by Bruce Thomas
I couldn't help but smile back at her because she seemed so happy as she leaned back into Elmer, who was watching Fred with an unpleasant look on his handsome face.
Dakota cleared his throat. "Yeah?"
"Why don't you give the newbie a good time and kiss her." Bruce hiccuped then took another drink of whatever was left in his cup. Sydney squeaked from her place on the floor and clapped her hands together. The two other girls beside her looked at each other with excited expressions and Lauren leaned back on her palms while Dianna bounced on her knees like she was about to open a present on Christmas.
"This is gonna be good," Sydney whispered to Lauren but she said it loud enough for me to hear. Dakota looked down at me beside him. I barely fluttered my eyes up to meet his when my adrenaline kicked in. This was enough. That wasn't even a question.
"Where's your bathroom?" I jumped up off the couch directing my question towards Elmer. "Hey, no! You can't leave," Sydney exclaimed placing her hands on her hips.
"When you gotta go, you gotta go." I wasn't going to take part in this. I was already making my way out of the circle before Elmer answered, not being able to get out of there fast enough. "Down the hall on the right," Elmer said. I saw Janet try to get off his lap but he held her tight. "Thanks," I muttered and started my way through the mass of people.
Of course the bathroom was occupied but I didn't really have to go I just wanted to get away from those dark eyes pinning me into that couch.
What was the guy's problem? I never did anything to him. Hell, I've never seen him before in my life until tonight.
I leaned up against the wall and pulled out my phone trying to distract myself from going back in there and giving that jerk a piece of my mind.
One new message.
I unlocked my phone to see it was from my best friend Katy. I quickly opened it, almost feeling relief just at seeing a familiar name. Hey babes, miss you tons. How's New York? Still super jealous. You're out there becoming bffs with Lady Liberty and I'm over here trying to get the twins to stop shoving popcorn up their noses. Text me back when you get this. Love you!
I could feel the knot form in my throat. No, I will not cry. Not here. I checked the time and figured since we were an hour behind back home it would be okay to call her. There was a small window seat near an open window just down the hall that I rushed to to sit by while talking. The room felt stuffy and hot with all the bodies occupying space.
I already had her number dialed before I sat down.
"Hey I was hoping to hear from you soon!" She chimed from the other end, picking up after two rings. "Hey
Katy," I said taking in a deep breath from the open window, feeling my ramming heart sadate from hearing her chirping voice. I tried picturing her freckled face as I said this, pretending we were sitting on her porch swing sipping ice tea. "What are you up to?"
"Just hanging with the twins and Taylor watching a movie. What are you doing? Is that music? Are you at a party?" Her voice sounded so shocked that I had to laugh.
The last time we went to a party, which was last weekend, our friends Michael and Nick (the twins) got so drunk they demanded piggy back rides back to their home. Katy and I carried them to the car with the help of her boyfriend, Taylor, and left them there until we were ready to go home.
Those parties were a lot more fun than the one I was at now. Everything was more fun with my friends. "Yeah, my roommate took me to one. She knows people." I played with a strand of hair that swept across my eyes from the summer breeze.
We stayed on the phone with her asking questions and me answering them halfway truthful just to hear her happy.
College students were walking around outside, moving back and forth between dorm buildings. New York was beautiful at night. Lights lines the wide streets of the campus and jazz music rang quietly through the streets along with car horns blasting every other second. It conflicted with the music thumping in the next room.
"I'm so happy you're liking it so far. I can't wait to see you Christmas break. I'm ready for the semester to be done and over with and it hasn't even started. I miss you too much! "
Christmas
break seemed like forever from now. I'm sure once classes got started I would get into a routine and this place will start to feel like home.
The thing is though, I didn't miss home. I had nothing to miss other than my uncle and Katy. There were too many bad memories I escaped by coming here. I didn't want to go back to that place. "I miss you too," I choked through the tight ball in my throat. I bit my lip. "Hey, look, I should be getting back to the party." "Right! Yeah, go have fun. Thanks for calling. It was nice hearing your voice. Oh, and the boys say hi!" I could hear her pout through the phone. Maybe she could come to New York for spring break. I would have to remember to ask her but not now.
We said our goodbyes and I looked further out the window at a group of people dancing to the music in the street. They looked happy, circling their arms around each other and singing along to the music. "You gonna jump?"
I whipped around to find those intense eyes staring back at me like they were just minutes ago. Everything happened so fast.
I felt my body tilt towards the open window in surprise and my breath catch in my throat. I felt the scream build up in my chest but it got caught somewhere between my throat and my tongue. Two strong hands gripped my shoulders yanking me away from the open glass. I tried catching myself on the window seat but my knees missed and I felt myself falling the opposite way. "Could you go five seconds on your feet? Jesus, are you impaired?"
I steadied myself before turning to him. "What is wrong with you?!
Don't you know not to scare someone when they're six stories high? And keep your hands to yourself!" I pushed out of his grip stumbling backwards before he caught me again grabbing me by the waist. I wasn't use to people touching me and I couldn't help that my body jolted away from his hands. This seemed to feed his amusement. "Well maybe if you weren't such a clutz, I wouldn't have to keep touching you."
