“This place is disgusting,” Becca noted, not helping matters.
Some people were already there, sitting around on the floor. One of them, Ricky, she thought his name was, was leaning on the speakers she’d told him to bring. She’d seen them in his room and “pretty-pleased” him into bringing them.
“Here.” She handed him her iPod. “Put this on. It’s the first playlist on there.”
People trickled in for the next fifteen minutes. Becca got the guys to help her put together a makeshift beer pong table. She took the Ziploc bag full of Ping-Pong balls and set them next to the case of beer and bottles she’d managed to stuff into her suitcases. The stolen cups were piled, and her plastic shot glasses set out next to the water bottles she’d had Dana fill with soda for chasers.
Soon the room was filled with laughing, talking, singing and squealing. As everyone got drunker and the room grew warmer, Becca felt more and more like herself. This was who she liked to be. She loved a chaotic atmosphere she could lose herself in. When everyone was drunk, no one was watching her too closely or looking for mistakes. If she said something she shouldn’t, she could blame it on the drinks. Not like in real life, when the world was quiet and everyone could see and hear perfectly.
“Yeah, I’m rooming with some girl named Dana.” Becca was shouting over the music to Ricky.
“Where is she?”
“Right over there,” she pointed. “Don’t you know her?”
“No, I’ve seen her around, but…”
“Dana!” Becca shouted her name across the room. Dana looked up, and then crossed the room to her. Becca took her hand. “This is my roommate!”
“Damn,” said Ricky, looking between them, “you girls are so fucking hot.”
Two other guys walked up. One of them swallowed his drink quickly. “Are you two gonna make out?”
Dana looked shocked.
“What, are you scared?” Becca asked with a laugh.
“What? No, I just—”
Becca looked to the group of guys suddenly surrounding them. “You dare me?”
All of them said yes, nodding.
“But—” Dana started, but was cut off by Becca, who had just planted a kiss on her.
Becca pulled away, laughing. The guys were all laughing and clapping at them.
“Oh, shit, she really did it!” One of the guys threw an arm around Becca. He let go of her and held a hand out to Dana. “I’m Barry.”
Becca slapped his hand. “This is her third year here, the fact that you don’t know her yet means you don’t get to introduce yourself.”
She looked at him playfully, and led Dana away.
“That guy was so annoying, wasn’t he?” she said to Dana. “Barry? He totally tried to hit on me earlier. I’d ignore him.”
It was a lie. But that didn’t matter. It wasn’t Dana’s time to get looked at. Becca was the new girl. Not her.
“Let’s have another drink,” said Becca. She took Dana’s hand and led her to the alcohol table.
When they got there, a tall boy was already pouring two shots.
“Make it four.” Becca sidled up to him and saw that he was not just tall, but attractive, too. Blond, light brown eyes—and a good smile. He looked like he’d play baseball and was always nice to his mom.
“You the new girl?” he asked, and then turned to Dana. “Hey, what’s up, Dana?”
“Yes,” Becca answered quickly, before Dana could say anything. “I am the new girl. I’m glad you know Dana, no one else seems to. What’s your name?”
“Johnny.” He smiled and looked down at the shots he was now pouring for them. “Of course I know Dana. She’s that girl that sat next to me in Algebra last year.” He mouthed hot at Becca, and then smiled at Dana.
Becca was about to say something about how little anyone else seemed interested in Dana when another boy walked up. He was about the same height as Johnny, but an utter contrast. His skin was tan, like he’d spent the summer working outside and maybe had some Italian or something in him. His hair was black and a little messy, and his eyes were light blue. There was something in them that intrigued her. He looked…she tried to think of the word to describe him, and landed on sly.
“Hey.” He nodded curtly at her, then turned his last words to Johnny. “Pour me one.”
Immediately intrigued by this person who ignored her, she said, “I’m Becca.”
“Here, Max.” Johnny handed him a shot. They all clinked their glasses together, swallowed the burning liquid and then pounded back chasers.
“Becca,” Max said, finally acknowledging her. “Hey.”
