Here and Now

by T. Renee Fike

  “Hey,” Evan says in the kitchen, “I figured I’d run into you here.”

  “Yeah, we told Lily we would make sure to stop here tonight,” I inform him.

  “What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?” he asks, making conversation. Dani walks over and starts filling cups up for us, while I talk to Evan.

  “I’m hoping around ten, but you never know when it comes to Lily,” I state, and he starts to chuckle.

  “Fair point there. Are you excited to go home?”

  “I am, I’m ready for a break and to hang out back home, how about you?”

  “I wish, but with ball, it’s out of the question.”

  “Do you regret playing basketball?” I ask, curiously. I know Owen is thrilled to not be playing.

  “I don’t regret it, but it’s definitely not like it used to be.”

  “So why play?” I ask bluntly.

  “Because I love ball and I have a scholarship for it,” he points out. He wouldn’t need the scholarship, his family is well off, they would pay his tuition and not think twice about it, but I won’t dare say that.

  “Okay, so get your degree, play ball and then what?” I ask.

  “Then I get a career, a job.”

  “No more ball?” I ask, with a surprised look. Evan and Owen used to talk about wanting to play in the NBA, so to hear this now is a complete surprise.

  “I’ll always play ball, but the chances of getting into the pros is slim to none, and I’m not going to waste my life on something that will probably never happen. So for now, I’ll enjoy playing in college and then focus on my career and the rest of my life.”

  “That sounds like a plan,” I say as Dani hands me my beer.

  “That does sound smart,” she adds.

  Evan always looks good, but today he looks exceptional, dressed in light washed jeans with a navy blue sweater, making his eyes stand out even more.

  “Is Austin here?” Dani asks Evan, snapping me out of my fog land for a moment.

  “No,” Evan says, looking directly at me.

  “Are you guys having a party at your fraternity house?” Dani continues.

  “Yeah, he was pretty smashed when I left to come here,” Evan says with a look.

  “Really?” I ask surprised, I’m supposed to meet up with him later.

  “He’s wasted,” Evan states.

  “I thought you guys were to meet up tonight because you leave in the morning,” Dani asks, looking confused.

  “We were, but apparently he had other plans,” I say with a shrug.

  “You’ll be lucky if he’s not passed out by the time you get there,” Evan says.

  “Was he drinking or doing drugs?” Dani asks bluntly.

  Evan looks between me and Dani, not saying a word.

  “Well?” I ask, confused and surprised.

  “I’m not sure what he was doing, I just know he’s wasted,” Evan says cautiously.

  “Is there something I should know?” I ask, looking between Evan and Dani.

  “Don’t ask me, I don’t know the guy,” Dani says, holding her hands up in surrender.

  “I’m not completely sure what all he’s into. I do know he drinks a lot, but anything else I’m not positive on,” Evan says.

  “Okay, well let’s enjoy tonight and I’ll worry about Austin later,” I say as I chug my beer down.

  “Slow down Bay, you don’t need to get drunk because you’re pissed,” Evan says.

  “I’m not pissed, but I am going to enjoy myself,” I say, as I walk over and fill my cup. Dani gives me a worried look, but never says a word.

  I fill my cup up again, and then decide to see what’s going on in the rest of the house. Dani follows while Evan goes his own way, to where, I have no idea, and I don’t honestly care.

  Is he trying to tell me that Austin does drugs? Is he trying to start an issue? What the hell is going on?

  Going through the house, there are mainly girls scattered everywhere. I’d say the majority of the sorority girls live here in the house. There are quite a few guys staring and following the girls, but the majority of people in the house are female.

  “This party is kind of lame,” Dani says, obviously noticing the lack of men here.

  The make shift dance floor in the living room is swarmed with girls, and maybe two men, and it doesn’t look fun at all. The drunks are swaying, looking like they could fall over and pass out at any given moment.

