Tommy

---

Man, what the fuck!?

My fists are clenched at my side as I kick open the door to my room.

She slapped me! She fucking slapped me!

My cheek still stings where her hand touched my skin. Talk about the biggest boner killer in the world! First her stupid fucking roommate comes in, catching us like she’s Grace’s mother or something, then Grace freaks and hits me in the face. Unreal.

What the Hell does that girl have against me anyway? Did I piss her off last year or something? If I was a better man, I’d put money on it being one of two things. Either she tried to get with me last year, it didn’t happen, and I don’t remember, or she wants me for herself. And honestly, it could be either one.

Obviously Grace cares what she thinks, or she wouldn’t have slapped me. I’m trying not to be too pissed off about it. Obviously she wants me, or she wouldn’t have let me kiss her. Not only did she let me kiss her, but she kissed back, and she was getting into it too. I’d be closing the deal right now if it wasn’t for that bitch roommate of hers.

I don’t even know why I’m putting up with this. I’m Tommy Mason! If this was any other girl, I would have been gone the second she walked out of that bathroom. Or maybe I would have put in a little bit of effort to give her a chance to change her mind, but that would be it.

But there’s something about Grace that’s just got me and won’t let go.

Am I catching feelings for this girl?

That is so not a Tommy Mason move. I had a girlfriend in high school. Her name was Julia. We started dating sophomore year and it was great. We never had any fights, we had all the same friends and she loved coming to my games and cheering me on. No matter how many other people were cheering for me, how many other girls wanted me, seeing Julia in the stands was what would drive me to win.

Then senior year rolled around, and we picked our schools. Julia applied to UCONN, but she was accepted to Berkeley as well.

“Are you going to go?” I remember asking her. That was the last time I felt really vulnerable. She took so long to answer that she almost didn’t have to. I knew what she was going to say.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I’m sorry, Tommy.”

I was heartbroken. I got up and walked away and we haven’t spoken since. That was when the wall went up. It wasn’t intentional, but I just remember how bad it hurt knowing that the girl I loved was going away. She sent me an e-mail telling me how it wouldn’t be that bad and we could try it long distance, and I almost considered it, but then I got the news that her family was moving to California too.

I guess her mom had always wanted to live there, and now that Julia was going to school out there it just made since. They bought a house and I knew I’d never see Julia coming back to Connecticut. So I stuck to my guns. That was it. No more Tommy and Julia.

But not only that – no more Tommy and anyone. I came to UCONN and was the big man on campus, and I was only a freshman. I had girls lined up and basically just drowned myself in pussy to keep my mind off her. Over time, my feelings for her faded and my new lifestyle just become the norm. And not a bad one at that.

But now, I can feel a chink in my armor. Grace…

I lay down on my bed. Joey must still be out. I wonder if he’ll be back tonight. Hopefully he finds some girl and stays at her place. I just want to be alone for now.

And what’s up with Grace’s roommate? Is she going to go around campus running her mouth about me? I can see her being that kind of overly protective friend that starts telling everyone I was trying to force myself on Grace or something. I doubt anyone would believe it, but shit like that can ruin a guy’s reputation. Hell, shit like that can ruin a man’s life!

But what the fuck am I thinking about all this right now for? I can’t even believe this is pissing me off. I don’t know why I’m so upset. Maybe the fact that I got turned down for the first time since I got to school here has me more weirded out than I realize.

That, or the fact that I was this close to getting somewhere with Grace and her roommate ruined it. I feel like I just got served the juiciest steak in the world at the best restaurant, and then just as I took a bite, some dickhead came over and ripped it out of my mouth and threw it in the trash.

I can still smell her.

Joey has a can of spray deodorant on his desk and I grab it and douse the room, trying to get Grace’s scent off me. I just can’t handle that right now.

I lay back down on my bed, trying to make sense of this whole situation. I don’t know what to do at this point. If I go down there to see Grace, and her roommate’s there, how’s that gonna go down?

I can’t believe I still haven’t gotten her number. She’s right down the hall from me and I can’t even contact her. Maybe the professor has her e-mail or something, or I guess I could look her up on Facebook.

But to be honest – I’m kind of pissed off. I mean, she slapped me! Why the Hell should I be the one trying to get back in touch with her? If anyone is going to have to make the first step, it’s her. Not me.

Imagine if somehow word got out about that?

“Yeah, Grace fucking slapped Tommy!” I can just hear the voices laughing about it. “And he still tried to hook up with her! And it didn’t happen!”

I’ll be damned if I’ll let that go down. No, if Grace wants to talk to me, she’s going to have to make the first move. I don’t have to go to sociology if I don’t want to. Someone from last year will have a copy of the exam, or I’ll just get my tutor to help me out, and that’ll be that. And if Grace is worried about the fucking research paper, well, then maybe she can apologize to me.

Fuck it, I’m going back to the party!

I grab my keys, kick open the door and am down the stairs and outside before I can think twice. I walk quickly back down to sorority row, passing a group of drunken freshman who recognize me instantly.

“Yo, Tommy-fucking-Mason!”

“Ayyyye, Tommyyyyy!”

I wave casually and take a side route through one of the parking lots. I’m steaming, and the breeze is doing nothing to calm me down. I guess that’s what I get for being a nice guy. This is exactly why I never let my guard down around girls. You give them an inch, and they take a mile and keep going.

I can’t believe she fucking slapped me.

The part of me that wants to care and understand her situation starts to rise up, but I push it back down as I round the corner and the sorority houses come back in sight.

I should just find some slut and fuck her brains out. If Grace isn’t interested, then why the fuck should I be? I apologized to her. I said things I’d never say to any other girl, and still she’d rather impress her roommate than be honest about her feelings for me.

As I head back down the street, I push Grace out of my mind.

If this is how she wants it, then this is how it’s going to be. It’s too bad too. I would have been good to her. But she messed that up. This is on her, not me.

I take a deep breath and head down the road toward the party. As I pass a group standing by the big oak tree in front of a really corny dance party, I hear a girl’s voice call out behind me.

“Hey, big fella,” she says. I turn around to see a total fucking babe wearing short, ripped jean shorts and a white tank top – and no bra. “How’d you like to buy me a drink?”

“The drinks are free around here,” I say suspiciously.

“I know,” she says with a seductive smile as she walks toward me, her hips swaying in just the right way. “Just a figure of speech. What I’m trying to say is…how about you and I get out of here?”

She bites her lip and looks up at me with total fuck-me eyes. This girl is a knockout. But I’m still feeling some reservations. On any other night I’d take her home with me – but for some reason I’m having my doubts.

“Come on,” she says, sliding her arm around mine and pressing her tits against my bicep. “I’m fun. Don’t I look fun?”

“Yes,” I admit. “You do.”

She smiles and slides her hand against my thigh. “So what do you say?”