The music was loud, too loud. So loud, in fact, that the red plastic Solo cups covering the sticky table in front of me were dancing along to the obnoxious beat. Glancing around the room, I took a long pull from my water bottle and hoped there was more to the "college life" than this- this being my first college party.
In high school I wasn't exactly a member of the party scene. I was more of a use Friday and Saturday night to get caught up on homework so I could spend Sunday reading a novel type of girl. Long story short- I wasn't down to get white girl wasted, hence, the bottle of water. So there I was, perched precariously on the end of a very questionable old leather couch wondering how I had even ended up here. Oh that's right, in my pathetic attempt to make friends, I allowed my roommate Kate to talk me into coming out with her and her friends from high school. They were nice enough, perky but friendly, so I said sure. It was great until we actually showed up, and they all promptly left me to grind on some mildly attractive frat boy.
I was contemplating the chances of contracting a disease from eating one of the chips when I felt the cushion to my left move. Assuming it was another couple needing support to continue their dry humping, I ignored the motion and screwed the cap back onto my bottle. My neck prickled with the sensation of someone watching me. Suddenly self conscious, I checked my phone for the million and first time that night, hoping for a text message that I knew wasn't there.
"You must have a boyfriend back home."
Startled, I turned my head and found myself looking at a more than mildly attractive boy. Even sitting down I could tell he was tall. His hair looked intentionally messy-curly and slightly too long, brown in color with a certain hue of redness that made it slightly more interesting. A five o' clock shadow covered his defined jaw. A quick peek around the couch made it increasingly obvious that he was talking to me.
I shifted my gaze back to his face, "Excuse me?"
Chuckling, he stated, "I said that you must have a boyfriend back home."
I sighed and thought back to Forks, and the All American boy who had yet to text me this evening. Michael Newton. While this guy was correct, I had no clue how he knew this.
"Guilty," I muttered. "How did you know?"
He immediately smirked, and I mentally prepared myself for the cocky response I somehow knew was coming. "For starters, you've been sitting on this couch by yourself for the past two hours. I saw you come in laughing with a bunch of girls, so I know it's not that you don't know anyone here. You're wearing jeans instead of an insanely short skirt, and I have no clue what color your bra is. Those are clear signs of a girl who isn't interested in being approached." I glanced down at my skinny jeans and black v-neck top. I didn't think I looked that bad. He continued.
"You've been checking your phone every two minutes, but haven't actually sent a text or called anyone- that tells me you're waiting for someone to text you. Presumably your boyfriend." Finally he stopped and waited for me to reply.
"Maybe that explains how you knew I have a boyfriend, but how do you know he doesn't go here too?"
Again, he smirked. "Easy. Based on the fact that you're wearing your ID on a lanyard around your neck, it's evident that you're a freshman. If your boyfriend went here, he would be with you, and he clearly isn't. So, he has to be back home."
"You seem to know a lot about me, but we've never actually met. It's kind of creepy."
This caused him to laugh. "Not creepy. Just perceptive."
The more I thought about it, the more this stranger's assumption that he could just sum me up without even knowing me annoying me. "If you knew I didn't want to be approached, then why are you talking to me?"
Like every other question I had asked him, he seemed to have an immediate answer. "I'm not interested in getting hit on tonight either. Since I don't normally wear headbands as skirts, my jeans weren't sending out any signals. I figured talking to a pretty girl was the easiest way to avoid other girls, and since I knew you had a boyfriend, you seemed like the safest option."
I felt myself begin to blush, all because this stranger called me pretty. Momentarily, I regretted allowing myself to be so sheltered in high school. I felt awkward and uncomfortable talking to him because I had no experience with this type of interaction.
Not knowing how to respond, I said the first thing that came to mind, "So you have a girlfriend too then?"
"Not exactly." Now he looked uncomfortable, and I wondered why. He had been so at ease before, that there was only one thing I could think of that could be wrong.
"Ooh. You have a boyfriend."
He looked at me strangely. "What the hell made you think that?" His tone was angry, but he hadn't denied what I said, so I figured maybe he was just embarrassed.
