Xiaoyu lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her Speech and Communication class had started nearly twenty minutes ealier, but she had absolutely no intention of going. Her speech about birth control was due today, and she had not even thought about starting it. In fact, she hadn't been to a single class all week. Her roommate, Julia, had not noticed so far that she had been majorly slacking. She hoped that the girl would not catch on.
With a groan, she dragged herself out of bed and crossed the room, taking a seat in front of her computer. She opened up an episode of The Brak Show that she had downloaded off the Internet, hoping that it would brighten her mood. Unfortunately, she could not even manage a smile. Sighing, she slouched in her chair and turned on her instant messenger. Of course, no one was available for chat; all her friends were in class. She tried to think of something to do to occupy her time, but the only option she could come up with was to go back to sleep.
Before she got back to her bed, a knock sounded on her door. She opened it to see a familiar face. "Hey, Xiaoyu," he said.
"Hi, Jin," she replied, leaning her hip against the door.
"You haven't been in class lately... I thought maybe you were sick, so I brought my notes over so you could copy them." He handed them to her, and she accepted them with a halfhearted smile.
"Thanks," she said. "I might be in class Monday, depending on how I feel."
"So... do you wanna go get some late lunch or something?" The look on his face reminded her of a puppy hoping for table scraps to fly his way. Even so, she could not bring herself to step outside of her room.
"Sorry," she told him, "I'm not sure I'm up to the whole dining hall thing yet. Maybe some other time, okay?" His gaze dropped to the floor, and she tried to feel bad. For some reason, though, she could not feel anything.
"Okay," he said. "Well... I guess I'll see you around." She offered him another small smile, which he returned before he hurried down the hall. Once he disappeared around the corner, she grabbed her jacket from the hook on the back of the door and trudged down the stairs. She walked outside into the cool autumn air, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. The nicotine rushed quickly to her head, and she felt a buzz in no time. She plopped down on a bench and closed her eyes, shutting out the rest of the world and focusing on her cigarette. It was gone all too soon, and she reluctantly climbed the stairs back to the sixth floor and returned to her room.
When she opened the door, she was met by an unexpected burst of bright light. Julia was back from class and rummaging through a drawer. "Oh, good," she said, "you're back." She sniffed. "You reek, Xiao."
"Yeah, passed some smokers. Sorry."
"Where's your bag?"
"Didn't need it today." Julia raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing.
"Anyway, start thinking about what you're going to wear tonight."
"Wear?" Xiaoyu blinked and sat down on her bed. "I'm wearing my pajamas tonight. I'm going to bed early."
"Oh, no, you're not. We're going to the Delta Chi party."
"A frat party?" Xiaoyu curled into a fetal position on her bed. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope! And I've got a friend who's going to buy us alcohol. Got anything in particular you want?"
"No." She closed her eyes. "Whatever you get."
"Are you okay, Xiao?" Julia asked, looking up from her search for the perfect miniskirt. "You're so, well, dead lately."
"I've just been getting a lot of headaches," she lied.
"Oh. Well, take some aspirin right now. You have to come to the party tonight. I don't know what I'll do if you don't come." The phone rang, and Julia scurried to answer it. "Hello? Oh, hey, Christie! What? Oh, you're kidding!"
"I know what you'd do," Xiaoyu mumbled, rolling over. "Get piss drunk and have fun with the rest of your friends."
* * * * *
Xiaoyu downed the last of her beer and set the empty bottle on an end table. She had had several drinks, and she was feeling pretty tipsy by this point. She wandered through the crowd of people, wondering where Julia had disappeared to. She found her friend downstairs, dancing with some guy she did not know. A hand caught her arm, and she turned to see a vaguely familiar face.
"Hey," said the blonde man. When she said nothing, he continued, "I'm Steve, we're in the same Biology class."
"Oh," she said. "Hey."
"You wanna dance?" he asked. Deciding that she had nothing better to do, she simply smiled and nodded. He put his hands on her hips, and they joined the mass of people writhing against each other. Xiaoyu felt his erection press against her, and in no time his hands had wandered down to her behind. She couldn't help but smile; for some reason, he found her attractive. She responded by pressing her body tighter against his. He in turn buried his face in her neck, sloppily kissing her skin. She closed her eyes, trying hard to ignore the excessive slobber coming from his mouth. When she could take it no longer, she pulled back and, with a sultry smile, took his hand. He grinned back at her, and the two headed upstairs to an empty bedroom. She sat down on the bed and folded her hands in her lap.
