I had been at my homework for about forty-five minutes when the door opened. Lola walked in with a bandage above her eye.
“Hey! Are you okay?” I rushed over to grab her bag and bring it in the room.
“Yeah, I’m fine. No need to fuss,” she insisted, and then went to sit on her bed.
“So what happened? I only got bits and pieces out of the cop you sent over here.”
“Well, Tyler’s new girlfriend apparently was really upset because Tyler told her that he broke up with me for her but that I wouldn’t leave him alone.” She rolled her eyes and then continued.
“As if. So she was furious with me and wanted to fight. I wasn’t actually going to fight until she swung at me. She missed because I dodged it and that’s when I gave her a black eye.” Lola gave me a smug smile and held up her fists like a boxer. “You don’t mess with North Jersey.”
I giggled because she was all of one hundred pounds soaking wet, so it was amusing to think of her actually hurting someone. Especially since Katie looked like she worked out. But then again, I also got the impression that she could probably kill me with two fingers or something like that.
“Anyway, something happened that I can’t really remember and Tyler pushed me. I fell and hit my head on the curb. One of my friends, Lisa, called the police because I was still bleeding. I just have this cut now. Everything else is generally fine. They said I might feel a little dizzy for a couple of days but no real harm done. What happened here?”
It took me a second to process what she said. Tyler had pushed her and caused a concussion. I never pegged him for the violent type. He always seemed so nice and he was pretty calm when Katie was losing her mind.
I figured she’d been through enough lately and that we could talk about him a bit more later. I told Lola how the cop waited outside the door all night and that nothing else really happened. We talked some more about the whole thing, and Lola’s mafia family was not happy. So she was going to let them handle the situation. I had never met anyone with family in the mob and I was not sure how to respond to this. After all, other than in gangster movies, who actually talked about the mob or even used them to settle a score?
We hung out for the rest of the night and ordered a pizza for dinner. Aside from her mafia ties, I really liked Lola. She loved old-school television shows, fashion, and had an even bigger tabloid subscription list than me. Also, she had an amazing junk food stash. I told her about the party on Saturday but she was not ready to go out just yet. She insisted that she was waiting for her bruise to heal but I thought she was still a little shaken up after the fight.
***
The rest of the week went by with little excitement. Annabelle, Jason, and I had become a trio and rarely went anywhere without each other. I was really starting to like him. Janice still never made an appearance. Every time she was invited to hang out with us, she declined. It was starting to bother me.
Luckily, I didn’t have another class with Berneli. He did send an email to the class about my assignment. I decided that Pride and Prejudice was my best bet. I planned to go into the Elizabeth and Darcy marriage with more detail. I was going to claim that they were perfect for each other and would maintain a happy marriage while other people claimed they were too different and had not actually gotten over their pride or their prejudice. It was ridiculous, and clearly those people hadn’t read the book. Maybe the old English was throwing them off.
Berneli asked the class to look into these arguments and to be ready to comment on my discussion. Other than that, I had not heard from him. I kept telling myself this was for the best. The two of us being together would only cause a lot of trouble, and statistics was all the trouble I could handle right now. Especially if I upset the mafia princess sleeping in the bed next to mine.
Chapter 6
I slept in Saturday morning and then stayed in bed for a few more hours writing in my journal. I needed to talk to someone about the Berneli incident, well, incidents, and the journal was the closest thing I could get. After baring my soul for several pages, I was starting to feel a little better. I still had no answers, but I felt as if a weight had been released from my shoulders. This party and Trent were coming at the perfect time. I had a bowl of cereal and then headed to the shower.
I ran into Annabelle, who was brushing her teeth. We decided to meet up around two for a late lunch and then we would probably hang out until the party. After the shower, I still had a couple of hours to kill so I blow-dried my hair and started working on my presentation for Berneli. At 1:45 I had just about finished but decided I could wrap the project up tomorrow and headed over to Annabelle’s room. We went to the cafeteria and met up with Jason, and I couldn’t help but notice the way his face lit up when he saw us walk in. I had a feeling his joy had nothing to do with my good looks and glowing personality.
“Janice said she doesn’t really want to go to the party tonight. She doesn’t think a frat party is really her thing. Plus, she doesn’t really like staying out past eleven,” Jason said when Annabelle asked about the party
“Does that mean you aren’t coming?” Annabelle asked with a look of disappointment on her face.
“No, I still want to go. Besides, someone has to be there to make sure the two of you behave,” he badgered us, giving her a playful shove.
“What do you think we’re going to do? Bang the whole frat in their clubhouse? Disappear for a few hours with the president and get a look at his paddle?” I asked, amused.
“Well, Vi, with you we never know.”
I tossed a piece of my roll at him and rolled my eyes.
“I guess we are going to see tonight, right?” Annabelle said, smiling at me.
We finished lunch and headed back to Jason’s dorm. He had a huge flat screen TV and we were right in the middle of a marathon for my new favorite crime show when Jason’s roommate, Kyle, came in. He was also an environmental major but not as busy as Janice. Jason said it was because Janice was a perfectionist and Kyle spent a lot of time getting high.
