BU

I was sitting there, listening to the sociology professor drone on. I honestly have no idea what this class was about. I know I was suppose to be the smartest girl back in Sydney but Sociology just wasn't my thing, Psychology maybe. I was on the verge of falling asleep when I felt something hit my head. I glanced at the floor and saw a paper ball laying at my feet. I unrumpled it and it said "Look at your phone dipshit -Liv" I took my phone out of my bag and read my text messages. I had about 10 from Liv all received in the same minute, man that girl had lighting thumbs. I opened the application and opened Liv's thread. I scrolled to the beginning and read them.

"Guess what."
"We got invited to a party."
"You'll never guess where."
"Five Beta Capa Pi invited us to a party on the Art Building's roof."
"Lily"
"Lil"
"Li"
"I swear if you don't look at your phone I'm throwing a textbook at your head."
"Lilyan Rose Macintosh. How are you not knowing your phone is going off."
"Gosh you're stupid. You asked for it. 3.2.1"

I decided to ignore how my best friend called me stupid and focus on how we got invited to the least "Frat Boy" Fraternity on campus. These boy's were the unorthodox Frat Boys. They were in a Fraternity but weren't douche bags. The didn't wear cargo shorts, and sports jerseys or polo's, with baseball caps, and they weren't big and buff sports boys who did nothing except play beer pong. These boys were way better. They wore skinny jeans, cut off graphic tee's, band shirts, Converse, Vans, Doc Martin's, Flannel shirts, snap backs back wards, beanies, they have tattoo's, weird hair color's, they can be douche bags, but when they are it's sexier. Five Beta Capa Pi are probably the hottest, most fun Fraternity at Baltimore University, and we got invited. My heart started to flutter. I know I was 20 years old and in my third year at BU, but I had never been to a Five Beta Capa Pi party, I'd been invited to all the other Greek House party's but never Five Beta Capa Pi.

"Girl we are going" I texted Liv.
"No duh" she responded back in seconds.

The teacher dismissed class. I started to gather my things, to leave. "Girl we are so about to party it up tonight." I heard Liv behind me. "Like we're about to get our drunk on." she did this weird dance move, that I assumed was "raising the roof" I looked at her, my friend, with her white hair that had a blue tint on the top layer, she wore the shortest high wasted black pleated skirt and a white crop top with a cat face on it. Her thick plat formed booted feet, shuffling in her odd dance fashion. I had word's to decribe Olivia, but I loved her odd personality.

"Liv calm your tit's." I told her, "You need to take your brain out of park and put it in drive, think Liv." I tried to make her be rational on occasion, "What time is the party?"

"Uh," she paused to think, she pulled out her phone to check a text or something, "It is at 9 tonight."

"Where is the party? Art Building right?"

"Yes on the roof." Her smile grew at the thought.

"Okay if it's at nine tonight and it's one o'clock now we have like eight hours to get back to our apartment and get ready, then get back on campus for the party." She was still jumping around in her skin. "Olivia calm down." I said and started toward the quad.

I entered the foliage covered courtyard known as the quad. I immediately sat down on the bench next to the door so I could relax under the overcast skies. 'AAAAHHH!" I heard Olivia scream, her voice faded as I saw her running, toward a pizza vendor cart some distance away from Behavioral Science building. I have never witnessed this girl run so fast except when pizza was involved. I sat and waited as she bought her pizza. She made her way back, with a slice for me, too. She sat and handed me my barbeque pizza with bacon and pineapple on it. We sat and ate our slices making our weird sex noises as the deliciousness hit our taste buds.

"I'm surprised you didn't get yelled at this time, for running." I said in between bites.

"Well Mr. Asshole wasn't around today. He's probably being a douche and giving all his students F's like he gives me on every assignment." She said with a mouth full of pizza.

"Okay the reason he give's you F's is because you either don't do the work or you bull shit everything on it."

"Ouch, burn you want to give some lotion to sooth it?" her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Not really." We laughed simultaneously.

We had finished our pizza and got up to walk off the point zero one calories of those five hundred and something, we just ingested. Olivia cleared her throat, "Lil you're staring again." She pointed out. I was confused at that, she noticed my facial expression, "Um, you know." She gestured her head toward where I was supposedly staring. There he sat. The intriguing boy I had ever seen in my life. He sat under the biggest oak tree in the quad, writing or doodling in a notebook, listening to music with earbuds in, like he always did. "Yeah I know your routine girl. You sit at that bench for about fifteen minutes then you get up and walk toward that tree so you can stare at Mr. Emo." she said like Captain Obvious. "As your best friend I triple thousand dog dare to go talk to him."

