Bethany walked back into the house, a light sweat covering her skin from the alcohol she'd enjoyed. She sat her empty beer bottle down on the kitchen table and walked toward the kitchen. Jake was standing with his back to her as he fiddled with something.
She pressed herself to his back, sliding her hands around his waist and up to his chest; his muscles were non-existent, and yet the warmth of another human seemed fitting. She pressed her lips to his t-shirt as he turned a little, looking over his shoulder at her.
"You've had too much to drink, silly girl?"
"Mmmhmmm," she mumbled and bit at his t-shirt, pulling back and letting it pop from her teeth.
He turned in her grasp and put his arms around her, holding her tightly to him as he smiled down at her. "You should be careful. Some boy will be looking to take advantage of your current state."
"Like you?" She laughed, reaching up and pulling his head toward her as she pressed her lips to his, the fire in her blood from the liquor beckoning her to push him past his sense of comfort.
He pulled back slowly, the kiss being broken far too quickly for her. He laughed awkwardly and put his hands on her shoulders, turning them and backing up a step.
"You know I would never take advantage of you." He smirked and moved back to finish filling up a small bowl of chips. She leaned against the counter and reached in front of him.
"And why not? What if I wanted you to take advantage of me? Take me in my bedroom and strip me naked before-"
He cut her off, his eyes wide, his face flushed.
"Bethany. You're drunk. Stop talking like that before someone hears you."
She laughed, looking over her shoulder and yelling. "I'm drunk and want to get laid. Who's with me?"
The sound of different voices yelling in agreement caused her to laugh, but her smile fell as she looked back toward Jake. The pensive stare on his face sobered her quickly. He wasn't interested, nor was he approving of her actions.
"This isn't you. It's the liquor. Go take a shower, and I'll shut down the party and lock up in just a bit."
Heat burned her cheeks at his rejection. She wasn't his type, or perhaps he thought she was too far out of his league. She leaned toward him as anger bit at her, her hand siding down his chest to cup his crotch. His arousal told her that it must have been the latter. He jerked back away from her touch and she shrugged.
"Yep. I guess the liquor got you too."
She moved down the hall, pulling her dress over her head and walking languidly toward the shower, her small pink panties matching her bra perfectly. Too bad no one was interested in seeing it … least of all her good friend.
Chapter 3
The morning sun streamed through the small window of her bedroom, the brightness stinging her eyes and pushing her headache to the next level. Why had she let herself drink the night before? She rarely drank, and she blamed that on the morning after. Nothing was worse than being debilitated for a whole day, simply to sate yourself with an evening of fun.
The smell of bacon wafted into her room, her stomach turning at the idea of food. They rarely cooked around the apartment, but the weekend was to be filled with friends, family and good food. Bethany rolled over and groaned, the memory of offending Jake the night before assaulting her.
Why hadn't she just offered herself to one of the assholes from Kappa Alpha? There had been more than enough of them at the party. Sleeping with Jake had seemed like a good idea before she walked into the kitchen and pushed him a little too far. She covered her eyes with the palms of her hands pressing against the pain a little and groaning.
"Fucking hormones. I swear."
A knock at her door had her reaching for her covers, pulling them up to her chin before whispering, "Come in."
The door opened and Krista stuck her head in. "You decent?"
"Yeah. Come in."
Her friend walked in, closing the door behind her and sitting down on the edge of her bed. The look on her face let Bethany know that something was up. She figured Jake had probably had a breakdown over the situation Bethany had put him in, and now Krista was here to clean up the mess.
"So … last night was fun?" Krista started and Bethany rolled her eyes.
"Stop beating around the bush. I feel like shit. Just tell me if he's okay."
"He's okay, but I need to tell you something."
"Alright, tell me." Bethany sat up slowly, her head hurting so bad that dizziness swam around her. "Ugh. I hate this feeling."
"Jake and I are in love."
"What?" Bethany turned to her friend, horror washing over her. "You and Jake have something going on? Why didn't you tell me? I hit on him last night, for God's sake."
"It's okay. You didn't know, silly." Krista reached out as Bethany slipped her hands over her face and let out a long sigh. Of course Jake was now dating Krista. That made everything perfectly shitty. It completed the shitastic circle and added the cherry to the shit-sundae.
Bethany let the news sink in, her heart hurting more over her actions than the loss of something she hadn't really wanted. She felt stupid and rather whorish, but other than that … it was what it was. She slid her fingers down her face, her fingertips covered in black mascara.
"I'm glad for you."
"You're not upset, are you? We figured you tried to sleep with Jake last night just because you were drunk, not because you had actual feelings for him. He's been trying to get you to go out with him for the last year, and you've rejected him so many times."
"I what?" She stiffened in the bed. "I've never once rejected him."
"Oh. Does that mean you're interested?"
"No, I'm just saying." Bethany moved past her friend, reaching to grab a t-shirt and pulling it over her head. She pulled on a pair of pink sleeping pants and checked herself in the mirror. "I'm happy for you guys. I don't know what else to say."
"Did you want to sleep with him last night?"
"What? No. Jake's not my type at all. It was the liquor." Bethany turned to Krista, innocence layered in a perfect facade on her face. Jake wasn't her type, but the idea of sex had seemed more than appropriate for her graduation party.
"Oh, good." Krista's shoulders visibly slouched as a smile touched her face. "I kept telling him that it was just the liquor. No way you'd just randomly sleep with someone. We all know how much of a prude you are."
"Prude? I'm not a prude." Bethany put her hands on her hips, the conversation going from bad to worse.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you're so beautiful and still aren't with anyone. It's not because guys aren't trying … " She laughed and Bethany realized that the conversation was better left alone.
"Who's cooking breakfast?"
"Oh, hell! I am." Krista jumped up and ran out of the room toward the kitchen.
Bethany walked into the hall and grabbed a towel, her heart hurting and stomach jacked sideways.
No wonder Jake had refused her. He was in love with her roommate.
*
Her mother and Kent had arrived just before she lined up for the graduation march, her mother kissing her cheek. Bethany looked over at Kent, who moved closer and pulled her into an awkward side hug as he smiled down at her.
"Sure am proud of you, kiddo. Your grades and ranking today are something to be incredibly proud of." He squeezed her shoulder before moving back toward her mom.
"Yep. Nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it, I guess." Bethany smiled and waved, moving toward the line of people wearing the same heavy black robes that draped across her body.
She watched her mom and Kent, the older man extremely handsome and more fit than Bethany remembered from the last time they'd met. The kindness in his eyes as he looked down at her mother was also something new.
Her real father was nothing more than a bastard-a user. He only looked at you or spoke to you if he wanted something from you. She hated him more than words could express and was grateful when he left their lives around her twelfth birthday.
A tug on her sleeve had her turning to her left, Jake standing quietly with his eyes averted.
"Hey, you," she whispered, unsure of what to say.
"Hey. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Krista sooner. I didn't know if you'd be okay with it." He shrugged, his dark gown swallowing him whole.