by Nolan Fury
"What are you to dick's doing tonight?” Mark asked as he burst into the room.
I shrugged. "Not much."
"Billy and I are going to play Galactic Wars. Want to join in and get your asses kicked?” Mark asked with a confident grin. He had curly red hair and freckles and big teeth. He was a EE major, and a helluva gamer.
"Love to, but can't," Curtis said, mustering as snooty a voice as possible.
"What else could you possibly be doing? Don't tell me you need to study?"
"Are you kidding me? Study? For a freshman class? That's beneath me.”
"Well if you two dweebs are gonna spend the evening jerking each other off, I'll make sure not to intrude.”
Curtis and I scowled at him.
"We're going to the Kappa party,” Curtis said with a smug grin.
Mark's jaw dropped. Then his eyes narrowed at us. "Bullshit.”
"No, it's true," I said. I wouldn't have believed it either.
"Yeah. Emma Michaels invited him. She asked him out!"
"Now I know you're lying,” Mark said.
”God's honest truth,” I replied.
Mark didn't buy it for a minute. "Okay. Well, you two have fun with your little circle jerk. I think you’re both just afraid to get your asses kicked again." He spun around and strutted back through the bathroom that connected the two suites.
Curtis and I exchanged a triumphant grin. We knew what the truth was, and that was all that mattered.
I couldn't find any clean clothes. The best I could do was a slightly wrinkled button down, worn twice, and the jeans I had on. I didn’t have an iron, so I figured I’d hang the shirt up while I was in the shower and let the steam melt away some of the wrinkles. A little deodorant and some cologne might cover the rest.
I tried to occupy my mind with normal thoughts, but the image of Emma’s panties was burned into my retina. She was all I could think about. I contemplated rubbing one out in the shower, that way if anything did go down later I’d last more than two seconds. But I decided against it. I wanted to be fresh and at full power.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time primping in front of the mirror, trying to get my hair to look just right. But no matter how much hair gel I used, I couldn’t get it to do what I wanted. It ended up looking like a bad helmet. I took another shower just to wash the junk out of my hair and let it dry naturally. Fuck it. If she was going to like me, I wanted her to like me for me, not for somebody I was pretending to be.
The rest of the afternoon crawled by. Eight o’clock couldn’t come fast enough. When it came time to leave the dorm room and head over to the Kappa house, Curtis had a strange look on his face. His eyes were filled with dread.
I wondered what was wrong.
“I can’t go,” he said, then his shy eyes glanced to the floor.
“Why not?”
3
It was the lamest excuse I’d ever heard in my life. I wasn’t going to let Curtis off that easy.
“I think I’m just going to stay in and play Galactic Wars with Mark and Bill,” Curtis said, still staring at the floor. He didn’t have the guts to look me in the eyes.
“What?”
“Yeah. I’m just not in the mood anymore.”
“What’s wrong with you? Have you suddenly come down with dementia?”
“I just don’t feel like it anymore. That’s all.” He sheepishly averted direct eye contact with me.
“What happened to the whole new world that awaits us? The beginning of manhood? The era of coolness?”
“Look, I’m just going to be a fifth wheel,” Curtis said in a mopey voice.
“There’s going to be plenty of hot babes there!” I protested.
“Yeah, and they’re all going to be with guys. With my luck I’m going to hit on the wrong girl and get my ass kicked.”
“I think you’re being a little paranoid. This isn’t high school anymore. People are more mature than that.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Have a little faith in humanity.”
Curtis scoffed. “Look, I’m happy for you. A smoking hot chick asked you out. But I’m just gonna look like a tool. This is Kappa Chi! The best fraternity on campus. You think they’re going to be okay with guys like us at their party, hitting on their chicks?”
He had a point.
“I mean, you should go. You’re going to be cool by association. But, I’m having way too much anxiety about this.”
I sighed. I didn’t know what to say. “It would be great to have my wing man on this, but if I gotta fly solo, I gotta fly solo.”
“You are not flying solo. You’ll be flying with hottest plane in the skies.”
I couldn’t hold back my grin. Every time I even remotely thought about Emma, I smiled. “Okay. Fine. I’ll tell you all about it later.”
Curtis’s eyes filled with a mixture of regret and relief. “Have fun. And, do me a favor? Don’t tell anybody I chickened out.”
“I won’t.”
“Happy Birthday, bro,” Curtis said as I stepped out of the room.
I left the dorm and headed toward the Kappa house. I couldn’t get there fast enough. I wanted to sprint, but I restrained myself. I didn’t want to look too eager, and I didn’t want to work up a sweat.
I started across campus with a spry step, on top of the world. I held my head high, knowing I was going out with the hottest girl on campus. The sun had dipped down below the horizon, and there was a faint light still in the sky. Birds flocked to trees to roost for the night. I smiled at passersby and carried myself with pride.
Music from the fraternity house leaked into the street. I could hear it from several blocks away. My heart beat faster as my anticipation increased. I stood in front of the Kappa house for a moment, taking it all in. It was my first college party. It was everything I had imagined. People milled about in the yard. Frat boys hollered from windows, slugging beers down in one gulp. There were people perched on the roof, taking precarious shots from a bottle of tequila. The house seemed to move in rhythm to the music. It was jammed packed with college students. Scantily clad hotties filtered in and out. It was the place to be on campus.
