Forelsket

Friday came by in a hurry. I’m not exactly sure how I’d managed to get through Thursday art history without being dropped from the class, but I figured it had something to do with showing up early enough to sit as far away from that kid as possible.

After I’d finished my classes for the day and grabbed a bite to eat, Gabby and Annalie wasted no time in hauling me back to our dorm room to start getting ready.

“Guys, it’s only six, do we really need to start getting ready now?” The two had been sat on Gabby’s bed talking intently about beepers and who to solicit for alcohol when I spoke. All conversation stopped and they turned to look at me.

“Keelyn, you’re joking right?” I just shrugged meekly before Annalie got off of the bed and came to sit next to me, opening up her notebook to show me a list.

“We’re not just using the next four and a half hour to get dolled up, we’re also trying to figure out a ride, pregaming, and how this banner rendezvous is actually going to get pulled off.”

I picked up the notebook and analyzed what she had scribbled onto the page. “Well,” I looked up at her quizzical eyes, “Doesn’t Cara know a beeper?”

“Cara as in 237 Cara?”

“Yeah, I mean she’s right down the hall and if we go ask her for his number now I’m sure we can get it before she leaves. Hell, maybe even catch a ride with her and split the beeper costs.” Annalie mauled over the idea for a moment before smiling.

“Yeah that could work. Didn’t we use him last year? He had a funny name, what was it? Ashby? Ashton?”

“Ashba!” Gabriela piped in.

“Yeah that was it.” Annalie nodded. “Okay so we have a ride there covered, but what about the banner and booze?”

I slide from my bed to the floor where I lifted up my duvet and rummaged around between some containers. I pulled out a small box that my electric kettle came in and looked up at the two of them with a grin. “Fabulous Keels, but a hot cup of tea isn’t exactly what I was thinking of.”

“Patience, young padawan.” I cooed as I opened the box and revealed a handle of Grey Goose. I could hear their jaws drop as I pulled it out, along with two smaller bottles of Absinthe. “Remember when I went to Spain over the summer? Well I could legally drink there, so I bulked up when my parents weren’t looking. It only seems appropriate to break these out now.”

There was some cheering before Annalie ran across the shared bathroom into her half of the suit-style dorm we shared, and back again. She carried with her some of the limitless number of glasses her “Big” had given her upon joining Phi Mu last year. We cracked the bottles, found a few chasers in our fridge and began concocting a sure-fired plan to get us the coveted Delta Chi banner.

Two hours passed and as our blood alcohol levels rose, our ideas took a nose dive. One after another we would find a flaw and scrap it. What we needed was a flawless plan, something that would get us in and out inconspicuously. Something fun, something risky, something…”I got it!” I sprang up from my sprawled out position on the carpet. “This is what we’re going to do.” I’m not sure if the grin I gave as I finished just looked drunk or mischievous, but I was going for the latter.

Ashba arrived just on time at 10:30. The night air was cool, but not cold and I was glad that Gabby had talked me out of bringing a jacket. Though, as we stood on the cement of the parking lot waiting for him, I wish she had also talked me out of the heels I adjourned my feet with--I could tell I’d be nursing blisters for the next two weeks already.

“Thanks for picking us up again,” I said as we climbed into the back of his Silverado. He nodded in the dark and told us not to worry about it. “How much’s the charge? Three a head?” He waved his hand as if swatting such a thought out through the windshield.

“For friends of Cara, you can just give me ten to cover there and back.” I loved Cara, it should have been three dollars per person per way but because Ashba was in love with her all you had to do was drop her name and he’d cut you the best deal possible just to stay in her good graces.

“Looks like we just saved eight bucks.” Gabby drunkenly giggled and in the dark of the van I adjusted the hem of my black skirt. According to her, my paint-splattered flannels weren’t going to cut it at a frat party because unlike last year when I had a boyfriend, I was 'actually looking for someone now'. I’d given her full reign over me for the night because I was already too buzzed to draw a straight wing on my eyelid. She wasted no time tearing apart my closet until she found the skirt I currently sat trying to keep over my ass and a minty bustier that was covered by a sheer cream crop top. “You want to say ‘Hey, I’m available,’ just not ‘Hey, I’m a skank.’” Frankly, I hadn’t seen the difference as I looked in the mirror while she tousled my hair, but since they were both seasoned partygoers I felt it best to take her advice.

We pulled up to the Delta Chi house after about 20 minutes of driving. It was relatively far off campus as all houses at my university were due to lack of campus housing, but nobody minded. It just meant longer and harder parties with less police interference. The headlights caught on the big ΔΧ letters as we parked, paid Ashba and walked towards the porch. Before we went to the doorkeeper Annalie pulled us to the side and we went over the plans again. “Gabby you can be lookout,” She assigned, Gabby giving a spacy nod, “And Keelyn you can distract the guy while I grab the—“

“Whoa wait why do I have to do it?” I objected.

“Because Gabriella’s already too drunk to stop herself from finishing the job with a guy if you know what I mean, and I’m the only one in a sorority to actually know what I’m looking for.”

“It’s a banner with big Delta Chi letters on it, it’s not exactly an I Spy riddle.”

“Come on Keelyn,” She put her hand on my shoulder, “Take one for the team. Besides, these guys are hot and you need to get yourself back out there.” I sighed in compliance as she drug us to the door. The boy standing there looked us over, smiled and showed us inside. He had been relatively attractive so maybe Annalie was right; maybe this wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

Boy do I have a habit of misreading situations.