Falling For Best Friends

Campus Parties are Weird

The remainder of the week seemed to fly by. Somehow, I allow Autumn to convince me to attend a campus party, despite the fact that neither of us ever goes to on-campus parties. She keeps her promise and does not allow me to dress myself. The dress she has forced me into is a pink leather cutout number by a designer whose name I cannot pronounce. Autumn brought herself a white Gatsbyesque dress with matching pumps. I hated that Autumn spent so much on me. Especially since I had no idea when I would ever be able to afford to pay her back.

As Autumn spun me around to view myself in the mirror, I could not believe who I was looking at. I did not look like myself, and yet it was me. My hair was a style I would never attempt on my own, and my face was painted to perfection. “Wow. I don’t even look like me.”

“Nonsense, I could not have created such perfection without your impeccable foundational beauty. Now it's time to get dressed. A car will be here to pick us up in less than ten minutes.”

“Do we really need a car? It is on campus, right?”

“I am not messing up my outfit to traipes across this campus, Wintyr.”

I roll my eyes as we both quickly get into our dresses and slip on our shoes. Once we were both dressed and did one last mirror check, and, of course, Autumn had to take a few selfies, then we made our way downstairs. An all-black SUV waited for us outside. A tall chestnut-brown man with a black suit waited next to the passenger door and opened it as we approached. He did not speak, but he did nod as we neared. I got in first, and just as Autumn was about to get in, her phone rang. I watch as she takes a step to the side before answering the call. I can’t hear what she is saying, but I can tell she isn’t happy. When the call is done, she fists her phone before taking a deep breath and storming towards the car.

“Everything OK?’ I ask as the car takes off. “I thought you were excited about our night out.”

“Yeah, I just have to do something before we can let our hair down and shake our a**es.” she responds, putting on one of her famous Autumn smiles. “It shouldn’t take too long, but I’ll at least get you inside before I go.”

I want to push for more information, but that is not the type of friendship we have. Autumn is strategic about what she shares. There are times when she can be so vulnerable it strikes a cord in my heart. Then there are times when a steel wall is put in place, and I know no matter what, there is no way I can get through it. To say it bothers me is an understatement. Especially since she will listen to me drone on and on about my problems. I wish I could be there for her in the same way.

When we arrive at the party I realize it is a fraternity house, and I want to stay put and go home. I know for certain that nothing good can come from being at one of these parties. Unsurprisingly, my dress is not the most revealing one there, so I suppose that is a partial win. I look over at Autumn, and externally her mood seems to have shifted, but I know that it is just a mask. The driver steps out and helps us both out of the car, and I am shocked by the number of people waiting to get in. This is not my first campus party. When I went to the community college, the local university also had them, and I attended a few, but there were never this many people.

I was about to walk to the back of the line when I saw Autumn walk straight to the front door. If I could just have a sprinkle of her confidence, I would be good for life. The bouncer simply nods before letting us inside. I don’t even look at the people still waiting. I can only imagine their stares and thoughts as we bypassed the line.

As we get inside, the house looks like what I would expect a well-funded fraternity house to look like. The main area opened into a large living area that had been cleared of furniture. I follow Autumn as she navigates her way through the house as if she owns the place. She finds some seating in the back and gets me settled.

“I will only be a few minutes. Feel free to have a drink, but make sure not too many without me, and do not take anything resembling a pill, powder, or drug of any kind.”

“Yes, Mom,” I say with a smile, happy that I do not have to stand in these outrageously tall heels while I wait for her.

She smiles and then is absorbed by the horde of people.

Usually, in situations like this, I would dive into my phone, but I decided to people-watch and realize I had seen many of these people around campus. A girl from my economics class does a double take before giving me a double thumbs up. I smile back, but inside I feel so awkward and wonder if I was supposed to complement her back. As my eyes continued to observe the crowd, I realized a lot of people here look out of it. Their eyes are wide, and they seem to have completely zoned out despite their bodies still moving.

I finally gave up on the show and pulled out my phone from the clutch Autumn let me borrow. As my eyes land on the time, I see that Autumn has been gone for over an hour. Not wanting to sit at the booth alone any longer, I spotted a bar on the far side of the room and made it my mission to get there and back. Hopefully, by then, Autumn will have appeared. It’s not like she would just abandon me here.

As I enter what has become the dancefloor area, I realize the crowd size has grown quite a bit, and it is quite a battle to get through them. Just as I am making some progress, I feel an iron grip clamp around my arm as I am pulled against someone.

“Where the hell have you been all my life?” the scent of cigarettes and body odor waft from behind me as someone traps me against their body.

I try to fight against their hold, but whoever this is is strong. Suddenly, I am spun around and faced by a man with zoned-out eyes, wild dark blonde hair, and dry cracking lips. He was gripping me by my wrists now, and it felt like my bones were being crushed.

“Stop trying to escape,” he said with slurred speech. “You go to the University. I have seen you around. Who knew you could look this damn good?”

