"Why are you making me wear this?" I groaned, stepping out of my closet in a short purple dress. It went to my mid thigh and wasn't too tight and clingy, more just out of my comfort zone. I never wear dresses. I feel like my knees are weird
"Because you got to dress me. Now it's my turn." He smiled as I walked towards him.
"Yeah but what I picked out for you actually looks good." I groaned, brushing the tops of my thighs off out of habit. He did look nice. I gave him his usual black skinny jeans and a blue plaid flannel to wear. It's weird seeing him a flannel because he only wears band tees and tank tops.
"That doesn't look bad, Em!" He pointed, trying to defend his choice in fashion. "What, where are you going?" He asked as I turned on my heels going back to my closet.
"I'm changing in to something I feel comfortable in. I don't want to look in the mirror and cringe." I unzipped the back of my dress, sliding it down my legs so it pooled at my feet.
"But you don't look bad!" I could hear him groan. "We're going to meet Maddie there, is that okay?" He asked, I could hear him lock his phone.
"Correction, you're going to meet her there. I could care less." I scoffed, looking for anything to cover my almost naked body. I picked out a pair of black skinny jeans and sheer white blouse with a bandeau underneath. I just grabbed a pair of black flats.
"Why am I getting the feeling you don't like her anymore?" Luke entered my room, looking down at his phone.
"It's not that I don't like her she is just... I don't know hard to keep up with?" I scrunched my nose. "I don't know, last year, she was so awesome to be around but that was high school. People change."
"Well she's my girlfriend so get along with her." He picked off a piece of fuzz from his pants.
I stuck my tongue out at him and walked out of the room. "Are you coming?" I grabbed my room keys, adjusting my blouse one last time. He was right behind me in a couple seconds and we both headed out of the room in to the dormitory hallway.
"Emma!" One of my friends from mine and Luke's psychology class caught my attention.
"Brenna!" I copied her tone.
"I was just wondering if you were going to that meeting with Professor Ulrich Saturday?"
"What's today?" I closed my eyes trying to remember.
"Thursday." Luke reminded me. "Emma can we go?" He pulled on the fabric of my shirt.
"Um. Yeah. I'll be there. Just text me!" I was pushed away by an eager Luke.
"What's the meeting for? Why wasn't I invited? I'm in his class too?" Luke asked as we got downstairs.
"Uhm." I started. I didn't want to tell Luke it was a meeting for an internship at a therapist's office. It would make him feel like he wasn't smart enough.. again. "It's about extra credit assignments that we can do." I lied.
"You're lying." We started walking to the Kappa frat house. "You looked to your left." He rolled his eyes. "You always do that when you lie."
"I do not!" I defended myself.
"You just did it again." He laughed.
"Well maybe I do that when I tell the truth!"
"I was there that time you told your mom 'you didn't see the mailbox' when driving her car. I would remember."
"Luke. That was like two years ago." I brushed the hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ears.
"Just tell me what it's about!" He wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we approached the fraternity.
"It's for an internship." I didn't elaborate.
He paused. "An internship? You're only a Freshman." He laughed, like I was lying again, though I wasn't.
"It's.." I cleared my throat, pushing my hair behind my ear again. "It's for the Freshman Honors Program." I sniffled, due to the cold wind blowing on my face.
"You're in the Honors Program?" He furrowed his eyebrows. We reached the inside of the house where red solo cups could be seen from every angle and music was impossible not to hear even if you plugged your ears.
We were immediately handed cups with unknown liquids in them and Luke immediately downed his. There's Lucas for you. "Be careful tonight, Luke." I looked him in the eye.
"Why don't you just leave your Honors brain in your own head." He slurred. I don't know what that was that he drank but it sure was working quickly.
"Great." I sighed, taking a sip of my own. "God this tastes like shit." I wasn't a big drinker but I think the disgusting taste is why people down it so quickly; to get rid of it.
"It's not supposed to taste good, silly." I heard Maddie's semi nasally drunk voice pierce through the blaring music. "It's supposed to feel good!" She grabbed Luke by the hand and led him to a different section of the house, leaving me alone. Luke waved at me behind his shoulder.
I took another sip of the horrible tasting liquid, downing it actually, and let it run itself through my body. I'm a lightweight so my limit is usually one. Maybe more, depending on the substance.
****
It was about an hour in to the party, or at least since I'd been here and I'd only seen Luke once. And that's when we first got here. It was shortly after 12 and I was starting to want to leave. I hadn't talked to anyone really the whole time except for when I was dancing, but I didn't dance long enough to really get anything done.
That was when I saw Luke's whole head from above a crowd of people. "What's wrong Luke?" I asked as I noticed his expression. His face was red and his hair looks like he has been running his fingers through it.
"Can you just not ask questions so we can leave?" He grabbed my forearm, pulling me through the mass of people. We got out of the house and there were people scattered over the lawn, getting high and getting drunk. It's Thursday I don't understand.
"Yeah Luke!" A Junior with bloodshot eyes cheered Luke on as we walked past him. "Gonna get it in tonight aaayee." He laughed.
"Shut up Tristan." He growled, continuing to pull on my arm.
Luke and I were almost at the dorm when I stopped him, refusing to be dragged my him again. "Luke what's going on?" I whipped his body around, making myself stumble because of the few drinks that I did have. "You haven't said a word to me since we le-"
"Maddie fucking broke up with me that's why!" He had bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. I knew he was drunk but he doesn't smoke. He must have been crying or something. "She fucking... she broke up with me." He ran his hands through his hair, probably for the 15th time.
"What?" I was taken back by his statement, it still not registering through my mind. "Why?" I breathed out, extending the word longer than I would have liked.