"So, is this your room?" she inquired. He nodded as he opened a drawer and rummaged around. She caught her reflection in the glass of the blank computer monitor and brushed some hair out of her face. "I don't look that bad tonight," she thought. He nipped at her ear, condom in his hand. Smiling, she pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist, leaning down to kiss him. He eagerly, although messily, accepted the kiss, running his hands up under her shirt and squeezing her breasts in a rather ungraceful manner. Her hands grasped the bottom of his shirt, and she pulled it off of him. His jeans and boxers followed, and it was not long before her dress and panties joined the pile of clothes on the floor.
She fell quickly into her one-night-stand routine. Suck his dick, ride him, then on to either missionary or doggy style for him to finish. This particular night, it was missionary. Steve's orgasm was rather uneventful, and he immediately rolled over, tossed the condom in the trash can beside the bed, and passed out. Xiaoyu lay on her side, her back pressed against his. Yes, this was what she had been waiting for-- simple, nonsexual contact with another human being to lull her to sleep. She craved the warmth of a loved one, but this would have to do for now.
* * * * *
When morning came, it took Xiaoyu a moment to remember the night's events. Steve lay next to her, snoring and hogging the blanket. She quietly got out of bed and dressed herself, then left his room without a word or even a note. As soon as she left the now quiet fraternity house, she lit up a cigarette and started walking back toward her dorm.
It was early morning, and the only people she saw out and about were shorts-clad joggers who cast disapproving glances at her cigarette. She ignored them; the health of her lungs was none of their business. When she reached the Student Union, she stamped out the remainder of her cigarette and popped in to see if the coffee stand was open yet. Fortunately, it was, and she ordered a large caramel mocha. She sipped at slowly, trying to enjoy it without burning her tastebuds off. When she reached her room, the coffee had cooled to a drinkable temperature. She unlocked the door and walked in. Julia lay sprawled out on her lofted bed, snoring ever so softly.
Xiaoyu set her coffee down on her desk. Suddenly, she remembered how loudly their door slammed. She whirled around to catch it before it closed, but she was too late. The sound woke her sleeping roommate. Julia squinted at her. "Xiao?" The sunlight streaming in through the window registered in her mind. "Are you just getting in?"
"Yeah," Xiaoyu replied, hanging her jacket on the back of the door. She sat in her chair and turned on her computer.
"Where were you all night?"
"At the Delta Chi party."
"No, you weren't. You disappeared, like, halfway through, and I couldn't find you. Finally, I just gave up and walked back here with Christie."
"I was at the Delta Chi house. All night." Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow at her roommate, even though she doubted that the girl could see it without her glasses. Nevertheless, Julia caught the implication and grinned.
"Oh really? Which one?"
"Steve."
"Steve... which one is he?"
"The blonde one. Really built. No tan whatsoever."
"Oh, yeah. I've seen him. You little vixen, you."
"Eh, it wasn't that good, trust me. Soon as he was done, he passed out."
"Big surprise there. Never expect a frat guy to give you an orgasm." Xiaoyu couldn't help but chuckle. She checked her e-mail and, after deleting the porn, credit card, and Viagra advertisements, only two messages remained. One was from her mother, asking why she had not called lately. The other was from Jin, letting her know that he had informed their professor of her illness and that he hoped she felt better soon. To her surprise, his thoughtfulness made her smile. She closed the e-mail and turned to Julia, who had curled up and was attempting to get back to sleep.
"Hey, Jules," she said. "Wanna go get breakfast?"
"Breakfast? Have you ever tried the dining hall so-called breakfast crap? No, thank you."
"Actually, I was thinking something nicer. Come on, my treat. You know you want to." Julia stared at her suddenly chipper roommate for a minute, trying to decide whether or not she was actually serious. Finally, she nodded.