"Don't worry. I'm totally cool with that kind of thing. I mean, I'm not gay, but I'm not a homophobe or anything. Actually, my step dad, Phil he has a brother. My Uncle Tim. And he just got married to his life partner Robbie. The wedding was beautiful. They're honeymooning in Cancun right now." I knew I was rambling, but I just couldn't stop. Even though I didn't know this boy, I felt the need to let him know that I was totally supportive of his life style.
"Jesus!" he yelled and startled me. I looked up, and for the first time noticed just how green his eyes were. They were on fire now-like an emerald getting ready to spontaneously combust. "I'm not fucking gay." His voice was harsh, causing me to break eye contact. Now, I just felt like an idiot.
"I'm sorry I just thought with the way you were talking that you had someone and, you said it wasn't a girlfriend so I assumed it was a boyfriend."
"It's fine. The truth is I had a girlfriend; we broke up earlier today." If I didn't feel like an idiot before, I definitely did now. My eyes were shifting around, and I nervously twisted the bottle cap. Open. Close. Open. Close.
"Again, I'm sorry. I know I broke up with someone I really cared about there's no way I could go to a party the same day." His face hardened again, and I realized how twisted my words had sounded. I was about to apologize for the third time, when Kate came stumbling over to the couch. There was no denying that she was drunk. Really drunk. Her words were slurred, and she was talking much too loud.
"Bellaaaa. Belly Boo. I missed you. Were you over here by yourself all night?" As if on queue, she noticed stranger danger sitting next to me. "Who are you?" Then, in what I think was an attempt to whisper she said, "Bella he's really really cute. Good job. But does Mikey know about him?"
I quickly stood up. "Okay Kate, I think its time to get you home." She nodded, but the quick movement knocked her off balance, and she started falling sideways. Hands shot out from my left and caught her, righting her back on her feet.
"Thanks." I stood up and took her arm, hoping that the fresh air would sober her up enough that I could get her back home.
He said "no problem" and settled back into the couch. I began to walk away when I heard him call out. "Oh, and goodnight, Bella." I smiled to myself, and for the first time all night felt a little sad that I hadn't bothered to learn his name.
The walk home was challenging, but overall not as bad as I thought it would be. The air did clear Kate's mind a little, and she was mostly cooperative as we made our way back to the dorms.
When we arrived, I looked at the large brick building in front of me, and thought about how I had gotten here. I still couldn't believe I had made it all the way to Washington State. Sure, it wasn't Harvard or Yale, but this was a big step from where I came from.
I was from a tiny town in Washington called Forks. Home of about 1500 people. One elementary school, one grocery store, one gas shop. You know, that kind of place. Not that there was anything wrong with the town. In fact, I kind of loved it, but with a town that small, no one had a lot of money. I had lived their since I was born; with both parents until the age of 9, and then just with my dad when my mom followed her dreams of becoming a painter and left. I was lucky enough that my mom's new husband Phil was a corporate head, and he was willing to help me get through college. Otherwise, I'd be lucky to be working at the Forks Diner. Thinking about home made me think about Mike.
Like me, Mike had lived in Forks his whole life. Our parents were great friends, and yes, we did take baths together when we were little. We were friends until the age of five, enemies until the age of nine, partners in crime until the age of 13, and lovers ever since. He was the boy every girl wanted to bring home to her parents. Polite, smart, and at 6' with blond hair and blue eyes, he was handsome. He too was lucky enough to go to college, but instead of Washington, he had gone to California. It was a hard decision for us, to be apart for the first time in eighteen years, but we figured if anyone could make it work, it would be us.
After brushing my teeth, I lay in bed, and thought about Michael some more. I hadn't talked to him today, and I really missed him. It wasn't that he was ignoring me; I hadn't tried to contact him either. We wanted to give each other some space to get acquainted with our new homes. Just before I fell asleep, my phone rang. I grabbed it, hoping I had done it fast enough that it wouldn't wake Kate.
"Hi Mike," I whispered into the darkness.
"Bella" I heard a sigh of relief on the other end. "I really missed you today."