Chapter Three—Attraction
After giving Caleb several drunken hugs goodbye, Cass and Val finally stumbled to their dorm, giggling loudly as they danced down the halls.
"Caleb and Pogue! Both single! I cannot believe how good this year is turning out to be!" Cassidy tittered loudly as she struggled to unlock the door to our dorm.
"Who cares?" Val said rubbing her thighs that now had goose bumps from the chilly hallway. "Tyler Simms is the sexiest man alive."
The alcohol was really hitting her now, and after 8 and a half beer she really buzzing with excitement.
"Yeah, and he totally wants you. Like, bad. Did you guys totally go hook up in the bush when you ran away?"
"No, god. We raced that prick Aaron Abbot; he thought that if he won, I'd strip for him. Well I showed him, fucking prick."
"No," Cass corrected with a giggly hiccup. "You showed Tyler!"
She doubled over and began cackling and snorting with laughter. Val laughed along and felt her cheeks heat up and the thought of her own daring. It had been a spur of the moment idea, but she had figured it would at least leave a lasting impression of her in Tyler's brain, however perverted it might have been.
"Umm, Cass, had to interrupt the joke, but can we go into our dorm now?"
Cass blinked and then cracked up once more, pushing the unlocked door open and stumbling drunkenly inside. Their dorm was stacked high of suitcases and boxes of stuff that they had been too lazy to unpack yet. Val walked over to her bed and shoved a couple of boxes onto the floor carelessly. She could deal with them in the morning.
"So seriously, if you don't get in bed with Tyler I will totally kill you. No joke." Cass smirked.
Val tossed my pillow at Cass and it smacked her square in the face. She keeled over once again in laughter and attempted to toss it back, missing Val by about 2 feet.
"We'll see," Val grinned. "You know, if I had to choose though I'd want more than I one night stand. But hey, either way I'd be happy. One night stand wouldn't be bad either."
"Oh, you like him that much do you?" Cass slurred, still rocking back and forth on her bed.
"Come on, you've known that for how long now?" Val rolled her eyes.
She stood up and walked over to the mirror and began to fix her long red hair with her hands. Amazingly enough her makeup had stayed on nicely, despite the crazy car ride, and her hair had more or less stayed in tact. She yanked off her tank top and began to rummage in one of her suitcases for a shirt that didn't smell like beer.
"W-w-ell," Cass yawned loudly, stretching her arms high over her head. "Tyler's sexy, I'd do him. But he's not as sexy as Caleb or Pogue, damn."
"Dream on Cass," I laughed.
"Hey, it could happen, you never know," she added hopefully. "But I'm drunk and dead tired, and we have stupid class tomorrow, I should probably turn in."
"We don't have class until after lunch! Let's watch a movie, or something." Val was wide-awake and not ready to put an end to such a great night.
"I'm to s-sleepy." Cass muttered as her head hit the pillow and a few moments Val's ears were greeted by the sound of gentle snores. She groaned and rolled over. She just wanted to go out and do something. A sudden idea stuck her mind, to call Tyler. It could just be a "oh just making sure you got back to your dorms safely, because you were wasted" kind of call, and then casually suggest going for a walk. She was debating on weather or not it would sound to desperate if she did when the solution presented itself for her. She lunged for her cell phone that was on her bedside table and flicked it open.
"Hello?"
"Hey flash girl."
Val grinned and sat up, checking her watch.
"Well hey stranger, what's going on? You made it home safe and sound?"
"You bet. Hey listen, Reid's sound asleep and his snoring is driving me nuts, wanna go do something?"
"Definitely. I bet you Cass's snoring is worse." She held the phone over towards Cass's bed and right on cue, the lump of covers gave a loud, obnoxious snore. Val could hear Tyler cracking up in the background.
"Man, that is brutal. All right, how long you gonna be?"
"Give me 5 minutes," She said, jumping out of bed.
"Cool, I'll be at your dorm in 3."
Val clicked off the phone and hurriedly changed into a fresh pair of gray jeans, a pale blue tank top and her Spenser girl's swim team sweatshirt. She just had time to swipe on a new layer of mascara and brush out her tangled locks when she heard a knocking on the door.
"So this is your new dorm, huh?" Tyler said as he stepped in, surveying the messy room.
"It's way cleaner than mine and Reid's. You have no idea what it's like living with a total slob."
"Oh no, trust me I do. Cass has never had to do a smidgen of cleaning in her entire life."
He grinned, his bright blue eyes flashing deviously.
"So let's go," Val urged. "I really don't want to hear anymore snoring."
They tiptoed out of the dorm and shut the door behind the blissfully snoring Cassidy and began to walk down the hall.
"So I have to hand it to you Watkins, you got guts."
"Well, a bet was a bet wasn't it, you did win the race." She grinned mischievously.
"Well I was going to say how gutsy your driving was, but you uhh, how should I put this, baring your true self wasn't so bad either."
