Three

I didn't go back inside until my hand hurt so much that I desperately needed ice. The living room was quiet when I snuck in. Most of the boxes were gone, and Darah was unpacking her pots and pans in the kitchen.

“Hey, are you okay? We were kinda worried about you. Hunter, Renee and Mase went to get pizza.”

“I'm fine. Just need some ice,” I said, holding up my hand, which was purpling all over my knuckles.

“Oh my God,” she said, running to the freezer. Luckily, someone had left an ice pack in the freezer that maintenance had forgotten to clean out. She wrapped it in a dish towel she took out of one of the boxes and handed it to me.

“How's his face?” I kind of wished I’d messed it up, just a little.

“You got him pretty good. He's already getting a bruise.” Score.

“Did his nuts recover?”

“I think he'll be able to have children someday,” she said, studying me as if I was going to freak and do it again. She leaned on the counter, her organizing abandoned for now. “What happened? All he'd tell us is that he said something that pissed you off and that he deserved it.”

“He said that?” I winced as the cold ice met my burning hand. I was surprised. I thought he'd blame everything on me and call me a psycho bitch. In the back of my mind I had a tiny ray of hope that my display of violence would freak him out so much his stuff would be gone when I got back. No such luck.

“Yeah, he did.”

“Huh.”

Voices drifted down the hall. Familiar voices. I turned around, and they stopped when they saw me. Hunter had two pizza boxes, and Renee carried two bags with chips and soda. Mase had what probably was some beer, cleverly concealed in two layers of shopping bags.

“Hey,” I said to all of them.

They entered cautiously, in a way that was almost funny. I was both the shortest and youngest person in the room, but they were wary of me.

“How's your hand?” Renee said, setting the bags down on the dining table.

“Fine,” I said. She started examining it anyway, and I looked at Hunter. “How's your face? And your balls?” I cracked a smile, hoping it wasn't too crazy looking.

Hunter grinned back at me.

“Both will recover, I think. You've got a hell of a hook, Missy,” he said, touching his jaw. There was an impressive-looking bluish mark starting. Nice.

“I misjudged you, I think. Respect,” Mase said, coming over and holding his hand up for a fist bump. I gave him one with my left hand, and he gave me a wink. Guess the cocky behavior was genetic.

“I got this one with all the veggies. Wasn't sure what you liked,” Hunter said, holding out one of the pizza boxes toward me. Everyone held their breath as I took the box from Hunter. Hell, it was more delicious than an olive branch.

“Olives,” I said. “I hate olives. Everything else is fair game.”

“Shall we?” Renee said, now that the tension was broken.

“Sure,” I said, cracking open the box.

The heavenly scent of Pat's pizza filled my nose. It had been the same recipe for however many years it had been open, serving hungry, hung over or stoned college students for decades. Somehow they had found the perfect ratio of cheese to sauce to thin crust to toppings. A perfect ratio, which was why they'd survived for so long in a town that had at least twelve pizza places per college student.

“Have you unpacked the plates yet?” Renee said to Darah.

Rummaging for plates, napkins and cups ensued and somehow we all ended up on the living room floor with paper plates, paper towels and Solo cups with soda or beer. I wasn't a big beer fan, so I stuck with soda. Darah, Renee and Mase were all 21 and joked about me and Hunter being underage. Hunter was only a few months older than me at 20, while I was the baby at 19.

Turned out Hunter was also a business major; what a surprise. The only other major I would have picked for him would have been broadcasting so he could be a sports reporter and watch as many games while getting paid to do it. Mase was the biggest surprise. His major was international relations. Apparently he wanted to go work overseas as a diplomat or something. His real name was Johnathan Mason III, which explained the nickname.

“What's your major?” Mase asked, winding some cheese around his finger.

“How about we guess?” Hunter said.

Didn't I just punch him in the face? Was he asking for it again? I gave him a look, but he just picked up another piece of pepperoni and chewed thoughtfully.

“Education? No, that can't be it. Not advertising. Boxing? Nursing? How about Electrical Engineering?”

 I just rolled my eyes.

“Tell me what it is then.” The cocky smile returned, as if it had never left his face.

“Women's studies,” I said, picking off another offensive olive and setting it on my plate.

“Huh,” Hunter said.

“No smart comments? Not gonna ask me if I'm a lesbian?”

Mase snorted. Renee rolled her eyes. I should really tone it down.

“Are you?” Hunter raised one eyebrow. There were always jokes about the women's studies department being a bunch of men-hating lesbians. I'd chosen the major for a different reason, but he was never going to know about that.

“What if I was?” I said it slow.

Mase snorted his beer through his nose and choked. Darah banged him on the back. Yes, I still wanted Hunter gone, but I wanted to torture him a little as payback first.

