Nineteen

Chapter Ten

I never went to a party in high school. Clark went to a few but me and Liah never even attempted to tag along.

I can say that I'm a little excited for a party and a taste of freedom, but I'm not excited to visit a frat house.

"But why does it have to be at a frat house?" I ask Clark as we pull onto a small road.

"A few of the guys on my football team live here and said they're fun, and they have them almost every Friday night."

I don't even see the house yet and we are already passing cars lining the street.

"Do you know where Bailey is at?" I ask him as I pull out my phone to send a text.

"No, he said he didn't want to come when I asked. Not like I'm surprised though." 

I can hear the annoyance in his tone.

Clark has never actually liked Bailey, but more so kept him around for my sake. He claims Bailey doesn't know how to treat anyone with a decent amount of respect.

My first few days of college were mind boggling, and now I'm pulling onto a street to walk to a frat house party.

What have I become, already?

I pull out my phone and begin a text to Bailey. "I hope you're not mad. Ill text you later."

Clark and I walk past the dozens of cars on the street to get to the house. I can already hear music thumping through the air.

"I'm not going to drink any so you can drink however much you want." He says as he grabs my hand to help me up the steps of the concrete wall.

"I've never even tried beer and you've already got me drinking the night away." I say.

Right as we get up the steps I see a massive house radiating multi-colored lights with people scattered all over the place.

"Claaaark!" someone shouts as soon as we get through the door.

"Emory, this is Mac, he's on my football team. He's the one who invited us to this shit party." Clark laughs just as Mac hits his arm.

"Hey man, don't be dissing the party already. You just got here." The two boys laugh and exchange hits to each other.

I look around and nobody seems to notice anything else. It's practically dark except the colored lights flashing around, and people are already wasted out of their minds.

When I turn back around, Clark is gone.

I am alone in a strange house with people I don't know. 

I walk into what I assume is the kitchen and find a empty seat.

I check my phone to see a text from Bailey.

"Whatever, Emory. I just hope you and Clark have fun."

What a party pooper.

"Uh, Emory?"

I turn around to see the boy from my orientation.

"Yeah. Collin, is it?"

He laughs. "Yeah."

He's wearing a backwards ball cap, blue jeans, and a button down shirt. His curls stick out from the bottom of the hat.

He looks really good.

"I didn't take you as the partying type." He grins at me.

"I'm not. I'm here with a friend. You don't seem like the type to be here either." I sit down on a bench in the kitchen and he joins me.

"I live here."

My eyes go wide. 

He lets out a laugh. "Before you judge me, I only live here so I don't have to live in a dorm. I don't consider myself as a frat guy. But I do like to drink."

He's a lot more laid back than he was this morning when he disregarded his duties of showing me around campus.

"I wasn't judging you. I'm just surprised."

"Yeah, I don't believe you." He laughs and hits my arm in a playful way.

Right as he connects, my skin burns at the touch of his hand.