Val raised her eyebrows.
"Whatever Perv, that is going to be highlight of your year. No wait, make it your life."
"What can I say, I dig cheap thrills." He shrugged playfully.
"Thrill? Yes. Cheap? I don't think so. I'm first class."
"Whatever you say, queer." He laughed as they descended a long set of wooden stairs to the main lobby. The two of them stepped out into the cool, fresh air. Val shivered slightly in the breeze and wrapped her sweater tightly to her body. Tyler took that as an opportunity and wrapped his arm loosely around her waist. Val couldn't help but smile.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, admiring the star sprinkled sky until they reached the side gardens of the school.
"So, what did you have in mind?" Val asked as they reached Tyler's car.
"Well, Nicky's is open late on Tuesdays." He grinned and hopped into the drivers seat.
"Sounds perfect."
When they got to Nicky's it was packed full of people from the town, all lucky legal drinking age bastards shooting whiskey and playing pool. Tyler and Val shuffled through the mass of people until they reached the counter where Nicky was dusting off a rack of glasses.
"Hey Nicky!" Tyler shouted over the crowd. "How about a brew?"
"Not a chance," he laughed.
"Oh come on Nicky," Val grinned, leaning over the counter. "I know you make a mean Cosmo."
"Val! Hey how's your dad doing?"
"He's doing good, and if you make me a Cosmo I won't tell," She winked and put down five dollars on the counter.
"Nicky knows your dad?" Tyler whispered in her ear in bewilderment.
"I told you, I'm well connected." She laughed. "So Nicky how about it?"
Nicky stared at her with annoyance and Val knew she had won. He pulled down a tall martini glass and began to mix up a drink. When he was finished he took out a Sleeman beer and slid it down the table to Tyler.
"If anyone asks, your both 21." He sighed, and passed Val her drink.
"What are you talking about Nicky? I turned 21 two weeks ago." She grinned and headed over to a table, Tyler still looking stunned about the cold beer in his hand as he followed her.
"I don't know how you can get away with this stuff." He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"It's just my natural awesomeness." Val shrugged.
"Apparently," He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. "Thanks for coming out."
"Are you kidding?" She said, taking a huge sip of her delicious drink. "I was wide awake listening to Cass's snores."
"Man, she cannot be as bad as Reid. I'm getting him a fucking snore machine for Christmas."
Val giggled. She just couldn't get over how great Tyler was. Not only did he look like a male model straight out of a magazine, (tall, muscular, gorgeous blue eyes, adorable smile, perfect brown hair that was not to short, not to long.), but he had such a unique personality, something about him just sparked her attention.
Tyler took a long, quenching sip of beer and then slammed it down on the table.
"Well come on now, let's get off our asses and have some fun."
Without warning, Val was yanked off of her seat and dragged onto the dance floor. The song that had just been playing stopped and Tyler let out a load groan as Britney Spears' "Gimmie More" came on.
"What the hell is this?" He yelled.
"It's Britney Bitch!" Val screamed at him right on cue with Britney's opening line. Tyler rolled his eyes but Val grabbed his arm and dragged him to the center of the dance floor. She finally got Tyler to loosen up half way thru the song and laughed so hard her Cosmo nearly came up when he tried to imitate Britney's strip tease dance. After 10 songs they were pretty much spent and sunk gratefully back into their chairs.
"I'm so tired," She gasped, slurping down the remains of her drink.
"It's 2:30am, small wonder," Tyler grinned.
"I guess we should head back to school." Val yawned.
"Guess so." Tyler agreed.
They stood up to go, scraping back their chairs. The crowd in the bar was beginning to dwindle away and Nicky was sweeping up the floor.
"Hey Val?" Tyler asked, touching her arm gently and turning her around. "One more thing, before we go."
He leaned in and kissed her deeply on the lips. Val's stomach must have done more somersaults then an elite gymnast.
He pulled away with a beaming grin on his face.
"I've been meaning to do that all night."
Tyler said goodbye to Val at her dorm. His and Reid's was one flight up. Val was floating on air, her adrenaline soaring, She had felt tired back at Nicky's but ever since that little moment she had been wide awake.
"Well, I guess it's time for me to face the music, or should I say, the snores." She said, still unable to stop grinning.
"You're such a goof," He laughed and ruffled the top of her head with his hand.
Val ducked out of his hair messing grip and he grabbed her arms and pinned them over my head.
"Let go you fiend!" She laughed as she struggled to get free.
"Goodnight loser." He whispered, his lips brushed gently against hers and then pressed themselves into them firmly. The kiss seemed to last forever but not long enough as he bit the bottom of her lip playfully and pulled away.
"Goodnight." Val smiled.
He winked at her and turned and walked down the corridor. Val watched him disappear around the corner and then despite herself, let out a sigh of uncontrollable happiness as she slipped quietly into her dorm.