"I'll do I tomorrow."

"No. He could die tonight and not be there tomorrow and you'll hate yourself for not talking to him today. Go. Do. It." she put her foot down, as the best friend.

She gave me a literal push toward him. I didn't know anything about "Mr. Emo" except where he sat everyday at one thirty. My feet where moving as if some outside force was doing it for me. My sight was growing closer to him. His bright red hair pulling me in, as if a magnet. Before I knew it I was standing right in front of him. I could see more of his features now than at the distance I usually was at. He had a piercing on his left eyebrow, his hair was redder than I thought, it was so bright, so fluorescent, so fire truck. His lips were so plump, but not Kylie Kardashian plump, naturally plump, the kind you would love to kiss. He had a little bit of dark stubble, as if he had shaved yesterday and his facial hair was already growing back. His black long sleeve shirt was rolled up slightly below his elbow and I could make out a tattoo beneath. His black skinny jeaned legs pulled up to support his notebook, his knees showing through the slits. My heart was beating as fast and hard as Thumper's foot in Bambie. He looked up, noticing that I was blocking the overcast skies from his vision darkening his day even more. He gave me a look similar to a "go the fuck away" stare and "who is this girl" expression of intrigue.

I sat down by his side, bending my legs beneath me. "Hi-ya." I said, sounding like a dork. "Watcha drawing, writing...uh.. doing..'" I began to stumble over my words.

He smirked, but didn't seemed annoyed which was good. "I'm writing." he said pointedly. "Poetry, songs, stuff like that." I looked at his notebook, noticeably warn, with very little paper, as if he had torn out so many pages of paper, with songs or something not worthy to be kept.

"I have a ton of notebooks like that. I write poetry, and short stories and songs, but the songs I write I don't sing, I suck. My friend is the one who can play every instrument you put in front of her and has the voice of a Siren." I started to say. "She's the one that sings my songs. I post them on my YouTube channel."

He looked at me with a face of impression, I had no clue if it was at the fact that I wrote songs, had a YouTube channel, or if it was at how talented I was describing Olivia. We sat for two or three seconds in some weird silence. I looked to my right to see Olivia no where. She had abandoned me. Well that bitch was going to get an ear full before the party.

"So what's that tattoo?" I pointed at his arm. He pulled up his sleeve to reveal two arm bands beneath some odd symbol and another arm band above it. The bottom band was a solid black, the one above it was black as well but there were two breaks in the color shaped like long arrows the points facing in on each other, and the one above the symbol was black as well but at one point it split into thin lines with in the band. "What is that symbol?" I asked.

"It's from Final Fantasy, that's a video game," He started to explain, "it means home."

"I know what Final Fantasy is. I thought that looked familiar. One of the characters has it in necklace form right?"

His face lit up with excitement that I knew that. "Yeah."

My face then lit up with a realization, "Wait you have an accent." I pointed out. "I didn't even notice. Where are from?"

He chuckled as if he should have realized, but didn't, " Riverstone in Sydney," a smile started to form on his full lips, "You?''

I laughed a little, "I'm from Birchgrove in Sydney. Oh my God, that's why we didn't notice. We talked like we were back in Australia, because people here always notice our accents and we have the same one so, yeah." I tried to explain.

"I understand what you're trying to say." He laughed saving me from my own ramble.

"What's your name?" I asked going into investigator mode.

"Michael Clifford."

"Lilyan Macintosh. Huh, what school did you go to?"

"Norwest Christian College."

"Oh I went to Birchgrove High School. Yeah we were like an hour away from each other, in two different suburbs. We were both in New South Wales region but not in the same school district. So that makes sense." I explained putting two and two together. He nodded his head, understanding. "So when did you move to the states?"

He took a deep breath. "About four years ago, with my mom. I don't even remember why. We just packed up, got on a plane landed in New York and stayed. I moved to Baltimore about three years ago to come to BU. What about you? When did you move to the U.S.?"

"About three years ago, to go to BU. I got the highest scores at Birchgrove, along with the highest GPA. I could go anywhere in the world, and get a full scholarship, but I chose Baltimore University."

"If you could have gone anywhere in the world, why come here?" His voice full of confusion with an expression that said 'are you stupid?'