  “I couldn’t agree more, I thought it would be better than this,” I say, looking around, noticing Lily as she saunters up to Evan, who looks unimpressed. Unfortunately, she’s not the only girl going in his direction, there’s a flock of like six girls walking towards him.

  “He looks like he’s in serious pain,” Dani says as she laughs, noticing that Evan is swarmed with girls, looking completely uncomfortable. “Should we save him?”

  “I would think he would love that type of thing, but he definitely doesn’t look happy. Yeah, it’s probably best if we do,” I say, as we make our way over towards his groupies.

  “Hey Ev, are you ready to go soon?” I ask, making all the girls look at me in shock, even Lily.

  “Yes, yes I am, sorry ladies,” he says as he maneuvers out of their grasps towards Dani and me. We head towards the closet door to get our coats. “Thank you guys so much,” he says, looking relieved.

  “Anytime, though I think we may have pissed Lily off,” Dani says.

  “Who gives a fuck,” he says, like it’s no big deal.

  We get our coats and walk out the front door; I don’t even bother saying goodbye to Lily because she’s in deep discussion with her sorority sisters.

  Where are you guys going now?” Evan asks.

  “To your fraternity house,” Dani says, as we walk in the direction of his house.

  “It’s pretty lame tonight,” he says bluntly.

  “Really? Why?” I ask.

  “Most people are trashed already and it wasn’t much fun, why do you think I left?”

  “We better stop there, so Bay doesn’t get in trouble for not stopping by to see Austin,” Dani says.

  “Get in trouble?” I stop, turn and stare at her, “Why in the hell would I get in trouble?” I ask, feeling defensive.

  “Well, I’m sure Austin would bitch like a little girl if you didn’t go see him the night before you leave to go home,” she retorts.

  Shaking my head, “Fine, we’ll go and see how it is, if it sucks, we can leave and go somewhere else,” I inform the two of them.

  “Are you going home at all?” Dani asks Evan.

  “I’m going to try once we get back from our tournament, but it would only be for a day or so.”

  “Awe, do you miss Owen that much,” I snicker.

  “He’s my best friend, of course I want to hang out with him,” he defends.

  “It’s cute, it’s like you two have a bromance going on,” I joke.

  “No, it’s called, he’s my best friend,” he retorts.

  “It’s cute,” Dani says as she laughs, causing me to laugh.

  “You two aren’t funny,” Evan says as we continue making the walk to his fraternity house.

  “I’m glad he has you,” I say, knowing that Evan has always had my brother’s back, and vice versa, it’s nice to see that.

  “That sounds perverted,” Evan says with a look.

  “No, I didn’t mean it like that,” I say, shaking my head, “He can always count on you; you’re a great friend to him, and I’m glad he has that,” I say truthfully.

  Evan gives me a look, but doesn’t say anything, as we round the corner to where his frat house is. The place is lit up like a Christmas tree and people are everywhere.

  “I guess the party picked up,” he says, sounding surprised.

  We follow Evan inside to see people everywhere. I’d say this party is in full-swing.

  I look around immediately to see if I can spot Austin anywhere, but I don’t see him through the throng of people. />
  “Looking for Austin?” Dani asks, as she looks around.

  “I was, but I don’t see him.”

  “I’m sure he’s here somewhere,” Evan says as he leads us towards the kitchen for drinks.

  We each get a can of beer, before making our way towards the lower level basement where hopefully, there aren’t as many people.

  Walking down the stairs we hear a few voices, but not as many and find the basement area less crowded. I sit on the chair, giving my legs and feet a rest.

  Evan sits on the edge of the couch and Dani sits on the opposite end of it from Evan.

  “He’s here somewhere I’m sure,” Evan says.

  “That’s fine, he could even be passed out, based on what you said earlier. I’ll check in a bit,” I say, not worrying about it. He’s an adult and can make grown-up decisions.

  “Have you talked to Lily?” I ask Evan, changing the subject.

  “Yeah a little, why?” he asks with a look.

