Heather
After she'd put the final pieces on her costume, Heather had traveled over to the boy's side of third floor Milnes-Chinnock. She'd adjusted the straps of her dress, double checked her intricate Dothraki braid was still intact, and the three small stuffed dragons were still attached to her with duct tape.
She'd knocked on the door of Jared's room, and waited for him to answer. Matt had come out of his room a few doors down the hallway, and his whole face had lit up when he'd taken in her costume.
Matt whistled appreciatively. "Daenerys Targaryen, very nice."
Heather had struck a small pose in response. She eyed his costume too and laughed. "Dude, I think you're costume beats us all!"
Matt blushed and looked down at the floor, humble as ever.
Jared's door opened to reveal him alone in his room, and he'd chosen to go as a "sexy nerd' with cheap dollar store glasses with the glass popped out, a short sleeve plaid patterned shirt completely unbuttoned to show off his abs, a pocket protector, and he'd even worn tan shorts and high socks. His eyes traveled up and down Heather's costume.
"Damn girl, by my calculations, you've got the sexiest costume," Jared said. "Step into my office, and we can do some long division together."
"That's queen to you, poindexter, and that better be a ruler in your pants." Heather smoothly glided past him into his room. "Make that the pocket-sized version."
Matt cracked up as he'd followed her inside, and almost jumped when Jared had patted him on the back. They'd both sat down on his large futon while Jared had turned on some David Guetta to his speakers and had his Scentsy spreading the sweet aroma of apple-cinnamon through the air.
Heather took a big whiff and sighed with pleasure. "God, I love that smell. Great choice, Jared."
"Thank you," Jared nodded. "I like to have the room organized and smell good whenever I have company over, especially when said company is of the female variety. No offense, Matt, I love you too."
"None taken, but where's Brayden?" Matt asked as Heather had adjusted her skirt so the slit running up her side hadn't revealed too much.
"Brayden went to Madison this weekend to visit the girlfriend," Jared replied. "So, as you can see, the place is entirely mine for the weekend."
Jared had returned to his desk chair, and absentmindedly scratched his stomach as he'd checked his phone, and Heather noticed how Matt had snuck a few glances whenever Jared hadn't been paying attention.
"Oh perfect, maybe you'll bring home a hot cheerleader to tutor later," Heather winked.
"Or a sexy ringleader."
Everyone turned to Ali, who'd posed in the doorway and stuck her fishnet stockinged leg out like Mrs. Robinson from "The Graduate." She'd dressed up as a sexy version of a circus ringleader, with a red sequined military jacket that she left unbuttoned to show off her cleavage and pierced navel, and rocked some black booty shorts with black faux-leather knee high boots and stockings. Heather thought she'd pulled the look off better than Britney Spears.
Jared straightened up in his chair. "Please tell me you have a whip with that."
Ali winked as she'd reached behind her, and had in fact had one that she'd had stuffed into the back of her shorts. She'd tipped her top hat as she'd strolled in.
"Well, mark me down as scared and horny," Heather quoted, not even jealous over Ali winning 'sexiest costume' according to Jared, the nerdy horndog.
"Yas queen, I'm kind of confident about, you know, all of this," Ali gestured to herself, and Heather snapped her fingers at the "Pitch Perfect" quote.
"I acca-believe it!" Heather quoted back. Matt had laughed too, but Jared had a blank expression.
Well, at least one of them got the reference...
"Who else are we waiting for again?" Jared wondered. "I only have three more spots left in my Jeep."
Matt had done a mental tally. "Just Peter, Tony, and Jack are left, and they should be here soon."
Heather turned towards Ali. "Thank god I'm not the only girl going anymore, now I have back up in case Jack decides to hit on me again."
"That guy creeps me the fuck out." Ali rolled her eyes. "I'm more than happy to help out."
"Hey guys!" Peter exclaimed as he'd walked in with Tony and Jack. "Who are you guys talking about?"
Jared had been able to corral the whole group into his Jeep as they'd set out onto I-94 West towards Hudson, Wisconsin. Matt had sat in the passenger seat, Peter was wedged in between Ali and Heather in the backseat, and Tony and Jack had laid down in the trunk. Whenever a cop had driven alongside them, the two of them had both flopped down so they wouldn't have gotten caught.
The Hudson Chipotle location was located at the end of a strip mall just off the highway near a hospital, and as Jared had pulled into the cramped parking lot, they winced at the line that had almost stretched all the way down to the other end of the mall.
"Don't worry guys, I have some blankets in the trunk." Jared looked back at Tony and Jack. "Can you guys grab those?"
While they'd all waited outside in line, Matt had shared a blanket with Heather while Jared and Ali shared the other. Peter and Tony were fine, but Jack had made a comment about how he hadn't gotten a blanket.