I continue to try to pull away despite there being no hope. The crowd around us only seems to grow, and there is no one coherent enough to offer any help. The man pulls me into him and begins to whisper into my ear. “I got something that will loosen you right up. Open your mouth.” I want to scream, but I can’t get my body to respond. Just as one of his hands lets go of me to grab something from his pocket, I feel myself being pulled in a new direction. The moment I am free, I rub my sore wrists and then see the man who had held me captive is now sprawled out on the floor, and a glowing tablet falls from his hand. Before I can thank whoever just saved me, I am being pulled away again.

“Where is Autumn?” asks a familiar voice, and I look up to see Maddox.

“I…I don’t know. She told me she would be right back, but she has been gone for a while.”

I feel Maddox’s hold on me tighten as we navigate through the crowd. I look, and there is a fury in his eyes as we break free of the crowd.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, planting my feet as we reached the bar.

"No."

“Well, can you please let me go?” I asked. I am thankful that he helped me, but my wrists are already sore, and his grip is only making them hurt more.

He looks down and releases me. Seeing as I have met my goal and he obviously has better places to be, I say, “You don’t need to babysit me. I’ll be fine.”

I started to make my way to sit at the bar and could feel Maddox following me.

“It’s fine. I will stay with you until Autumn returns.”

I don’t bother stopping him. Part of me is relieved not to be left alone. I try my best to get on the empty barstool, but between the skintight dress and the heels that I am sure are torture devices, I cannot scale the stool. I almost shriek as Maddox lifts me up and places me down as if I weigh no more than paper.

“Thanks,” I said as he took the seat next to me.

He nods as a girl tending the bar walks over. She looks like a carbon copy of the girls I see when I scroll on social media. Her skin is extremely tanned, which makes her ethnicity hard to place. Her hair was pulled into a tight high bun, and she was wearing a sheer dress that gave you a preview of all her latest hits.

“I’ll take a coke. And she’ll have…” says Maddox.

“I’ll have a long island.”

“A coke?” I asked as we waited for our drinks.

“Yeah, I don’t drink.” He answered with no further explanation.

“May I ask why?” I said, turning in my seat to face him.

“It doesn’t agree with my biological makeup.”

I couldn’t help the burst of laughter at that response. He was so damn serious that it was comical. “Are you joking?” I asked as the bartender placed our drinks down. I don’t miss that she left a little something extra on Maddox’s napkin next to his drink.

“I am not.” He answered as he picked up his drink and took a sip. He didn’t even bother with the napkin.

“Wow, I thought I was a prude.” I mused.

“Believe me, you won’t like me if I drink, and I would prefer that I didn’t scare off my sister’s best friend.”

“It can't be that bad.”

“Let’s just agree to disagree.” He looked at me for a moment too long. For a moment, I was held captive by his honey-brown eyes. My skin began to heat at the intensity of his stare.

“You look a lot different than the artist girl I met just a few days ago,” he says, taking another sip of his drink.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, just different.”

Having escaped his stare, I turned back to my drink and took a sip of it before admitting, “Autumn picked my outfit. She told me my wardrobe was, I quote, a travesty and a shame.”

“It’s nice every now and again to get dressed up, but I think your normal style is cool. It's nice to leave something to the imagination.”

I suddenly felt the need to cover myself. Because today there was a lot less imagination needed than when I was allowed to dress myself.

“So, what do you think of the party?” he asks, and I am thankful for the change of subject.

“Honestly?”

“Yeah, honestly?”

“I am incredibly uncomfortable. The crowds, the loud music, the outfit. It makes me feel ridiculous.”

Without another word, Maddox slipped off the jacket he had on and handed it to me. I wanted to protest, but he shook his head. So I took it and put it on over my shoulders. It dwarfed me, and went down to my knees.

“Thanks,” I said. The scent of his cologne is weighty on the jacket, and I couldn’t help but to take a deep breath.“This doesn’t really seem to be your scene either.”

“It’s not, but I’m here for work.” he says.

“Work?”

“Yeah.”

“Care to elaborate, “ I asked, turning to look at him.

“Not really.”

“I can respect that,” I said, turning further to watch the crowd of people. In every corner of the room, there was a mob of people basically dry-humping or moving around sensually without care. “Are they all on drugs?” I asked, half joking.

“Yeah.”

I turned back to face him.

“Don’t look surprised. It’s a club. People come here to escape whatever is eating away at them outside that door.” He responded as he nodded his head in the direction of the club entrance.

I couldn’t argue with that. It made sense, but I hadn’t expected him to be so forthcoming about it.

“You look surprised.”

“You're so honest,” I say.

“Is that abnormal?”

“Yes. Every person I have encountered has always felt like they were hiding something from me. People treat me like I am a glass doll or something. It’s quite annoying. I am not as naive as they assume, but maybe through the omission of information, I have been led astray to just assume lying is the norm.”

“It’s not. It actually takes more effort. I believe in saying what I feel, and if I do not want to say anything, then I don’t.”

“You make it sound so simple,” I said.

“It is. You should try it.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Next time my sister asks you to go to one of these things, don't. Tell her you don’t want to go.”

The way he said it, it sounded more like a demand than a suggestion. “I don’t mind coming out with her. She is …”

He interrupted me before I could go on. “You just said you felt uncomfortable. Why do something that makes you feel that way?”