"Okay. Let me throw some clothes on." As Julia climbed down her ladder, Xiaoyu glanced down at her own rumpled clothes and decided to follow the other girl's example. Once they were both dressed in jeans and T-shirts, they headed down to the parking lot and hopped into Xiaoyu's old Nissan Altima and took off.
With a groan, she dragged herself out of bed and crossed the room, taking a seat in front of her computer. She opened up an episode of The Brak Show that she had downloaded off the Internet, hoping that it would brighten her mood. Unfortunately, she could not even manage a smile. Sighing, she slouched in her chair and turned on her instant messenger. Of course, no one was available for chat; all her friends were in class. She tried to think of something to do to occupy her time, but the only option she could come up with was to go back to sleep.
Before she got back to her bed, a knock sounded on her door. She opened it to see a familiar face. "Hey, Xiaoyu," he said.
"Hi, Jin," she replied, leaning her hip against the door.
"You haven't been in class lately... I thought maybe you were sick, so I brought my notes over so you could copy them." He handed them to her, and she accepted them with a halfhearted smile.
"Thanks," she said. "I might be in class Monday, depending on how I feel."
"So... do you wanna go get some late lunch or something?" The look on his face reminded her of a puppy hoping for table scraps to fly his way. Even so, she could not bring herself to step outside of her room.
"Sorry," she told him, "I'm not sure I'm up to the whole dining hall thing yet. Maybe some other time, okay?" His gaze dropped to the floor, and she tried to feel bad. For some reason, though, she could not feel anything.
"Okay," he said. "Well... I guess I'll see you around." She offered him another small smile, which he returned before he hurried down the hall. Once he disappeared around the corner, she grabbed her jacket from the hook on the back of the door and trudged down the stairs. She walked outside into the cool autumn air, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. The nicotine rushed quickly to her head, and she felt a buzz in no time. She plopped down on a bench and closed her eyes, shutting out the rest of the world and focusing on her cigarette. It was gone all too soon, and she reluctantly climbed the stairs back to the sixth floor and returned to her room.
When she opened the door, she was met by an unexpected burst of bright light. Julia was back from class and rummaging through a drawer. "Oh, good," she said, "you're back." She sniffed. "You reek, Xiao."
"Yeah, passed some smokers. Sorry."
"Where's your bag?"
"Didn't need it today." Julia raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing.
"Anyway, start thinking about what you're going to wear tonight."
"Wear?" Xiaoyu blinked and sat down on her bed. "I'm wearing my pajamas tonight. I'm going to bed early."
"Oh, no, you're not. We're going to the Delta Chi party."
"A frat party?" Xiaoyu curled into a fetal position on her bed. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope! And I've got a friend who's going to buy us alcohol. Got anything in particular you want?"
"No." She closed her eyes. "Whatever you get."
"Are you okay, Xiao?" Julia asked, looking up from her search for the perfect miniskirt. "You're so, well, dead lately."
"I've just been getting a lot of headaches," she lied.
"Oh. Well, take some aspirin right now. You have to come to the party tonight. I don't know what I'll do if you don't come." The phone rang, and Julia scurried to answer it. "Hello? Oh, hey, Christie! What? Oh, you're kidding!"
"I know what you'd do," Xiaoyu mumbled, rolling over. "Get piss drunk and have fun with the rest of your friends."
* * * * *
Xiaoyu downed the last of her beer and set the empty bottle on an end table. She had had several drinks, and she was feeling pretty tipsy by this point. She wandered through the crowd of people, wondering where Julia had disappeared to. She found her friend downstairs, dancing with some guy she did not know. A hand caught her arm, and she turned to see a vaguely familiar face.
"Hey," said the blonde man. When she said nothing, he continued, "I'm Steve, we're in the same Biology class."
"Oh," she said. "Hey."
"You wanna dance?" he asked. Deciding that she had nothing better to do, she simply smiled and nodded. He put his hands on her hips, and they joined the mass of people writhing against each other. Xiaoyu felt his erection press against her, and in no time his hands had wandered down to her behind. She couldn't help but smile; for some reason, he found her attractive. She responded by pressing her body tighter against his. He in turn buried his face in her neck, sloppily kissing her skin. She closed her eyes, trying hard to ignore the excessive slobber coming from his mouth. When she could take it no longer, she pulled back and, with a sultry smile, took his hand. He grinned back at her, and the two headed upstairs to an empty bedroom. She sat down on the bed and folded her hands in her lap.