"Dude, you've got your robe," Jared shot him down. "The ladies get first dibs either way."
"No, that makes sense, we're fine without them," Peter said as he'd nudged Jack, trying to avoid any argument.
The line had luckily moved quickly despite its length, and after only about ten minutes, they'd all made it inside and had gotten their orders, so Jared collected the blankets and stuffed them back inside his Jeep.
Ali had sat down next to Heather when they'd been able to grab a table.
"Ok, so I'm glad I was able to do this with you guys," Ali admitted. "I'm not gonna lie, it's actually kind of nice to hang out with someone other than my girls."
"I've been meaning to ask, and tell me if I'm being rude, but how exactly are you and Lindsay best friends?" Heather inquired.
"Oh no, you're fine, we've been asked a lot." Ali waved it off. "I get it, we're total opposites, but we've been neighbors for as long as either of us can remember. We've always been close, but I can admit Lindsay is the type of person to cling to what's comfortable or familiar, so while I've branched off over the years, she's remained a constant part of my life, and I love her to death, but sometimes I wish she'd just go off on her own, you know?"
Ali shrugged. "While I guess it's fine how we'd gone to the same school as our moms did, I feel like she can't be her own person. Like, she needs me to be there to constantly guide her. It sounds bad, but I'm hoping college allows us to grow apart, just so she can find herself."
Heather nodded. "High school was all about conformity and fitting in, so it makes sense."
"Like I said, I love her to death, but she's, like, way too clingy sometimes." Ali sighed. "I feel like she's started to take me for granted, that I will always be around by default."
"That's so weird for me, because I'm not like that at all," Heather said.
"Totally, you seem so much more independent, which actually brings me to my next topic." Ali shifted in her seat. "Is there a reason why you go out of your way to avoid me and the girls? Did Mandy threaten you or something?"
Heather had been a little taken aback, and blushed when she'd noticed Jared and Matt had also stared. Luckily, the other three boys were in their own little world on the other end of their table.
Heather had taken a deep breath; she'd known she'd have to tell her story eventually.
"In high school, I was part of a group of girls just like them; the popular crowd who'd ruled the school, just like any cliché teen flick that you can think of," Heather started.
"Kind of Ironic your name is "Heather", huh?" Ali remarked.
Heather snorted. "Yes, just like the eighties movie...Anyways, I ended up falling for my best friend's older brother, who just happens to be Ryan, my current boyfriend."
Ali rested her chin on top of her tented hands over the table. "I think I remember seeing him with you back on move-in day; he's hot."
Heather grinned. "Well, when I found out he'd liked me too, I wanted to take things further, but I knew I shouldn't go behind my friend's back. I went and asked her if it be okay, and at the time, she'd said it was cool."
"But I'm guessing she didn't mean that," Ali surmised.
Heather sadly nodded her head. She'd had to take a deep breath before she'd continued. "She'd gone behind my back to the rest of our friends and turned them against me, blacklisted me, and basically turned me into the school slut."
It'd always gotten harder to breathe whenever she'd thought about it. "They'd spread secrets about me that I'd told them, and mixed them with lies, so everyone assumed it was all true. They'd convinced guys that I'd sleep with them after just one date."
Jared frowned. "Jesus Christ, that fucking sucks."
Heather nodded. "Those girls made my life a living hell, and they were who I'd considered my best friends at one point. Girls like Mandy, Lindsay, and Madison remind me of them, and I just want nothing to do with that ever again."
The table had gone silent. When Heather had finally been able to look back up, she'd squirmed at all the looks of sympathy and pity. She'd absolutely hated it when people looked at her like that; the look people had instead of actually doing anything to help, only to safely observe and think "poor thing," then move on an hour later.
"Dude, that's harsh. Fuck those bitches," Ali said after a beat.
Heather couldn't help but look away. "The only thing that's made it all worth it is how Ryan and I are still together after everything."
"Thank god for that at least."
"Ryan was my rock during the whole ordeal, but it killed me how guilty he'd been about his sister, Bri, being behind all of it. It'd caused some strain on their relationship, so he'd offered several times to end things, maybe make it easier?" Heather shook her head. "We stuck together, at first out of spite, but then it'd become legit, and I'm so happy with him."
"Well, it's great you two had made it after all that," Ali agreed. "He sounds pretty special."
Heather nodded, and noticed how Jared and Matt had remained silent as they'd looked back and forth between her and Ali, who'd just become a new ally.
"Well, you avoiding us makes a lot more sense now," Ali admitted. "Madison and I are not like that. She may seem kind of high strung and pretentious, but she's not catty or gossipy like the other two."
"Yeah, Madison and I are doing track together, and once you get to know her, she's cool," Jared agreed.
"Oh, she's tight, huh?" Heather threw a side look.
