Asterism

17. forgive me

PRESENT

Marley Hoover was sure she'd experienced enough thrill for the night, after careening down the frat house stairs on a mattress next to her manically giggling best friend.

They probably both would've cracked their skulls open if not for tattooed arms acting as hard barriers. Marley and Gabby fell into Jamie's chest while he steadied them with strong hands, looking up at the group watching from two floors up, laughing while holding up phone cameras.

"Whose goddamn idea was it to send two drunk freshies down a fucking staircase on a mattress?! Anyone?! Because I've got some violent ideas for you!"

All of the laughter stopped upstairs, their peers disappearing one by one from view out of fear for their lives. Jones and Kleo waved from over the railing. "We tried to stop them big bro!" He slurred, before collapsing against a giggling Kleo. "They were in candy land with the rest of the lalaloopsies!"

"Fucking edibles," Jamie muttered under his breath, swaying alongside the two of them. He was clearly faring no better with the whole intoxication thing. "Why do I always have to be the responsible one."

"You don't," Gabby murmured, so low Marley thought she must've imagined it.

"The party may not be over," Jamie began, practically carrying them both up the crowded stairs while shoving and prodding through the bodies like they were cattle. "But it is for you two. My bedroom locks from the inside. There's a stocked mini-fridge with water and food, plus a bathroom. Hang out in there until you're at least sober enough to walk yourselves back to your dorm."

Marley was more delirious than she was an hour ago, the world spinning around her. She didn't want to miss a moment. "I want to go swimming again, Jamie! I want a turn on the trampoline! No no no!"

Gabby began to protest too, "Trampoline! Trampoline! Trampoline! Trampoline!"

Marley then echoed the chant, the both of them screaming it by the time Jamie had dragged them to his door.

He let out a frustrated breath at the alarmed looks he was getting, pausing at the end of the hallway. "Do me a favour and lower the volume girls, everybody is going to think I'm about to take advantage of you both screaming like that as I'm carrying you into my bedroom. I look good most places I'd like to think - a prison cell isn't one of them."

"You want to take advantage of one of us," Gabby blurted, resting her chin on his chest, fluttering her lashes at him, green eyes sparkling. "Don't think I don't know it."

Marley was so out of it she was tuning out the conversation in favour of counting the wood planks in the floor. Then, the littered solo cups. Then, from memory, began to count how many naked boobies she saw tonight. She didn't know how many different kinds of nipples there was. Marley wanted to call Aiden and ask him how many he'd seen.

She fumbled for her phone while Jamie's jaw tightened.

"Fuck if I don't want you, Collins,
but I'm too trashed right now to see it's wrong to go there. And I don't ever want to take advantage of you."

"It's not taking advantage if I'm willing."

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Look at me like you're sure about this. You know you're not. Think about High School, darling. I'm not boyfriend material."

"Who said I was looking for a boyfriend?"

Marley struggled to dial Aiden's number, mumbling nonsense, while the tension between Jamie and Gabby began to rise in the vacant hallway outside of his bedroom.