"So, is this your room?" she inquired. He nodded as he opened a drawer and rummaged around. She caught her reflection in the glass of the blank computer monitor and brushed some hair out of her face. "I don't look that bad tonight," she thought. He nipped at her ear, condom in his hand. Smiling, she pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist, leaning down to kiss him. He eagerly, although messily, accepted the kiss, running his hands up under her shirt and squeezing her breasts in a rather ungraceful manner. Her hands grasped the bottom of his shirt, and she pulled it off of him. His jeans and boxers followed, and it was not long before her dress and panties joined the pile of clothes on the floor.
She fell quickly into her one-night-stand routine. Suck his dick, ride him, then on to either missionary or doggy style for him to finish. This particular night, it was missionary. Steve's orgasm was rather uneventful, and he immediately rolled over, tossed the condom in the trash can beside the bed, and passed out. Xiaoyu lay on her side, her back pressed against his. Yes, this was what she had been waiting for-- simple, nonsexual contact with another human being to lull her to sleep. She craved the warmth of a loved one, but this would have to do for now.
* * * * *
When morning came, it took Xiaoyu a moment to remember the night's events. Steve lay next to her, snoring and hogging the blanket. She quietly got out of bed and dressed herself, then left his room without a word or even a note. As soon as she left the now quiet fraternity house, she lit up a cigarette and started walking back toward her dorm.
It was early morning, and the only people she saw out and about were shorts-clad joggers who cast disapproving glances at her cigarette. She ignored them; the health of her lungs was none of their business. When she reached the Student Union, she stamped out the remainder of her cigarette and popped in to see if the coffee stand was open yet. Fortunately, it was, and she ordered a large caramel mocha. She sipped at slowly, trying to enjoy it without burning her tastebuds off. When she reached her room, the coffee had cooled to a drinkable temperature. She unlocked the door and walked in. Julia lay sprawled out on her lofted bed, snoring ever so softly.
Xiaoyu set her coffee down on her desk. Suddenly, she remembered how loudly their door slammed. She whirled around to catch it before it closed, but she was too late. The sound woke her sleeping roommate. Julia squinted at her. "Xiao?" The sunlight streaming in through the window registered in her mind. "Are you just getting in?"
"Yeah," Xiaoyu replied, hanging her jacket on the back of the door. She sat in her chair and turned on her computer.
"Where were you all night?"
"At the Delta Chi party."
"No, you weren't. You disappeared, like, halfway through, and I couldn't find you. Finally, I just gave up and walked back here with Christie."
"I was at the Delta Chi house. All night." Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow at her roommate, even though she doubted that the girl could see it without her glasses. Nevertheless, Julia caught the implication and grinned.
"Oh really? Which one?"
"Steve."
"Steve... which one is he?"
"The blonde one. Really built. No tan whatsoever."
"Oh, yeah. I've seen him. You little vixen, you."
"Eh, it wasn't that good, trust me. Soon as he was done, he passed out."
"Big surprise there. Never expect a frat guy to give you an orgasm." Xiaoyu couldn't help but chuckle. She checked her e-mail and, after deleting the porn, credit card, and Viagra advertisements, only two messages remained. One was from her mother, asking why she had not called lately. The other was from Jin, letting her know that he had informed their professor of her illness and that he hoped she felt better soon. To her surprise, his thoughtfulness made her smile. She closed the e-mail and turned to Julia, who had curled up and was attempting to get back to sleep.
"Hey, Jules," she said. "Wanna go get breakfast?"
"Breakfast? Have you ever tried the dining hall so-called breakfast crap? No, thank you."
"Actually, I was thinking something nicer. Come on, my treat. You know you want to." Julia stared at her suddenly chipper roommate for a minute, trying to decide whether or not she was actually serious. Finally, she nodded.
"Okay. Let me throw some clothes on." As Julia climbed down her ladder, Xiaoyu glanced down at her own rumpled clothes and decided to follow the other girl's example. Once they were both dressed in jeans and T-shirts, they headed down to the parking lot and hopped into Xiaoyu's old Nissan Altima and took off.