"Christ, not like that," Jared rolled his eyes. "I don't sleep with every girl I meet."
Ali chuckled. "Good, the whole 'man-whore' look is overdone, anyways."
Eden
"Oh god, Crown Royal was a bad choice," Alex gagged after yet another round of shots. Eden was all dressed in her Powerpuff Girls costumes along with the other three of the fab four, and had been pregaming in her room. Everyone except Zach, but he'd still come over to take photos and hang out with his friends until they'd left for that party.
"One of these days, Zach, we're going to corrupt you, and you'll see what you've been missing" Alex teased him
Zach blushed, but gave a defiant grin. "Good luck with that."
Eden had pasted a smile on her face, but internally, she been barely holding it together. Her Drawing 1 instructor had posted their grades on the digital portal, and her current grade had been at a C-, which was considered failing. If anyone got below a C in a class that'd pertained to their major, she'd have to retake it over again and then she'd fall behind, or worse, deal with her mom forcing her to change majors.
Eden had set her shot glass down on her dresser and noticed Jenna look at her in concern.
"Everything all good, babes?" Jenna asked.
Eden ran her golden-brown bangs out of her face, and threw on a megawatt smile when she'd turned around to face them again.
"I'm good, just thinking about my parents; how they're doing," Eden lied...Well, it was partly true, she'd talked to them the day before. While getting caught up on how college was treating her, her parents had told her how strange it was to have their final daughter out of the house. Eden was the youngest of three daughters, but they were both married with their own kids to deal with. Her parents had continued to stay busy with their pizza shop back home, but had always had at least one child at home, so it'd been a huge adjustment for them too.
They were probably going crazy with how quiet it must be...maybe they'd get another cat!
Jenna slowly nodded while she'd chosen a song to play on the Bluetooth speaker; her expression showing how she hadn't bought it. Eden sighed as "The Way I Are" by Timbaland came on. Alex danced to the beat of the song.
"Love the throwback, gurl!" He'd thrown Jenna an air-kiss, who'd winked before she'd taken another sip of her gin and tonic. Alex sat down next to Eden and wrapped an arm around her. "I'm sorry you're upset. Seeing you upset makes me upset, and that's upsetting."
If Eden had been in a better mood, she'd have laughed.
"We love you, and want to remind you that it's only one grade," Alex continued. "One bad assignment won't make or break you're whole grade, plus it's midterms; emphasis on mid. It's only halfway through the semester, which means you have plenty of time to get that grade back up. We are here for you, and believe you can do it."
Eden deeply sighed, but had been touched, nonetheless.
"Now, tomorrow is a new day, but tonight is Halloween, which means that the sluts are camped out for no one to judge, and the drinks are flowing, and I'm dressed as a fucking Powerpuff girl with you two. We're going to get extremely drunk, make poor life choices, and not give a fuck about any hardships life tries to throw at us, capiche?"
Eden had taken a large sip from her bottle of Rosé in response.
"That's my girl."
Eden weakly smiled back. Sometimes the easiest thing to do was just pretend someone's words made all the difference even if it didn't. She was so touched at how they'd come to her side when she'd needed them, and knew their hearts were in the right place, so why couldn't that get out of her funk? She'd loved her new little squad: the fab four, her Stouties, but nothing was going to really help because for the first time in her life, even Eden had begun to question whether she belonged there, if she was good enough to go where she'd wanted to go.
In her mind, all she could do that night was keep drinking and hope it'd help her ignore everything that'd been weighing her down; to at least ignore them for the few hours.
Madison
"Look at this place you guys, it's a freakin' circus!" Mandy-as-Gretchen Wieners smiled. "Quick, let's take a shot to celebrate."
Madison-as-Karen Smith had to admit, the party was way lit. Mandy's new boytoy who'd they met earlier, Dean, lived at a house that'd been nicknamed "Couch House." Every edge of the main level had a couch resting against the wall, and there were even a more out on the front porch. It was a notorious party house at UW-Stout, and apparently, it was the house to visit if the frats weren't open to the public.
Dean had seemed like a pretty chill guy; he was a junior Construction major, had upswept flowing hair like a hockey player, green eyes, and tan skin with a few scatterings of tattoos. Madison had to admit he was cute if someone was into the whole lacrosse player vibe he'd given off. It hadn't hurt in how he'd dressed up as a lifeguard in skimpy red shorts and a tight red tank top; Madison had been reminded of Zac Efron, who'd looked so good in his terrible Baywatch movie with the Rock.
Madison had gathered around the kitchen counter with the Lindsay and Mandy, who'd rounded up three plastic shot glasses filled with her stash of tequila, along with chaser shots of lemon juice. She'd spread them all out for each down a line.
