Floor 6
...
"Mmm, something smells good."
Gabriella turned from the pasta she was preparing to see Troy walking through the door. He was dressed in the now-wrinkled clothes he'd worn the day before and his usually bright eyes were a stony shade of grey. A dark shadow of scruff framed his mouth, giving him a rugged appearance.
"Need help with anything?" he offered nonchalantly.
"No."
"You sure?"
"I said no." She slammed a can of tomato sauce onto the counter.
"Okay, just checking. I'm gonna go have a quick shower and shave then."
Gabriella rolled her eyes as he left the kitchen. How could he stand there and pretend everything was fine? Did he not see that what he'd done was unacceptable? She considered not filling a plate for him - after all, she had bought the food supply for the week - but in the end came to the conclusion that holding meals hostage would only stir up more disagreements.
"Hey, Brie," Troy greeted, emerging from the bathroom.
"Your dinner's on the counter," answered Gabriella flatly as she carried her own plate to the couch to eat.
Drawing a deep breath, Troy grabbed his food and followed her.
She didn't utter a word; the only sounds that were audible in the room were the tiny clatterings of utensils and the slurping of noodles. Upon finishing the meal, the two roommates sat in an awkward silence, neither of them daring to look the other in the eye.
"We need to talk," Troy resolved.
"You think?" snapped Gabriella.
Sighing, Troy ran his fingers through his disheveled locks. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong to bring Chad in here last night."
"Then why did you?"
"He's been my best buddy since kindergarten. I couldn't dump him off in the dorms. His roommate would go tattle to the RA."
"Well maybe he should've thought about that before he went out and got wasted."
"Everyone makes mistakes, Brie. If you had a friend in Chad's position, you would've helped out, too."
"But I wouldn't be inconsiderate enough to bring a stranger in here at some sinful hour of the night when my roommate was trying to sleep." Crossing her arms over her chest, Gabriella pulled her feet onto the couch and turned toward Troy.
"It won't happen again. I promise."
"It better not."
"It won't," he repeated.
Chewing on her lip, Gabriella took the paper plates and carried them to the trash, tossing the silverware into the sink on her way.
"Oh, and also, Brie, I bought a little something for you on my way home tonight. It's to try to make up for my mistake." Troy held out a fuzzy purple teddy bear with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck as Gabriella rounded the corner to the main room.
"You seriously think a stuffed animal will fix this?" She eyed her roommate suspiciously.
"Hey, it's a step."
Struggling not to let herself smile, she took the bear from him and tucked it under her arm. "Thank you," she spoke evenly.
"I don't get a hug?" Moving closer to her, Troy held his arms out.
"You think you deserve one?"
"Come on, Brie. We gotta make up at some point or another."
"Fine." Gabriella set the bear down and embraced Troy around the waist, her head nestled against his firm chest. He smelled good; she guessed he'd put on cologne after his shower.
"So, I never asked you, how's school going?" he queried when the hug had been broken.
"Good. I met a girl named Kelsi and a guy named Dave. Yesterday Dave took me out to lunch and Saturday night I'm going to his frat party."
"A frat party? Oh Brie, are you sure?"
She groaned. "You're not my dad, Troy. If I wanna be this dude's date, I'll be his date. It's just for a few hours. Besides, he's a pledge; he won't be able to get too wild."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Troy forced a small smile. "Well, I hope you have fun then. Just don't smoke anything, say no to any drinks offered to you - even if the guys claim it's water - and keep your clothes on. In short, don't do anything you'll regret in the morning."
"Do I look like a slut to you?"
"No, but weed and alcohol have their ways. I don't want my little sister to come home crying because some jerk used her for a fuck buddy. I know what goes on at those parties."
"I'm not a baby."
"I know, but I can still care about you. You are my friend after all."
"I guess." She shrugged. "But I really don't like being treated like a child." Grabbing her bear, she ascended the stairs to the loft, where she pulled out a pair of pajamas from beneath her pillow. She then climbed back down and headed into the bathroom. "Hey, I'm gonna change now," she called before locking the door behind her. Once she'd gotten into her pajamas, she took her laptop to the loft to update her Facebook status and check her Twitter feed.
