Sirena

She leaned against a wall across the crowded room. From the moment I walked into the house I immediately felt her eyes on me. Then again, she could say the same thing. She was striking and impossible to ignore. The only interruption of her gaze where the numerous mingling drunk college students between us. The party was raging and the energy was high.

Her skin was pale and her long hair was dark as midnight. She was outstretched leaning against that wall comfortably. Another girl was next to her, going on about a midterm that was taken a few weeks ago. While listening, she forced out the obligatory nod every now and then. It was clear, however that her attention was on me.

She didn't have a problem staring directly at me. I didn't have the nerve to do this myself. I conservatively watched her from the corner of my eye as I mingled with my roommate and some other Chico State students.

Just as I was discussing last night's Thursday night football matchup between the 49ers and the Seahawks with the other guests, my roommate Devin nudged me in the shoulder.

"Yeah?", I asked. I was somewhat annoyed as I was just getting to the 20+ yard pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin in the 4th quarter.

"That chick won't take her eyes off you, dude". He emphasized the 'ooo' sound in dude, with his thick southern California accent. He began to pick at his long curly black hair. I had met Devin last year at a party. He and I clicked well, and now we lived together in a two-bedroom apartment a few miles from this party.

Devin and I were nearly opposites. I excelled academically while he didn't. He was musically attuned while I wasn't. He loved smoking weed while I considered myself more of a drinker. But our differences just added to our banters and it worked out perfect for the both of us.

"I know she's staring right at me", I replied. I took a swig from my solo cup. I could again feel the chill of her stare. I quickly glanced in her direction, trying to remain as discreet as possible. She certainly wasn't being discreet.

"Go talk to her", he pleaded.

"Yeah", one of the guests agreed. "She is staring you down bro".

I ignored the comment him and turned to Devin. "I don't know. She looks a little young dude. I could probably find someone else that's my age."

"Nah bro, she's like 18". Devin always had primitive reasoning, no matter what we were talking about. But it was always good reasoning. There was one night earlier in the school year that I had gotten particularly drunk with good friend, Bobby. When Bobby and I get really drunk, we tend to destroy things. In our last adventure of drunken debauchery, we opted to vandalize the neighborhood crack den. Unfortunately, the police caught wind and began investigating the crime. I've never been one for getting into trouble, having been raised in the safe suburbs of Sacramento, but Devin told me one thing that night that calmed me right down as the police searched for me. "It's not about what you did, it's about what they can prove", he told me. And from there Bobby and I probably ended up burning a couch in the street. Another blacked out night at Chico State. But Devin was right.

"Yeah she looks to be about 18 Devin. That's fine for you since you're only two years older. I'm getting up there in age at 22". By now the two other college students sharing our company made their way over to talk to two girls playing beer pong in the dining room. "Maybe you should try to get at her. It only seems right."

"Nah, I'm good for right now", he said, pulling out a rolled joint conspicuously hidden in the bush of hair behind his left ear. Devin once snuck his pet baby kingsnake into art class in the bush of his hair.

Some Asian girls that were hanging out on the stairway caught wind of Devin's pot and moved over to a few feet from us, They patiently waited for us to ask them to join us. Unluckily for them, Devin doesn't notice anything except more weed once he's become stoned. I took the hint though.