"Cheers, bitches!" Lindsay-as-Regina George happily squealed. She'd raised a cup in one hand, her phone in the other, and recorded them for her Snapchat and Instagram stories. Madison whooped a loud cheer, then had made a big show of downing the shot just for the video.
Lindsay had gagged on hers.
"OH MY GOD! That shit was terrible!" profusely coughing, Lindsay turned to Mandy with tears in her eyes. "How the fuck do you drink that shit?" She'd went straight into the fridge to find something else for the burn; the lemon juice hadn't been enough.
"That shit is top shelf, you baby," Mandy teased before she'd taken another shot to prove her point.
Madison laughed as she'd readjusted her blonde wig; the damn thing had been so incredibly itchy. She'd asked earlier if it'd be weird for her to be Karen Smith when she was black, but Lindsay brushed it off.
"So, if you're Karen Smith, why are you black?"
Madison stopped. "Um...what did you say?"
Lindsay's eyes widened. "Oh shit, was that racist?"
Madison just continued to stare.
"Mads, I'm sorry, I was just trying to quote the movie, I didn't mean anything by it, and you look fierce, like, Beyoncé during Destiny's Child-era."
"Sure, whatever you say," Madison had shrugged it off, not in the mood to get into it at that moment. Mandy had suggested a group pic to ease the tension, and Madison had felt pretty fabulous as the three of them took group pics. After about twelve, Mandy had selected the best looking one to post on Instagram, You can't sit with us being the caption.
"Isn't it amazing that we helped make this happen?" Mandy marveled again at the packed house. People were all over the place, a particularly large crowd was around a game of beer pong on the opposite side of the kitchen. Two blond guys Madison had seen out with Jared and Brayden were one team, one was in an army getup while the other was a surfer while they'd faced two Asian girls: one dressed as a sexy-unicorn, and the other had hilariously gone with Captain Underpants; she'd even put on a bald cap, but had worn a skin-toned body suit for obvious reasons.
Madison had even spotted that loner guy from their floor, Luke, who'd dressed as a lumberjack. It hadn't seemed like much of an effort since he'd seemed to wear flannel on the regular, but he he'd looked lost as he'd weaved through the crowded house.
Madison almost wanted to go over and give him someone to talk to; to be nice and introduce herself, but she'd seen Jared, Heather, Tony, Ali, Peter, and Matt walk inside the front door at that same moment.
Matt
Walking into Couch House in costume, having people praise him for how funny it was, and being out with people he'd been happy to call his new friends; Matt had been on cloud nine.
Jared had immediately separated from their smaller group to head towards the kitchen, and had returned with the Bryans that'd dressed up as an army guy and a beach bum, and of course, they'd both looked incredibly good.
Wait...why did that matter?
Matt immediately felt nervous around all of them.
What was it with attractive people that made him so nervous?
He hadn't wanted to say the wrong thing or do something embarrassing to have them judge him, or write him off as a total creep.
No, he was tired of that crap and wanted to no longer be the weirdo, the outcast.
Their group all laughed as the guys had gone into some stories they'd had from going out; to discovering that they'd all made out with the same chick, to puking together behind houses, filling up condoms with water and dropping them off the top of a roof, and even stealing a dog and hiding it in their dorm. They'd made sure to point out they'd returned the dog, and no harm came to it at any time. They'd just been drunk and had really wanted a dog, and were bummed about the housing rule with no pets in the dorms.
Matt laughed along with the rest of the group, but had internally been put off. He'd chalked it up to being jealous, or just his regular dose of FOMO, but he'd felt weird at he'd been so bothered how Jared had seemed incredibly more animated with his new guy friends. Jared was already closer to them than he'd been with him, and that'd caused Matt to feel left out.
Why wasn't he ever invited along?
Did Jared actually not like him as much as he'd said?
Had I done something to weird him out? Did I give off a weird vibe?
Why would they like me anyways? I'm so shy and weird and awkward, I wouldn't belong with them in their group anyways.
I'm not one of the guys. I'm never one of the guys.
Maybe I'm not as close with people as I'd thought I was?
Maybe I don't matter to them as much as they do to me.
Maybe I don't matter to anyone.
Luke
Both their eyes locked, and Luke hated the cliché phrase of them feeling like they were the only two people on earth, but seriously, it'd felt like something had shifted between him and Heather in that moment.
God, he truly was pathetic...
What if she didn't feel the same way?
Luke had taken a deep breath, squared his broad shoulders, and maneuvered through all the strangers inside that cramped house to make it over to this girl that he'd planned to kiss at some point that night.
Heather's eyes never left his. "Hey, you did make it! I'm glad to see you." She'd walked over and wrapped him in her arms, and Luke had caught a whiff of her perfume: an intoxicating mix of sea salt, black berries and the air after it'd just rained.
Seriously, how did he even know that shit? If she'd somehow ever heard what went through his mind whenever she was around, she'd be pulling restraining orders on his ass before he could even change his name to "Edward Cullen."
