Walking the Crimson Road

by Perrie Patterson

  “Hello.” I turn to my left and see Lane standing next to me. My breathing hitches with his presence.

  “Can I squeeze by and sit next to you?” he asks, smiling down at me.

  He looks a little casual today in chambray shorts with red elephants on them and a white Southern Tide t-shirt with leather loafers and no socks. He smells amazing, of course, and I feel like I’ve got my mouth hanging open, hoping I’m not drooling all over my shirt.

  “Of course.” I stand so he can pass.

  He sits down, turns to me, and asks, “So how was your weekend?”

  “Great, and yours?” Oh, and by-the-way, I moved to a different seat trying to avoid you. But OMG you are beyond beautiful. Bex, get a grip.

  “The usual,” he says and clears his throat. “Did I see you out with your friends on the strip Friday night?”

  Blinking nervously, I answer, “Oh, yeah, you’re right. I guess that was you I saw walking with a group of guys across the street.”

  “Yeah, that was me,” he says with a gorgeous smile.

  Professor Brigg glides in and starts writing on the board, so we grab our pens and start taking notes. After class Lane stands and turns toward me.

  “See ya, Bex. I’ve gotta scoot.” He shoots me a million-dollar smile that could give toothpaste commercials a run for their money.

  “Bye,” I murmur and feel dreamy and loopy until he’s out of sight. I thought by getting to class early today I might avoid him altogether with my low-key determination to forget him and move on idea. But it looks like I can’t, and, honestly, I don’t really want to. I’m drawn to him. Maybe it’s only physical attraction, which is obvious, but it feels like more than that. I scurry across campus to get to math, then later choreography practice, and after that dance team practice, so I shake off the what ifs and go on my way.

  9

  #Fallfever

  Grant asked if he could redeem his “rain check” date from a few weeks ago when I was too busy. He and I are having a picnic at Lake Tuscaloosa before the weather starts turning cold. Fall is in high gear, and the leaves on the trees in and around the tops of the cliffs are a gorgeous array of oranges, reds, and yellows. We spread out our blanket and picnic basket on a flat rock over-looking the lake. Grant surprised me by bringing a bottle of sparkling cider and some plastic cups. I just threw a couple of bottles of water and two granola bars into a bag.

  I chuckle. “Wow. Aren’t you the Boy Scout ready for duty?”

  He laughs and leans in for a kiss. We quickly fall into easy conversation, talking about everything from how Homecoming festivities are going to classes, tests, and what we’re wearing for the Halloween party. This year we’re doing a swap with the Chi Phi’s for Halloween, so Grant and I get to decide on matching couple’s costumes. Grant opens the picnic basket, pulls out plates, and sets them down next to the blanket. He has cheese, grapes, strawberries, apple slices, crackers and prosciutto.

  “I wasn't sure what you’d like, so I got a little of everything.”

  “Grant, I’m so impressed. If I didn’t know you were an accounting major, I’d have guessed you to be in hospitality and restaurant management.”

  We laugh at that and sit back and sip our drinks, enjoying the view looking out onto the lake. There are only a few people out here today, so we have the perfect spot on top of a huge rock overlooking the main part of the lake. Usually, in the spring this place is hopping with swimsuit clad college co-eds jumping off the cliffs into the lake, lying out and partying with their friends.

  “So,” Grant says, “let’s talk Halloween. How about Dr. Who and the Tardis?”

  I shake my head. “I’m not a Dr. Who fan. How about a skeleton bride and groom?” I suggest.

  He doesn’t seem too taken with that one.

  “A magician and his rabbit?”

  “Nah.” He smiles then says, “But that is kinda funny. How about a zombie couple? Or maybe a pizza slice and a delivery guy?”

  “I don’t want to wear a pizza costume. How about Danny and Sandy from Grease?”

  He tips his head from side to side and says, “Maybe. Okay, how about Gatsby and Daisy?”

  “That would be totally cool. I really like that one, and I think dressing like a Twenties’ flapper girl would be pretty easy.”

  “Awesome! The Great Gatsby theme it is.”

