Royally Falling

~ 05 ~

"So I put my hands up
They're playing my song,
And the butterflies fly away
Noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah"
Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus

oOoOo

Grace and I walk through the door of Theta Alpha and are instantly greeted with the overwhelming smell of sweat and alcohol. The party started about a half an hour ago and people are already drunk.

The room is dark and decorated with colorful LED lights. There are speakers blasting music; it is practically vibrating in here due to the volume. I also notice the stereotypical red solo cups all over the place. Maeve will be interested to hear that those cups are not solely in movies.

I fish through my purse to send Kaden a text, as I promised.

Me: Hey, we're here

He replies a few minutes later.

Kaden: Cool. Where are you guys?

Me: I think the living room???

Kaden: Stay put. I'll find you

Seconds later, I see Kaden squeezing his way through the boisterous crowd. At a little over six feet tall, he towers over most of the other people in the room.

"Hey, glad you could make it," he shouts over the din.

"Thanks for-" I start before he cuts me off.

"Want to go somewhere quieter? I can't hear you," he says loudly.

I smile and nod in response.

He lightly grabs my arm and leads me through the crowd. After a few minutes of pushing past people, we arrive outside by a bonfire in the backyard. We sit down side-by-side on one of the benches. There are fewer people out here, and it is much calmer. We can still hear the music, but it is at a better volume.

Blair appears and starts walking over to us, looking relieved. Marc and Grace are both out of sight. Grace is probably talking to the sorority girls she mentioned earlier.

"Much better," he says as he leans in closer to me. He appears to be slightly buzzed already.

"Yeah," I breathe, staring at the fire.

"Hey, there you are," Blair interjects. "I'm Blair, Kate's friend."

"Nice to meet you," he says politely, looking slightly disappointed we're not alone.

"So you guys are both from Amaria?" He inquires, looking directly at me.

"Yeah," I offer. "Our families are close, and we decided to make the move out here for school. Blair and Marc are a few years older than me, so they're taking graduate classes."

Right on cue, Marc appears with drinks for Blair and me. He hands the red cups to us right before he gets distracted by a preppy blonde. I watch as he strikes up a conversation with her.

I sniff and take a sip of my drink. It's some sort of fruit punch mixed with cheap vodka. It's alright, but I still prefer the sophisticated champagne and rosé we drink back home. I obviously don't expect underage college students to have access to fancy alcohol, though.

"That was Marc." Blair points to him.

Kaden nods and turns back to me. "So what do you guys like the most about the United States so far?"

"We haven't really had the chance to explore much, but everyone has been so kind."

Oddly, Kaden looks surprised before he turns to watch the fire. I take time to observe him illuminated by the firelight. The glow makes him look even more attractive. His light brown hair and eyelashes are practically glowing. Guys always have the longest and thickest eyelashes; they're so lucky.