He didn’t remember how many shots they’d had. He’d stopped counting after four. They were in Lorna’s room for a few hours, talking about life before Browerton. There were some heart-to-heart moments in there, but they were a blur within the greater blur.
Ethan felt the alcohol plummet to the bottom of his stomach as they approached the frat quad. Ivy crawled across majestic brick buildings which overlooked the river. Were it not for the trash littering the area and stumbling students, this could be the cover of a catalogue. It was almost ironic to have such a stately block of buildings dedicated to decadence and mess.
“And here we are.”
The letters of Kappa Kappa Sigma were lit up on the building, and a guy in a pink polo stood watch over the entrance. Music pulsed from inside. Students Ethan had never seen before scattered around the outside. The sight intimidated him. He was not cool enough for this party, this quad, this hemisphere of campus.
“What if he doesn’t talk to me?”
“He will.” She tugged on his arm for support. They joined the line to enter.
“Do you think so?”
“Yes! I think.”
“Those are two contract…contradictionary…contradictation…con—you think I’m screwed.”
Lorna shrugged her shoulders. Now they were in front of pink polo bouncer guy. His chest was as wide as Lorna and Ethan smooshed together.
“Gilly!” Lorna screamed and threw her arms around the guy. He picked her up in a bear hug. Ethan exhaled.Gilly?
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight. I thought you’d go to Michelle’s.” Gilly had a deep voice. Puberty had sure gotten a hold on him. “How’s she doing, by the way?”
“You should CALL her and find out.” Lorna nearly exploded with perkiness and tossed her hair in a touch of flirtation. She knew how to calibrate herself to fit each person.
“Looks like you started the party early,” Gilly said.
“Gilly, this is my friend Ethan. He has never been to a frat party before. Mind if he comes in with me?” She batted her eyelashes and leaned forward, putting her cleavage in clear view. (Once they had decided to hit up the frat party, Lorna had promptly changed outfits into something more eye-catching.) “Are you a freshman?” Gilly asked Ethan.
“No, sir.”Sir?Well, when a guy looked and sounded like a weight room, it paid to be respectful. Especially when you had no upper arm strength of value. “I’m a sophomore.”
“Sophomore? And this is your first frat party?”
“Help me pop his cherry, Gilly.”
“Well, have fun, dude.” Gilly motioned for them to enter. He patted Ethan on the back, and Ethan fell to the ground. Balance when drunk required practice, he was discovering.
The party happened all around them. The living room had been converted into a dance floor, but that was just a starting-off point. People danced and talked and even hooked up in all the nooks and crannies of the house. Kegs were scattered in each room. It was actually a smart setup that prevented clogs of people in the hall.
Ethan kept his eyes focused on Lorna’s hair. She sent a text as soon as they got inside. The rush of coeds did not phase her.
He was too scared to look around. What if he saw Greg? And what if Greg saw him? What would happen then? Ethan wasn’t ready for that scenario. Not before he restocked on liquid courage.
“Shall we make our way upstairs?” Lorna asked.
“Sure.” She took a step, and Ethan grabbed her arm. “Actually, can we stop at the keg first?”
“You don’t want that. Sahil has top-shelf liquor in his room.”
An alarm blared in Ethan’s head. “We can’t go to Sahil’s room. That’s Greg’s room! They’re roommates!”
“No, they’re not. Sahil has a single.”
“Really?”
Lorna sized up Ethan and laughed. “You are trashed.”
He was. The music vibrated in his ears and hijacked his brainwaves. He stopped thinking about the moment and just lived it.
