An email popped up in my inbox and I groaned after I read it who it was from. I had an instant niggling feeling I already knew what the reaction to my response would be. In short, a lecture would be involved, most likely. I took a deep breath, typed out my reply, and sent it before I could change my mind.
I returned my attention to the textbook I had been attempting to read for the past two hours. I had been on the verge of admitting defeat before that email. It was obvious at some point Attention Deficit Disorder had developed and nothing would be accomplished tonight. My evening just got better and better. Sarcasm was my best friend these days.
The alert sounded for my email, and I jumped in my seat, blushing and grateful no one was there to see. A silent dread had built up while I waited for a reply and made the sound seem like a foghorn on a dark night. I barely managed to not fall over backward in my chair and clutched the edge of the desk in a death grip. The glare shot at my laptop should have had it bursting into flames, but of course, like everything else tonight, it didn’t cooperate.
Once I righted myself back at my desk, I peeked at my inbox. Sure enough, there it was. I felt the weight of its silent judgment. It was a given the content of that email would either annoy me or piss me off. With a sigh, I decided the best way to deal with it was like a Band-Aid; just rip it off. I clicked on the new message.
To: Aislinn Munroe
From: Ryan Caldwell
Subject: Meet tonight?
Hey, I have some time before a party tonight. Wanna meet and start that write-up?
To: Ryan Caldwell
From: Aislinn Munroe
Subject: Re: Meet tonight?
I’m sorry. I can’t. I have plans tonight.
To: Aislinn Munroe
From: Ryan Caldwell
Subject: Re: Re: Meet tonight?
What happened to making him work for it? You give in too easy, sugar.
I scowled at the screen. The fact that he nailed the situation on the head annoyed me to no end. I wanted to respond with something witty and scathing. However, the knowledge that it would end in epic failure kept me silent. One could only take so much humiliation in a week.
I glanced at the clock and saw it was time to head over to Teagan and Connor’s. I wanted to get there early so I had time to take care of Zver and be cleaned up and settled before Teagan got home. There was no way I would be letting anything interfere with my time with him after everything I’d gone through for it.
Determined now, I gathered up my things and headed out.
***
Open mouthed, I stared at Teagan in shock as he rushed around. “You’re joking, right?”
He pulled on his shoes and reached for his shirt, saying, “I’m sorry, baby. But two of the other guys called in tonight. They’re understaffed and Fridays are one of the busiest nights.” He shrugged into his shirt and started buttoning it up.
I’d admit to a brief moment of disappointment as I watched those smooth muscles disappear beneath the cloth. Then I remembered the situation at hand and refocused on the conversation. “There isn’t anyone else they can call? Teagan, it’s been forever since we spent time together.”
He shook his head. “No, there isn’t.” He looked at me, head tilted to the side for a moment. “How much groveling am I going to need to do to get out the doghouse on this one?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Haven’t decided on how pissed I am yet,” I muttered. I sighed and flailed my hands in frustration. “Figures! The first free time we have together in forever and look what happens.” I made a frustrated sound and shoved a hand through my hair, scowling when my fingers caught several knots.
“I’m sorry,” he said, walking over to me. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. “You gonna be here when I get home tonight?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’ll be here.”
He flashed me a smile. “What are you going to do this evening?”
I shrugged again. “Not sure. Go out, get drunk, maybe pick up a few guys,” I said breezily.
“The usual, then?” he asked while holding back a grin.
“Shut up. I could totally go out and get wild,” I said indignantly.
He didn’t even try to stop the laugh. “Sure thing, babe.” He leaned down and gave me a lingering kiss before I could respond. When he pulled back, I looked at him in a daze until he said, “So, I’ll wake you up when I get home tonight.”
I scowled at him. “That’s it. I’m totally going trolling for men tonight.” I nodded for emphasis.
“Sure thing,” he said with a wink. He gave me another quick kiss. “I gotta run. I love you, Aislinn.”
“Yeah, I love you too,” I grumbled.
He chuckled as he pressed a kiss to my forehead before he left the room. Despondent, I listened to him jog down the stairs and out the front door. Loneliness surrounded me as the silence of his absence settled in the house. I made my way to the bed and sat down, then flopped back with a groan.
