The Madonna, The Virgin, and The Whore

Chapter Three

LEXI

The guy slowed down when he saw me; guys were always doing that. They'd had been stopping and gawking at me since I turned thirteen. It was something I usually used to my advantage, almost like a superpower, but I wasn't in the mood today. But that didn't stop him from stealing glances at me and almost losing all interest in whatever the blonde little coed he was talking to was saying. I leaned back against the brick wall of my sister's dorm and ignored him; he really wasn't my type anyway. He looked like he stepped out of a JC Crew catalogue in his khakis and pale blue collared shirt. He was by no means bad looking, especially if you liked the preppy, I just-possibly-put-a-roofie in-your-drink-college type. I watched him as he said goodbye to the girl he was with, not even registering how crushed she was when he turned his back on her and came strutting confidently over to me.

"Hey." He threw his chin up in greeting.

"Hey," I replied, sounding about as disinterested as I was.

"I don't think I've seen you around before. Is this your dorm?" He hiked his backpack up on his shoulder and stared up at the building behind me.

I was bored and had time to kill so I flipped back my dark hair and pursed my lips into a perfect pout, letting my gaze wander over to him. Once an old boyfriend told me he could never say no when I pouted. I've tested this theory out and it seems that very few men can.

It doesn't take much for me to lure them in, but it requires a lot of effort to get them to leave. And eventually that's always what I want. I start to feel crowded and get the restless urge to push them away before they get too close to me. I guess I was like my mother that way. Apparently commitment wasn't her thing either. At least I knew why I did it, but I still hated that I did.

There was only one boy who ever made me feel differently, but that didn't matter anymore.

"I'm not a student," I mumbled.

"Figures." He let his gaze fall back down over my body. "I'd definitely have noticed you around campus.

I stared up at him from beneath my eyelashes, imagining all the ways he could make my 24 hours here a little more bearable. The idea of spending my time with Erin would make this crappy day even crappier.

"You go to Emerson, right? You look like you go to Emerson--"

"And what does Emerson look like?" If he noticed I was mocking him, he didn't show it. Instead he leaned in a little closer and got up in my personal space. I didn't appreciate having him there uninvited.

"Like you," he flirted. "Mysterious, theatrical, sexy as hell..."

It took everything I had on me not to roll my eyes. So instead I settled for putting my hand on his chest and gently, but firmly, pushing him back from me. He dipped his head down to where my hand was on his chest. A slow grin spread over his face and shook his head.

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Lexi."

"I'm Colin."

He flipped open his backpack and dug around inside, before pulling out a blue flyer and handing it over to me with a self-assured smile. "My house is having a party tonight. You should stop by Lexi. I'd love to see you there."

I scanned the flyer, not recognizing the Greek name of the fraternity scrawled on top. "Maybe..." I gave a noncommittal shrug and folded the paper up and stuffed  it into the back pocket of my jeans.

"I'll see you tonight then." Colin smiled like it was a done deal, stepped back from me, and raised his hand in a wave, before walking off.

I had never been to a fraternity party before. College was never in the cards for me. I was the only one out of my sisters who didn't go. Mary went, but she chose a school close to home so that she didn't have to move and could continue to help dad with both Erin and me while her boyfriend Matt got a scholarship to play football at Penn State. Mary got in too, but she never told us about it. I only knew because when I was snooping around in her room one day, I found the acceptance letter.