17Silhouette:
the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a light background, esp. in dim light.
"Are you almost ready yet?" Alice bangs against my door as I finish my last curl.
I place the curler down on the counter and turn it off.
With a glance in the mirror, I try assure myself of how good I look.
You've got this.
My hair is curled, my lips are red, and my dress, well, Alice's cheetah dress with the cutout sides, hugs me nicely. I throw on a leather jacket that I had bought in high school but never had anything to pair it with to keep me warm. The winter semester was about to begin, and January in Seattle is windy and cold.
"All set," I announce as I walk into the kitchen to meet the girls.
On the dingy counter of the worn-down house we rent, three shot glasses, filled to the rim with Jack Daniel's, wait for us to start our night.
Rose hands me one and raises hers into the air.
"To President Swan!" We cling our glasses and shoot back the whiskey.
Before the fall semester had ended, the sorority women of the University of Washington elected me as their Panhellenic President.
On top of that, I was interning at a non-profit called Amara that focuses on helping families and children with adoption, foster care, and counseling for pregnant women or parents, though I wouldn't actually be working with any of the families. I was brought on as their marketing intern while I work towards my degree in Communication.
When I first entered UW, I enrolled to major in Journalism, but that option was quickly shot down by my parents who believed it to be a waste of a degree.
"If you want to write, you can do it in your own time. It is not something to waste an education on." My father told me over the phone during my freshman year.
Alice, Rose and I all knew that these next two semester would be crazy busy for me, so we all came back to school a week before classes started to have some fun while we had the chance.
Tonight, we were going to a party in Roosevelt. None of us knew who was actually throwing the party, but Emmett heard about it from some of his frat buddies and it was an open house.
A horn blares from outside and we grab our purses that are each stuffed with our poison of choice: Alice has seven mini bottles of Bacardi, Rose, a bottle of eight dollar vodka that doesn't even fit into her purse, and me, a pink flask (a re-gifted birthday gift from Rose) filled with my favorite-Jack. I'm not much of a drinker, or partier for that matter, but it had been months since I've been to a party, and I was itching for a good, old-fashioned college night out.
"Ladies," Emmett greets from the front seat, clearly having been doing some pregamming on his own. Jasper smiles from the driver's seat as the three of us settle into the back.
Jasper's father was a raging alcoholic who killed himself when Jasper was only twelve. The impact was Jasper refused to drink any alcohol, not even wine with dinner. Though he didn't drink, it didn't stop him from going out with us and having a good time. Jasper was one of those people who could easily have just as much fun as someone who was hammered, without even having a drink.
"Let's get outta here!" Emmett shouts as he turns up the radio and blasts the some pop hit.
~S~
"Do we even know anyone here?" I try to shout to Rose over the blaring dubstep music.
The house we're in is even more run down then ours, but the layout is huge. I still haven't been able to figure out which room leads to what, but I know there's an upstairs that's off-limits and a back porch where two pong tables are set up. The rooms in the front of the house are littered with so many bodies you can barely move. The lights are off and glow lights flash across the makeshift dance floors. The rooms towards the back, are, thankfully, a much more relaxed environment where people are just chilling and talking. This is the area I prefer.
Once upon a time (freshman year), I made sure I always had a guy at my side to grind on or fool around with. Coming out of a small town where you had known everyone your entire life, having endless supplies of men at your demand was like heaven. And boy did I take advantage of the blessing I had been given. After too many hangovers, and more than I would have liked hookups, I finally had enough by sophomore year and stuck to "cleanly" socializing at parties.
"Who cares!" Rose shouts as she takes a swig from her bottle. Emmett had disappeared in attempt to find them clean cups to drink out of, but Rose was more than content to drink straight from the bottle.
"Bella! Rose!" We turn around and see Emmett's frat brother, Alec, standing in the doorway.
"Alec!" We shriek.
Alec opens his arms wide and we run into them. He squeezes his arms around us and doesn't let go.
"How are my favorite DGs?"
Jasper, Emmett and Alec are Tekes and they're our brother fraternity on campus, so we knew their men the best. That's how Rose and Emmett met freshman year and Alice and Jasper sophomore year. I had dated a few of the Tekes, but it was never anything serious and we were always able to stay friends afterwards.
"Glad to see you finally out and about, Bella. The Tekes were missing your shining presence last semester." Alec nudges me.
I laugh. I've missed my boys just as much as they missed me. But I had decided to take the maximum course load while doing an internship, plus extracurricular activities. The only free time I had was for sleeping.
"Yeah, well, I can't make any promises about this semester, either." I take a swig from my flask.
"Oh right, Madame President. Congrats by the way."
"Thanks," I laugh as the alcohol starts to settle.
"Yo, Alec. We're up!" Felix, another Teke, calls from the doorway. Felix and Alec are notorious pong partners at UW and they struggle to find worthy competition. But parties like these usually give them a run for their money (literally) as there are people besides UW students here.
"I'm off, ladies. Stay safe." He kisses us both on the cheeks before running off to play.
"I'm gonna go find Emmett. You good?" Rose asks before she leaves me.
"Good!" I wink as I raise my flask and take another swig of nothing but whiskey.
God I miss nights like these.
Now that I'm alone, I decide to wander to see if I bump into any old faces. I'm not one for small talk, but drunk small talk is a great way to get those uncomfortable conversations out of the way without them feeling like a burden.
