lingering around.

"Then show me," she whispered, placing her hand delicately on my knee. I sucked in a deep breath and stared at the moon in the sky.

"Can I have your car keys?" I asked her quietly. She reached into her pocket and handed them to me. I threw them into my pocket and lifted her, carrying her to the car. Unlocking the car, I gently slid her into the backseat and drove to her sorority house. She kept tapping me on the shoulder and mumbled random phrases that I couldn't quite make out. All I knew was that she was extremely drunk and that I had no right to take advantage. When I pulled in to the driveway of the house, she got out of the car and came to my window.

"Come inside with me Spencer," she whispered seductively, tugging on my collar. I shook my head.

"Clair, I have to go," I choked out. She looked at me sadly, but trudged over to the door. Ringing the doorbell, she looked back at me with her puppy dog eyes. Someone opened the door and pulled her inside. She turned around to wave before I pulled out of the driveway and went back to my dorm. I cried myself to sleep that night.

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