"Do you guys know Luke?" Heather asked the group. He'd recognized Matt and Jared, but not a whole lot of others. "Everyone, this is Luke Mitchell."
Everyone had been friendly enough; the guys had all shaken his hand when he'd offered, and ringleader had even given him a once over of appreciation before her eyes had darted between him and the dragon queen who'd stood next to him.
Jared, the man-whore dressed as a nerd whose shirt was falling off, had spoken up first.
"So, Luke, I've got to ask...where the hell do you go all the time? I mean, are you secretly a vigilante superhero, a serial killer or what?" Luke only stared at him, not sure how to respond, so Jared had continued. "I'm not judging you, I'm just curious."
"Actually, I'm not all that exciting," Luke shrugged. He'd put his hands in his front pockets. "I have an older brother who goes here too, he lives a couple blocks off campus, and we're close so I just go over there a lot with him and his friends. It's nice to go there to drink, and get away from everything, especially with my roommate situation."
"That's pretty cool, man." Jared sounded genuinely impressed. "Must be nice to have an escape house like that."
Luke hadn't expected that; Jared hadn't seemed like a guy to just randomly throw them around and actually meant it, and it may have been the first time they've actually really spoken since that time in the showers on their second day...if one could even count that as an actual conversation?
"Stout is my family's alma mater. My grandparents had came here, then my parents who'd actually met here, and my other brother met his wife here too," Luke chuckled. "We feel like there's some kind of unspoken tradition, so there's some pressure me and Brett to keep it going."
Luke joked about it with the group, but it'd actually been something he'd constantly had on his mind. Family and tradition were a big deal in his household, and even though his dad was an asshole, Luke had been raised since a young age to have a core set of values in his life, traditions his family always stressed to keep intact. Enrolling at UW-Stout had been one of them, the other one was perhaps going to be even trickier, if it was actually an official Mitchell family tradition. No one had ever spoken of it, but it'd been there; a constant undercurrent that'd remained in the conversation whenever Stout had come up.
The only thing Luke wanted to worry about was making his future kids wouldn't feel like a burden, that they were worthy of his love and pride. Some parents teach their kids how to be a better parent, but Luke had only learned what he wasn't ever going to do if he'd ever become a father.
Jared
Much to his surprise, Luke Mitchell was actually a pretty decent dude.
Actually low-key, the dude was straight fire!
Jared had felt off around him since they'd moved to Menomonie, mainly for that moment they'd had in the showers that second day, and had totally expected Joe--their RA--to come knocking on his door and write him up, but it'd never happened. Since then, Jared had taken note how Luke hadn't snitched, and it'd gained some respect from himself. Plus, Jared still couldn't believe he'd managed to sneak a girl into the showers on just the second day at college. Now, if only he could remember her name.
Was it Morgan? Hannah? Kylie? All well...
Their circle had dispersed to go enjoy the party: Heather and Ali had teamed up to take on Tony and Peter to a game of pong, Matt was challenged to a chug-off from the Bryans, and surprisingly, had won most of the rounds. For an obvious newbie at drinking, Matt could really put down his booze. Luke had just calmly watched from the side, and Jared had done the same, more than happy to just make sure everyone else had been having a good time and enjoying themselves.
It was Halloween, why the fuck wouldn't people be having fun?
He'd bumped into a tall guy dressed as the blue Powerpuff Girl from the cartoon way back in the day, and had noticed the two gorgeous girls he'd been with.
"Woah, sorry there, bud," Jared had patted him on the shoulder before he'd turned towards the girls. "Hey, you two look familiar, you're both on third Milnes, right?"
The hippie chick with cat-like green eyes had smiled up at him. "Yeah we are! I'm Eden, and this is Jenna." She'd pointed towards her friend, who'd also smiled and waved like a pageant contestant. With Eden's bohemian vibe and Jenna's distinguished features, Jared thought both could've been models if they'd wanted to be.
How hadn't he noticed them on their floor before?
"So, you guys party a lot?" Jared sparked a conversation.
The tall guy, who'd introduced himself as Alex, lit up. "Oh honey, you know it!"
Jenna laughed. "As art students, we define the whole 'work hard, play hard' mentality."
Jared chuckled and glanced over at Eden, who'd started dancing in place. He'd liked the rose gold highlights in her hair, and the red bow was actually kid of hot, but she'd seemed a bit out of it as she'd taken another sip of her drink. Jared decidedly ignored whatever was going on there; he didn't feel like getting into that when they were all at a party. "Good to hear, we'll get along just fine then. You guys play any pong yet?"
"We're next actually." Jenna glanced over towards the table. "And it looks like that last game is ending, so we'd better go claim our spot."