I paused and mauled over his words before replying. “Sometimes it's good to do things you’re uncomfortable with. How do you expect to expand your horizons, grow, or really know what you like?”

“Right. We are going to have to agree to disagree again.”, he says.

“Wow," I say.

“What?”

“Didn’t take you for the stubborn type.”

“I’m not. I just don’t do sh*t that I don’t want to do. It’s simple.”

"Now that's b*llsh*t."

"Excuse me?" he says, and his eyes are looking at me in a way that almost makes me lose my nerve, but I push forward.

"Everyone does sh*t that they don't want to do. It's just a part of life. Your being here at this party for "work" proves my point. Don't try and push that self-righteous crap on me. You're no better than anyone else here. You just refuse to admit it. " I don’t meet his eyes again. Instead, I turned back to face my drink and took a much-needed long sip.

"This is where you are. I was beginning to think Autumn left you in a library somewhere." I turned around to see Declan standing in front of Maddox with two exotic women who flanked him like accessories. "Autumn had to run a little errand for me. Sorry if I interrupted your guys' plans a bit."

Before I could say a word, Maddox jumped in.

" What kind of errand?" he asked, taking a step to shield me from Declan’s view.

"Just a little clean up." He responded.

I could tell there was a lot being left out of this conversation. I also could have sworn I heard a growl from Maddox. Just before he could respond, his phone began to go off. He looked at it and quickly put it away. "We have to go."

"Huh?" I said as he grabbed me by her arm. I was really getting tired of being pulled around this party.

"I'm not going to leave you here, and I have something to take care of." He responded, looking directly at Declan.

"No need to manhandle the lady. She can come sit with me until Autumn gets back." Before Maddox could respond, Declan continued. "You don't have time to go back and forth. I got Wintyr. Relax."

Maddox really looked like he didn't want to leave me. I considered offering to leave with him, but considering whatever he needed to do was time-sensitive, it was probably best if I did not tag along. So I say, “I’ll be fine, Ox. Just go.” I do my best to sound convincing, but Maddox sees through it.

I can tell he is about to protest when his phone goes off again. He lets out a deep exhale and gives me a look before turning his stare to Declan. He didn’t have to put it in words. I could tell it was a warning. At that, he made his way from the bar area into the crowd.

"Follow us," Declan said as he turned to walk towards the upstairs area. It was a makeshift VIP area with a balcony that overlooked the floor below. Once we arrived, I was not surprised to see additional girls sitting around a black table overlooking the balcony. I was not about to be associated with his roundtable of girls, so I stood.

"How about you all go mingle?" He said, and like well-trained soldiers, the girls got up and made their way downstairs. "Better?" He said, looking at me.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn he read my mind. I step back as he moves past me to take a seat. He patted the space next to him, which made my eyes roll. I decided to take a seat, but I kept space between us.

Declan acted as if he'd been shot in the chest in response to the distance. "Damn, do you hate me that much?" He said, putting the weight of his stormy stare on me.

"I don't care enough about you to hate you," I said, crossing my arms, which was really awkward. I am still wearing Maddox’s jacket, and the sleeves are so big.

"You don't hold your tongue, do you?" asks Declan.

"Not used to a woman who doesn’t grovel at your feet?"

The cushion of the couch moves around as Declan moves closer to me. "I thought artists were nice people. Being all in touch with feelings and whatnot."

I rolled my eyes. I was about to move away from him when he reached over and touched my hand. Just when I was about to pull my hand away, a sudden cloudiness came over me.

"You look good. I definitely didn't see you as the type to wear a dress like this." His tone was dripping with lust. I try to fight the cloudiness in my mind, but every time I push back one cloud, two more take its place. "What do you really think of me?"

"You're a manipulative b*stard who thinks just because he is beautiful, he can say and do whatever he wants. You're probably also a s*x addict. And you are way too cocky for your own good." My free hand goes to cover my mouth, and my eyes go wide. Surely I didn’t just say that out loud.

"Are you attracted to me, Wintyr?" he whispers, so close to me I can feel his breath upon the side of my face.

"Only on a purely superficial level, but I have no desire to spend any significant time with you," I said.

"Are you attracted to Mad…"

"There you are, girl. I am so sorry. I had to…." Began Autumn as she walked upstairs.

The fog that had taken over my mind suddenly subsided, leaving me confused and a bit embarrassed.

Autumn offers me her hand and helps me up from the couch. "Let's get you home, girl. I promise we will have another night out tomorrow. You can pick the activity."

"Autumn." Demanded Declan as we made our way to the stairs.

"I'll be just a minute," says Autumn as she walks back over to Declan.

I watch as they have a back-and-forth exchange. In the beginning, Autumn seems to be telling Declan off, but then her animated facial expressions relax, and she becomes resigned.

"Come on," said Autumn the moment the conversation was over.

"What was that about?"

"I need to stop by his place tomorrow. I will get it done before you and I go out. Ok?"

"Sure," I reply as Autumn leads me from the upstairs area. As we made our way to the entrance, I couldn't help but wonder why I had answered those questions and what the heck that feeling was.