"I am not a clutz," I threw back, getting out of his grasp once again.
His plump lips curled up, his eyes, that looked brown yet blue at the same time, watched my face. I felt like I was a specimen under a microscope. "Well you're not drunk considering you barely took two sips of your drink so there must be an explanation for your lack of balance." Fred took a step back from me as if he was watching my movements. I wanted to slap the smirk off his face.
Whoa, where did that come from? I was not a violent person, in fact I tried to stay as far as I could from any conflict. "How about you stop calculating my movements and worry more about yourself." I felt flushed and suddenly very dizzy. He was right about the lack of alcohol in my system but there had to have been an explanation to why I felt like the oxygen was being sucked out of the room.
He put his hands up as if he was guarding himself. "Hey, it's not my fault you're much more interesting to watch, babe."
"Don't call me that," I snapped. I glared up at him. He was just standing there with his arms now crossed over his broad chest and this stupid arrogant smirk on his face. I
felt another urge to punch him.
"Thought you were going to the bathroom," he said more as a statement then a question. "Excuse to not kiss lover boy..." My face went up in a grimace. "What are you talking about?"
Lover boy. He sounded like an immature teenager.
He shook his head mockingly and I instantly felt the need to defend myself.
"Someone was using it so I came in here to make a call, what's it to you?" I felt like I had to prove a point and I hated it. And then I was on a roll. "And what was with you during that stupid game? That was totally uncalled for calling me out like that then making Bruce ask Dakota to...Why are you laughing?"
Freds shoulders shook along with his chest as he silently laughed in my face. "You're funny when you're mad. You're face gets all scrunched up--"
Before he could finish, I walked passed him and out
of the short hallway back to the main room. I could feel heat leaving my body threatening to explode. He had the nerve!
I found Janet still placed on Elmer's lap but her movements were sloppy as she pushed a hand through his hair, placing the baseball cap onto her head. Elmer caught sight of me and waved for me to come over.
"Hey," he started looking at me with hopeful eyes. "I know it's early and all but she's pretty smashed." Just to prove his point Janet turned to me. How much did she drink? I couldn't have been gone for more than twenty minutes.
"Annaiiiiiiii. Anna, my friend, take a shot with me." She lifted a small shot glass to her lip and pouted when she saw it was empty. "Oops," she said innocently,
sticking her tongue trying to get whatever she could out of it. "Do you think you could get her back down stairs okay? I would help but I don't want things to get out of control here..." He reached up and took his hat back placing it once again over his hair. Just to prove his point there was a crash from the kitchen.
"Yeah, I got her." I reached for Janet, wrapping her arm around my neck and placing my grip around her waist to keep her steady.
"I'll help." Anne popped up on Janet's other side and she mirrored my actions. We practically carried her out the door of the apartment and started towards the stairs. I groaned internally at the thought of getting her down them in one piece. Even though she was nothing but bones, she had so much height on me that she could easily take me down with her. I thought of Anne, with her 5'4 exterior and sent a silent prayer for this to end well.
Anne stopped abruptly, reached down and slipped Janet's heels off. "I don't know why you insist on wearing these things, Janet. You could break an ankle." She took the red pumps in her hand and snaked the other around our friend. That made a tremendous difference.
"That was so much fun. Did you have fun, Anna?" Her breath was hot on my ear and reeked of vodka. "Yeah, tons--watch your step." Anne and I helped her stumbled her way down the stairs onto our floor. I thanked high heavens when we reached our door.
I pushed most of Janet's weight onto Anne as I searched for the key. Once the door was opened Janet's practically danced into the apartment. Anne looked
at me with a shocked expression. "She so did that on purpose, that bitch."
We found ourselves laughing as we walked into the apartment. Man did it feel good to laugh after that evil, arrogant, child of a man and his charade upstairs. As if Anne read my mind, she turned to me. "I'm sorry about Fred tonight. He can be a jerk sometime. Actual, most of the time. We mostly choose to ignore him. In fact," she grabbed Janet as she flew through the kitchen, "he was going easy on you." My roommate squealed at the little charade.
Wow, that was him going easy? I shivered at the idea of him being crueler.
"Yeah, what was his deal?"
I helped her move Janet to her room and laid her in her bed. She didn't protest as her head hit her pillow. She let out a dramatic sigh and closed her eyes. Anne rolled her onto her side and patted her hair out of her face.
She motioned for me to move outside.
"Fred is not really a people's person. I blame it on the whole daddy issues. He doesn't really trust people, I think." She continued to walk down the short hallway. "Daddy issues?" Classic. He's just another little boy taking his anger out on innocent people like myself, trying to make me feel small while it makes himself look like the big bad wolf. I wanted to laugh but by the look in Anne's eyes I forced myself not to.
"He doesn't really talk about it. In fact," she started moving towards the front door, "no one really knows him well, except Elmer, of course. Fred mostly just tags along for the girls and booze." She shrugged like it was no big deal.