We found out that Kyle was going to the party too. He had made friends with a couple of the frat boys and was intending to pledge. Kyle had short black hair and dark eyes. He was a little bit taller than Annabelle with dark olive skin. He also had a ring through his nostrils that reminded me of a bull, and when he took his shirt off to change, he showed off two giant pentagram tattoos on his back. He looked tough but his sweet smile told a different story.
***
Around eight, Annabelle and I grabbed our leftover Chinese food and headed back to our dorm so we could get ready. The guys said they would pick us up around ten and take us to the party. Apparently, Jason didn’t drink and so he said he would drive.
Annabelle and I went to my room first to figure out what I was going to wear. Lola was there but still didn’t want to go to the party. She was, however, more than willing to help us get ready. I borrowed a little, emphasis on little, black dress with a halter top that went a little too high on my thighs. Nothing was hanging out in the dress but there was not a whole lot left to the imagination.
“You can’t underestimate the effect of a little black dress on a man,” she asserted.
Both Lola and Annabelle insisted it would look better with heels but I decided to wear flats. Since my dress was going to be that short, I needed to have full balance. If I fell over, something would totally pop out.
Annabelle wasn’t comfortable wearing a dress and settled for some dark skinny jeans and one of Lola’s sequined yellow tops. She also wore flats but that was because she claimed her dancing was bad enough barefoot that she didn’t need to complicate the matter.
Lola gave the ends of my hair a little curl while I straightened Annabelle’s hair. We had a nice little hair train going on. After that, we headed to the bathroom and started the make-up game. I liked my make-up a little, okay a lot, darker than Annabelle so she would not let me touch her face. But in reality, I was jealous how well the natural look worked for he
r.
I was lining my eyes when Annabelle got a text. The guys were going to be heading over in a couple of minutes so we needed to hurry up. After some more swipes of mascara, we were ready to go. Annabelle and I thanked Lola and grabbed our wristlets. The guys were just pulling up in front of our dorm as we were heading out.
“What’s up, girls? How much for the night?” Jason asked as we walked over to the car.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” I said, and rolled my eyes. Kyle, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically. We climbed into the car and talked about the crime show almost the whole way to the house. The guys swore they stopped watching it after we left but we were getting the impression that they might have broken that deal.
We pulled up to what looked like a makeshift road in the woods.
“Violet, are you sure this is the address? It kind of looks like where you take people to die,” Annabelle whined while looking out the window.
I double checked the text Trent sent me with the address and confirmed that this was correct. “If you’re this paranoid, we’re definitely going to have to cut you off from the serial killer shows,” I told her, pretending it didn’t freak me out a little.
We continued down the dirt path and after a couple more minutes we came upon a house in the middle of the woods. There was dance music coming from it and we could see college kids all over the deck. I had a feeling we were in the right place or it was the beginning of a horror story.
Jason parked along the driveway but the car was really crooked.
“Do you know how to park, Jason?” I asked him as we got out.
“Yes! But now if someone blocks us in, I can get out easier,” he claimed as if he were the party expert. Though I had to agree he had a point.
We headed into the house and instantly felt a little awkward. None of us recognized anyone yet but there were only ten people in the living room. We headed to the kitchen and I started to smile as I saw him.
“Violet!” Trent called my name and headed over to me. He gave me a hug and then waved at my friends. “I am glad you made it. Can I get you a drink?” he asked as he placed an arm around my waist.
“Sure, what do you have?” I asked, a little nervous.
Judging from his breath, Trent definitely started way before we showed up. He brought me over to this giant tub of purple-blue liquid, waving his arm in front of it as if to say it was a fountain of champagne. It looked disgusting and there was no way I was drinking it.
“Do you want some jungle juice?” he asked, indicating the purple-blue goo.
“No, ah, what else do you have?” It looked like they liquefied the Purple People Eater.
“Do you want a beer?” He pointed to the keg where Kyle, Annabelle, and Jason were all standing. Kyle had a cup in his hand but Annabelle and Jason didn’t.
“Yes, that sounds good,” I said, and we headed that way. As he was getting me a drink, some of his friends rushed over.
“Trent, there is this guy running the pong table. You have to come and teach him a lesson,” one of them said, and dragged him to the other side of the room. He smiled at me and waved me over.
I put one finger up, indicating that I would be there in a second. I went to see my friends.
“Hey, guys! Kyle, what are you drinking?” I looked into his cup and saw the purple-blue goo.
“Jungle juice. Why, do you want some?” He offered me his cup.
“Nope, it smells like grape medicine,” I said, and laughed. “Did you want anything, Annabelle?”
“No, it all kinda looks dirty. I am not a fan,” she told us with a scrunched up face. I’d noticed that Annabelle was a serious germaphobe.
“Violet, come here!” Trent screamed over the crowd. I was pretty sure he was already drunk but at least he seemed like a fun drunk.
I said bye to my friends, who decided that they were going to check out the music downstairs. I headed over to Trent, who looked very unhappy.