“That would be one of the sexiest things you've said to me. Even if it isn't true.” He leaned forward, a predatory look on his face. The room started to get hot, and I took a sip of my soda so I could stop looking at him.

“What is it with men and lesbians? I've never understood the attraction.”

“Are you kidding? Two women together is super hot, unless they're butch. Then not so much,” Mase said.

“But lesbians generally don't want men, so why would you be attracted to them?” Darah said.

“Doesn't matter to me, I'd be happy to watch,” Mase said, bumping shoulders with Darah. She rolled her eyes.

“It's because the female body is beautiful. It's a work of art. All curves and softness. You double it and you just have double the beauty.” Hunter looked right at me as he said it.

“Double your pleasure, double your fun,” Mase said and we all laughed.

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the night? Hooking up the XBox?” Mase said to Hunter.

“You have an XBox?” Renee said. She was a closet gamer and had been searching for a used one on the campus message board forever.

“Yeah, I have a Kinect, too.”

“Please tell me you have Skyrim. Please, please,” Renee said, clasping her hands. I blamed Paul for her gaming addiction.

Hunter proceeded to produce the device, and they spent the next hour hooking it up and playing Skyrim.

Mase said he had stuff to do, so he left, saying he'd be back again. Lovely.

I went to unpack the rest of my room and text Tawny.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting everything into drawers and making my bed and figuring out where to fit everything, including the massive amount of books I'd brought. I wished I could have moved off campus, but I had a scholarship that was specifically for on-campus housing, so I was stuck. With Hunter, apparently. He stayed out with Renee and Darah, which was great. I kept shoving his stuff out of my way, irritated, but at the same time curious as to what else was in the footlocker. Maybe it was a body.

Darah knocked on the door and asked if I wanted to go to the grocery store with her to get some provisions. I was itching to get out of the tiny space, so I grabbed my keys and got some cash from everyone and made a list.

“You need any help?” Hunter said.

“Do I look like I do?”

“Not really, but I figured I'd be an ass if I didn't ask.”

“You're an ass anyway.”

He nodded and went back the game. He was probably ready for another punch soon.

 *****

I came back loaded down and found the apartment in chaos.

“Hey, we're going out to Blue Lagoon, you want to come?” Darah was sliding long silver earrings into her ears and had changed into skinny jeans and a glittery silver top.

“I can't. Not 21,” I said, pointing to myself.

Blue Lagoon was the current name of the club right off campus. It kept getting shut down due to underage kids getting in, or too many bloody fights. Sometimes both. It had a new owner, but I didn't hold out that this one would last any longer than the previous.

“Crap, I forgot. Sorry.”

A blow-dryer sounded in the bathroom. Oh, this must be serious if Renee was straightening her hair.

“Where's Hunter?” I hated saying his name out loud.

“Hunter? Don't know. His cousin came back, and they went off somewhere. He said he'd be back before we left.” She winced as she shoved one of her earrings in.

“He's not 21 either.”

“You know he probably has a fake ID.” Yeah, he probably did. “Maybe we can sneak you in.”

“No, it's fine. I'll just hang out here. Maybe I'll call Megan and see if she wants to come over.”

Megan was a friend from my women's studies classes I'd gotten close with last year and the only other person I’d actually call a friend. She lived with her boyfriend in an off-campus apartment, but his friends were always crashing there so she was always desperate for girl time.

Just then the door opened and Hunter and Mase came in, with two other guys trailing behind.

“Hey,” he said, nodding to me. “This is Dev and Sean. Guys, this is Taylor, and that's Darah.”

“Hi,” I said, waving.

Darah said hello.

Dev had lovely dark skin the color of earthenware, and dark hair and eyes. He was also crazy tall and thin as a rail. Sean was blocky and built like a wrestler, with short blond hair and brown eyes. They both gave me and Darah the once over. I'd never been checked out so much in my life.

“So, you coming out with us, Missy?” He was staring at my boobs again.

I crossed my arms. “Some of us aren't into breaking the law.”

“You are now,” he said, holding something out to me. It was a fake ID, complete with a picture of a girl who could almost be me, and a birth date that wasn't mine, but was at least 21.

“Where the hell did you get this?”

He shared a look with the guys. “I have my sources. Go, get ready. You're not wearing that.”

“What's wrong with this?” I would never go out clubbing in my current attire, but I wanted to push his buttons.

“I'd want to screw you no matter what you're wearing, but you might want to spruce up a little so everyone will want you,” he said.

“Fuck you,” I said, chucking the ID in his face and going to my room. I heard the guys ribbing Hunter as I shut the door.

I rifled through my dresser, coming up with a pair of black leggings, a red tunic and a pair of black boots. I yanked my hair out of the bun and brushed it furiously before drawing on a quick stroke of eyeliner around my bluish-greenish eyes and slicking on some lip gloss. I walked into a cloud of my favorite grapefruit body spray and I was ready.