"It was ab-solutely nice meeting you, Jare-bear." Alex poked his stomach, and Jared couldn't help but chuckle; it was a ticklish spot. "See you around."
Jared nodded as they'd left, but he hadn't remained alone for long. He'd caught sight of Madison across the room, without her usual squad to his relief, and so he'd decided to go catch up with her. He gave her a playful poke on her hip with his ice-cold beer can, and she'd jumped up in surprise. She'd whirled around, ready to deck some poor sucker, but grinned when she'd seen who it was.
"Gotcha, didn't I?" Jared winked.
"Zip it, nerd." Madison rolled her neck. "You can't sit with us."
"Playing up the stereotype, I see," Jared placed a hand on his chest, mock-offended. "That's just cold."
"Sorry." Madison sounded anything but. "I gotta keep up this image I've got going for me."
"Right, that's what this is for, right?" Jared played with a few strands of her blonde wig, and Madison had responded by poking him hard in the gut. He couldn't help but laugh; Madison had really looked good dressed as one of the Mean Girls, and despite the wig, he'd given her props of being a part of a group costume and sticking with it, so after they'd caught up, he was off.
He was once again on the hunt.
Much to his satisfaction, it hadn't taken long, but then again, it never did at a college rager for a guy like him. There'd been a cute little number dressed up in some silver getup standing against the wall near the stairs, arms crossed and looking for someone amongst the crowd, so Jared had causally strolled over, but bumped into her to make it look like an accident.
It was a cliché move, but if done right, it'd always worked to get things started.
"Oh, hey there, sorry about that." Jared winced, milking his guilty expression. "Some jerk bumped into me from behind."
"You're fine." the brunette flashed a smile. "I get it. It's happened about fifty times, and it will probably happen about fifty more too."
Jared leaned in, and he'd noticed she'd almost gasped in surprise and her eyes widened but she hadn't backed away.
Perfect...
"I'm sorry, it's so loud in here, I can barely hear you," Jared spoke directly into her ear. If she'd only slightly turned, they'd be close enough to share a kiss. "Are you here with anyone?" Truth was, he'd heard her perfectly, but sometimes parties really were too loud to be able to hear anyone else, and she didn't need to know his whole game plan.
"Yes, my friends just using the bathroom upstairs, she should be down sometime soon."
"Well, in the meantime, do you mind if I keep you company? I saw you over here alone and I thought 'Now what's a gorgeous girl like that doing in a place like this alone?'"
The brunette smiled towards the floor, but when she'd looked up again, she'd given him a contemplative look.
"Sure, why not." Her sapphire eyes cruised up and down his body. "My names Leah, how about you?"
Jared flashed her his lethal smirk. "The names Jared, pleasure to meet you, Leah. How have I never seen you around before?"
"I go to River Falls, actually. I'm here for the weekend visiting a friend."
Jared remembered the University of Wisconsin-River Falls about a half hour away down I-94 West along the route he'd gone with the others earlier that night. "Oh, that's cool, well, let me say 'welcome to Stout' then." Jared raised his arms like a festive host. "What do you think so far?"
Leah seemed like someone who didn't party all that much, but that was more than fine with him. Sometimes those were the kinds of girls he'd preferred. Honestly, the girls that stayed in were better, and usually more mentally sane. Yes, the crazy chicks were insanely good in bed, but girls like Leah were a nice change of pace. They didn't play mind games, not like a certain ex he could've named.
"I like the small town feel of it; everything is within walking distance," she'd replied, dragging him back from his thoughts. "River falls has a similar feel to it, so it's where I know I belong."
"Yeah, plus it's a bonus we all save some money from not having to order an Uber."
"Actually, my friend told there's a drunk bus or something around here," Leah said. "I guess two guys bought a short bus, decorated it, and started a small business of transporting people around for a price."
"Huh, you don't say?" Jared was surprised he hadn't heard of that yet. Not a bad idea, though. "I totally forgotten about those guys, but I bet they mainly only get business in the winter."
The two of them had continued to talk as the party kept getting bigger and bigger until it was almost wall to wall people, but they hadn't seemed to notice anything besides each other.
It was a rare occasion; the more Jared talked to the girl, the more he'd wanted to find out about her.
Madison
She'd should've just stopped after that third tequila shot...
It'd been awhile since Madison had drunken as much alcohol in one night as she'd done at that Halloween party, but oh lord, had she been feeling it. Swaying around on the uneven wooden floor, Madison had barely been able to collapse onto a spot in one of the many couches against the walls.
She'd giggled to herself; She was sitting on a couch in couch house. It wasn't really that funny, but in her drunken mind, she'd thought it was the most clever line ever.
Madison had taken her phone out to for a quick selfie with that caption to post onto her story, but had felt the couch dip right next to her. Her vision had been so hazy around the edges, it'd taken her a while to realize it was Matt Anderson who'd sat beside her in his trash bag costume.