“So, where’d you move here from?” asked Johnny, leaning back on the table.
“Chicago.” Becca cast a side-glance at Max, who was now in conversation with Dana about how awful some teacher had been.
“Chicago? That’s pretty cool. I’ve never been there. Why’d you transfer here?”
Chatty, wasn’t he? “My parents can’t stand me and hope someone else can.” That was the simple answer.
He laughed. “I bet that’s what a lot of people here feel like.”
“Come on,” Becca said suddenly to Dana. Her conversation with Max was going too well. And Becca was the one that wanted attention from him. She smiled. “Let’s go pick some other music to put on, huh?”
Half an hour later, Becca had been flirted with by another group of guys and had her self-esteem restored. Now she was talking to that guy Cam and looking for a way out of the conversation. She spotted a girl staring at them. As soon as Becca caught her, the girl looked away.
“That girl,” she said to Cam, and pointed. “Is that your girlfriend?”
A small smile and a tinge of pink appeared on his face. “No, that’s Blake.”
“But you like her.”
He laughed it off. “What? That’s crazy, I didn’t… She’s not… She wouldn’t like me. She’s gorgeous.” His eyes were on Blake, but she had turned to talk to someone next to her.
“She likes you, I can tell.”
“No…” he said, but something in his tone asked for an elaboration.
“She was just looking over here at you, and looking totally jealous that I was talking to you.” It was obvious, and it’s not like she wanted Cam’s attention for herself, so she might as well tell him.
“Really?” Cam looked doubtful.
Becca rolled her eyes. “Blake!”
“No, don’t—”
The girl looked up, surprised to see who was calling her name.
“Come here!” Becca motioned.
Blake glanced at Cam, who looked like he wanted to run but was too paralyzed with fear to do so. She walked over to them.
“I’m Becca. You know Cam?”
She nodded and smiled at him sheepishly. “Yes. Hi, Cam.”
“Hi.”
Ugh. “Yes okay, so you guys totally like each other. So,” she said, and shrugged, “talk or whatever,” and then she wandered off.
A little while later, Johnny sat down next to Becca and asked if she was having fun. This close, and with a little more light on him than before, she could see that he was cute. Or maybe that was just that last shot sinking in.
“Yeah, it’s pretty good.” She felt Dana’s eyes on her. She was jealous that Johnny was all about talking to Becca. And Becca couldn’t help but rub it in. She tossed her hair and looked charmingly at him. “So tell me about you, Johnny.”
“Well, what do you want to know?”
“Becca!”
She turned from Johnny to see Madison beckoning her over with a flapping hand.
“What?”
“Come outside with us!”
“Sorry,” she said to Johnny. She saw that her roommate was now talking to Max.
Careful, Dana dear, you don’t want to mess with Becca and what she wants.
“Come on, you!” She pulled Dana away. “You will be social from now on. I accept nothing less. I can’t believe you don’t know anyone a
t your own school.”
Dana smiled apologetically at Max.
As soon as they were outside, she untangled her arm from Dana’s and sat down on the sand with Blake (who was positively beaming), Madison and Julia. Everyone was clearly less worried about being quiet than they had been at first, and were laughing and talking without filter.
“So, Becca,” Blake started, “who do you think is hot?”
All the girls laughed. Becca simply smiled back. “I’m not telling.”
Of course not. She needed to be told who everyone else wanted first.
“Oh, come on,” Julia cooed. “Who? Is it Johnny?”
She started to shake her head when Madison cooed.
“Ooh, he’s so sweet. He’d be, like, the best boyfriend.”
“Max is pretty attractive, too,” Becca said.
“Well, obviously.” Julia rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows that, but he’s not even worth it.”
“Why not?”
“Everyone has had a crush on him at some point,” Madison elaborated. “But he’s just…”
“Unattainable?” Becca filled in the blank. That’s who she’d have to go for, then. Too bad he’d already exhibited little to no interest in her.
“Exactly.” Blake nodded. “I do want to warn you though, Becca.” Blake leaned in a little bit. “The girls at this school will be crazed with jealousy if you get together with Max.”
