I slipped into my green dress and layered bracelets on my wrist. I could hear the music starting up in the kitchen even from my end of the corridor. I was officially late. Fashionably late, I thought wryly as I pulled my bottle of rum from the bottom of the wardrobe. I'd started stashing it in my room since Josh developed the hilarious prank of topping up any bottles left in the kitchen with the cheapest paint-stripping vodka he could find.
Still, I had to acknowledge the irony. There had been times over our later school and college years when Sophie and I had wanted desperately to be invited to parties. Now I wanted desperately not to be invited. And yet I was convinced that if I didn't go, I'd be missing out, not only on tonight but on any number of future incidents. At least Sophie seemed to be enjoying the new partying opportunities. I had to assume that that was why she wasn't keeping in touch so well this week.
The others were all in the kitchen already, along with a few of our upstairs neighbours. Our flat was, for some reason, the party flat. My silent protest against this was refusing to open the front door to them when they pounded on it every night.
"You're late," said Ed, clinking his glass bottle of lager against my rum bottle.
"A wizard is never late," I said, absent-mindedly. Somewhere in this kitchen there had to be a clean glass I could use, surely.
"Did you arrive precisely when you mean to?" he said, in a conspiratorial whisper. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"How many of those have you got through already?" I asked, indicating his lager. Before he could answer, his arm was grabbed by Tara. Tonight she was wearing a tight, short red dress with a criss-cross neckline that revealed a patch of her abdomen. She was, without a doubt, the most visible person in the room.
"Ed, come on, you said you were going to deal like ten minutes ago!"
Well, good job we hadn't been having any particularly important conversation there.
Ed threw me a shrug and followed her to the kitchen table, where Christopher's pack of cards was already waiting. By now the cards were sticky and bent. Over the course of the week, we'd played just about every card-based drinking game you could name. Ring of Fire, Twenty One, Higher or Lower, Ride the Bus, games I wasn't even sure counted as games.
Ed started laying out the cards in a pyramid as Tara corralled people towards the table, shouting out that it was time for Red or Black. Oh, goodie. Guess whether the next card is going to be red or black. Drink if you get it wrong.
Who said university wasn't going to be intellectually stimulating?
Finally unearthing a glass, I poured out my rum and coke and wandered over to Elizabeth.
"Hey, you look cute in that," I told her, gesturing to her new outfit. "How was Julia?"
"Oh, she was okay. I mean, she was a little bit annoyed that I was late for our call but it was good to speak to her."
I tried to smile. Tara in her red dress was buzzing about the room, and before we could talk any further, the game had commenced. Laughter suffused the room. Drinks splashed as people took large swigs. I nursed my glass and dodged turns. I knew I was being dull and mardy, but, well, dull and mardy was kind of my style this week. When the last card had been flipped, Christopher reached forward and began to deal again.
"Can we not play something different?" I muttered, my words only getting as far as Ed, who was sat next to me. He chuckled.
"Got a problem with the wonders of Red or Black?" he asked.
"It's not the world's greatest conversation starter," I said.
Ed's eyes glittered in a maverick grin.
"As you wish."
To my significant alarm, he jumped up on the kitchen chair, gaining everyone's attention. He swayed unsteadily on his chair. He was a good few pints in by now.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "I am ordered by Ellen to say, that she desires to know what you are all thinking of?"
Most of the 'Ladies and Gentlemen' guffawed with laughter. Tara glowered.
"Shut up Ed," I said. I pulled him down from the chair, cheeks flaming. "I did not say that," I told the room at large, aware that far too many people were looking in my direction.
"I'm not about to tell you want I'm thinking, but we can play something else," said Christopher, shuffling the cards. I nodded, hoping to pass back into obscurity, and most of the group seemed to agree.
"Ooh, we could play Truth or Dare!" said Elizabeth, her face lighting up.
Truth or Dare? What were we, fifteen? Someone would suggest Spin the Bottle next. But Elizabeth's suggestion seemed to go down well. Clearly people had drunk enough to be ready for personal questions and risky challenges. We made space on the table and gathered in a renewed circle, with Tara, as usual, directing proceedings. Christopher kicked off.
