Player's Guide to Catfishing (PLAYBOOK #1)

ODESSA After a night out of drinking cheap beer and strong vodka at the fraternity row, America, Jessica and I stumble into our kitchen and raid our fridge for food. We haven’t done our monthly grocery shopping yet so the options are limited. It’s a Tuesday but we had to celebrate America passing her history exam since we helped her study all night so she wouldn’t flunk the class. “Truth or dare Vecker?” Jessica falls on the couch with a half empty bag of Cheetos. She’s the wild card of our trio and being a drama major, it’s fitting as she has red fiery hair, hazel eyes and a thick British accent that makes her sound posh and sometimes Irish. I always say she should consider modelling since she has the height and body but her love for the performing arts is too great and her double C’s stand in the way. We met freshman year in E-con class. We got kicked out for being late and decided to go get drunk instead of begging to be let back in. Later, America who was my roommate at the time joined in when we were getting tacos and the three of us have been together ever since. “Ouu, I dare you to pick dare.” America sucks on an orange popsicle as I roll my eyes. I guess she’s the pretty hippie of the group. She’s getting a bachelor’s degree to become an HR manager since she’s such a good mediator or so she claims. She’s also an heiress from the upper east side of New York, so she has a platinum blonde bob, green eyes and a large dream catcher tattoo on her back that proves she might join the peace corps after we graduate. “Fine, dare.” I bite a pickle. “I dare you to dm the hottest guy on your phone.” Jessica laughs as America steals my phone off the coffee table. “She doesn’t have any guys in here, better go online.” She unlocks it with a swipe. I should really put in a password. I guess I’m the ‘‘innocent one’’ of the group. That’s only because I grew up in Portland and lack ‘city experience’ as Jessica would put it but I’m also Russian, a music major and have a 4.0 GPA. I’d say I’m the smart one actually. I’m classically trained in over 6 instruments but unlike my friendsoommates, I’m regarded boring because I have never had a one-night stand. “I swear if we didn’t add pictures to your blackbook profile, people wouldn’t know you existed.” America throws my phone at Jessica. “Right, what’s the point of being a sexy Russian with blue eyes and legs to kill for, if no one sees it,” Jessica is typing. “Oh, I know who exactly you’re going to dm,” she smiles mischievously. “No teachers,” I point a half-eaten pickle at her. “I would like to show my face around here till I graduate.” “Yeah—yeah,” I doubt she’s even listening. “Here it’s all typed out, all you have to do is press send.” Jessica hands me back my phone. I look at the profile and try to read the name on top but I’m drunk, tired and feeling weird from eating pickles after shooting tequila all night. “Whatever.” I press send without even reading what the message says. I can barely even see the send button itself so there is no point in trying to read what raunchy message Jessica’s twisted mind came up with. “Now America, dare or dare.” I laugh when I confuse the phrase and she joins in. It’s all harmless drunk fun in the end. That was all it was supposed to be. LIAM I’m bored with my life. I study, eat, go to class, practice then come home where I either play video games, drink and party then have s*x. Or just skip straight to the s*x with my girl of the month. I used to do random hook ups but I got tired of them expecting more so I moved to monthly hook ups where I set rules in place from the very beginning. I actually have rules for everything I do and for my monthly hook ups, they include: 1) They don’t sleep over the first night. 2) When they do sleepover it shouldn’t be on my bed or room. 3) No breakfast expectations. 4) It’s no strings attached and strictly casual. 5) And NO PICTURES! I don’t know what’s with girls in OAKWOOD university but for an ivy league university, it has a lot of females obsessed with posting on ** and blackbook (our version of campus f******k). I can’t even count the number of times where I’d wake up to a series of pictures of me sleeping or videos of me in bed. It seems bagging the eldest son of the Griffith Group to be a big deal. Which is why I have rules. It might sound like a douchebag thing to do but I have goals. They include becoming a professional basketball player and no girl will stop that. Now as I get a tattoo by the side of my stomach, I realize that I am very bored with my life. I live with my teammates and best friends. Attend the same school as them and see the same girls every week when we go out. It’s all getting predicable and lame, that’s why I am getting tatted again. My coach and mother won’t be happy but it was either this or play videos games and I wanted to break routine tonight. As Goose tattoos a quote I found in a book, (reasons to live, give reasons to die). I scroll through my blackbook news feed to keep busy. It’s the usual thirst traps and people selling their crap or looking for roommates so I’m about to exit when I see something on the official school page. A girl with raven dark hair held in a side braid, filled with white flower pins is holding a clear violin on her shoulder. Her closed eyes show a long field of dark eyelashes and white eyeliner, that matches the white sparkly top she is wearing. The glossy lips on her clear porcelain face are full, pouty and pink. She’s obviously not from around here because she has a foreign, sort of an exotic look to her. “Odessa Vecker (junior) steals the night with a breathtaking solo at the Moon Festival.” I read the caption below the picture. Odessa Vecker, why do I not know you? I search her name and click her profile when I find it on top but it’s nothing like the clean, good girl picture the school posted of her. The most recent is of her in a tanning chair, wearing a black bikini set. A sun hat is covering part of her face except her lips but her narrow thighs, outie belly button and the 11 lines on her toned stomach are on display. The caption is a Hot day in Oakwood and its 2weeks old. The picture before that is polaroids of her in a bar. She’s wearing a sheer black long sleeve with stars all over it which she has tucked it into black skinny jeans that hug her lower body perfectly. The long dark hair is held back in a ponytail and highlighted by glossy red lips. She’s holding a cocktail and even though she’s not staring directly at the camera she’s smiling at the person taking the picture. One too many screw drivers is the caption. I’ve seen pretty girls before but Odessa is cut above the rest. Even as I click a picture where she’s at some music festival with a blonde and a red-haired girl, my eyes are only on her. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, I click the message button only to find a message from her. Odie Vecker: My favorite candy is Skittles *tongue out emoji*. Would you like to taste the rainbow? I vibrate with so much laughter, Goose nearly nips me. “Easy,” it’s his warning before he continues. A lot of girls message me so I don’t bother checking my private messages anymore but I’m regretting it now because I missed hers. It was sent at 3:11am a month ago. Goose puts the finishing touches as I finally reply to Odessa Vecker. It’s 11pm on Thursday night so I hope it’s not too late.