DEKKA

Finally, after 8 days of pure stress, we were done unpacking and setting up the house. Albert and I returned from the Supermarket, arms full with bags of groceries, and that settled it. We were committed. To college. The idea sounds so foreign to me, I never thought I'd end up going to college. Before the FAYZ, I had dreams of back-packing through Europe, meeting girls in classy European cafés.

"Dekka? You in there? You've been standing in the doorway for the past five minutes with this look on your face that screams serial killer." Albert was waving his hands in front of my face.

"Shut up Albert, you always look like a murderer." I shoved past him, laughing. The eight days we'd spent sleeping in the same room had bonded us. All of us were close now.

"What'd you guys buy?" Sam practically leapt off the couch in the living room, crossing through the doorway to the kitchen. He dug through the grocery bags. "Sweet, PopTarts."

"I finally understand the freshmen fifteen." Diana was seated at the kitchen table, thumbing through a fashion magazine. "I've eaten more junk food than I've ever seen in my life.

"Hey, no one told me there was food!" Quinn was standing on the last step towards the bottom floor. "I smell Pop Tarts."

"Hot Fudge Sundae." Sam pulled them out of the toaster and sat down at the table. I grabbed one off his plate. My mom never bought them at home; she's one of those health nuts.

Quinn pulled a chair up next to Diana, looking over her shoulder at the magazine, breaking off pieces of Sam's Pop Tart. "That girl's hot, that girl's hot, that girl is banging, ooh, that girl is not too hot."

"You're supposed to be looking at the clothes." Diana gave Quinn a look of exaggerated disgust, and grabbed the final piece of the Pop Tart.

Sam looked down at his plate. "You know, this was my Pop Tart to begin with. Is nothing sacred anymore?"

We sat in silence for a few minutes, unpacking the grocery bags, sitting, checking phones.

"Hey, Sam, where's Astrid? I haven't seem you two together since last week." Albert was now throwing another Pop Tarts package into the toaster.

"Her and Lana and Sanjit are out at another flea market. I stopped going after the third one. I think Edilio and Rodger went too. They went to find a new couch or something." We all looked over at the couch in the other room. It was covered in holes and stains.

"Well I guess that makes sense." I nodded in agreement. Looking around the room, I suddenly remembered this was the first Saturday after our classes started. I had a paper to write.

"We should throw a party." Albert looked up from his plate of Pop Tarts.

"Hell fucking yeah." Diana smiled. It was settled.

Quinn and I went out to buy the party supplies. Albert and Diana were in charge of getting people to come, and Sam was in charge of cleaning and organizing (that part wasn't going to work out well). Quinn had a fake ID, but when we got up to the counter with our beers and bottles they didn't even ask for it. With his surfing muscles and weekend shadow, he looked like a thirty year old.

When we got back, Edilio and Sanjit had already replaced the old couch with a chic leather one. It was big enough to fit all of us. Astrid was sitting beside Rodger, looking concerned and appalled as usual.

"A party? I have four exams next week, if I don't start studying now I'll fail. Don't you guys have homework too? I can't be the only one with work around here, there's no way I'm letting this happen."

"Come on Astrid, it'll be fun." Lana was pleading with her, her brown eyes opened wide. Sanjit was standing beside her, his arm slung around her waist.

I was reminded of Briana, and a wave of grief washed over me. Why now? I tried my hardest to force back the feelings, to blink back the tears. Edilio was talking, and I clung to his words and tried to focus on the present.

"We need to make new friends, get known for something other than the FAYZ."

"Not to mention we already messaged like 40 people."

"And I already put an add on CraigsList." Everyone glared at Albert. "Kidding, I'm not crazy."

At around 10:00 the house was set, the drinks out, and people started walking in. Astrid and I stood in the corner together, both a little anxious in the company of so many people we didn't know.

"Do you think everything will be alright?" Astrid looked at me. I glanced around the room, watching Rodger embrace friends and Sanjit shake hands. Sam and Quinn bro-hugged a few guys.

"I hope so."

By 12:00 I had had too much to drink. I felt weightless, like my powers were back on. I walked around the house, watching people I didn't know, trying not to stumble into anyone. I was smiling, giggling, waving to people I had never met before. In the middle of the living room, we had set aside room for dancing. I walked towards the center, my eyes flashing around the room as I tried to regain balance. I felt so free. The alcohol coursing through my veins, I danced with everyone around me. What song was playing? The bass beat in my chest and I moved around the dance floor, feeling like gravity had turned off.

Something was wrong. I looked around, and the room was floating a few inches off the ground; gravity was off. My powers were working. My heart sank. How could this be happening? The room fell again, and I ran through the house, searching for someone, anyone who could tell me what was happening.

I checked every room, my heart still racing. I was weightless again, I was changing the air around me, and I was scared. Not again, not again, not again.

I opened the door to Lana and Sanjit's room. Lana was sitting on her bed, but Sanjit was not beside her, Quinn was. They were making out and I didn't know what to do so I left the room, shutting the door. What was going on? Were my powers back? I didn't know who to tell, what to say. Maybe it was an after effect of the alcohol?

My mind was racing, my heart still beating out of my chest. I ran upstairs to my bedroom, kicking a half naked couple out from Albert's bed. I slammed the door shut. Were my powers back? I tried again, but nothing happened. Was I going crazy? I climbed the ladder to my bed, still dressed, still drunk. My eyes closed almost immediately, and I tried to shut out the night, the gravity, the hookup…