I sipped at the top as the guys watched until Hollis came over and tilted the can into my mouth. A rush shot down my throat, and I gasped for air.
“You dick,” I managed to spout out after catching my breath.
They all hooted and hollered, and I couldn’t help but feel a tad ingratiated into the group of revelers.
Before I could even finish the first can, a second can was being shoved into my hand. I let myself go.
The party continued, and a few other girls showed up, and they looked prepared for tonight. I wished that I could wear the same thing as they did. Their short-cut skirts left almost nothing to the imagination. They may as well have shown up wearing just their underwear, as it was easy enough to see.
The boys all panted as if a bone were being held in front of their eyes. Hollis looked but showed little interest in the matter. He drank slowly from a mug and chatted with the guys that would walk near him. I saw a bit of responsibility in him as he continued to pick up trash and replace snacks when empty.
I was beginning to feel the drink hit me hard. Things started to spin a bit, but despite my inability to taste anything I continued to go back for more beer.
After a while, I was using the rail on the staircase to prop myself up while one of Hollis’ roommates kept talking to me about how many times he could lift a particular weight.
Then I was being picked up from behind. I tried to fight it, but there were two of them, and both of them were football players. They flipped me upside down and held me upside down in front of a keg.
“First keg stand!” they shouted.
I was too drunk to say no, and they thrust the nozzle in my mouth. I didn’t know how much I drank before they dropped me, but by the end of it I had to throw up.
Hollis noticed me behind the bush.
“Looks like you partied a little harder than you wanted.”
He walked over and put a hand over my back, pulling my hair away from my face.
“Am I a hottie?” I asked, slurring almost every word.
He laughed; which seemed like an annoying way to say ‘no.’
“Where is this coming from, Christine,” he asked.
“You called me a firecracker while I was running yesterday,” I replied.
“All red heads are firecrackers, Christine.”
“Yeah, but it seemed like a term of endearment. You think I’m hot,” I said as I poked him in the chest. More alcohol decided it didn’t want to stay in my stomach.
“I think you’re drunk,” he replied.
I sat down in the cool grass, trying my best to avoid anything I may have just left on the ground. He sat down next to me and held me upright.
“I can see why you do this,” I said, “being drunk makes a lot of the voices in your head stop talking.”
He pulled me in close, giving me something to lean on. It was nice being close to his body heat; he smelled amazing. I wished that he’d pull me in closer like he does with all this other girls.
I leaned in and kissed him on the neck. He turned to me and rubbed the kiss with his hand.
“What was that for,” he asked.
“Does a girl really need an excuse for kissing the hottest guy on campus?”
He smiled. “So I’m the hottest guy on campus, now? I thought I was a moron this morning.”
“You’re starting to grow on me,” I replied.
“Okay, you’re too drunk. No more alcohol for you,” he said as he stood back up.
“Come back down here,” I said, trying in vain to pull him back to the ground. He did the opposite and lifted me from my resting place without any real effort.
I tried to kiss him on the cheek, but he backed away.
“Christine, you’re drunk. You need to lie down for a while and sober up.”
He picked me up from the ground; I did little to resist. I hadn’t been carried since I was six years old and I hoped he wouldn’t set me back down.
He carried me up the stairs and into his room; laid me on his bed and pulled the covers over.
“Sleep, I’ll take the couch.”
“You could stay here with me,” I said.
“Sorry, Christine, I can’t,” he replied.
I sighed; I had never felt so turned on in my life. I couldn’t resist my hormones any longer.
“You’ll regret saying ‘no’,” I said.
“And I’ll regret saying ‘yes’,” he replied.
He walked to his door and clicked off the lights.
As soon as my head touched the pillow, everything went dark.
6.
I woke up to a rather wonderful smell from downstairs. My hair was matted to my face, and my glasses were sitting nearby on the bedside table. My clothes were still intact but quite dirty, and my head beat like a jackhammer. I wrapped myself in the comforter from the bed and shuffled my way downstairs.