  “She was different when I got sick, I wasn’t sure if that meant there could be something between the two of you or not,” I point out.

  He looks at me for a good fifteen seconds before responding, “Lily will always be that girl that’s self-centered and cares more about herself than anyone else. Yes, she was there for you and I’m glad for that, but she will only ever be my friend, that’s it,” he defends.

  I hold my hands up in surrender, “No need to get all defensive, it was just a question,” I say, feeling bad for even bringing up the conversation.

  “I just hate having to defend myself when I’ve never dated the girl, and don’t ever plan on it.”

  “I get that, so what about the girl you were dating?” Dani asks, chiming in.

  He starts to shake his head, “I can’t win.”

  I laugh out loud, “Sure you can, but it’s entertaining, so you might as well answer her,” I laugh.

  “She’s bat-shit crazy, so I ended it. I already told you about it,” Evan says, looking directly at me; I shake my head, because we did discuss it already. “She comes around and looks for me and I just try to avoid her as much as possible. Girls are fucking nuts,” he says out of the blue.

  Dani and I burst out laughing, “The same can be said for men,” Dani adds.

  “True,” he says, “but women get clingy and stalkerish, it’s not cool.”

  “No, that wouldn’t be fun at all, but all she has to do is find another man and you’ll be off the hook,” I inform him.

  “Yeah, but unfortunately, that’s taking longer than I thought it would,” he points out.

  “It will happen, but you will always have girls swarming after you, just like you did tonight.”

  “Doesn’t that get old?” Dani asks.

  He chuckles, “Hell yeah, it gets old, which is why it’s nice to be in a relationship because some girls back off.”

  “Not all though,” I say.

  “No, not all of them, but it cuts the number down, which is refreshing,” he says.

  “So get a new girlfriend,” Dani says, like it’s the plan to end all evil.

  Evan looks at her shocked, “It’s not that easy, I don’t want just any girl to be my girlfriend,” he says.

  “There are so many girls to choose from, surely you can choose one of them,” I quip.

  The last few months I’ve gotten to know Evan even better than before and he’s actually a lot of fun to hang out with; I can understand why he and my brother get along so well.

  “Sure, I’ll let you guys spin me in a circle and I’ll close my eyes and point to someone and that’s who I’ll date, how’s that sound?” he says, sounding irritated.

  I can’t help but laugh, “You’d seriously let us do that?” I joke, knowing damn well he isn’t being serious.

  He gives me a death glare, “Fuck no, I wouldn’t do that, are you crazy?”

  Dani and I bust out laughing, we knew he wouldn’t, but the thought would be fun. Our short banter ends abruptly when a group of guys come down the stairs looking for Evan, he says bye as he heads upstairs following the guys to take shots and do whatever else boys do.

  Chapter Nine

  “Do you want to go find Austin?” Dani asks.

  “Yeah,” I say as I get up from the chair. We head up the stairs and I walk towards his bedroom, opening his door, which surprisingly is unlocked, I see him passed out on the bed.

  “He’s seriously out,” Dani says from behind me.

  “Why did he get so drunk to pass out?” I ask annoyed.

  “Sweetie, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what he was thinking.”

  “I’m going to leave him a note,” I say as I spot a piece of paper on the dresser.

  I grab it and write a small note informing him I was here to see him and now I won’t see him until I get back from winter break.

  “Try waking his dumb ass up,” Dani says, not caring that he’s passed out drunk.

  “Austin,” I whisper as I tap him on the arm. He doesn’t budge.

  “Why the hell are you whispering?” Dani asks as loudly as possible.

  “I don’t know,” I say, realizing I have no idea why on Earth I am whispering. “Austin, wake up,” I say, now in my normal voice. He stirs but doesn’t open his eyes or say anything. “Austin, wake up,” I say, giving his shoulder a slight push.

  “Oh, move over,” Dani says, looking irritated. “Hey jackass, wake up,” she says pushing Austin hard, causing his eyes to open and him to look around.