I lay there for several minutes before I finally accepted I was solo for the evening. The pitifulness of the situation hit me. I was an eighteen-year-old college freshman spending Friday night alone. At some point in the last few months I had become the very epitome of loser.
Ugh.
Rolling over, I decided to make my evening of loserhood complete. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, scrolled through my contacts until the one I needed appeared, and quickly typed out the message. I hit send before I could change my mind.
Aislinn: You still free for a few minutes to go over that write-up?
I didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
Ryan: Why am I not surprised UR texting me?
I rolled my eyes at the text speak. That was a major pet peeve of mine. Luckily, Teagan had the same hang-up I did with it. However, now was not the not time to quibble.
Aislinn: Whatever. Do you still have time right now?
I leaned back and waited for him to respond. Once again, he didn’t make me wait forever. I had to give him props for that. His answer had me frowning, though.
Ryan: Sorry, sweets. Already at the party.
I sighed. That answer just compounded my loserdom. I guessed it was an evening of streaming movies and junk food…yippee.
But before my pity party could get into full swing, another text came in.
Ryan: Why don’t U come over? Some fun would do U good.
I hesitated. I actually hesitated instead of outright responding ‘no’ as I stared at his text. All those boring nights alone the past few months ran through my mind. And Lord, were there a lot of them. But I thought about Teagan and shook my head. No, people would talk. Just as I started to reply, he messaged me again as if he could read my mind.
Ryan: If UR worried about what people will say, bring a friend.
Annie immediately came to mind. She usually avoided tutoring on Friday evenings. It was her one night off.
Ryan: C’mon, sugar. No sense sitting there alone.
Dammit, he was right.
Aislinn: Okay. If my friend Annie can come, I’ll be there.
Ryan: Okay. See U when U get here! Text when U do.
It wasn’t until that moment, when what I’d decided to do really set in, that I realized how much my hands were shaking. I dropped the phone in my lap and took a shaky breath. The enormity of what was about to happen hit me, and panic began to build in my chest. Oh God, what was I thinking?
I grabbed my phone and with slippery fingers quickly dialed my roommate. I needed to do this before I talked myself out of it. My window of impulsive opportunity was starting to close.
“Hello?”
I was going to studiously ignore the niggling hope Annie wouldn’t answer. Mouth open, it suddenly dawned on me that I had no clue what to say. My impulses really needed to be better thought out in the future.
“Ash? You there?” she asked, confused.
“Hey! Uh…hi,” I burst out, then frowned at the squeakiness of my voice. I cleared my throat and then continued. “Um…so, what are you up to tonight?”
“Just hanging out in the dorms. Why? What’s up?” She paused then added, “Are you okay? You sound weird.”
She had no idea. My heart was pounding. I was sweating and I had a throat tickle that usually signaled vomiting was imminent. This was definitely not one of my better ideas.
“Ash?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” I took a deep breath and swallowed hard. I could do this. I was totally doing this. “Do you feel like hanging out tonight?” Oh God, I’d actually done it.
The throat tickle got more pronounced.
There was a brief silence, then I heard her moving around. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, you know Ryan? He invited us to a party.”
Shocked laughter met my statement.
“You are suggesting we go to a party?” she spluttered.
“Well, yeah. Why?”
“It’s just…it’s you, Ash,” she blurted out.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I huffed.
“I’m not trying to offend you,” she said with a laugh. “It’s just unexpected. But anyway, yeah. If you wanna go, then let’s go.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it in shock. Deep down, the idea she’d say she didn’t want to go had taken root. Annie was quiet and kept to herself. She studied hard and was probably the most focused person I had ever met. To say I was surprised would be putting it mildly. “Really?” I asked as I put the phone back to my ear.
“Sure. It’ll be fun. You gonna come by and get dressed?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Okay. See you when you get here,” she chirped then hung up.
I sat in a daze. This was going to happen. I was going to my first college party. Hell, first real party ever. Oh my God.
What was I thinking?
***
Observing the crowd of people streaming in and out of Ryan’s frat house, I experienced a moment of panic. This was so far out of my comfort zone it wasn’t even funny. My nights consisted of pajamas, ice cream, and a movie, not a raging kegger. My palms began to sweat, the tickle in my throat was back, and I was about a gnat’s ass hair away from calling the whole thing off. Annie must have sensed it, because she reached over and grabbed me by the elbow.