"Why did you come to BU?" I answered his question with one of my own.

"I asked you first." Touché Michael.

''I came to Baltimore because of the creativity that was suppose to be in abundance on the campus, the inspiring professors, and the effervescent student body.'' I spoke as if quoting the website. "Also the fact that this school has the best Audio Engineering program.''

He nodded listening to me speak. "So you want to be a Music Producer?" I nodded. "I came here for a similar reason. This college has the best Music program in the country." He looked at his phone to check the time, causing me to glance at my Darth Vader watch, about thirty minutes had passed.

"Dang I got to go. It's fifteen passed two o'clock. I have to get ready." I started to get up.

"Get ready?'

"Yeah my friend and I got invited to a Five Beta Capa Pi party tonight." I said.

''Oh okay well that's not till nine. You have, like seven-ish hours till then."

"Yeah but when I say get ready I mean help my best friend get ready. She takes about three hours to get her hair perfect... Wait how do you know what time the party is?" I asked.

"I'm in Five Beta Capa Pi." He stated simply, with a wink. "See you tonight.' He said as he stood up. On his feet he towered over me at about six feet tall, I was only about five foot six inches.

I nodded and mumbled the words back as I backed away to leave. I walked stuck in my own thoughts on the way to my car. I approached my beat up powder blue Honda, and saw Olivia sitting in the passenger seat rocking out, my car was running. I dug for my key's and couldn't find them. I yanked my driver side door open, scaring her. "You little twat." I glared at her innocent expression. "You took my keys out my purse." I pointed at the object dangling in the ignition.

She nodded proudly, "That's what pick pockets do. I knew you were going to be with Mr. Emo for awhile and you're my ride home and I wasn't going to sit in a metal heat box, and dye of a stroke induced my boredom so you could have your little love connection." She stated as if it was no big deal.

"Fine. But you're paying for gas the next time I fill up." She shrugged.

"Anyways, how'd it go? Did you get his number? His address, plan's for a hook up?" I shook my head. "Well tell me you at least got his name if nothing better."

''Yes I got his name."

"Weeelll." She dragged out the word.

"Michael Clifford, and he's from Sydney." I revealed. She gasped as a response. "Yeah," I nodded, "but he went to Norwest Christian College in Riverstone. We were in Birchgrove. So he was like an hour away."

"How'd he end up here?"

"His mom packed them up four years ago and moved to New York, then he came to Baltimore three years.'' I heard her make a sound of astonishment. "oh and guess what." she responded giving me the go ahead, "He is in Five Beta Capa Pi."

''No fucking duh, Lil." she said.

"What does that mean?"

"Dude he is the epitome of Five Beta Capa Pi, and he's the one that invited us, stupid."

I slammed on the breaks as we approached the stop light. Olivia whipped forward as we stopped, her seat belt preventing her from hitting her head on the dash board. "Say that again." I dared her to speak.

"He is the one that invited us." She saw my anger and where my mind was going. "Don't worry he's not interested in me. He invited us because of you. He noticed that purple hair for the past few months as you've walked by. He knows you stare every day. Therefore he knows me as your bestfriend so, he came to me to invite us is exact words were 'Tell that friend of yours with the purple hair and septum ring, she better be there, if not don't bother coming' Not to make him sound douchie but it was more seducie like he wanted to seduce you through me kind of thing." She started to ramble, speaking so fast, some of her words began to ran together, as to save this not yet existing romance from dwindling.

I immediately burst into laughter. I had begun to think about the possibility that he liked her not me, but the way Olivia explained how that was not the case was hilarious. She was so desperate for me not to mad and think the worst. "Liv, again calm your tit's. It's okay." We were driving again, and we rounded the corner into our apartment building's parking lot. I found a parking space near our door, on the first floor. I took the key's out of the ignition and shoved them in my purse, making sure the were really in there so Olivia couldn't get them as easily, before she stopped me.

"Okay, listen." I paused as I was opening the car door. "When we get to the party we are both splitting up to hook up." She held out her pinky for a promise. "Promise Lily. If you don't we're not going and you won't see Mr. Emo."

I wrapped pinkies with her. "Michael." I said as I smiled at her, rolling my eyes.

"Who cares." She laughed, getting out of the car.

......................................................