"Ellen," he said. Great. Everyone's eyes back on me. "Since it was your orders that brought this on, tell us the truth: have you ever been so drunk, you passed out?"
He asked it with a trace of a smirk, but I was relieved to start with an easy one.
"No," I said.
"Oh my God, I told you she was a total nerd!" said Tara to her neighbour, in what she probably considered was an undertone. I stiffened.
"It's your turn to ask someone then," said Christopher.
"Sure."
I glanced round the circle. Everyone was still looking at me. The problem was not just what to ask, but who.
The only Truth I wanted to know was who kept leaving all the washing up.
Before I could come up with a less lame question, my phone started to ring. It was Sophie.
"Oh, I'm going to have to get this," I said. Annoyed shouts came in response, but I wasn't about to give up a chat with my best friend for this. Not when I'd been struggling to get hold of her. "Um, Elizabeth, you take my go, I'll be back in a sec."
I picked up my drink and stumbled out of my chair and into the corridor. Elizabeth had left me hanging for a phone call earlier in the day, so in a way we were now even. As soon as the door closed, I pressed the green camera button, and Sophie's face loaded up. I could tell from one glance she was rather drunk.
"Babe," she shouted, dragging the word out into one long syllable. "I just realised I'm missing you so much, like, I'm missing you so much right now and I just wanted to call you, to tell you that I love you, right, I love you, you're the best friend ever, and like, I'm so sorry that I didn't answer your call the other day, I was just, like so busy, and then, like, I got distracted, and you know, I promise, I love you the most out of any other girl in the world ever, like even if I was married I would still love you the most, you're my bae, you are just the best person in the world ever..."
A broad grin spread across my face as I let her drunken ramble wind on. While she spoke I let myself into my room and lay down across my bed.
"No, you're the best person in the world ever. I miss you. How's it going, are you having a good night?"
Sophie rambled through a very confusing story of her night so far, which had apparently involved several rounds of beer pong. Sounded like someone in her flat had been watching too many American films. It was nice, just listening to Sophie being Sophie. Familiar. Before this week, I'd never been drunk without her and life was just a lot more fun with her around.
Well, my Mum said you make new friends at Uni. Not new friends that would be better than Sophie, but new friends who would be different. And Sophie was evidently succeeding on this. We'd barely been speaking for ten minutes when another girl careened onto the phone screen, shouting that Sophie had to come and play Never Have I Ever.
"Go on," I said to Sophie, "Go and enjoy yourself! Don't get too drunk, have a lemonade."
"I'll look after her, babe, don't worry," said the girl who was pulling her away from me.
"I'll call you in the morning," I said, and watched the video call cut out.
Please rate the quality of this call said the screen.
Too short, I thought.
I lay on my bed. I could hear the music and loud shouts from the kitchen still. Every now and then, the kitchen door slammed and giggles ran up and down the corridor. Once, even the door of the flat. I stared at my ceiling. It was so noisy already, my ears cringed at the thought of going back into the fray. And I could swear I could smell cigarette smoke.
My book club books were piled up on my bedside table. Mansfield Park was on top. I picked it up and reread, yet again, the short message from Callum. This is my number if you want to chat about the book. I hadn't texted him yet, because I hadn't started it yet. I flicked to the first page and scanned the opening paragraph. It was a long, dense account of three sisters getting married. Nowhere near as interesting as the start of Pride and Prejudice. Not a good book for right now. I put it down and picked up the next one, the Reading Diversely option. It was a fantasy book by a Black author and I dived quickly into the story, sipping on my rum and coke.
Possibly an hour later, there was a knock on my door. I put the book down guiltily and straightened my hair. It was Elizabeth, twisting her phone in her hands.
"Hey," she said, "We were just booking taxis and I wanted to see if you were coming?"
"Oh, sorry," I said, "I just got off the phone. Actually, to be honest, I'm pretty tired, I could probably do with a night in."
"Please come," said Elizabeth, with an urgent smile. I realised she was looking tense and uncomfortable, shoulders drawn together.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's just... it'll be more fun with you there. Just for a few hours at least."