So she couldn’t act like that was her plan.... Becca shrugged. “Maybe he’s gay and that’s why he doesn’t date.”
Everyone laughed again, but then made it very clear that no one thought that was the case.
Madison, who was clearly seeing the world in double, leaned toward Becca. “No, but seriously. Seriously. Max is so hot. But you and Johnny would be so cute together!”
“I don’t know, Max is okay,” she said, playing it cool. He was much more than okay. And that’s why she had to have him. But she couldn’t seem too interested—not to anyone.
“What?” Everyone squealed in unison.
Madison’s jaw dropped. “I’ll be right back.” She darted inside.
“What’s she doing?” Becca asked.
“Probably puking,” Julia said simply. “Okay, but so you’re not into Johnny. I don’t know, I mean—”
The boathouse screen door flew open and Madison stumbled out, dragging Max behind her.
“I got Max!”
Julia and Blake burst into laughter.
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe you did that!” said Julia.
Becca stood cautiously and raked a hand through her hair. “Are you even drunk?”
“Not as drunk as you.”
She raised an eyebrow.
Madison slung an arm over each of their shoulders. A struggle for her because she was probably about five feet, Becca was five-nine, and Max had to be about six-two.
“Guys, I have a secret.” Madison was trying to whisper but barely succeeding. Julia and Blake were listening intently, ready to laugh at any second. “Max. Becca thinks you might be gay.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned, exposing straight white teeth. “That so?”
Becca smiled. “I was hypothesizing, since it was said that apparently you never date.”
He nodded and looked away from her.
“Sh-sh-shh. Also,” Madison said, reeling her audience back in. “She doesn’t think you’re that unattractive. Or…that you’re not attractive. Or…wait…”
He looked back to her, appearing amused.
“I didn’t mean you weren’t attractive. I just meant—”
“It’s okay. I don’t think you’re all that attractive, either.”
He was obviously kidding, but Becca didn’t think it was funny at all. She scoffed, trying to mask her embarrassment. Three other people had heard him say it. They might report that to other people, who would then think he wasn’t kidding. She was going to have to make him want her.
Immediately.
“Well, aren’t you sharp?” She looked him straight in the eyes.
“We should let you two get to know each other.” Blake stood and pulled up Julia. Madison nodded vigorously and led the way back into the boathouse.
They were alone. She smiled at him and walked toward the waves that were breaking quietly on the shore. She turned to crook a finger at him. “Come on.”
He followed her. She stepped into the water.
“Cold?” he asked.
Becca didn’t look back before answering. “How scared are you?”
He chuckled, and a moment later he’d rolled up his jeans and stood next to her. The water wrapped itself around their ankles, and he sucked air in through his teeth.
“Yup. It’s cold.”
“Wimp.”
They were silent together for a moment, looking out at the black water and sky. It all ran together, with no horizon.
“This is seriously the worst beach.”
“Are you always so unhappy with your surroundings?”
She glared at him. “No, I’m not unhappy with them. I’m just saying. It’s hardly a beach. It’s just sand and rocks that happen to be next to water.”
Max stepped backward and sat down on the sand, away from where the water was breaking.
She followed him.
She leaned back like a pinup girl, and was quiet for a moment. “Why doesn’t anyone here drink?”
“What’re you talking about, there’s a bunch of people in there drinking as we speak.”
“Yeah, but at my old school, there were parties all the time.”
“Public school?”
“Yep.”
“Where can you have parties ‘all the time,’ doesn’t everyone live with their parents?”
“Yeah, but there was this guy Vince that always had people over. He was like nineteen and lived by himself.”
He nodded. “We drink in the dorms, we’ve just never come down here.”
“That’s because of the cameras, but I handled that.”
“What’d you do, blow the guy?”
She turned sharply and was about to look angry when she saw that he was smiling.
She smiled, too. “No, I didn’t blow him. I just talked to him.”
“Okay.” He said it like he didn’t believe her.
New Girl Page 5