  Before we pack up, we take a selfie with the lake and fall colors in the background. We fold the blanket, gather our basket, and head back to campus. Back at the house, I help the rest of girls with our Homecoming lawn display. It still amazes me that simple chicken wire and tissue can create amazingly realistic designs.

  After dinner I find a quiet spot downstairs in the library near the window that overlooks the front lawn and study for a while. Taking a break, I respond to an email from Mom letting her know how everything is going. She loves details. After a few more study hours, I stand, stretch my arms over my head, and yawn. I look up and notice Amanda looking in at me from the hallway. She quickly looks down and starts typing on her phone. I guess she doesn’t need me, so I continue working. After a while I notice it’s gotten dark, so I glance at my phone for the time. I had turned the ringer off so I wouldn’t be tempted by it while I was finishing my homework. I have two missed texts messages, six Snap Chats and several likes on my latest Instagram post.

  With my laptop under my arm, I head back to my room. Bella’s working on something that looks serious, but she stops and looks at me when I walk in.

  “Hey.” I say, throwing my bag down. I plop onto the bed to answer a text from Grant.

  “Hi, were you at the library all night?” Bella asks.

  “No. I was downstairs in the library here in the house.”

  “Man, I’ve been studying for like three hours, and I’m so over it right now.”

  “I feel.”

  “So how was your picnic with Grant today? You guys are getting along great. I’m so happy for you.” She looks at me, giddy, waiting for me to spill the tea.

  “It was really cool. He brought a whole picnic. I was impressed at the thoughtfulness that went into everything he packed, including two kinds of cheese, fruit, and a bottle of sparkling cider. I know he said let’s get together at the cliffs for a picnic, but I just thought, you know, he meant hang out with snacks and chill for a while.”

  “Wow, oh my gosh, Bex, that sounds like something off The Bachelor.”

  I shrug, “Eh, I guess. The views were amazing with all the fall colors. And we chose our Halloween couple’s costumes,” I say, in a slightly excited tone.

  “That’s awesome. What did you choose?”

  “The Great Gatsby, I’ll be Daisy and Grant Gatsby.”

  “Awwwww, how sweet. You guys will look so cute. I’m glad things are working out between you two.”

  “Yeah, I think they are. I moved to a different seat in my journalism class trying to avoid interacting with Lane,” I say meekly.

  Bella perks up and sits up straighter on her bed, waiting for me to expand my thoughts. “And…” she says.

  “He found me,” I grin. “and mentioned the other night walking home from the strip when I saw him with that group of guys across the street, then almost got hit by a car when I looked back.”

  Bella laughs. “He found you, huh? Like you were trying to hide from him?”

  “Well, yeah, I moved way down toward the front row on the far left- side, completely the opposite of where I was sitting before, trying to avoid talking to him. But it didn’t work. He asked to sit next to me.”

  “Okay, like he sought you out and found you? Maybe he’s a vampire?” Bella laughs at her own joke. I roll my eyes and change the subject.

  “Have you thought about a costume?”

  “Lexi and I are thinking of wearing something matching.”

  “I’m sure you’ll come up with something original.” One hand covers a yawn, and my other gives her a thumb’s up. I lie down on my bed as a question rolls around in my
head. Why did Lane want to find me?

  10

  #TrickorTreat

  On Halloween, the Phi Mu house, along with the other sororities on the row, participates in Sorority Row Trick or Treat for the families in the community. Our house has rented a snow cone machine, and we have eight freshmen running that. The rest of us are ready to hand out candy. The house is decorated to the hilt with orange and purple lights, giant cobwebs and oversized spiders in the bushes.

  I put on my flapper costume and feather headband. Using my favorite Morphe eyeshadow pallet, I spend a lot of time doing my eye makeup for tonight. Bella and Lexi are dressed as sock monkeys, and they look totally hilarious. On our way downstairs, we stop and take pictures with our Phi sisters. I take a selfie and text it to Grant, so he can see my costume, since he’s my other half tonight. He texts back Hot with a fire emoji next to it.

  After we pass out all the candy, Bella says, “Lexi and I are planning to meet up with Patrick and Jack at the Delta Kappa Epsilon house later. I only want to stay at Chi Phi about an hour.”