It was a white colonial house with large Greek letters above the door. Doric columns lined the front facade. As I climbed the steps to the porch, a wave of fear pierced my body. My adrenaline spiked, and the flyer trembled in my hand. What if they didn’t let me in? Doubt began to creep in my mind, an unwanted visitor, trying to steal my confidence. I handed the flyer to the bouncer at the door and held my breath.
He was a big guy who’s head disappeared into his muscular shoulders. He had short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw. His biceps were twice the size of my legs. He could swat at me, miss, and still break bones.
He took the flyer from my trembling hands, looked it over, and his eyes pierced into mine. For a moment, I thought he was going to pick me up and toss me off the porch. But instead, he handed the flyer back to me and motioned for me to step inside.
As I crossed the threshold of the fraternity house, it was like entering another dimension—a dimension full of hot girls. I had never seen as large a congregation of beauties in one place in my entire life. I was beginning to understand the purpose of joining a fraternity. If they had these kinds of parties on a regular basis, count me in.
Everywhere I looked there were miniskirts, tight shorts, toned legs, and sculpted claves. Pert asses and perky breasts jiggled throughout the house. There were pigtails, ponytails, and lots of bows. There were blondes, brunettes, and redheads. Green eyes, brown eyes, blue eyes. Beer flowed from kegs into red plastic cups. Oranges, pineapples, and berries floated in red trashcan punch, which reeked of vodka and grain alcohol. A mix of perfume, stale beer, sweat, and cologne filled the air. Lights with colored gels painted the rooms in various hues. A steady stream of bodies milled throughout the house.
To my right, there was a closet with a sign taped to the door that read Make Out Room. A couple sl
inked out of the closet, fastening shirts and buttoning zippers—their faces filled with satisfaction. It wasn't long before another girl pulled a guy in the closet and the door slammed shut behind them.
This. Was. Awesome.
I weaved through the horde of revelers, scoping out the house. It was enormous. Senior members of the fraternity lived upstairs. I imagined that the party was never ending, day in and day out. How could anyone ever get any studying done in a place like this?
The backyard looked like a tropical resort. The teal blue pool water was illuminated with brilliant lights. Tiki torches lined the pool. Amber flames flickered in the air. A fraternity member wearing a Hawaiian shirt tended bar under a thatched roof made from palm leaves. Slim pieces of fabric that masqueraded as bikinis covered supple endowments. Tight bikini bottoms practically vanished between butt cheeks. More than one bikini top was floating in the water, having been separated from its owner after a jump into the pool.
For a nerd like me, this was sensory overload. My eyes must have looked like saucers, and I was probably standing there slack-jawed. A familiar voice pulled me out of my testosterone fueled daze.
“Hey, I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come,” Emma said. “Or, that you found someone more interesting.”
I struggled to speak again. She seemed to have that effect on me. “I don’t think I could find anyone more interesting than you.”
She smiled. “Awe, that’s sweet.”
Her eyes twinkled at me. The flame from the tiki torches illuminated her stunning features with an amber glow.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Emma said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back inside. Her hand felt soft and warm.
“Uh, I don’t really drink all that much.”
“This is college. Let loose a little.” She weaved through the crowd with expert precision. “College is great. You can completely start over. It doesn’t matter who you were before. You can totally reinvent yourself.”
I was definitely trying to reinvent myself.
Emma grabbed a red cup from a stack on a table and dipped it in a trashcan full of punch. She let the excess drip from the cup, then wiped it with a napkin that she pulled from the table. “Go easy with this stuff,” she said as she handed me the cup of liquid Satan. “It can creep up on you.”
I took a sip and could barely taste any liquor. It was fruity and sweet and went down smooth. “This isn’t very strong.”
Emma grinned. “That’s why you need to be careful. That stuff is wicked and will catch up with you before you realize it.”
“I guess it’s up to you to keep me out of trouble,” I said as I took another sip.
“But what if I’m looking for trouble?” She had a naughty glint in her eyes. She brought her drink to her plump lips and let the punch slide down her throat.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. She seemed like she was really into me. I did not want to screw this up. I fumbled for something to say, but just ended up sounding stupid. “So, what are you majoring in?”
I wanted to slap myself the instant I said it. It was the most overused line in college.
“I haven’t really decided yet. But I’m thinking business with a focus on entrepreneurship. What about you?”
“Biomedical engineering.”
“Sounds fascinating. And difficult.”
“It’s pretty intense.”
“I don’t want to think about class, or studying, or grades. Tonight, I want to have fun!”
“Right. No more school talk.”
“Can you dance?”
I hesitated, trying to maintain my composure. I was concerned that if I started dancing, someone might mistake me for having some type of seizure. I could keep time, and move in rhythm with the beat, but it wasn’t going to look pretty. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me into a nearby room where the music pumped and colored lights swirled. A DJ spun tunes from behind a booth.
