She shook her hips as she walked back over to Melanie with a cup in hand. A few of the boys there tried to stop her in her tracks, but as Abigail danced to the music, she waved them off with flirtatious winks. That was the thing about Abigail. No matter how many years past, she was still a young woman at heart. It also helped that she looked young as well too. The years that passed by since their college years hadn’t aged her. She still had the same honey brown skin, and wild brown curly hair that couldn’t be tamed. They were definitely older than everyone there, but they weren't that old. And with the way Abigail was moving, she easily blended in with the crowd.
On the other hand, Melanie was completely different. To say the least, she was stiff as she mimicked a coat stand while standing propped against the wall. There had been a few times that people accidentally bumped into her because they didn't notice her. Melanie couldn't blame them, no matter how many annoying elbows she took that she would surely feel when she went to sleep tonight. Right now, she was trying to stay out of the sight of any of the students she knew. She did not want to hear any giggles while she tried to lecture on Monday because they were laughing at the fact that their professor was hanging out at a college party.
To hell with this. She would leave now while she still had her dignity. Just as she stepped forward, an arm curled around her waist, pulling her back.
"And where do you think you're going, Mel?"
Noah's voice was slurred just enough for her to know he was either slightly tipsy, high, or just drunk on the happiness of the night. And when she turned around, dislodging his arm from her waist, she could immediately tell it was happiness. He was in the spot she had been before, slouched against the wall with his legs spread apart, leaving a place for her to stand. He looked at her beneath his lashes with a lazy grin on his face. A cup was in his hand, and when Melanie peered inside, she frowned.
"What is that?" she asked, frowning. Noah brought it closer to her, and immediately, the strong scent of alcohol made her recoil. The color of it looked murky, and unlike any alcohol she had seen before.
"I came over to bring you some, but, instead, you're trying to run off on me," he said, making a mock face of hurt. "I thought you were supposed to help me celebrate my win."
"You have over a hundred students here who are helping you celebrate," Melanie said. "You don't need me here."
"I only want to celebrate with you."
And there it was again; that feeling in her chest that shouldn't be there. It was a feeling Melanie had felt at certain points in her life, so she was able to discern it with ease; when she made out with Will, her high school boyfriend at the time, in his car the night after prom. When her unrequited crush, Davis, had to do a project with her for a class and she felt her heart race like crazy even though she knew he had no idea what her name was, and, still, till this day, probably never knew who she was despite them taking several classes together. And here she was, a twenty-seven-year-old woman with a doctorate, at a college party, having her heart race because a fucking twenty-year-old, or possibly nineteen-year-old, but she prayed he wasn’t, boy told her that he only wants to celebrate his win with her. She really needed to get herself together and find herself a man because if she had one, she probably wouldn't feel like this. Maybe that guy Damon could be the solution because clearly, she was losing her mind because her heart didn't know who to race for anymore. Soon, she'll see a puppy, and she'll get that same feeling.
"We've celebrated," Melanie said, ignoring the feeling in her heart. "And, again, congratulations. You were really great on the ice."
"You've got to say that again," he said, raising his voice. "I can't hear you over the music."
This time she tried to say it louder, but Noah shook his head, showing that he couldn't hear her. Melanie sighed and leaned in closer, bringing her lips to his ear. "You were really great on the ice, Noah."
She didn't have to look at him. She could practically feel his shit-eating grin against the side of her cheek, and suddenly she realized just how close they were and that now, she stood between his legs.
Melanie jumped back, gulping deeply. She was losing her fucking mind. She needed to leave.
"I think I'm going to go—"
"Oh, you're not going anywhere!" Abigail yelled, finally making her way over to them. She had two cups in her hand, passing one to Melanie and keeping one for herself. When Melanie looked inside the cup, she saw the same foul looking liquid in Noah's cup that reminded her of a potion inside a cauldron. What the hell were these kids drinking now and days?
"It's getting late," Melanie said, wanting to leave now.
"You're talking like an old person, Mel," Abigail said, rolling her eyes. "We're not even in our thirties yet. Live a li—"
"Girl, if you finish that line," Melanie warned her with a hard glare. Living a little didn't mean making a fool of herself.
"Come on, Mel," Noah said, taking a sip of his drink. "I dare you to drink it."
"I don't do dares with college students," Melanie said.
"Then do them with your favorite student," Noah said as he pushed himself off the wall, cornering her space. "Right, Abi?"
"Right, Noah," Abigail said, giggling.
"You know this is a form of peer pressure, right?" Melanie looked at the offensive liquid inside of the cup. What did it matter? The place was dark enough that none of her students would be able to spot her unless they looked hard enough. And what else was she going to do? Go back home and watch Netflix?
Melanie sighed, letting go of her apprehension, and taking three big gulps. She would definitely be drunk by the end of the night. Abigail looked at her like a proud mama as she lumped herself against her, hugging her tightly, while Noah flashed her a lazy grin, his blue eyes shining with delight that made her happy that she was, at least, making him happy. After all, he deserved it for playing so well tonight.
***
Whatever liquid was in that cup was enough to leave Melanie's mind in a fog, her speech slurred, and her body feeling good. There was a boy talking to Abigail about something very animatedly with many hand gestures, and though Melanie didn't know what the hell he was talking about, and she suspected Abigail didn't either, she couldn't stop laughing along with Abigail as they giggled like young children. With the way she felt right now, she would have thought she ate a whole pan of marijuana brownies, and not just one cup of liquor. She had never been good with alcohol.
"Noah! Noah! Noah! Noah!"
In the middle of the room, everyone cheered for Noah, who drunkenly stood on a counter, chugging down beer from the side of the can. Once he finished it, he crushed it under his boot before kicking it clear across the room. Everyone burst out in cheers and claps caught on the high of the night, and Melanie was taken away by it, no longer worrying about why she shouldn't be here, and instead, living in the moment, as Abigail would say.