Thank god it wasn't some random creeper to have to push off.
Matt had also seemed pretty intoxicated based off his flushed cheeks and glazed over expression. He'd swayed from side to side, but that could've just been Madison's own blurry tequila-infused vision. Matt leaned back into the couch, and appeared distant and pensive. He'd his hand across his face, and then noticed her too.
"So, if you're supposed to be Karen Smith, why are you black?" he'd slurred.
Seriously? That joke again? That wasn't something anyone white should typically say to a black female, even if they were drunk or quoting a movie?
"What did you just fucking say?" Madison glared at him.
Matt's eyes widened. "Oh shit, I'm sorry... I didn't mean anything by it. I-I was...I was trying to quote Karen when she...when she met Cady...you know...So, if you're from Africa, why are you white?"
Suddenly, her anger had evaporated had Madison felt guilty; she should've known someone like Matt wouldn't say something that'd trigger anyone, at least on purpose. She didn't think she'd ever even heard him say anything negative once, he'd seemed too innocent.
"I'm so sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean for it to sound that way, I'm so so so sorry," Matt still looked upset.
"I know now you didn't mean anything, It's all good. How're you doing tonight?" Madison had just wanted to change the subject so things could get back to normal. Matt seemed thankful for that.
"I'm doing great! Jared's over there with his buddies, Heather and Luke are talking over elsewhere, Peter and Tony are probably puking outside already." Matt looked around the room. "And I got Chipotle earlier, so I'm great!"
His smile was too wide, and his words sounded too bright. Even drunk off tequila, Madison had suspected something bothering him. When someone's voice went up and down like a roller coaster, usually it'd meant they were lying. Maybe he'd just still felt guilty about his joke earlier, or maybe it was something else?
Matt nudged her as he'd said something, but she'd missed it.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Matt had a sort of sad smile. "I just wanted to say, thanks again for inviting me and the others here tonight."
"Oh, it's no problem at all, glad that you're enjoying yourself."
Madison wasn't sure to ask him if he was really okay and needed to talk about something, but decided on just making sure he'd felt like he was welcome. "I'm glad you could make it tonight," she'd said. "You seem like you needed it."
Matt looked away, so Madison decided to just come out and ask, but had been interrupted by Lindsay and Mandy, who'd sat down to sandwich Matt and her on the couch.
"Heeeeyyyy party people, how we doin' tonight?" Lindsay was also very drunk, not that it took a lot for that to happen. She was probably wasted off just the two shots of tequila she'd barely been able put down, she was such a lightweight.
Mandy smiled. "'Good' is I hope you were going to say." she'd eyed Matt up and down. "Matt, I just wanted to say how much I love your costume! Seriously, everyone is talking about it."
Matt glanced around to see if maybe anyone was indeed looking his way. Madison did too, but no one else seemed to have paid them any attention.
"Are you hoping to get the D tonight?" Mandy purred with a mischievous grin. She'd rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, um...what?" Matt frowned.
"I'm just looking around and am so impressed with all the hot people around here at this party," Mandy eyed a few particular guys nearby. "Like, seriously, who knew so many cute guys went to Stout, am I right?"
"Mandy, you have a boyfriend...remember Dean?" Madison reminded her. "We're even in his house right now? How is he doing by the way? I haven't seen him around for a bit."
Mandy flicked her off. "He's too busy hosting this amazing party that you were invited to, so shove it. Also, there is nothing wrong with looking and not touching. I'm just asking Matt if he'd noticed all the hot guys here tonight," she turned back towards him, and seemed to be completely unaware at how uncomfortable he'd become. "What do you say, Matt? I know you'd know all about that, right?"
No, she was aware, she just didn't care, Madison surmised.
"Um, excuse me, but I'm...I'm going to go find Peter and see...I'm going to see if he needs help taking care of Tony," Matt hadn't met any of their eyes as he'd clumsily gotten up off the couch. "Thanks again for inviting me."
Madison had felt terrible for the poor guy. She hadn't known how, but obviously something had been bothering him, and Mandy was like a shark who'd smelled blood in the water, and had made it so much worse. Matt hadn't deserved any of it, and if she were more sober, Madison would've also gotten up to try to find him and apologize. Unfortunately, all those tequila shots had made that idea impossible, so Madison had settled for angrily turning towards her friends
"What the hell was that all about?"
Heather
"So, if you could do anything where you'd know you wouldn't fail, what would you do?" Luke asked her. They'd been talking while the party kept going strong around them over by the front door when the least amount of people had congregated. "Beam Me Up" by Cazzette was being played over the speakers, and Heather couldn't help but dance along to the song; it was one of her favorites.