“Better?” I said, leaning against the wall.

“Fuckable. Let's go.”

Darah and Renee were already chatting with the other guys like they'd known each other forever.

I wasn't going to admit that I was scared of getting caught. I was nervous, sure, but it was more than that. Being in the club would mean I was pressed up against a ton of sweaty strangers. That was the part I didn't like. But there was no way I was going to let Hunter call me a pussy. So I shoved the fake ID in my pants pocket, grabbed some cash and followed everyone outside.

The night was balmy, the summer not having loosened its grip on Maine yet. We all walked in a large blob, no one really in front. Luckily, the club was within stumbling distance of campus.

“You won't have to buy any drinks tonight,” Hunter said, turning around and walking backward while simultaneously leering at me.

“And why is that?”

He shook his head. “Do you seriously not see it? Mase, man. Would you screw Taylor?”

“Hell, yeah,” Mase said, giving me a thumbs up. “I mean, if you wanted to.”

“Dev?”

“Yeah, sure.” Sean also agreed that he'd do me.

“Is that all you think about? Sex?”

“What else is there to think about? Everyone thinks about it. We're programmed to think about it. Even you, Missy.” He stopped walking, and I nearly bumped into him. He grabbed my arms to steady me.

“Let me go.”

“It's on you, Missy. I'll be gone in five seconds. Just prove to me that you love me or hate me.”

“Love and hate are completely different.”

“Not really. They're the two sides of the same coin. One flip and you can be on the other side before you know it. I'll take either one from you.”

“I hate you right now. What do I have to do to prove that to you?”

He touched the bruise on his face that I couldn't see in the dark. “I'm sure you'll figure something out.” He turned around and jumped on Mase's back, nearly taking him down.

The boys were acting like they were already drunk, pushing and laughing and being too loud. I stuck close to Darah and Renee, because they had previous club experience. I didn't.

The closer we go to the club, the more nervous I got. I could practically feel the music pounding through the pavement out front. The building was small and had no windows. Several people smoked around the edges, and a few girls wearing clothes that hardly qualified as clothes stumbled outside, laughing and clutching on to each other.

I rubbed my arms, even though I wasn't cold. We made a line, and Hunter put himself in front of me. The bouncer looked like he was probably on the football team and greeted Mase like they were long lost friends, doing that weird one-armed hug, back pat thing dudes do when they don't want to hug. He waved the other guys in and gave the girls IDs a cursory check.

“Jay, man, how are you? Long time no see. This is my new friend, Taylor.”

“Another friend, Z? You have more friends than I have socks. Nice to meet you. Be careful,” he said, laughing and waving us in before I could say, “Nice to meet you, too.”

The club was dark, loud and hot, just like I thought it would be. The ceiling was low; there were too many tables and too many people. Lights flashed, nearly blinding me.

“Let me get you a drink,” Hunter said in my ear.

He had to yell because the music was so loud. I couldn't see a DJ anywhere. My eyes searched and finally found Darah, Renee and the guys at a corner table. They all had drinks.

“Come on. Let me buy you a drink.”

“Whatever,” I said and went to stand next to Darah.

“You made it through,” she said, cupping her hand over her mouth so I could hear her.

“Yeah, he didn't even look at it,” I said, shrugging. No wonder this place was always getting busted.

“Lucky you,” she yelled back, sipping on her drink.

Hunter came back moments later, shouldering his way through the crowd. He had this amazing way of walking, like he had all the time in the world.

“You look like a rum and Coke kind of girl,” he said, handing me a glass. There was a lime wedge on top that I squeezed into the glass and then stirred it around before I took a sip. Hunter had a Coors Lite. Typical.

I sipped my drink warily. I definitely didn't trust him.

“I didn't drug it, I swear. I wouldn't need drugs to get you into bed,” he yelled in my ear. His hand brushed down my bare arm, and it took everything in me not to throw the drink in his face.

“Go ahead, throw it at me. You know you want to,” he said.

Bodies swarmed on the dance floor, gyrating and bumping together. Some had better moves than others. Some were practically having sex.

Instead, I took a sip. The Coke fizzed on my tongue and the rum chased it, the taste dark, heady and warm. It was freaking delicious. How did Hunter know I would like it?

“Is it good? I had him use the spiced rum. I figured you'd like a little spice.” Oh, bite me.

Darah and Renee sucked down their drinks and chatted with the guys, who were eyeing the dance floor. Mase caught Hunter's eye.

“Dude, these guys are amateurs. Want to show them how it's done?”

“I'm in. Dev?”

“It's on like Donkey Kong,” Dev said, and they all headed toward the crowded floor.

“What are they up to?” Renee said.

“I have no idea,” I said.

“You’ll see,” Sean said, leaning back in his chair.