"Am I missing out on a party up here?" Smiling, Troy walked up to bed to see Gabriella with her teddy bear in her arms.
"Shut up." She slapped his arm, then wriggled beside him down the steps to put her computer on her desk. When she returned, she saw him propped up against her pillows. Nestling under the covers, she hugged her bear. "Go away, Troy."
"You going to sleep now?"
"Yeah." She yawned. "After last night, I think I deserve a couple extra hours of rest. Could you get the lights?"
"No, I need them on. I gotta do some reading for my lit class."
"Okay. Well at least back off my ass."
"I'm not touching your ass."
"It was a figure of speech, Mr. Literature Geek. You should know that. Now let me sleep."
"Mr. Literature Geek?"
"That's what you are. Now leave."
"Fine." Pretending to be angry, he hugged Gabriella, then turned to descend the stairs. "Good-night."
"Good-night." She tugged the covers up and gripped her bear tighter as she buried her face into a fluffy pillow, allowing her mind to drift into the unconscious.
...
"Wow, hottie." Dave grinned as Gabriella hurried across the parking lot and climbed into his car.
Giggling, Gabriella put her clutch purse down and pulled the seatbelt across her shoulder. "You like it?" She adjusted the glitter studded shawl that hung across her bare shoulders.
"Love it." His eyes traveled down her collarbone, resting on the ruffled pink bosom of her dress from which a teasing trace of cleavage was peeking. Resting his hand on her half exposed thigh, he pressed the gas pedal.
Gabriella's first instinct was to cringe; she wasn't accustomed to being caressed by a guy in that way. But she bit her lip, forcing herself to remain calm. After all, he was her potential boyfriend.
The ride to the fraternity house was brief. Upon parking in the designated pledges' spot, Dave opened the door for Gabriella and took her hand in his. "Let's go meet my brothers," he said.
Struggling to keep herself balanced in her gold heels, she walked alongside him to the large brick building that lay ahead. Three Greek letters served as a doorway greeting, while strands of lights were strung around the windows and the front yard bushes.
"Hey, Dave!" A short, skinny boy who looked almost too young to be a college student walked up to the newly arrived couple, his dark, curly hair cut short and his large eyes tired. His almost shameful uniform of a tattered blue t-shirt and basketball shorts distinctly marked him as a newfound pledge.
"Hey, Craig!" Dave gave his friend a fist pound. "Too bad you gotta be on duty now."
"Yeah." Craig looked down at his clothing. "But hey, at midnight we'll switch gears and it'll be your job to man the beer coolers."
"I know." Dave took a deep breath. "By the way, this is my date Gabi. Gabi, this is my brother Craig."
"Nice to have you," Craig acknowledged with a nod. "Feel free to help yourself to the drinks in the house. We got vodka, hard lemonade, beer, and tequila."
"Maybe later," replied Gabriella.
"Yo, what up, Dave?" asked a young man as he clapped Dave on the back. "I see you brought a chick."
"Yup. Her name's Gabi."
"Nice. Well, just keep in mind that you're going on duty at midnight, so any fun you wanna have has to happen before then. Condoms are in the bedroom drawers if needed."
Dave laughed. "I don't know if I'll be going that far tonight. But thanks, Brad." He laid a hand on the man's thick shoulder.
"No prob." Brad began to walk away. "And remember, if the beer ain't cold, you're in hot water!"
"I'll do my best!" Dave shouted back. He then turned to his date. "Let's go inside, Gabi."
As the pair stepped through the door, they were met with a dark, stuffy room in which booming music echoed off the graffiti-splattered walls. A disco ball was hung on the ceiling and photos of girls in revealing bikinis bordered the space. Fraternity boys were scattered about; some appeared to be slightly tipsy despite that the party was only just beginning to stir. Remembering what Troy had told her, Gabriella stuck close to Dave and shook her head each time a cup was offered to her.
As the area began to crowd with guys in partially unbuttoned shirts and girls wearing dresses that looked like they belonged on a Playboy model, Dave snuck an arm around Gabriella's small waist. "Wanna dance?"
"You bet." Her initial fear slowly disintegrating, she placed her hands on Dave's shoulders and allowed him to lead her around the room, Maroon 5's Payphone blasting in her ears.
