I woke up to the sound of the door opening and closing. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and glanced at the clock beside me. 8:32 PM. How long had I napped for? I looked up to find Daisy kicking her flip flops off and holding a to-go bag.
“Dais,” I spoke groggily, sitting up and stretching my arms out in front of me.
“Hey, good morning.” She said with a small smile, handing me the bag she had in her hand. “I figured you’d want dinner. It’s a turkey sandwich: pepper jack cheese, tomato, vinegar but no oil. I know the drill.” I thanked her and unwrapped my sandwich.
“You know, you could’ve woken me up, I would’ve went with you.” I told her, taking a bite.
“I thought I’d let you sleep, I know this week sucked when it came to rest. Besides, I wasn’t lonely, I met Chris.” She shared. “He told me that Kappa Sigma is having a huge end-of-Spring-Break party tonight and he said that you and I just have to go!” She put emphasis on the word “huge”.
“Don’t you think we’ve dealt with enough hangovers this week?” I asked. “Like Aaron said, you can only get drunk so many times before it gets old. And you know I’m not going to ‘make it more interesting’!”
“Relax, Ray, you know Chris keeps his fraternity clean. Come on, our Junior year is almost over and you’ve only gone to three frat parties so far! Please, it would mean so much to me.” She pleaded. I eventually gave in and Daisy jumped for joy.
When I finally got home safe, I was being dragged to another party. Well, at least I’d get to enjoy the view of Chris and his friends while I was there.
I climbed out of bed and took a quick shower. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Daisy was curling her hair and was dressed in combat boots, a black crop top, and high waisted shorts with little daisies stitched into them. How fitting.
“Are you dressing as yourself?” I joked, getting a sarcastic laugh out of Daisy. I tied my hair back into a ponytail and dressed myself in a white crop top, a grey cardigan, light distressed jeans, and grey Toms. I applied a little bit of mascara and put in a pair of diamond earrings.
“It’s almost nine o’clock,” Daisy called to me from across the room. “They’re allowing people in at nine and Chris predicts that all the drinks will be gone by nine-thirty, so we should get going. It’s a long walk.” I nodded and stuffed my phone, my key, and some money into my pocket. I followed Daisy outside.
The air was warm and inviting. It reminded me of that in Mexico. The sky danced with pink and orange, lighting up the night. I had to double check to make sure we were back at school. Each eventful night in Cancun was accompanied by an atmosphere just like the one that hung around Pittsburgh as we weaved our way through buildings to find the Greek strip.
Daisy filled the walk with incessant chatting about Chris: how she missed him oh-so-much, although I knew she hadn’t been thinking about him when she was with Aaron, and how he had kissed her and she thought that it was time for them to start a steady relationship. The conversation was the same each time she reunited with him.
Just as Daisy was finishing her story, we approached the Kappa Sigma house. Through the open front door and uncovered windows, it was obvious that the party was packed wall-to-wall with people. Stepping into the house, the music thumped in my chest and the smell of sweat and alcohol filled my nose.
I quickly remembered why I was against attending frat parties.
Chris appeared in the crowd of people filling the foyer. His chiseled, unshaven face was slightly flushed from the heat in the small room. A smirk pulled at his lips when his eyes set on Daisy.
Chris was one boy that I would never give her crap for being with. He was someone out of a movie, with a perfect build and a face that put the word “sexy” to shame. I wasn’t into blondes, but even I couldn’t deny that he was practically a Greek god. And on top of it all, he was a genuinely kind and caring person.
“My girl’s here, now the party could really start.” He said, earning a smile out of Daisy, his voice low and husky. His lips met hers, muscular hands wrapping around her back. I became quickly embarrassed that I was admiring the boy that my best friend was kissing and began to preoccupy myself by inspecting the furniture in the room.
“So, Chris, you remember Ray.” Daisy spoke when her mouth was free.
“Of course I remember Ray! I’m glad you could come.” Chris turned his attention to me, placing a quick kiss on my cheek and showing me his best smile. He never turned off his charm. “You’re going to have fun tonight, Ray. I promise you. I’ll find someone to keep you company and keep your spirits up.”
“Oh, no,” I argued, putting my hands up in defense. “No set-ups, please.”
Chris winked at me and laughed. “Let’s just start with a few drinks.”
We followed Chris through the foyer and fought our way through the crowd in the living room before we finally reached the kitchen. Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as packed with people as the rest of the house was. I found that odd, considering it was the room with all of the alcohol. Chris slid two red cups toward Daisy and I before filling about ten shot glasses with vodka.
“Anyone who wants a shot, get the fuck over here! We’re toasting!” Chris shouted over the loud music. To my surprise, a group of people actually came over, picked up a shot, and held it in the air. The others in the room lifted their red cups. “To Ray, for coming out tonight. We drink to the hope that she gets laid.”
My face heated up when the entire room of people shouted my name and downed their drinks. That damn Chris. I knocked my own shot back quickly and placed the small glass in front of him when it was empty.
“Another,” I demanded, earning confused gazes from Chris and Daisy. “You assholes are going to embarrass me, I’m going to need to forget it. Fill it up.” He did as he was told and filled my glass once more. My throat was slightly more numb to the sting of vodka the second time around and I hardly tasted the beer in my red cup when I took a sip from it.
Drunk after two shots? You’re pathetic, Reina.
Soon enough, Daisy scampered off to Chris’ bedroom and I was left alone, leaning against the kitchen counter and frequently refilling my cup. Chris’ prediction was wrong: it was well past nine-thirty and an endless amount of alcohol was still left. My mind and vision had slowed down by the time that someone came up beside me.
“Are you enjoying the party?” She asked. She had a British accent. It took me a while to figure out her features: long and messy dark hair, blue eyes smeared with black make up, torn fishnet stockings covering - or hardly covering - her legs. She was pretty.
“More than I have in the past.” I told her honestly, finishing my drink and setting it on the counter. “May I ask who you are?”
“I’m Avery Black. May I ask who you are?” She retaliated, then began laughing. “That was a trick question. You’re Ray, I took a shot for you. Chris sure knows how to make someone feel bloody uncomfortable.”
I laughed as well. “He sure as hell does. Well, my full name is Reina Higgins. I figured I should tell you since you told me yours.”
“You’re drunk, Reina Higgins.” She giggled through her words.
“You’re British, Avery Black.” I slurred. My mind couldn’t keep up. Avery laughed at me again and adjusted the oversized denim blouse that she was wearing. She then grabbed a large bottle off of the countertop and poured the caramel-colored liquid into my empty cup.
“I think a little rum might do you good. That beer is making you sloppy.” She blatantly shared, moving the plastic to my lips and tilting it back. I felt like a child. The rum burned my tongue and the taste was nauseating. I wanted to spit it out but, instead, I swallowed it down with a grimace. “We should be mates! My friend left me to hook up with a boy, too. It’s bollocks being alone at a party.”
“Okay, why not?” I agreed with a shrug. “Are you safe to be around?”
Avery laughed. “If you want me to be. Now, come on, let’s go find some boys of our own.” She took me by the wrist and lead me out of the lonely kitchen.
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A/N:
Hi! Really quickly... I feel like I haven't told you guys who the characters being introduced are thus far. Christian's/Chris' face is Max Thieriot (Bates Motel) and Avery's is Kaya Scodelario (Skins). The full character list/cast is in the sidebar or below on mobile :)
xoxo ~Alexis