Shameless

CHAPTER 2: LUCAS

It was another night, lost in a sea of strangers all with one common goal, to get fucked up enough to be able to pretend they were someone else; someone better. All of the faces were familiar, yet unknown. All but one. My eyes landed on the nervous girl I'd ran into in the lift at Decker Hall. She tucked her long, auburn hair behind her ear as her eyes met mine, and I couldn't help but smile as they widened fractionally out of recognition. Her gaze dropped and so did my smirk as I turned to the bartender and asked him for a shot of bottom-shelf tequila and a beer chaser.

"It's too crowded tonight," Noah yelled over the music. He'd been my roommate for the past year, moving in after Beef and I decided we needed someone else to chip in with bills. But he was far from the typical college guy. He hated being dragged out to have fun.

"It smells like balls," Beef yelled back, laughing as he clapped his large hand on Noah's shoulder, causing him to wince. He'd already drank half a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka, which usually wouldn't have even fazed him, but his painkillers were just beginning to kick in.

"God bless America," I quipped as I slammed back my shot.

"Fuck yeah," Beef yelled, his deep voice booming louder than the bass of the music. I'd met Coby AKA Beef when I first came to the states. He had just blown out his knee and nearly lost his football scholarship. Luckily, his father was best friends with Coach Crane, and Beef happened to be one of the biggest motherfuckers you'd ever laid eyes on. But the injury was enough for Beef to realize his own mortality and how fleeting his football future really was. "I'm ready to get in a fight or get fucked."

"Let's hope not at the same time, mate," I replied as I nodded to the bartender who was already refilling our shot glasses. My eyes scanned the crowd but kept being drawn back to the girl and her blonde friend. She looked so innocent and shy but didn't hesitate to lie for me the moment I'd met her. Most would chalk it up to her being afraid or some stupid shit like that, but she never backed away from me. In fact, she studied me as if she was curious.

"Who's that one?" I asked, nodding my chin in their direction. Beef hung his heavy arm across my shoulders as he tried to follow my line of sight.

"The blurry one with the big tits or the blurry one who looks like she got lost on her way to the library?"

I shook my head, shrugging out from under his heavy arm. "You need to slow down. mate. I can't carry your big arse out of here."

Beef rolled his eyes as he took my beer bottle and tipped his head back, draining the contents down his throat. He handed the empty bottle back to me, his eyes locked on the dance floor.

"Can I get a water?" I called over my shoulder to the bartender. His eyes went to Beef who was swaying slightly before he nodded to me. He grabbed a bottle, sitting it down on the wooden bar.

I took it with a nod as I unscrewed the lid, handing it to Beef who chugged the contents without even taking a breath. I wiped the condensation from my palm across my t-shirt as some random brunette was talking animatedly about a kegger she was going to next week. I didn't realize I was the person she'd been speaking to until the shrill sound of her voice came to an abrupt halt and she was blinking at me, waiting for a response.

"Sounds amazing," I replied as my eyes drifted back over the crowd.

"Your accent is so sexy. Where are you from?" She asked, and I rolled me eyes as I leaned back against the bar.

"Scotland," I lied. Her smile widened as she raked her teeth across her glossed lower lip.

"That's hot."

I rolled my eyes as I turned slightly to signal to the bartender that I needed another drink.

"Look at those assholes," Beef leaned closer to me as he pointed to the center of the crowd with his empty water bottle. My eyes followed and I shook my head as one man who clearly should have been cut off hours ago was bumping into people on the dance floor. To his left was the awkward girl from the elevator, clearly no longer feeling nervous as she swayed her hips, her eyes falling closed as if she could feel the song vibrating through her soul. Her tank top had ridden up, revealing a swath of milky skin between the top of her jeans and her belly button. She tugged at it as she turned, her fingers raking through her hair, revealing the back of her long neck.

"Come dance with me," The brunette whined, tugging at my arm.

"I don't dance."

"Why not?"

"Because if I dance with you, I can't watch her." I pointed with the neck of my beer bottle to the girl from the elevator. The brunette gasped before smacking me on the chest.

"I'll dance with you," Beef slurred, earning him a smile before she slid her hand into his, glaring over her shoulder at me as he pulled her out to dance to the song. Leaning back against the bar, I watched the people around me move as if they were possessed or on drugs. It was most likely the latter.

"Wanna go over to the park next to Fawler Lake and play some two-hand touch?" Noah asked, leaning back beside me.

I snorted before taking a sip of my drink to hide my smirk. "Is that code for something else?"

Noah clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he shook his head. "Come on, man. You played football."

"Beef plays football. What I play you Yanks call soccer. Completely different game."

"Whatever. This is boring," He shot back before tipping his own bottle to his lips as Beef and his new dance partner returned. "I'll be outside." He sat the empty bottle on the bar before slipping through the crowd of people.

"What was that about?" Beef asked as the girl slipped between us.

"I don't think he was hugged very much as a child," I replied before motioning to the bartender for another round of drinks.