"Good evening, everybody!" slurred Brad, stepping onto the platform situated beneath one of the windows. "Tonight is our welcome party, and we hope y'all are having a hell of a good time. The house will be open 'til three, so make yourselves at home, drink some beer, and let loose. Peace out, bitches!"
"Let's go out to the pool," Dave spoke when their round of dancing had ended. His breath was warm on Gabriella's ear. "It's getting too stuffy in here."
"The pool? But I didn't bring a swimsuit."
Dave shrugged. "Then just sit out on a chair." Grabbing a can of Budweiser, he pulled Gabriella put the back door, entering a scene of couples making out, girls stripping off their bikini tops out of drunkenness, and guys performing twerks while clothed in nothing more than boxers. The reeking odor of cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air.
"This is...alright," Gabriella managed to say, her knees growing weak as she coughed. Observing the smattering of topless girls, she crossed her arms over her chest as if she were afraid her own clothes would suddenly melt away.
"Better than being stuffed inside, right?"
She nodded.
"You want a drink?"
Biting her lip, Gabriella debated for a minute. On one hand, getting a little addled would desensitize her to her surroundings and make her look like a fun guest. After all, Dave hadn't invited her just to watch her be a bum. But in contrast, she was underage, and could, in the words of Troy, "end up doing something she'd regret in the morning."
"There's beer, tequila, hard lemonade, vodka..."
"I'll take some lemonade," she finally concluded. Just one glass won't hurt me much.
"Okay, hun." Dave elbowed his way over to the drink table, returning a moment later with a red Solo cup in his hand - the universal symbol of alcohol.
"Thanks." Sipping the cold beverage, Gabriella made a face. It was sweet, yet gave off an unpleasant tang. A burning sensation rushed into her chest.
"You like it?"
"It's good," she lied.
"Hey, Dave." Craig's voice sounded through the noise. "Have you seen my girl?"
"I don't even know what she looks like," Dave laughed, sipping his beer.
"She's blonde, skinny, has big boobs..."
"I think you just described half the female guests here." He laughed again.
Shrugging, Craig turned around. "Well, I guess I'll just keep looking. Thanks anyway."
"No prob, bro."
Gabriella leaned against a table and quietly sipped her drink as Dave was surrounded by a group of pledges and their dates. She shielded her eyes at the sight of one who was standing topless, evidentially not phased by the guys getting an eyeful of her junk. Hearing her phone sound, she pulled it out of her purse to find she had received a text from Troy. Hey, Brie. Just checking in. Let me know how it's going.
It's okay. She sent the reply.
"Why isn't your girl in a bikini?" Gabriella looked up to see one of the pledges presenting the question to Dave.
"She didn't bring one," Dave answered.
"Well, she could always skinny dip like Claudia." The statement was followed by laughter from within the group as everyone focused their attention on the bare-breasted girl.
Heat rushed into Gabriella's face. Pulling her shawl close to her body, she sank into a chair and mechanically drank more lemonade. While she did consider herself to be attractive, she preferred to flaunt her looks in clothes. The mere thought of exposing herself was humiliating.
"Hey, I'm back," Dave announced, sitting down beside Gabriella. Noticing her empty cup, he asked, "Do you want more to drink?"
"Not now." She shook her head.
"Okay. Well, I'm about to play beer pong. Wanna come cheer me on?"
"Sure." Shrugging, Gabriella followed Dave back inside, where Craig and two other pledges were gathered about a ping-pong table.
"I'll pour the beer," Dave offered, abandoning Gabriella at the sidelines. Soon, a triangle consisting of eight cups was arranged on either side of the net.
This doesn't look like it'll end well, she noted to herself.
"Gabi!"
Gabriella turned at the sound of her name to see a small, curly-haired girl standing beside her. "Kels? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question." Kelsi folded her arms over her chest.
"I'm his date." Gabriella pointed to Dave, who was tossing a ball at the opposing team's beer glasses.
"You are?" Kelsi's mouth fell open.
"Is it that hard to believe?"
"Not really, it's just...weird. I'm only here because my roommate dragged me. She wanted to see what these parties were all about and didn't wanna go alone."
"Score one for me!" Dave cheered, grabbing one of the beers from the opposing team.