Staring at the mirror, with doubts seemed to be a constant thing when a boy was involved, when it came to girls, but I was twenty, and I didn't have that problem. If I wanted I would go in my bleach stained joggers and a ratty band tee and gross Converse, no make up, on a date and not give a shit. This time I had actually thought about that except actually wearing make up, but then I thought against it, more Olivia gave me a disgusted look when I walked into the bathroom about to do my make up. She made me change. So while she was still perfecting her scene hair, I was standing in the mirror proud of my sexiness.

My purple hair was in the cutest messy bun, I was wearing joggers, but they didn't have bleach stains, they were black and perfect, with a plain white wife beater. I put on my dirty maroon high top Converse, and I multiple rubber bracelets, along with my Darth Vader watch, and skull pendant. I made sure my septum ring and gauges were in place and walked into the bathroom to check on Olivia.

She was finally putting the finishing touches on her hair. It made it easy that we always did our make up and hair after we got dressed because then I would have to wait even longer on this girl. "I still can't believe you're wearing that to the party." she said. "Granted it's better than you're bleached camo sweats and you're tie dye kitten Godzilla shirt, but still."

"Hey it wasn't kitten Godzilla, that's my pajama shirt, it was a My Chemical Romance, and at least I look some what normal."

"Hey I'm a pastel Emo, what do you expect?"

"And I'm punk rock so?"

"Whatever don't judge."

"I'm not the one judging. You're wearing joggers too."

She scoffed, "No I'm not. They are regular skinny jeans with a floral pattern." She lifted her head in pride. I looked closely at her outfit. She was right. They were jeans with a floral pattern. She also wore a grey, little bit oversized t-shirt with the words "Satan Worships Me" in black letters with a rainbow pentagram underneath. She hadn't yet put on her shoes, but I knew she was going to were her platform booties.

A few moments later around nine forty five we finally left. We took naps after we ate when we got home so we would wake up in time to be ready just as the party was in full swing, hopefully. We were jamming in the car ride, which was only ten minutes long, on the way to the campus.

My heart was racing all the way to the school, on the walk to the art building, and it felt like it was going to explode in my chest as we climbed the stairs to waste time on the way to the roof, five flights of stairs didn't help my breathing any. Why was the art building five stories tall? I don't know I just tried to control my lungs as we climbed those last steps to the roof. I thought my heart was pounding in my ears as well as my chest but it was just the music reverberating off the walls, from how loud it was. The door to the roof was cracked with a brick, so people could leave, because it was locked from the inside if you shut it all the way.

Walking through the threshold, onto the roof was like Alice falling through the rabbit whole into Wonderland. The alcohol was saying drink me, the pot brownies saying eat me, helping me open the door to a colorful, exciting, and intriguing place. The music was so loud and eclectic. There was a plethora of artists on the play list, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Good Charlotte, Justin Bieber, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, Fall out Boy, Nickelback, Saving Abel, A Day To Remember, gosh and so much more. The night went on and every song that played caused so many different reactions, but each reaction was a good one, but each dance was different, but everybody danced. I checked my watch and saw that it was half past midnight. I had mingled with almost every Five Beta Capa Pi boy there and not one had been Michael. Every time I saw Olivia she was flirting with a different dude but using a different pick up. Sometimes she was "drunk", or playing stupid, or really smart, or acting "intrigued", in hopes to get laid. She was a player, but when I looked at her this time she was really drunk, but the guy she was with seemed interested in her. Not in a way that he would take advantage, but in the way he wanted to get her away from the solo cup and get her to safety. She kept leaning on him and messing up his bandana that was wrapped around his messy chesnut hair.

I walked over to the two of them to check on her, "Liv are you okay?" I asked, she nearly fell on me when I did.

"I'm fine." she slurred.

I rolled my eyes. "Hi I'm Lilyan, the best friend." I put my free hand, that wasn't supporting Olivia, out for him to shake.

"Ashton." He said with a shy smile. 'I'm the 'prospect'" he said putting the words in air quotes.

I chuckled, "I have no idea what I'm going to do with her. She just can't handle her liquor." I said. I felt her hit my back three times. One time was, I'm drunk. Two times was, I'm not that drunk. Three times was, I'm not drunk at all, obviously because I can hit you three times. I rolled my eyes internally. I can't believe this girl was such a good actress.

"You know I honestly don't think she's drunk. I think she's just fucking with you." I told Ashton. She hit me hard in my spine. I jump slightly, trying to hide it.