“Help me out! I am usually good at this but I am struggling tonight.” He handed me a slick ping-pong ball. It was really gross but throwing it meant that I got to let it go. So I took a giant gulp of beer and sent the ball flying. Surprisingly enough, it went into one of the cups. Everyone, including Trent, started cheering. I threw the second ball but that one missed. The game went on until both sides of the table were down to one cup each. Trent was trying hard but kept missing. His drinking had slowed down a little bit so maybe he was trying to focus.
“Babe, it’s up to you,” he said to me, and handed me the ball as if he were handing me a sword for battle.
I gave him a look to indicate I thought he was being weird but took the ball anyway. I took another sip of what was my second beer and threw the ball. By some miracle it went in. Trent picked me up and spun me around, kissing me hard and sloppily.
“We need to play again,” he insisted, and started setting up the cups. We played another game and it was going pretty well. Trent was getting really touchy as the night went on and I liked it. When he was not throwing the ball, he had an arm around my waist or draped across my shoulders. This was the kind of relationship I needed.
After about ten more minutes we lost the game and were kicked off the table. He brought me to the keg and we each got another beer. Trent took a big sip and then we headed down to the basement.
***
The music was loud. Yelling in each other’s ears loud. It suddenly made sense why the house was situated in the middle of the woods. No neighbors meant no one to mess up the party.
The basement had brown paneled walls with writing all over them. I looked closer at it and it appeared like people were writing their names everywhere. Trent noticed my interest.
“A lot of sorority girls like to write on the walls when they come over. It’s like staking their claim or something. It’s kind of a tradition,” he said in my ear. We turned the corner and headed to the main room in the basement. There were speakers everywhere and a stage with a stripper pole.
“Really? You have a stripper pole?” I got on my tiptoes and shouted in his ear.
Trent laughed and leaned into me. His hand slid down my back and onto my hip. “This is a frat house. What do you expect? Want to give it a try?” he asked with a wink.
“Not even a little bit,” I said, laughing. It would take a whole lot more than beer to get me up on a stripper pole.
I looked around the room and noticed Annabelle and Jason were standing in the corner. They weren’t necessarily dancing together, more like dancing near the other since they weren’t touching or facing each other. I did notice, though, that Jason could not keep his eyes off her. Annabelle didn’t seem to be aware of it and just got herself lost in the music. Even I could see that she looked radiant.
Trent asked me to dance and then led me out on the floor. I wasn’t really the best dancer. I could find the beat and sort of move to it but I was definitely not going to join any reality type TV show. Trent didn’t seem to care, though, and after a few minutes, I didn’t either.
It was exhilarating to feel his hands on me. He was holding my hips while I danced in front of him. Every once in a while his hands would slide down and rest on my pelvis. Then he spun me around and slid his hands right above my butt. He looked down at me and I could see that he was feeling just as exhilarated as I was.
He leaned into me so that there was no longer any space between us and kissed me. It was not like the kiss with Berneli. This kiss was demanding and wet. It was as if Trent needed the kiss now or he may explode. He controlled the kiss and I could barely keep up with the speed and intensity. Trent broke away and sauntered back a few feet to lean against the wall behind us. I bit my lip, trying to hold in the arousal that was pouring out of me.
The kiss continued and his hands roamed back down to my butt. He broke the kiss again and began trailing kisses down my neck and along my collar bone. These collarbone kisses were my kryptonite. They made my mind go empty and shudder uncontrollably. I pressed my body int
o him, encouraging Trent to go further.
He slid one of his hands up my stomach and stopped on the side of my breast. Everywhere Trent touched radiated with heat and I needed his hands on me at that moment. I needed his kiss and I pulled on his shirt, bringing his muscular chest even closer to me.
But then I opened my eyes for a second, I wasn’t sure why, and saw the names of the sorority girls on the wall behind Trent and remembered where I was. I grabbed his hand and put it back on my waist, breaking the kiss.
“Not here,” I said, and moved his other hand from my butt. “We can’t do this here.” I shook my head and backed up a little bit. His hands gave me a bit of room but they stayed on my waist.
“It’s okay. I just got carried away,” he groaned, looking a little disappointed. “You just look so hot tonight.” He ran two fingers down my cheek. I started to blush and kissed him lightly.
“Thanks,” I said, and made a mental note to thank Lola later. We went back out onto the floor and danced for a little bit longer but I needed a pee break. I went over and grabbed Annabelle because it was a rule that a girl could not go to the bathroom by herself.
“Oh my god! Did you see what just happened?” I asked her as we headed upstairs.
“You mean when you two were hooking up in the middle of a grungy basement? Yep, I saw it, Jason saw it, everyone saw it. How do you feel about it?” Annabelle asked as we tried to find the bathroom.
“I don’t know. I mean, I wanted it at the time. It was great and he was a good kisser,” I said, and stopped for a moment. Berneli was actually a better kisser but I was trying not to think about him. I internally chastised myself and focused on Trent again.
“I just didn’t feel comfortable doing that in a public room. I mean, there were names of sorority girls written all over the wall behind him. Talk about taking all of the romance out of a situation,” I complained while we were waiting in line to get to the bathroom.
First Semester (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 1) Page 9