"Oh, I see." Gabriella nodded. "So how do you like it?"
Kelsi shook her head. "I honestly just wanna go back to my dorm, but I feel like I should find my roommate before I leave."
"Another hit for you!" Craig shouted, passing a beer to Dave.
"Oh gosh, is he really gonna drink more?" Gabriella mused. "He's gonna get wasted if he keeps this up."
"Was he supposed to take you home tonight?" guessed Kelsi.
"Yup."
"Well, if he's too out of it, you can stay in my dorm for the night."
"Thanks for offering, but I kind of need stuff at my place. I gotta go to work in the morning."
"Are you ready for a show?" Brad's drunken exclamation echoed above the rest of the noise as he appeared on the platform, a faux sword in his hand.
"What. The. Fuck." Gabriella's eyes widened.
"I need girls! Girls, girls, girls!" he hollered, his voice cracking.
"I'll be back, Kels." Pushing into the ping-pong circle, Gabriella tapped Dave's arm. "I think I should be heading home. Do you mind driving me?"
"Not now, babe," Dave slurred. "I'm in my happy zone."
She let out a groan. "Please?"
He muttered something incomprehensible. Clearly, he was in no condition to either process her request or make the drive back to her apartment.
Sighing, Gabriella turned back, only to be met by an unbalanced man holding out a cup. "Take it."
"No, thanks."
"Take it." The man laid a hand on her hip.
"Fuck off!" screeched Gabriella, grabbing the drink and elbowing a path through the crowd. Upon reaching the back door, she walked outside, where she dumped the beverage into the grass.
"You shouldn't be wasting that, girl," said a voice behind her.
Gabriella whipped around to see the same man she'd met inside. "I'm leaving," she spoke evenly.
"It's not over till you get your ass wasted."
"I'm going home," she repeated. Pushing him aside, she took off her heels and ran toward the gate that would lead out of the party. But before she could make it there, a tipsy girl wearing nothing save a tiny thong and a host of necklaces grabbed her arm. "Kevin...come get a room, babe..."
"I'm a damn woman!" Gabriella yelled, pulling herself free. As she did, she felt her bare heels skid through a puddle of alcohol. Before she knew it, she was falling headfirst into the beer-tainted pool. Fuck.
Paddling through the clusters of people, Gabriella made her way to the edge of the water and climbed back onto the pavement. She sighed with relief as she saw her phone was still intact and pressed to call Troy, hurrying out the gate while waiting for him to pick up.
"Hello?" His voice sounded groggy.
"Hey, it's Brie. I wanna come home."
"Why?"
"It's...it's hell. Everyone's drunk, there's naked girls, some wasted guy is running around with a plastic sword..."
"Where's Dave?"
"Playing beer pong. He's too drunk to drive. And on my way out, I fell into the pool cause some slut mistook me for her boyfriend and grabbed me. I'm...I'm just done with this shit."
"You? A guy?" He chuckled. "I don't believe it."
"Well, you better," she snapped. "I'm soaked, pissed, and I wanna go home and sleep."
"Okay, okay. I'll be there in fifteen."
"Alright. Thanks, Troy. See you."
"You, too. Bye."
"Bye." As she hung up, Gabriella looked at her soggy clothes. Her strapless dress had sunken down, showing off more cleavage than she'd ever intended. Cursing herself for choosing not to wear a bra, she tugged at the ruffles clinging to her small chest.
It seemed like an eternity until Troy came. When he finally pulled alongside the curb, Gabriella rushed into the passenger seat, her body shaking and her teeth chattering.
"Woah, Brie."
"I know, I know; I'm a damn mess." She crossed her arms over her chest, praying he hadn't noticed her lack of coverage. Sometimes it really sucked to be female.
"You're freezing." Troy laid a hand on her shaking shoulder as he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a sweatshirt. "Here. Take my hoodie, Brie."
"Thanks." Pulling the article of clothing over her head, Gabriella leaned against the back of the seat. "Worst evening of my life," she muttered.
"Well, we're going home now." Troy stepped on the gas.
The ride to the apartment was silent. Once the two roommates had made it up to the sixth floor and into their little dwelling, Gabriella ran to the bathroom and peeled off her wet things. After a hot shower, she stopped the flow of the water and pulled the curtain open. Shit, she groaned to herself, realizing she'd forgotten to grab a towel. "Troy!"
