Chapter Three
Nate
The music was too loud and the room was packed with too many people. I was starting to feel annoyed at all the guys that were staring at Janie. And at the fact that she was constantly by my side, batting her eyelashes up at me. I handed her a drink and she took it eagerly, sipping it down as if it were Kool-Aid. I could tell that she was already a little bit tipsy and that frustrated me. Why was she getting drunk at a frat party full of guys she didn’t know?
“What do you want to do?” she asked me, her eyes bright as she smiled at me uncertainly.
“I might get going soon,” I said as I looked around the room. I was starting to feel tired and I had get up early the next day to go for a bike ride with some friends. “You going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” She nodded, her eyes moving away from mine.
“Shall I help you look for Anabel before I leave then?”
“Don’t worry about it,” she snapped and I looked at her more carefully. What was her deal? She’d been acting weirdly all night. I didn’t know this girl, but I did wonder if she was suffering from sort of bipolar disorder. She was super fun and bubbly one moment and then distant the next. I could barely keep up with her. I felt bad that I’d kissed her. I sure hoped that she wasn’t reading anything into it. I knew that some girls got a bit carried away when guys were flirty, and I sure didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.
“Do you want me to take you girls home?” I asked, wondering if it was safe to leave them here. I knew the Sigma guys would be happy to hook up with either of the girls, and I would feel personally responsible if something went down, seeing as I’d invited them to the party.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She rolled her eyes at me. “Anabel has a boyfriend, dude.”
“I know that. And?“ I gave her a look. What was her problem?
“Nothing.“ She shrugged and sighed. “It‘s been a long day.“
“Apparently.“ I studied her face for a moment and wondered if I should ask her why she and Anabel had pretended to know how to play chess, but I decided against it. I didn‘t have sisters but I knew enough to know that girls could be weird if they got caught out in a lie.
“What‘s that supposed to mean?“ she asked, her cute face pinched as she stared at me. Her big brown eyes were wide and accusatory and her lips were a thin red line. I wondered what she would have done if I‘d leaned forward to kiss her. She‘d either slap me or reach her hands down my pants. One of two extremes, and I wasn‘t willing to find out which way she‘d go.
“Nothing.” I gave her a smile and before I could stop myself I reached over and touched her hair. “You have really pretty hair.”
“Uhm, okay. Thanks.” She offered me a confused smile as I stared at her now wavy black tresses. They’d been straight when she arrived and I wondered if she knew that she looked better when her hair was more unruly. It suited her personality. She definitely seemed like she would be a handful. Not the sort of girl I would want to date, for sure. She seemed like she was way too much drama, but she would be a fun friend. I was about to ask her if she wanted to play chess the next week, but I could see her attention had shifted and she was smiling at some guy to the right of us. If I wasn’t wrong, it was Tad, one of the guys from the football team. I could feel myself growing tense as I saw her playing with her hair and eyeing him. I looked over her body and I could feel myself slightly aroused. She was hot, no doubt about that. I was annoyed that she had shifted her attention away from me.
“So, Janie.” I grabbed her hand and her eyes flew up to mine in surprise.
“Yeah?” she said, her face confused and her voice flustered. I held onto her hand and pulled her closer toward me. She batted her eyelashes up at me and I smiled down at her. I could feel my tension easing. I had her full attention now.
“You interested in Tad?” I asked her, my voice sounding gruff.
“Who?”
“Tad.” I nodded toward the football player, who was now already flirting with another girl.
“I don’t even know him.” She shook her head, and I put my arms around her waist. She felt warm and soft against my body. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I liked the feeling of her next to me. She started dancing slowly and I could feel her body rubbing up against me. She was starting to turn me on, and I leaned down and kissed the top of her hair. It smelled like vanilla beans and I smiled. Of course she would smell delicious as well. Everything about her was scrumptious, from the way she smiled to the way she moved. She was sexy and funny, but I knew that she wasn’t the sort of girl I was interested in getting involved with.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Janie?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking her, but I was curious.
“No.” She smiled up at me. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.” I laughed. “I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“Oh, okay.” I could tell she wanted to say more. Most probably find out why I didn’t want to date, but she wasn’t asking.
“I’m applying to grad schools next year. Most probably out of state. No point trying to have a long distance relationship at that point, you know?”
“Sure.” She nodded. “So you just sleep around and have fun?”
“Would you judge me if I said yes?” I winked at her and laughed as she shook her head, her eyes showing her disapproval. She was definitely an old-fashioned type of girl.
“No, I don’t judge. I just don’t believe in sleeping around.”
“So you’re the sort of girl that wants a commitment before you get down and dirty?” I whispered against her lips so that I was almost kissing her.
“What are you doing?” Her face reddened and I pulled back slightly.
“Sorry, was just trying to figure out if you wanted a kiss.”
“I don’t understand you,” she said suddenly. “Are you playing games with me?”
“Games?” I blinked at her, surprised at her words. “What do you mean?”
“You try to kiss me, but you keep asking about Anabel? What’s up with that?”
“Uhm, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I dropped my hands from around her waist and took a step back. “I’ve just been friendly to both of you. That’s it.”
“Well, you’re confusing me.” She sighed. “I can’t read you.”
“There’s nothing to read.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Look, sorry. It’s been a long week. I’ve got to get out of here.”
“Uhm, okay.” Janie stood there staring at me like I was some sort of alien. I knew that I was being weird. I knew that she most probably didn’t understand where I was coming from or why I was acting the way that I was. I knew she didn’t understand because I didn’t really understand myself.
“You can come if you want.” I wasn’t sure why I said the words. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Come where?” she asked me and I started laughing. This girl really didn’t have a clue, did she?
“Nowhere.” I shook my head at her. “You’re an odd duck, aren’t you, Janie?”
“No.” She made a face. “But you may very well be.”
“I most probably am. Yes, yes, I most probably am.” I gave her a big smile and then threw my hands up in the air. “Well, that’s it for me tonight. Have a great night. Tell Anabel I said bye.”
And with that I headed to the front door and left. I walked to my car and sat there for a few seconds thinking. Part of me wanted to go back to the party. Wanted to continue dancing with Janie. Maybe even kiss her. Maybe even go home with her. She was cute, but a gut instinct in me told me she wasn’t the sort of girl to have a one-night stand with. She wasn’t the sort of girl who seemed like she would know what the deal was. I drove away from the party feeling strangely lonely and sad. I was going to have to stop hanging out with all those frat guys. I wasn’t sure why, but I no longer enjoyed their parties as I used to before.