Nineteen

Chapter Ninety-One

When we step inside, we're instantly handed a drink of some sort. Mac grabs mine and reminds me to never drink something I didn't get for myself. I giggle.
"Mac!" I look up at the top of the stairs to see a familiar face. "Ryan!" Mac shouts back, arms wide.
I roll my eyes, of course they have to know each other. There's probably seventy five people here, and they notice each other first thing.
Ryan rushes down the stairs to us. He's in no shirt and a fur underwear thing, kind of resembling a caveman. The bone necklace is a good indicator.
"I've missed your ass, man," Mac says as they hug in the way all boys do.
"Hey, Emory," Ryan says as the two break apart. I give him a straight smile and a head wave.
Mac looks confused on how we seem to know each other, and I'd rather not explain.
"Let me get you a drink," Ryan offers.
"No man, we're good for now," Mac waves him off. They do another awkward hug and Ryan runs off to the kitchen.
"Let's go find somewhere to hangout for a while," Mac yells over the music, which seems to get louder as the minutes pass. We walk through the crowd into a small room past the dining room. It has multiple couches, and thankfully people are drunk enough to make their way to them yet.
I feel as if I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for him to make his appearance. I'm constantly glancing back and forth between the rooms to get a better view, but there are too many people here now.
"Great costume, you two, the ironic twist," Clark says from behind us. He hands me a drink as he sits on the couch across from us.
He's in a baseball uniform, all except for a shirt. It's completely gone. He's fallen into the frat life and he loves it.
I take a sip of my drink and it tastes exactly like strawberries. Mac is giving me a side eye to make sure it's okay.
Clark turns his drink up and drinks until he can crush the cup completely. "Mac, we have to go take the picture outside of the house for the football portfolio," he says as he begins to slur his words.
Mac rolls his eyes but stands anyway. "I'll be right back, don't move," he says.

About ten minutes later I'm still alone, and now a strange man has taken Mac's place ok the couch. I stand and walk away to get anywhere but here.
I walk through the crowds until I'm in the kitchen. Unfortunately this is where most of the drinks are, so it draws the most people. I turn my attention to the stairs.
I start to walk up them when I look down into the crowd of people. They all look as if they're a sea of bodies, moving together to the music.
I stop at the top of the stairs and look around. Straight in front of me is a bedroom with a giant window leading to a balcony.
I walk to it, slowly entering in case some people have already claimed it.
I climb out of the large window. The cool air hits my face, making me feel better. I walk to the edge and sit down, sliding my legs through the balcony rails and letting them dangle. I look over the edge to see the back yard, also full of people. Some of them are actually in a pool, some half naked and others pretty much so.
I see Mac in a group of boys, all posing for multiple pictures a girl is taking with her phone.
"Emory?" I jump at the sound of my name.
After the initial shock of not being alone, a chill runs down my spine. It's the voice that has been haunting my dreams.
I turn around to see him standing into he window. He's in his usual attire, but he looks much different. His hair is shorter. It feels like I haven't seen him in a lifetime.
"Why are you here?" He asks again.
"I–," I begun to fumble my words, "I came with a friend."
"No, I mean, why are you outside," he asks as he crawls onto the balcony.
As he gets closer I can feel my body wanting to gravitate to him. I swear I can hear his blood seeping through his veins, even from this far away.
"To get some air," I say as I look back into the yard.
"What the hell are you wearing?" He asks. I look down, as if I've forgotten.
"I'm a frat girlfriend," I say. He doesn't look amused.
"I seen Clark. He's a slutty baseball player, or some shit." He slides against the railing and sits down, crossing his arms on his knees.
"Yeah, I know," I say.
"That doesn't make sense."
I give him a funny expression on my face. I guess it doesn't make sense to him, I don't know? I knew he would dress up with everyone else.
I decide not to reply. He reaches into the window and grabs his drink.
As he sits back down, I hear someone calling my name. As they get closer, I can make out the voice to be Mac.
He steps out of the window opening. "I thought I lost you," he says, stepping over Collin.
Collin looks at him, and then he looks over to me. His mouth slightly parts. "You're here with this asshole?" He speaks up.
Now I understand the confusion over Clark. He thought I came with him.
"Asshole?" Mac challenges.