“You are going to go to this party,” she stated.
I tried to pull my arm away, but her grip didn’t lessen. She continued. “You are going to walk through that door,” she jutted her chin toward it, “and you are going to have a good time.”
I tugged my arm again, and still she kept hold of it. I shot her a glare to which she cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head toward the door. I groaned in frustration.
“Look, I was impulsive. I shouldn’t have tried to do this,” I explained.
She studied me for a moment then smirked. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe it’s what you need, Ash? We’re teenagers in college. We’re supposed to be impulsive and make stupid decisions.”
She had to be kidding me. “Are you serious?” I demanded. “You’re a fine one to talk, Miss Tutor.”
Her smile spoke volumes and said nothing at the same time. “Think what you want,” was her response.
That prompted a closer examination of my roommate. I mean, I really looked at her. My eyes widened in surprise. Gone was the mousy blonde, slightly plump, quiet girl. In her place stood a self-confident, totally rockin’ her curves chick.
I’d been so wrapped up in my anxiety and nerves I hadn’t noticed. Annie usually wore baggy clothes, preferring over-large sweatshirts and loose fit jeans. Not tonight. Tonight she dressed to impress, complete with slim fit jeans and a curve hugging shirt. Annie was gorgeous. Obviously there was more to her than she presented to everyone.
And I felt like the frumpy out of town cousin.
Yeah. No. So not walking into that house now. I might have Teagan, but I had the same desire for attention of any girl.
As if reading my mind, Annie rolled her eyes. “Whatever, shut up.” She then proceeded toward the house, dragging me along with her. “You’re gorgeous, Ash. The way Teeg looks at you, you’d think you’d strut it some.”
I dug in my heels as I tried to derail her. “Annie, stop. I…” I trailed off as I tried to pry her hand from my arm. “Dammit. I don’t—”
“There you are!” a voice I’d begun to dread broke in. “I’m surprised you actually showed up.”
I gave Annie a hard glare before I conceded defeat. The jig was up. Nothing I did now would prevent me from having to follow through with this rash decision. I heaved a sigh before I turned to Ryan. My dismay must have been evident, because he frowned as he studied me. Next thing I knew, he’d started to chuckle.
“Relax, Aislinn.” He walked over chucked me under the chin with a finger. “It’s a party, not an execution.”
I looked at all the people around me, holding drinks and laughing with friends. They were my age. They were having fun.
“Okay,” I said with a nod as I straightened my shoulders. I glanced over at Annie. “I’m ready.”
She flashed a delighted smile, squeezed my elbow, and gestured to the front door. “All right, then. Let’s do this.”
Let’s do this, indeed.
***
“Holy sh—! Is that a tattoo?” I all but shrieked when I saw the ink on her back when she bent over and her shirt rode up. My volume hardly mattered; the music was so loud I could barely hear myself.
Despite the noise, Annie heard me. She straightened up from the keg like she’d been shot. Quickly adjusting her shirt, she flushed a deep scarlet and glanced around to see if anyone else noticed before she glared at me.
“Shh!” she hissed.
I blinked at her in surprise and pointed an accusing finger. “You totally have a tattoo!”
Her glare deepened. “Yes. Okay? Can we drop it now?” she snapped.
“Oh, hell no.” My brow furrowed in confusion. “How come I never saw it before?” I mused. This just confirmed that there was more to my roommate than she let on about.
‘Are you serious?’ was written across her face. “Uh, it’s not hard to figure that one out since you’re never around.” Deadpan was the best description of her tone as she handed me a drink.
Oh. Good point. I’d give her that one. I took a large sip, my attention distracted by the new information. I’d barely swallowed before I gagged at the godawful taste invading my senses. “What the hell is this?” I sputtered.
She took a sip from her own cup and shook her head. “This,” she said as she looked at me over the rim of her cup, “is what is known as cheap-ass beer.”
I frowned and peered down at my drink, suspicious of the sickly yellow color. I glanced up, and Annie shrugged and took another drink. Just as I was about to ask how she could stomach what had to be some sort of poison, a heavy arm slung around my shoulders. I started with a yelp, and the beer in my cup sloshed and splattered all over my shoes.
