Jenna in the hallway.
“Sorry, my curling iron took forever to warm up,” she said, walking briskly toward me and zipping her purse.
“I’m feeling bad about Ethan.”
She gave me a knowing eye roll. “Why, what’d he say?”
“Nothing, he called me this morning, but he doesn’t know where I am.”
“So no worries then, my pretty,” she said and repeatedly tapped the elevator button.
“How does he always seem to know when I’m out doing something I shouldn’t be doing?” I asked.
“What shouldn’t you be doing, Syd?” she padded her lower lip, then tucked her lip-gloss into her front pocket. “He’s miles away, and what does he expect?”
“He doesn’t expect anything…except that maybe I’m not road-tripping with frat boys all over Indiana.”
Jenna waved me off, like it was no big deal. Which I guess it wasn’t to me either, since I never bothered to mention it to Ethan or ask his opinion…or permission. But she was right; why should I feel guilty about being out with someone and enjoying myself? How dare he make me feel like I was going behind his back and misbehaving? I was not going to let Ethan ruin my evening.
We met up with our dates at the bar, where a huge crowd of people who were attending the dance had congregated. Jenna took off looking for Rocco, and I sat down on a stool Kevin had saved for me.
When it came right down to it, Kevin and I were mostly drinking buddies, but we actually had a pretty good time together even when we were sober. I discovered how handy he was one day at my apartment while we were studying for a Spanish exam, and two of my book shelves abruptly fell off the wall behind my couch. He grabbed a toolbox from his trunk, and had them back up in less than ten minutes. And the time my refrigerator was making a buzzing sound for two days, he pulled the whole thing away from its nook, smacked it around a little and silence was restored. He grew up in Los Angeles and came from money, but never flaunted it. He drove a Honda Accord and shared an apartment with Rocco, even though his parents had offered to rent him one of the brand new condos near the Student Union. His family never came to visit, but they were always sending him airline tickets to meet them in various parts of the world.
“Hey, short stuff,” he said as I sat down. “What’s your poison?”
“I’ll have what you’re having.”
“Two more Bud Lights, and two shots of Jager,” he shouted to the bartender.
“Jager, already!” I gasped. “I don’t even have my dress on yet.”
Kevin took a swig of his beer. “You can hold your own, Syd, I have faith in you.”
Soon after that, things began to get interesting, and mildly confusing.
There were more drinks and more shots.
There was Jenna and I holding hands and dashing upstairs to throw our dresses on.
There was dancing, and a questionable amount of Disco music.
There was Jenna screaming obscenities at Scott Makin, a guy who broke her heart junior year.
Then there was Scott Makin screaming obscenities at Jenna.
Then Rocco yelling at Jenna.
Then Kevin and I on the floor of the ladies room consoling Jenna with more shots.
Then Kevin pressing me up against the ladies room wall and kissing my neck while Jenna went to pee.
Then there was me enjoying Kevin kissing my neck.
More dancing, little food, Kevin and I making out in all corners of the ballroom, and still more shots.
I woke up at three o’clock in the morning lying naked next to Kevin in one of our two hotel beds. My head was on fire. It was burning with such intense heat that I winced with pain when I tried to open my eyes. After a few minutes, queasiness coursed through my abdomen leaving a moist, cold sweat in its wake. I sat up slowly, praying I would be able to find the toilet without my vision, but I felt my throat retract and before I knew it, I’d filled the garbage can that Kevin had the foresight to place on the floor next to the bed.
My skin was pulsating and
“Sorry, my curling iron took forever to warm up,” she said, walking briskly toward me and zipping her purse.
“I’m feeling bad about Ethan.”
She gave me a knowing eye roll. “Why, what’d he say?”
“Nothing, he called me this morning, but he doesn’t know where I am.”
“So no worries then, my pretty,” she said and repeatedly tapped the elevator button.
“How does he always seem to know when I’m out doing something I shouldn’t be doing?” I asked.
“What shouldn’t you be doing, Syd?” she padded her lower lip, then tucked her lip-gloss into her front pocket. “He’s miles away, and what does he expect?”
“He doesn’t expect anything…except that maybe I’m not road-tripping with frat boys all over Indiana.”
Jenna waved me off, like it was no big deal. Which I guess it wasn’t to me either, since I never bothered to mention it to Ethan or ask his opinion…or permission. But she was right; why should I feel guilty about being out with someone and enjoying myself? How dare he make me feel like I was going behind his back and misbehaving? I was not going to let Ethan ruin my evening.
We met up with our dates at the bar, where a huge crowd of people who were attending the dance had congregated. Jenna took off looking for Rocco, and I sat down on a stool Kevin had saved for me.
When it came right down to it, Kevin and I were mostly drinking buddies, but we actually had a pretty good time together even when we were sober. I discovered how handy he was one day at my apartment while we were studying for a Spanish exam, and two of my book shelves abruptly fell off the wall behind my couch. He grabbed a toolbox from his trunk, and had them back up in less than ten minutes. And the time my refrigerator was making a buzzing sound for two days, he pulled the whole thing away from its nook, smacked it around a little and silence was restored. He grew up in Los Angeles and came from money, but never flaunted it. He drove a Honda Accord and shared an apartment with Rocco, even though his parents had offered to rent him one of the brand new condos near the Student Union. His family never came to visit, but they were always sending him airline tickets to meet them in various parts of the world.
“Hey, short stuff,” he said as I sat down. “What’s your poison?”
“I’ll have what you’re having.”
“Two more Bud Lights, and two shots of Jager,” he shouted to the bartender.
“Jager, already!” I gasped. “I don’t even have my dress on yet.”
Kevin took a swig of his beer. “You can hold your own, Syd, I have faith in you.”
Soon after that, things began to get interesting, and mildly confusing.
There were more drinks and more shots.
There was Jenna and I holding hands and dashing upstairs to throw our dresses on.
There was dancing, and a questionable amount of Disco music.
There was Jenna screaming obscenities at Scott Makin, a guy who broke her heart junior year.
Then there was Scott Makin screaming obscenities at Jenna.
Then Rocco yelling at Jenna.
Then Kevin and I on the floor of the ladies room consoling Jenna with more shots.
Then Kevin pressing me up against the ladies room wall and kissing my neck while Jenna went to pee.
Then there was me enjoying Kevin kissing my neck.
More dancing, little food, Kevin and I making out in all corners of the ballroom, and still more shots.
I woke up at three o’clock in the morning lying naked next to Kevin in one of our two hotel beds. My head was on fire. It was burning with such intense heat that I winced with pain when I tried to open my eyes. After a few minutes, queasiness coursed through my abdomen leaving a moist, cold sweat in its wake. I sat up slowly, praying I would be able to find the toilet without my vision, but I felt my throat retract and before I knew it, I’d filled the garbage can that Kevin had the foresight to place on the floor next to the bed.
My skin was pulsating and
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