  “What’s going on?” he asks, completely out of it.

  “Your girlfriend came to see you, but clearly you partied hard and passed out. She wants to say bye before she leaves tomorrow, jackass,” Dani says, not holding back. I’ve never seen her speak about Austin like this before and I’m slightly taken back.

  “I didn’t get fucked up,” Austin says as he sits up, reeking of alcohol.

  “Tell that to your breath,” Dani says smugly.

  “You smell of alcohol and a lot of it. I just wanted to see you before I leave tomorrow morning,” I say, sitting on the edge of his bed. I look over at Dani and she’s standing by the doorway.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t plan to drink so much. Just hanging with the guys and I guess I overdid it with shots,” he says apologetically.

  “It happens, get some sleep and I’ll see you when I come back in a week,” I say as I lean in to give him a hug goodbye.

  He seems off for some reason, though I can’t quite put my finger on it. “You can stay with me tonight,” he says, as he pulls me tighter.

  “I can’t, I have to finish packing when we get back and then I’m leaving early tomorrow,” I say, not ready to fall asleep just yet.

  “Alright, well let me know that you get home okay,” he says as he lies back down on the bed.

  “I will,” I say as I stand up, his eyes shut before I’m even off the bed. So much for having an actual conversation, it takes him seconds and he’s passed out. Lovely.

  “He’s an ass,” Dani says loudly, though Austin never moves.

  “I don’t get what’s going on with him; he’s been acting strange since I got sick.”

  “Maybe it’s because he’s a horny asshole and you won’t give it up to him,” she jokes.

  “I will, I figure we’ll have sex when I come back.”

  “Yeah, if he didn’t already find someone to bunk with,” she says coldly.

  I turn and look at her, and then back at Austin, “Do you think he’s cheating on me?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know, guys don’t wait.”

  “But he’s been great, and we’ve talked about things, especially sexual things in detail,” I say.

  “I’d talk to him when you come back, make sure he isn’t sleeping with someone else, before you do actually decide to sleep with him,” she says as she pulls the door wide open. “Let’s go home.”

  “Sounds good,” I say as I follow her out the door. We head down the hall and the place is still crowded.r />
  We walk towards the front door, stopping to grab our coats out of the throng of them, it takes a few minutes to find mine, but once I do, I’m good to go.

  “Where are you guys going?” Evan asks, looking slightly more intoxicated than earlier.

  “Heading home,” I say quickly.

  “It’s still early,” he says as he looks towards the clock.

  “I know, but I have some packing to finish and plan to leave early in the morning, so I figure I can get some stuff done tonight before morning comes.”

  “Alright, be careful, and have a safe trip home. Tell Owen I’ll call him soon,” he says.

  “Will do, have fun tonight,” I say before turning towards Dani and following her out the door.

  “I think he may have a crush on you,” Dani says excitedly as we hit the sidewalk.

  I can’t help but laugh, “I assure you, he doesn’t.”

  “Why not?” she asks with a straight face.

  “Don’t get me wrong, we’ve talked and I’ve actually gotten to know him a lot better than before, especially with the car ride to Maryland to see Owen, but that hasn’t changed and won’t change the fact that his best friend is my older brother. He will never look at me as a potential girlfriend, just his best friend’s little sister that he feels obligated to look out for.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she says smugly.

  “Did I miss something?” I ask, looking around.

  “No, it’s just how he seeks you out at parties, and talks to you, he doesn’t avoid or ignore you, but rather looks for your company, he doesn’t do that for everyone,” she says.

  “Again, I’m his best friend’s baby sister, it’s different.”

  “If you so say,” she says, brushing it off.

  “I do; now can we just go home, so I can finish packing?” I ask.

  “Sure.”

  We make the walk home and I finish throwing a few things in my bag before falling into my bed, ready for sleep. Morning is going to come way too soon.

  Morning comes and I’m woken up to Dani’s alarm clock.

  “What time is it?” I mumble, not wanting to get up yet.