Emma made dancing look effortless. She had natural ability, merging with the beat as if it stemmed from her own heart. The mesmerizing movement of her hips enthralled me. I moved my feet in sync with the beat, but the whole thing just felt awkward. Emma seemed to lose herself in the rhythm.
She leaned in and shouted over the music. “Just dance like no one is watching.”
“Yeah, but everyone’s watching.”
She grinned and kept undulating her body in sync with the music. The torture of dancing was worth it to see her move. It was hard to believe I was this close to her—and about to get closer. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me into her. Then our bodies rocked back and forth, grinding against one another. The little man in my pants definitely took notice. It was like the alarm clock buzzed and he woke up, stretched, and looked around.
I backed up a little, embarrassed. I didn’t want Emma to think I was a total perv. But she was totally hot, and my hormones surged.
Maybe dancing wasn’t so bad after all?
After a few songs, Emma grabbed my hand and pulled me off the dance floor. A wave of relief washed over me. We left the sweaty horde of dancers behind. I had worked up a thin mist from the exertion, and my shirt stuck to my chest. I worried that I might begin to stink, but Emma had worked up a sweat too. Then my mind naturally drifted to activities that could get us both hot and sweaty together.
Emma took notice of my ring as she held my hand. “Is that your class ring from high school?”
“No. It’s my father’s ring from Vanden Academy. My real father.”
It was a gold ring with a red gemstone. A fissure ran through the gem, dividing it into three pieces. I figured it had been dropped at some point in time before I got it, or maybe Dad had punched a wall. Who knows? But the fracture didn’t seem to affect the setting. The stone was solidly attached to the ring, and you had to look close to see the cracks.
“Vanden Academy? I’ve never heard of that.”
“I don’t think it’s around anymore. I tried to look it up, but I couldn’t find any information. Both my parents died when I was young. I don’t really remember them. I grew up in foster homes.”
Emma looked at me with sad eyes. I realized I was pulling the conversation down. I was sure she didn’t want to hear the sad story of my lousy childhood. Besides, I wanted to think about fun things.
Emma gulped the last bit of her drink down and pulled me back toward the trashcan punch. The stuff was no joke. I was already feeling the effects. My nose and face were numb and tingly. I felt pretty good. Life was perfect.
The next thing Emma did made it even better.
4
I had made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I was sure coming to this party and meeting Emma wasn’t going to be one of them. Boy, was I wrong.
The way she looked at me with those green eyes and wide pupils was enough to make me go weak in the knees. Her every word cast a spell, making me fall deeper for her charms. This girl had definitely crawled into my chest and staked a claim on my heart.
She leaned in and whispered over the music. Her velvety voice seduced my ears. “Do you believe in instant attraction? When you take one look at someone and you know they get you? Like you’ve been friends forever?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” I mean, I was instantly attracted to every hot girl I saw. But I knew what she meant. She was talking about something deeper than physical attraction.
“I just feel like we clicked. I don’t know why I never saw it in high school. Maybe I was just too stupid to know what I should have been looking for?”
I tried to contain my glee and act cool. “Well, it seems you’ve been enlightened.”
She grinned lasciviously. “Yes, I have.”
Emma grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the can of punch.
I couldn’t believe where she was taking me. My heart fluttered with nervous anticipation. Emma weaved through the crowd of inebriated college students, marching toward the Make Out Room.
My eyes
widened, and a goofy grin curled on my lips.
Another satisfied couple stumbled out of the closet just as we arrived. Emma pulled me into the darkness and closed the door behind us. I couldn’t see anything, just a faint hint of light that seeped underneath the door. The dull beat of music rumbled the walls. From what I could tell, the closet was completely empty. A few stray coat hangers hung in the racks. They chimed as our bodies brushed against them. Before I could think, or say anything, Emma’s luscious lips pressed against mine.
Oh. My. God.
They were soft and smooth and had the faint taste of cherry lip gloss. She felt like heaven, her warm body pressed against mine. I trembled slightly, having never really been in this situation before.
It didn’t take much for my root to perk up and grow into a redwood.
My hands traced the curves of her body, gliding over her rib cage down her waist, and across her hips. I didn’t want to be too forward. I wasn’t sure what was off-limits—if anything was off-limits. So, I figured I’d let her guide the situation. I didn’t want to make the school paper with the headline Engineering Student Assaults Business Major in Closet at Frat Party.
Emma’s delicate fingers worked the buttons on my shirt. The cotton shirt flew open, exposing my less than muscular chest. She pulled the shirt over my shoulders, and down my arms.
Her plump lips kissed my neck, then she traced her tongue down my chest, down my stomach, past my bellybutton.
She had my full attention.
I never imagined this kind of thing would happen to me. I never realized Emma was so aggressive. But college is kind of like Vegas—anything goes.
She unbuttoned my jeans and pulled my zipper down. She slipped her fingers in the waistband of my underwear and pulled both my pants and my boxers down to my ankles.
I was glad it was pitch black in the closet. I was a little embarrassed and self-conscious as it was. I would have been more so in full light.