Dell

CHAPTER 4

    The drive to the party is short because the frat house is close to campus. Before I even get out of the car, I can hear the loud music blasting through the speakers.

We walk up the steps to the house and James holds the door open for us. Well at least he's somewhat polite. When we walk in, I am immediately hit with the smell of sweaty college kids, alcohol and the faint smell of pot. James goes his own way and I follow Reese into what I assume is the kitchen. All of the counters are covered in beer cases and jugs of a blueish liquid.

Reese gets a beer and drinks about a third of it in one gulp. Wow she did not come to play, I think to myself. She offers me a red cup, but I remind her I don't like beer.

"It's not beer, it's jungle juice. Just taste it."

I hesitantly take a sip.

"This isn't juice Reese it's alcohol!" I shout over the loud music.

"Well duh! Geez you don't get out much huh dork." she says with an amused expression. "Just drink it, you'll have more fun, I promise."

It doesn't taste nearly as bad as beer, so I continue to drink the sweet drink. I finish it surprisingly quick and ask Reese for another.

"Alright, now we're talking!" she says with a smile.

I don't let myself overthink anything, this is what normal college kids do, and I actually am having fun hanging out with Reese and the few other drunk kids that have gathered around the kitchen counter.

By the time I finish my third? drink, Reese has disappeared and there is a drunk girl leaning on me telling me about her last three failed relationships. My head is beginning to swim and I feel giddy. No wonder people do this so often, it's actually pretty fun. The drunk girl and I can't stop laughing despite the somewhat sad story she is telling. I suddenly have to pee so I go look for a bathroom. This is much harder to do than I thought. I maneuver my way around the drunk bodies dancing in the living room before I bump into someone and accidentally spill my drink on them.

"Oh poop. I am so sorry." I say and immediately begin to try to pat dry the stranger's black shirt. Wow this stranger is ripped, his stomach is hard under my touch. The stranger grabs my wrist with a tattooed hand and stops my movements. Wait a minute, I recognize that tattooed hand. I hesitantly look up and sure enough, my green eyes meet two very angry hazel ones.

"J-James." I squeak. "I'm so sorry, i'm a bit drunk and I wasn't watching where I wa-" I begin to ramble before he cuts me off by covering my mouth with a large hand. I ignore the tingles I feel on my skin, and take this as my cue to shut up.

"A bit drunk? You look plastered." he spits.

"I'm fine really." I hiccup.

"Is this your first time being drunk? Where's Reese?" He asks and scans the room for her.

"I don't know, I was in the kitchen with this one girl and Reese just suddenly vanished." I say and hold my hands up in an "i don't know" gesture.

"Come on, let's go get you some water." he says with an annoyed look.

"You don't have to babysit me, I can tell you don't want to. What happened to all the fresh meat?" I say and hope that didn't sound as pathetic as I think it did.

He stops and turns to me with amusement in his eyes, and I watch as a small smile plays on his lips. "Shut up." he says and grabs a hold of my arm, before dragging me to the kitchen. Tingles shoot up my arm, and my skin instantly feels hot. It must be the alcohol. We walk into the kitchen and I hop onto the counter as he gets me a bottle of water from some cabinet. Clearly he's a regular at these sort of parties.