"That's easy, I want to create movies and stories that touch people and make them feel like their voices are heard when they can't find that anywhere else," Heather answered. She'd had a good buzz by that point, and talking with Luke had made her feel bolder and able to fully speak her mind. He'd had a way about him that'd made her feel comfortable to say just about anything without any fear of judgement.
Luke raised his brows. "Damn, and I was just thinking I'd build this massive lodge over in Denver or something." He'd scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
Heather playfully swatted him. "Oh c'mon, you can do better than that. You're a packaging major, right? What about designing something that could change the world?"
"Well that's an industrial designer. Packaging is more about being an in-between with the client and the designer. We work with the marketers, the designers, and decide on how to protect and sell the product in a cost-efficient way."
Heather smirked at how Luke sounded like such a dork whenever he'd gone into explaining his major to her. He'd obviously forgotten they'd talked about it stuff before, but she wasn't about to stop him. He'd seemed too into it and sounded like he'd wanted to impress her, so she couldn't crush the guys ego. She knew a guy's ego was more sensitive than they'd ever cared to let on.
Luke continued, undeterred. "For example, how should the product be sealed and protected for shipment? What materials are the best to use with the determining factor of a budget? Our job is pretty straight forward; we figure out the best way to package products between the requirements of the designer and the available resources of the client."
"Wow, that all sounds so impressive." Heather raised her brows to emphasize her point. "You must be getting a great paying job after we graduate in a few years."
She would've never admitted it out loud, but Luke was so incredibly cute whenever he'd talked about things he was clearly so passionate about. It was probably because he was usually so indifferent and casual, but if it was something important to him, his bedroom eyes would light up, the green edges of his hazel eyes would spark, his dimples would make their rare appearance too with his crooked grin, and like a lot of artists, he'd talk with his hands. His big, callused hands that'd probably feel amazing on her skin.
Wait, what the hell?
Heather mentally stepped back a bit and remembered she'd had a boyfriend. She'd told her friends her story with Ryan earlier, had confessed all they'd overcome, and there she was repeatedly flirting with another guy and imagined his hands on her and liked his eyes way too much.
Talking with her and spending one-on-one time was one thing, but over the past couple of months, Luke had bought her lunch in between classes, had ordered pizza when they'd done homework together in the lounge; he'd refused to have her pay him back everytime. She'd ignored the other obvious signs she'd been able to see then and there: the excuses to touch her in the smallest of ways, the way he'd looked at her, and then how she'd felt warm and yet shivered when his eyes lingered over her for those few extra moments...
Damn her, she'd hated that a small part of her had started to like it.
Heather couldn't act on it, not ever. She'd have to set Luke straight before things went too far. She'd have to stop sending him mixed signals. It wasn't right, and she wasn't the kind of girl to string someone along.
Heather looked back over to at him; those damn bedroom hazel eyes on hers, his lips, the shadows across his jawline and dammit; she couldn't help but feel goosebumps on her skin at the obvious heat in his gaze. It'd made her think of things under the cover of night, forbidden, wrong, but could possibly feel oh so amazing, oh so right...
No.
She shouldn't enjoy it. She should be a good, loyal girlfriend and tell Luke she wasn't interested, because she couldn't be. Luke was thrilling, but she'd had to remain loyal to Ryan.
"You look amazing tonight. Emilia Clarke has got nothing on you," Luke voice had lowered into a husky drawl, and Heather smelled the spiced liquor that'd only added to his sex appeal. Damn, she'd felt warm but knew it had nothing to do with how packed the house had been.
It was now or never....
"Luke...I have to tell you something. Can we go somewhere quieter?"
His eyes rested back on hers, filled with confusion. "Uh, yeah...sure. Is everything okay?"
Heather had to take a deep breath. "Yeah, everything's fine, but let's go somewhere where there's less people around so we can talk."
Shit, hope that hadn't given him the wrong impression... She'd seriously just wanted to talk to him, not go lose herself in him in the bathroom or out in the bushes.
Heather had to force herself not to think about any of that, but couldn't help but sneak another look at his lips and wonder what they'd feel like if they'd crushed against hers.
Was he quick and passionate, or slow, methodical and sensual?
Was he even a good kisser?
Heather was seriously struggling; where was Matt to be a good buffer? She'd needed someone to help her keep her head on straight because she'd wanted to get pounded worse than the "I" in the Pixar logo.
The two of them slipped out the front because the only place that been remotely quiet was the front porch. The night had gotten chillier with a strong wind, but they'd sat down on one of the old outdoor couches, and waited until they'd known for sure the other smaller groups of people who'd lingered outside on the front lawn hadn't paid them any attention.
Heather took another deep breath, allowed the cool air to clear her mind, turn down the heat, ran a hand through the ends of her hair, and then she'd turned over to the boy who had begun to make her second guess everything.