Crap.
I scowled at the person beside me and wasn’t surprised when I looked up into Ryan’s beaming grin. He’d left us soon after escorting us into the house, saying something about needing to rescue someone, and now he was back. His eyes dropped to the cup in my hand. Brow wrinkling, he looked back up at me and asked, “Why are you drinking this shit?” Ryan studied me with a serious expression. “Aislinn, have you ever drank before?”
I froze at his question, the cup halfway to my mouth. I’d just been about to try another sip to see if it was any less vile. My gaze flew to his and my face heated with embarrassment when I saw he’d already guessed the answer. Without a word, he reached over and took the cup from my hand and set it aside.
My fingers still curled around a nonexistent cup. Shaking myself out of my surprise, I gave him an evil glare. “Hey! Give that back.” I reached for it and he lightly popped my hand. I pulled back and my jaw dropped.
“No,” he stated simply.
“What?” I asked, sure I’d misunderstood him.
“No,” he repeated.
I tilted my head up, set my jaw, and held out my hand. “Give me my drink, Ryan.” I was starting to get pissed. Annie was watching the scene play out between us with fascination. I turned my attention back to the pain in the ass in front of me. And he shook his head.
“Why not?” I exclaimed.
He looked at me like I should know the answer. When I continued to stare at him in clueless consternation, he heaved a heavy sigh. “Because, sugar, Aldridge would kill me,” he said patiently.
I blinked at him in surprise. That had been an unexpected answer. But his meaning hit me and I slammed my hands on my hips, scowling hard to try to hide a bit of the mortification I felt at the reminder of my boyfriend. The boyfriend who had ditched me. Again. Mortification bled into indignation. “Teagan is my boyfriend, not my father. Now give me my damn drink.”
He gave me a long, considering look before he exhaled a heavy breath. He pushed a hand through his hair and said, “You never answered me. Have you ever drunk alcohol of any kind before?”
I looked away and debated my options. I wanted to lie, I really did. But I had a feeling he’d either see right through me—he was almost bad as Teagan—or Annie would rat me out. No, honesty was the best course.
“No,” was my grudging answer. “I haven’t.”
“All right. Hold on. I’ll be right back,” he told me and then he disappeared.
I looked over at Annie, perplexed. She appeared to be just as confused. She shrugged and took another sip from her cup. After several minutes of standing around in awkward silence, the heavy bass vibrating the air around us, I saw Ryan returning. He dodged several girls on his way over and I smirked with amusement.
“Okay!” he said, breathless with laughter as he made it to my side. “Beer isn’t really a good way to start out. So, I dug up one of these.” He handed me an unopened bottle. The glass was clear-ish and held a yellowish liquid. I raised an eyebrow.
“What is this?” I demanded as I eyed it with suspicion.
Ryan leaned over and spoke closer to my ear. “It’s hard lemonade. Give it a try.”
I turned back to Annie and waved to her to pull her attention from the dancing couples surrounding us. I gestured between the bottle and me with an eyebrow raised in question. At her thumbs up, I nodded. But then I looked around at all the people surrounding us and felt apprehension creep over me. Annie was drinking, I’d be drinking…there’d be no one with a clear head.
My thoughts must have been obvious because Ryan suddenly squeezed my elbow reassuringly. “I’m not drinking tonight.” He waved between me and Annie as he said, “I’ll watch out for you two, all right?”
I looked up at him in shock. That had been completely unexpected. I studied him through narrowed eyes, wondering if he could be trusted. At my hesitance, he flashed an amused grin.
“Remember, sugar…I don’t just take. There’s no need to.”
“God, you’re an egotistical ass.”
He shrugged in response. “Just telling it like it is.”
I shook my head with a smile and looked back down at the bottle in my hand. With a deep breath I twisted open the top, feeling a rush of relief when the seal snapped, showing it’d never been opened. Taking a whiff of it, my nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar smell. Ryan laughed at expression.
“Just drink it, Aislinn,” he said with a grin.
Finally, I lifted the bottle to my lips. I was ready to experience college. Tonight would be the night that started.