“You even look like a baddie now.” She swatted my ass.
I laughed. “You’re going to kill me one of these days, you know it?” I bent forward, inspecting my makeup a little closer in the mirror.
She grinned widely. “Probably. Let’s go grab some dinner before hitting up the party.”
We grabbed some food from a truck that often parked on campus, and we ate on our walk to the party. Even though we arrived early in the evening, the place was already filling up with people ready to start their weekend.
The front lawn had a statue erected out of beer cans, and a large bong was on the patio table with two stoners sitting around it. They were both red-eyed and laughing like they were having the time of their lives.
“Whoa,” one of them said, sounding like an impression from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. “Check out the legs on that one. Tell me, baby. What’s that pussy like between them? Bet you’re tight.” He grinned as his bloodshot eyes moved up and down my body.
I wrinkled my nose as I immediately started tugging my skirt.
“Ignore him,” Madison said, loud enough for him to hear. “He’s never seen a woman before, so he has no idea how to treat one.” She turned and glared at him as we walked across the porch to the door.
There was no knocking at parties that big. We could hear the music blaring from inside, so nobody would listen to us even if we did knock. I pushed the door open, more than ready to get as far away from the stoner brothers as possible.
“Let’s grab a drink,” Madison yelled above the music, grabbing my arm and tugging me through the house.
Every room seemed to have a different theme going on. The entryway was filled with smaller groups of people, chatting, socializing, and sipping drinks. The living room was where people were sitting and lounging around while a couple of guys played video games on the biggest TV I’d ever seen, and the kitchen was where all the alcohol was. The countertops were filled with various bottles, and a keg was set up in the corner.
“I’m grabbing a beer,” Madison said before walking off and leaving me standing in the middle of the kitchen alone.
I wasn’t a beer drinker. Actually, I wasn’t a drinker. I couldn’t stand the taste of beer. I turned my attention to the guy standing on the other side of the island. He was cute, with a mop of curly hair, blue eyes, and big dimples.
“Can I mix you up a drink?” he asked, grinning.
I gave him an awkward smile. The way he was smiling at me was causing butterflies to form in my stomach. I swallowed and wet my lips as I took a step forward. “I’m not sure what I like. I don’t really drink.”
His grin stayed in place as he stepped forward. We were only separated by the island as we studied one another.
“I’m sure I can whip you up something you’ll like. What’s your favorite flavor? Cherry? Grape, maybe?”
“Strawberry,” I said, but it sounded more like a question.
He pursed his lips as his blue eyes moved around the bottles.
“Okay, got it.” He grabbed a glass bottle that contained some clear liquid. “And how about for a mixer? Soda? Juice?”
I looked around at the non-alcoholic options. “How about the club soda?”
He nodded and grabbed the two-liter, setting it in front of him with the bottle of liquor. I watched as he took a red solo cup and filled it with ice. “I know you, right? You’re in Professor West’s class?”
That’s why he looked familiar.
“Yeah, although… probably not for long. If he has his way, I’ll be out before the end of next week.”
“The dude is a dick after the way he treated you Wednesday.”
Embarrassment heated my cheeks, and I diverted my eyes.
“I had to say something to break the tension.” He held out my drink.
I took the cup from his hand. My eyes met his in the same instant. “That was you?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t sit and listen to him embarrass you like that any longer. Plus, I’m on the verge of failing myself, and I couldn’t be late for my next class.”
We both chuckled.