  “Grant is coming here in a few minutes, so if you guys want, you can ride over with us to the Chi Phi house.”

  Bella nods. “Sure. Later Jack can come get us. I want to go to DKE because I hear their parties are not to be missed.”

  I shrug at Bella with indifference. I know they want to go there to hang with Patrick and Jack.

  Lexi says, “You and Grant will look so cute together tonight.”

  “Thanks, Lexi. I’m going to the bathroom.” I announce, heading upstairs. Bella and Lexi follow me.

  “We better go now while we can. It will be hard trying to get in and out of these sock monkey costumes in the frat house bathrooms,” Bella says, jogging up the stairs.

  As I’m touching up my makeup my phone dings a text.

  “Guys, Grant is downstairs,” I say in an excited rush.

  We walk out to meet him. Grant lets out a loud whistle when he sees me. Bella snaps a picture of us. She and Lexi look adorable as sock monkeys, and I take a few of them for Instagram.

  Lexi leans near my ear. “Let us know if you guys get bored later. You should come by the DKE house at some point and find us.”

  I smile. “I’ll see if Grant wants to do that, I’ll text you guys later.”

  We hop into Grant’s jeep. He’s removed the top, and Bella and Lexi stand in the back, singing at the top of their lungs to 24K by Bruno Mars as we drive off.

  Inside the Chi Phi house, the smoke machine has made the air as thick as pea soup, and the music is so loud we scream to hear each other. Bella and Lexi move toward the DJ and start dancing. Grant goes about introducing me to his Chi brothers as we wander through the house. A couple comes over to talk with us and tells us how cool our Gatsby costumes look. They’re dressed like zombie’s with blood and chunks of flesh oozing out of their faces. I’m glad we didn’t choose to go with that costume. I notice Amanda and Caroline are dressed as skeleton zombies.

  “Hey, Amanda,” I say, getting her attention. “Y’all’s costumes look great, and your face paint is impressive.”

  “We watched lots of makeup tutorials on YouTube to achieve this level of awesome,” she says, posing with her hands under her chin.

  We all laugh as Caroline compliments Grant and me. “I love your costume choice. It’s very original.”

  “I watched makeup tutorials to get my make up just right for tonight, too.”

  Grant adds, “Yeah, me, too.”

  We crack up laughing. I think Grant’s sense of humor is endearing. We continue to make our way through the crowds. I see a guy dressed like Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl, and his date is dressed like Blair Waldorf. I ask Grant if he’s ever watched the show, and he shakes his head.

  “What do you like to watch on Netflix?” I ask.

  He rattles off Supernatural, Stranger Things and Always Sunny.

  “I’ve heard of Stranger Things, but not the others. So, I’m guessing we’re not into the same TV shows. I’m sure I’m typical for a girl my age, most of my friends watch the same shows I do. I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan. It’s my all-time favorite Netflix binge.”

  “You should watch Stranger Things. I think you’d like it.”

  “I always pick a series during the summer and try to watch as many episodes as I can.” I name a few more to give him an idea of my taste.

  My phone buzzes a text from Bella saying she and Lexi are leaving in a few minutes. Grant and I move toward the DJ. He’s playing “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry, and it’s impossible not to dance. After an hour, I start to get hot and sweaty. We move outside to get some air and escape the pea soup fog. I notice someone throwing up in the bushes, so we walk to the other side of the lawn. I ask Grant if he feels like going down to the DKE house to hang with Lexi and Bella. I text them to see if I can get one of them to answer. Five minutes later I get a text from Bella, Come on down.

  Delta Kappa Epsilon is the oldest fraternity on campus and known to be exclusive to southerners, politicians and blue bloods. It was introduced to campus by someone from Yale University in 1847 and is part of the machine, a secret society made up of elite chosen members from the original Greek houses on campus. You must be selected by someone who’s already a member. They’ve been known to control campus politics. I haven’t paid much attention to them myself, and their identities are a mystery, so no one knows who’s in the secret society anyway.