"Yeah I know. She's a terrible actress. I've been watching her jump from guy to guy and she never once took a sip from her cup. She just been dumping a little out over the ledge." He said. I burst into laughter as she stood up straight and scoffed.

"You little prick!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's the truth." he said.

"Wait you've been watching me all night?" Her mood instantly changing from pissed off to flattered. I took that as my cue to leave. I did and started to scan the room for Mr. Emo. It seemed his red hair was no where to be found. Just has my heart filled with disappointment again, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked to my left and saw nobody. I turned to my right and saw Michael giggling, I'd fallen for that fake out tap on he shoulder. Immediately I saw he was wearing a beanie. No wonder I didn't see him, I was looking for his hair, not him.

I pushed him, flirtingly. "I didn't think you showed up." I said being honest.

He gave me this look of confusion, "Why wouldn't I come to my own Frat's party?"

"I didn't know it was mandatory."

"It is when you planned it," I nodded in understanding, "and you're the President." He laughed at my mouth dropping. "I know a Junior, President of a Fraternity, but it happens when you're that awesome." He laughed at his cockiness. " But yeah, The Senior that was President this year, got expelled last month, I was VP so I got bumped up." He smiled proud of his accomplishment.

"Wow some achievement. So are you going to be President your Senior year?" I asked intrigued.

"If I want or I could step down and let my VP become Prez like he's suppose to."

"Who's your VP?"

"Uh, he's tallish, he's got blond hair in the most perfect quaff. He has a lip piercing." I shook my head, not knowing who he was talking about. "Luke Hemmings, he's my VP. It was between him and Ashton Irwin, but Ashton didn't want to so I was stuck with Luke." He smiled.

"Well that solves the problem." I giggled.

"You look pretty." he said bluntly.

"Thanks." I said shyly. "You you're not so bad yourself."

He nodded in appreciation, "Hey you want to dance?" I nodded. He took my hand as A Thing Called Love by the Darkness switched to My First Kiss by 3OH!3. We began to dance through the chorus, writhing to the "Ooooh, ooooh, oooh's" and "She won't ever get enough's".

As we danced through the rest of the song, I guy with a lip piercing and perfect blonde quaff, which by the way Michael described Luke Hemmings, made me think this was him, approached us. "You dance hot." He said trying to pick me up.

I gave him this ludicrous expression. He put up his hands in surrender and started to back away. "Yeah, you better waddle away like a penguin." Michael said as Luke began to retreat.

"Mickey!" he exclaimed. "I didn't see you there. In your beanie, you don't stand out like the LED light your hair resembles." he said playfully.

"Dude you are so lucky you're my friend and VP or I'd kick your ass." Michael said.

"Yeah..." Luke spoke in a small voice, you couldn't hear it above the music.

"Hey are you Australian too?" I asked once I noticed the accent.

"Yeah. I was in an exchange program my first year, but after my Freshman year at Baltimore I just moved here. Don't ask me how the exchange thing works in college, it's been two years, I don't remember, cause I never got exchanged back." Luke smiled at his not funny joke.

"Yeah, I'm from Sydney, I lived to Birchgrove. Where'd you live?"

"I'm from Riverstone. I went to Norwest Christian College. I was in the same year as Michael. We actually hated each other till like our last three years, before Michael left his last year."

I nodded, "So that's why you stayed in Baltimore, Michael?" I asked.

Luke nodded and pointed at me while holding a finger on his nose, in a charades fashion. "Ashton Irwin, I don't know if you've met him. He's a Senior this year, he was a year ahead of us at Norwest as well, he moved to Washington D.C. five years ago, and transferred to BU about two years ago." He nodded.

I actually met an Ashton earlier. Is he wearing a bandana?" I asked. They both nodded. "Wow, that's cool. I didn't even notice his accent. It must be really faded after five years in the states."

"Eh, I guess. There is actually one other guy who goes here that went to Norwest, who was in our year, but he's like BU's soccer star, he's not in Five Beta." Michael said.

"How did he end up here? On a soccer scholarship, I assume, of all things?" I asked.

"I don't know, we don't talk to him. We just know he's here. We saw a picture with his name on one of those TV's in the financial aid office." Luke explained.

I never knew there were so many Aussies at this school. For some reason I felt this calm sensation come over me. Similar to a feeling of being home after so long.

As we partied the night away, I had the time of my life that night on the rooftop of the art building, feeling like I was on top of the world.