"So he attends the
university?" I asked my curiosity sparked since she didn't know much about him.
"God no," she practically snorted. "He wouldn't get caught dead with his face in a book. He makes an appearance at most of the parties though since Elmer invites him."
She eyed me with a worried expression on her face. "He's bad news, Anna. I wouldn't get too close if you can help it. I've heard things..."
What type of things?
"Yeah, no, I wasn't planning on it," I assured, biting my tongue so I wouldn't ask more questions. "Well, thanks for helping me with Janet."
"Yeah, no problem. If you need anything--" she reached into her overall pockets taking out her phone. "Just call."
I typed my number into her phone and sent myself a text so I'd have hers. I thanked her again before shutting the door and locking it. I walked into the kitchen and took out a glass from the cupboard, filling it with water. I popped out a few ibuprofen for Janet, and a couple for myself, and brought it to her room.
After I set the glass along with the three tablets on her nightstand for her when she woke up, I went to the bathroom to wash the makeup off my face.
Once in bed, I started to get angry again. Who the hell did Fred think he was? Never in my life have I met someone who was so mean right off the bat without having a reason to be.
I started going through my encounters while being in New York and I came up blank with crossing paths with him, so there was nothing that I did. Maybe Pat cut him off in traffic or stole his parking spot, though I doubt he could put two and two together considering there were other people with trucks somewhere in New York, right? But then again the license plate...
I sighed so hard I felt my lungs constrict from lack of oxygen.
I shouldn't even worry about his questions and accusations considering most of the members in the circle were partially, if not completely, drunk. It's not that I'm embarrassed about the whole being pure thing. I was actually proud of it. That's none of their business. I honestly didn't care what their opinions on my life were. I just don't want them to know much more than the little information that I have handed out.
Plus, I'm sure I won't be spending anymore time with that broody manchild in the future. I sent a silent prayer of praise thanking that he didn't attend NYU.
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4- FRED'S POV
Hope you enjoy Fred's side of the chapter!
I threw my phone down on the table with so much force I'm surprised the screen didn't shatter. I hated him. I hated him with every fiber in my body.
My father, if you could even call him that, considering I never see him or hear from him unless it has to do with boosting his image, never fails to piss me off.
I shredded the invitation in two and tossed it into the trash. We just went at it for a good thirty minutes over the phone about whether or not I was going to this dinner party for his job, me of course in favor of not going, and me of course losing. Doesn't mean I have to look at the fuçking thing. I stuffed it farther into the trash can.
"Yo man, open up."
I ran my fingers through my hair in exasperation. That fuçker always has perfect timing. I walked across my apartment just as Elmer started pounding his fist into the door. I swung it open with a glare. "Oh, why thank you, I would love to come in. How nice of you for asking." Elmer pushed past me not even acknowledging my look of annoyance. He always did ignore my moods. He was my closest friend here in the city. That doesn't mean I don't hate his guts the majority of the time.
Ever since meeting him at the gym while I was taking a boxing class a few years ago, when he first started college at NYU, we tended to use each other as a punching bag.
In fact I could punch something right now.
We got along because we were both dicks but could still stand each others company without killing one another.
Half the time I couldn't
stand him and the other half needed access to the parties around campus. He helped me with the access and I helped him with supplies. We wouldn't prefer it any other way.
"What do you want Elmer?" I asked sinking down in a chair taking a swig of water from a plastic bottle. "Party. My place. Tonight. You're coming."
Party, party, party. That's all we did this summer. Yes,
most of them were held at my father's place in the Hamptons, which we broke into multiple times, but wasn't this dude partied out? This summer was filled with blacked out evenings, new girls every night, and drunken mornings. What was one more night gonna hurt, I guess.
It was the last Saturday before classes started in this God for saken city. Not that I gave a shit. It's not like I was going to school anyway. I heard it wasn't that hard though, show up to the class at least once a week so the professors know you somewhat cared, pass the tests with at least a C, badabing badaboom, you have college.
Part of me wanted to do better. Sort of to shove it in my father's face that I was worth something, with or without his help or lack of. But there was no way I was going to attend college.
I was making enough money to keep this apartment and buy a few sacks of groceries every week. Plus I had enough left over. That was all I needed. I couldn't afford school. And I'd rather die than ask my so called father for help.
I rubbed my temples.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." I took my running shoes off and tossed them near the door. I could feel a raging headache coming on.
"One
more thing, man." Elmer took a chair and swung it in front of me resting his forearms on the backrest once he was seated.
"I need you to be my wingman."
"What? Fûck no. I don't wingman." I stood up and walked into my bathroom.
One of the perks about having your own apartment was you didn't have to worry about anymore else but yourself. If I wanted to walk around stark naked, I could.
I've spent the last three years crashing on acquaintances couches and stealing their food. I was finally in a place where I could manage to fend for myself without help from anyone, related or not. I wasn't some prick who mooched off other people though I'm sure some would beg to differ. I never stayed in one place for long. I stripped off my sweaty shirt and tossed it in the hamper.