Mase went toward the back, where I finally noticed the DJ. They had a word and the song flipped to Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. Dear Christ, what were we in for?

Hunter and Dev somehow cleared a space and as soon as the song got going, they started dancing. Not just dancing, they were breaking. Mase joined in and they rocked it.

The space around them got bigger and people started clapping. Mase and Hunter had this routine worked out that was perfectly synchronized, complete with the worm, and all these spins and moves that I'd only seen in music videos. Dev was doing the moonwalk in front of them and doing these smooth spins on his heels and toes.

For a white guy, Hunter could move. Like, really move. If I didn't loathe him with every fiber of my being, I'd say it was damn sexy. There was nothing like a guy who could dance, in my opinion.

He did a turn and stopped, looking right at me. I couldn't tell in the swirling lights, but I swore he winked at me. Douchebag.

The club was going nuts. Everyone was clapping and egging them on. Then Hunter grabbed Mase's foot and flipped him backward. The club exploded with cheering and hollering. They finished out the song and everyone applauded. They all high-fived and made their way back to our table, getting clapped on the back the whole way.

“That. Was. Amazing!” Renee said as the guys grabbed their drinks and gulped. They were all a little winded and had a little sheen of sweat on their skin.

“What did you think?” Hunter asked me.

“Meh,” I said, shrugging one shoulder. “I've seen better.” I sipped my drink, savoring the rich taste.

He just grinned at me and lifted his beer to his lips. “Sure you have, baby.”

Now he was calling me baby? I ignored it and finished my drink.

“You want to dance?” Renee asked me. The alcohol had started making its way through my system, making my cheeks heat and my head floaty.

“Sure, why not?” I said, even though I was apprehensive about throwing myself into the chaos of stranger's bodies.

Renee grabbed my hand in one of hers and Darah's in the other, and we headed to the crowded space. I had to tell myself a few times that I was okay, no one was out to get me and I was going to have a good time. The alcohol also helped. I wouldn’t normally have waded into a mosh pit full of strangers, but when in Rome.

I didn't have many talents, but dancing was one of them. I let the music take me over and didn't care who was watching me.

There was one set of eyes I knew were on me. Hunter's. At one point, I turned, swiveling my hips and dipping down to the floor and slowly coming back up. It might have been my imagination that he swallowed and his eyes widened a little. I'd classify the brief look that crossed his face as stunned. Take that, asshole. I smiled and grabbed Darah's arm, twirling her around and then giving her a hip bump. We danced for three more songs before we got too sweaty and had to get some air. I was relieved to get out of the crush of bodies. I’d had a few moments where the panic threatened to attack me, but I’d managed to slam the door in its face and keep dancing.

The guys followed us outside, probably to protect us from drunken gropers. I'd read last year there were at least several episodes of unwanted sexual touching reported in the campus newspaper. Hunter put his hand on my back, but I let him because it was his hand or a strange guy, and I'd take the hand I knew over the hand I didn't. Not that I knew Hunter. Christ, I'd only met him this morning.

Outside we stood in a cloud of smoke, but the air felt nice on my heated skin.

“I've seen better,” Hunter said in my ear. His warm breath tickled my neck, and I moved my hair to hide my shiver.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Mom. She always texted me at the oddest hours.

How are you, kid? Haven't talked today :(

Good. All moved in. Drama city. Out with friends. TTYL?

Sounds good. Luv u, Kid.

Mwah.

“Was that your boyfriend? He worried about you being out late with strange men?” Hunter said, trying to read the messages over my shoulder

“Nope.” I wasn't going to satisfy his curiosity. I checked my phone. It was nearly midnight, and I was toasted from getting up early and driving from my mom's house in Waterville all the way to Orono and unpacking my stuff. And dealing with jerks.

“You guys ready to go? I have to be up early for macro tomorrow,” Darah said, miming shooting herself in the head. She was an accounting major, but hated economics with the burning passion of a thousand suns.

“You with Wesley in DPC 100?” Mase said.

“Yeah.”

“Me too. Guess I'll see you there,” he said, stretching his arms over his head. It might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw her smile at the prospect of seeing him again so soon.

We all walked back to Mase's car and said goodnight to Sean and Dev. Mase said an extra goodnight to Darah. Oh, dear, there was definitely something there.

When we got back into the apartment I realized two things. One, I really needed a shower, and two, Hunter and I were going to be sleeping in the same room.

Darah and Renee said goodnight and shuffled off to their room.

“Well, here we are,” Hunter said.

“I'm going to take a shower,” I said and prepared for the comment I knew was coming.

“You know what they say, conserve water and shower with a friend.”

I walked past him to gather my pjs, not answering. I made sure to lock the door and made sure it was locked before I stripped and got in the shower. I wouldn't put it past him to try and get me naked. Guys like that were all the same. They took what they wanted and left you with nothing.