"Yeah, Brie?"
"Can you get me a towel?"
"Okay." She heard him climb out of bed and open the linen closet.
"Close your eyes when you come in, though; I'm naked."
"Will do." He tried the doorknob. "It's locked."
"I'll get it." She walked across the tile floor, water droplets rolling off her bare skin. "Promise you're not peeking?"
"I swear."
Letting out a deep breath, Gabriella cracked the door, snatched her towel, then shut herself back in so she could have privacy to dry off. Upon finishing, she wrapped herself up and ran a comb through her curls before venturing out to the main room. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
"For what?" Troy questioned.
"Having to see me walk around like this." She blushed and walked over to her drawer, from which she collected clean panties, a camisole, and a pair of pajama shorts. After dressing careful under her towel so as not to flash Troy, she crawled up to bed.
"You okay now?"
She nodded. "I'm never going to a damn frat party again as long as I live."
"I tried to warn you."
Rolling her eyes, she asked, "Why do you have to turn this into an 'I told you so' moment?"
"Because big brothers were made to annoy their little sisters."
"Shut up." Curling up underneath her blankets, Gabriella thought about her evening. She'd known the party would be crazy, but she had never guessed it'd be as crazy as it turned out. Her mind wandered to Dave. Was he okay? Had he gotten in trouble for getting drunk as a pledge?
"Brie?" Troy's groggy voice reached her ears.
"Hm?"
"You're bouncing the whole loft."
"I'm sorry. I just...I'm having trouble sleeping," she confessed.
"Oh."
The room grew quiet.
"Hey, Brie?" It was Troy again.
"What?"
"Sleep with me."
"What? Are you effing kidding me? I'm not gonna fuck you."
"No, no, no! That came out wrong. I legitimately just meant sleep."
"You need to start watching your word choice, Bolton." She grabbed her bear, along with a few pillows, and moved over to join him. "Wait, you aren't in boxers, are you?" she queried, pausing.
"I have a t-shirt on," he assured.
"Okay." She climbed under the covers and set up her pillows against the wall, being sure to allow space between herself and Troy.
"Hey, I don't bite."
"I never said you did."
"Then come cuddle."
"Why?"
"Because you had a rough night."
"I'm fine."
"You sure didn't sound fine on the phone."
"Well, I'm fine now." Gabriella buried her face in her bear.
"Brie..." He patted the space beside him and held out his arms.
Chewing her lip, she shifted her stack of pillows over toward him and laid down her head with a yawn. As she felt him envelope her, she snuggled into his chest, one hand on his shoulder and the other gripping her bear.
"Much better. Now have a nice rest, Brie. Good-night."
She swore she felt his lips touch her forehead, but was too drowsy to think about it or even care. "Night," she muttered back, inhaling the sweet aroma of cologne that met her nose.
Troy quickly fell into a slumber; however, Gabriella, despite being exhausted, was too ridden with worry to do the same. Dave could very well have picked up one of the sluts who had been by the pool and taken her to a room. Although he hadn't officially asked Gabriella to be his girlfriend, she still felt it could be deemed as cheating if he had done so. And what would he have to say in the morning? Would he be angry she'd abandoned the party? Would having a date that ran out on the festivities affect his status in the fraternity?
Her thoughts then drifted to Kelsi, whom she'd completely forgotten in her rush to escape. She sincerely hoped her friend had made it back to her dorm without being pressed to partake in unfavorable activities by the fraternity brothers. Letting out a groan, Gabriella struggled free from Troy's grasp and retuned to her own mattress to check her phone. It was already four o' clock. The party should've been over. Yet no news from neither Dave nor Kelsi had reached her.
"Mmm."
Hearing Troy stir, she crept back over to him and nestled against his strong body. She'd never admit so, but she was glad he'd convinced her to spend the night on his bed. Despite that she still worried about the potential consequences of the party, there were a few ounces of comfort to be gained from being close to him.
"Brie?" His eyes cracked open.
"I just needed to check my phone. Go back to sleep," she whispered, drawing up the covers.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine." She hugged her bear. "Good-night, Troy."
"Night, Brie."