  The Delta Kappa Epsilon house we’re going to tonight is not the original house that was built. That house was torn down years ago to increase the size of Bryant-Denny Stadium so it could hold over a hundred thousand fans during home football games.

  Even though the newer house is beautifully designed and decorated, I sense an old feel as we walk in. It feels like walking into history. There’s a distinct smell of cigar smoke, leather and bourbon. As we walk through the front door, I notice the large room on the right. It’s as big as a ballroom, with dark carved wood embellishments on the walls and ceiling and floor-length heavy brocade curtains with thick tassel tiebacks. A huge oil painting hangs above a massive wood burning fireplace, which has a roaring fire crackling and popping inside. I guess the huge painting must be of their founder. The fireplace itself is also large and impressive.

  Bella’s friend, Jack, and Lexi’s friend, Patrick, are both third generation DKE legacies, according to Bella when she gave me the scoop on her crush. They became good friends with them after many hours of band practice. I assume Patrick or Jack have bragged about being in DKE. It must be the reason the girls are so determined to hit this party tonight, and a little crush doesn’t hurt.

  We continue through the house. I almost bump into what looks like a bear statue covered in blood with half its head torn off. Gross. They also have guys dressed like undertakers walking around with trays in hand. I suppose their pledges have the job of being waiters tonight. I also notice a giant Grim Reaper statue with glowing red eyes. And, last but not least, they have a coffin full of Jell-O shots. I think it’s all completely creepy, but at least we’re not choking to death on a fog of smoke at Chi Phi house anymore.

  Grant and I make it to the back of the house to a large room that has French doors open to the patio. The DJ is set up outside. Lexi and Patrick are dancing. Grant and I walk up to them and yell, “Hey Guys.” Lexi stops dancing, throws her arms around my neck, and hugs me, spilling her drink on me.

  Patrick high-fives Grant, and Lexi says, “Bella’s here somewhere.”

  I scan the crowd, looking for another sock monkey. I spot Cathryn, a senior on my dance team. She’s with a date, and they're dressed as Vampires. I continue peering through the crowd for Bella, and then I spot Lane. He’s dressed like a Roman soldier. He’s with a couple of guys and a girl. He doesn’t notice me. Good. Now all I need to do is find an excuse to leave quickly. Think Bex, think. Suddenly, I feel someone behind me covering my eyes.

  Bella yells, “Guess who? I’m so glad you guys came down here to hang with
us.” She’s chatting nonstop about how this is the best party ever, and it’s the hottest house on campus and blah, blah, blah. I’m not listening, because I’m still trying to figure out how to leave fast, when Grant walks up with two beers and hands me one. I’m not a huge beer fan, but it’s a Bud Light, so it’s practically water anyway. Bella grabs me and Grant by the arm, dragging us toward the DJ. All six of us move out on the dance floor and really get into the music. Immersed in the crowd, I start having a lot of fun dancing with everyone. For the moment, I forget about seeing Lane.

  When it’s time for a dance break, we go inside to find somewhere to sit and chill. We walk to the front room and sit on the leather couches near the door. I ask Jack and Patrick if they’ll get us some bottled water. While they’re gone, Lexi and Bella start to look sleepy and lay their heads back on the sofa and close their eyes. Grant comes over to sit by me and reaches out to hold my hand.

  He leans his head into my neck and whispers quietly in my ear, “You look beautiful tonight, if I haven’t already told you.”

  I glance down at our hands folded together on his knee. When I look up, I notice Lane walking down the hallway, and he’s looking right at me. He smiles and looks like he’s about to walk over when some guy stops to talk to him then turns to leave. I look at Grant, who’s laid his head on my shoulder. I reach out and touch his cheek. He raises his head and leans in to kiss me. I kiss him back a little more passionately than normal, and he seems to get the message quickly. He moves closer to me and puts one hand on my leg, while his other hand slowly caresses my neck. Even though I’m totally caught up in kissing him, he’s not who I was just thinking about. I feel weird kissing him, knowing I’m thinking about Lane, so I stop. I smile shyly and say, “It’s getting late. Let’s see if Bella and Lexi are ready to ride back to the house.”