"Okay," I said, "Just for a few hours."
I slipped my shoes on and followed her back into the kitchen. I was greeted by Christopher, who put an arm around my shoulders, pulled me over to the table and handed me a brim-full shot glass.
"You've got some catching up to do," he said.
I downed it. It was some of Josh's disgusting cheap vodka, and I winced, but accepted the next when Christopher refilled it for me. In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought. Not much point going to a club on only two weak glasses of rum and coke.
"Ellen," said Tara sharply, tottering slightly on her high heels. "You're a cheater."
"I am?" I said, disconcerted.
"You've cheated, you've missed out on flat bonding. You should have been here for Truth or Dare."
"Sorry, I was just on the phone to my friend..."
"Well, you have to do at least one," Tara demanded.
I looked around the room. Our neighbours were crowded round the window, smoking, but my actual flatmates were gathered around and they all seemed to agree with Tara.
"Okay, truth then," I said. I had to wonder what I'd missed in the rest of the game.
Tara smoothed her red dress over her hips with her hands and leant forward.
"Who would you rather kiss out of Ed or Christopher?"
Seriously? My eyes flickered to Elizabeth, but I didn't believe she would have given me away.
"We're doing that kind of Truth or Dare?" I asked, "Really? I dread to think what all your dares have been."
I wasn't really that bothered, but I was banking on drunk people being easily distractible, since there was no good answer to that question. The idea of admitting that I'd like to kiss Christopher was mortifying, but I also didn't want to give Ed the wrong impression. I was not up for him turning his player antics on me.
"Oh, that's easy," said Tara, smirking. "Your dare would be to kiss Ed."
She glared around the room. She looked, quite frankly, maleficent.
"Tara," Ed said, in a warning tone. I didn't need his help with this one though. In fact, I owed him some form of humiliating revenge for his antics earlier in the night. I wondered what he'd done to piss Tara off though.
Probably just his usual manoeuvre of completely ignoring her attempts at flirting with him. This time, Tara didn't have a mug to throw, so she was throwing me. Mature. Sensible.
Well, at least it wasn't Christopher. I didn't have to turn cherry red and wobbly at the knees at the thought.
"I kiss Ed?" I confirmed, waiting for the caveats, the additional requirements. Duration, lip contact, presence of tongues.
"You kiss Ed," said Tara, eyes narrowed.
No caveats. Was she a total novice to dares, or just too drunk to spot her own loopholes?
"Fine. Dare then," I said. Josh wolf-whistled, and Christopher gave me a shove in Ed's direction. I balanced myself, and strode over to Ed's chair, my new pumps clacking on the hard lino floor. I placed one hand on his shoulder.
"Do I have your free and full consent?" I asked him.
He shrugged, his shoulder rippling under my hand, not meeting my eye.
"If we must," he said. Wow, such enthusiasm from a guy who seemed like he would happily kiss anyone. I bristled. If this was embarrassing for me, it was going to have to be more embarrassing for him. Elizabeth's phone began to ring, and she called out that the taxis had arrived, but they were going to have to wait for one minute.
I leaned down, tucking Ed's dark hair behind his ear. I pinched his chin with my other hand, deftly turned his head to the side, and bumped my lips against his cheek. I was clumsy. He was prickly.
"That doesn't count," shouted Josh. I ignored him.
I stroked Ed's cheek with my thumb for a moment, studying his skin as he turned back. He tried to raise his eyes to mine, but I ignored that too. Here was my ammo. For a moment, I felt an uncharacteristic surge of Sophie-style sassy power.
"Dude," I said, "You need to shave."
And I turned to head for the taxis.
I know, I know, it's a long-ass chapter, but we finally got there - Freshers Week is over, and Ellen has kissed a guy! Kinda...
I thought about splitting it into parts, but I wanted to start making some progress with the story and to me this kind of feels like a turning point. Everything is set up now, and from now on the themes, relationships and storylines are just going to play out.
If you're liking this so far, please remember to give me a star. And if you feel like it's really going down hill, let me know with some constructive feedback, because I want this story to work for the reader.
Thanks and take care!