"Bella." A voice whispers in my ear.
I spin around and smile wide.
"JAKE!" I throw my arms around him and squeeze tight. Though I'm usually not this friendly with Jacob, the alcohol and my lowered resistance have me tossing my boundaries out the window.
"Wow," Jacob pulls away, laughing. "Someone's definitely been enjoying themselves." He teases as he nudges my flask.
"Hey!" I defend myself. "I'm not drunk, I've just got a happy buzz going. So don't ruin it!" I point a finger at him. He raises his hands up in surrender.
"Wouldn't dare." Jacob flashes me his bright smile.
Jake is a very handsome man with dark skin and even darker hair. People always ask him if he's on the basketball team because of how tall he is. Though Jacob is a Sig-Rho, we've known each other since freshman year and he's always been a friend. He was also elected to IFC this year as VP Greek Relations, which meant I would be seeing a lot more of him.
"Hey, we need another person for flip cup. Care to join?" Jacob asks, but he already knows my answer.
"Jacob Black. What kind of question is that? You know, as well as everyone else, that I am the queen of flip cup. Of course I'll join!"
Jacob laughs and leads me to the kitchen. A dingy plastic table sits in the middle of the small room and four people are lined up on one side, and two, whom I assume to be our teammates, on the other.
"Do you want some beer or are you going to use your own?" Jacob asks as we take our places with our team. I recognize them to also be Sig-Rhos, but I have no idea what their names are.
"Let's see," I tap my finger against my chin, making a show. "Free alcohol, or dip from my own stash?" I incline my head, silently telling Jacob he should already know the answer.
"PBR it is." Jacob opens a can and fills the bottom of my cup before placing the can at my side.
"Bella, you're our anchor. We're counting on you." Jacob nudges me and I slightly lose my balance.
"Please," I snort. "I was born to anchor."
~S~
Five rounds later, I'm done with my beer and celebrated our four out of five wins with shots.
I had long ago lost Jacob and the rest of the familiar faces I knew into the crowd. Even more people had shown up over the last hour and it was nearly impossible to move.
I was currently cornered by some foreign student who had yet to actually tell me his name. All he could talk about was how beautiful I was and how a woman as beautiful as myself deserved a man just as handsome. Each time he would lean in to kiss me, I would duck my head so that he would miss. He didn't seem to understand that I wasn't interested, and I felt too bad to tell him off. It was a problem of mine that Rose constantly tried to work on.
"Who gives a shit if you hurt their feelings? If some dude's being assholes, tell him and walk away with your head held high." She told me.
It was easy for her to say. Though I considered myself an extrovert, I was more on the quiet side and preferred to keep my mouth shut rather than start anything.
Usually someone was around to rescue me in these situations, but I was lost in a sea of strangers.
"I've gotta pee." I shout at him, interrupting his slurred story. He gives me a strange look, but allows me to push past him.
The house is now suffocatingly hot and I have well passed the point of a "happy buzz." I know if I keep going, I will be sleeping in the bathroom tonight.
I'm desperately in need of some fresh air.
I push my way through the crowds and make my way for the back porch.
Felix and Alec are still at one of the tables. Cheers erupt as Felix makes a shot. By the looks of the two of them, they have no idea where they are right now.
As I scan the porch, I spot Rose pushed against the house while Emmett attacks her with his lips and hands. They're clearly past the point of caring about PDA.
I notice a set of stairs by the edge of the porch that lead into the dark yard. Without thinking, I make my way across the porch and down the steps. I take my cellphone out and turn on the flashlight app so that I won't trip and break my ankle on the uneven ground. As I shine my flashlight across the grass, I see some crappy lawn chairs in a semi-circle and realize, for the first time, how badly my feet hurt.
I pick up my pace and plant my ass on the plastic seat.
"Oh god," I moan as I kick off my heels and close my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted.
"That must be a hell of a chair there." I jump as a deep voice startles me. "Calm yourself," he chuckles. "I come in peace." He takes a seat next to me.
"Smoke?" He holds a cigarette out to me.
I look at it, debating. I had smoked for a while. Nothing serious, but just at parties. It's been years since I've had once.
"Sure," I take it from his hands. My fingers brush against his and I quickly pull away. He shocked me! I shake away the tingling feeling in my fingers as I place the cigarette in my lips.
A lighter zips open and I can see his eyes through the flames. I lean forward and place the end of the stick in the flame and puff a few times until it's ignited.
He lights up his own and leans his head back as he exhales. I hold onto the smoke for a moment, happy he has menthols. I like the minty-ness of them. They feel less dirty that way.
"So what brings you out here?" He asks after a pause.
"Escaping men who can't take a hints." This makes him laugh.
"You?" I drag on my cigarette.
"Just needed some quiet." I laugh out my smoke. The house thuds from the music that pumps from inside and the cheers and conversation from the porch carry over into the yard.
"I would hardly call this quiet."
"It's quiet enough." He takes a deep drag. As the butt simmers, I can make out some scruff on his face. I can't see too much, but he seems to have an angular jaw and,what seems like, long hair, but has been styled up.
The conversation falls and, all to quickly, my cigarette is done. I flick it to the ground and pick up my shoe to snub the butt out.
"I should be getting back," I say, suddenly feeling uncomfortable by his silence.
"Should you?" He questions as I reach for my other shoe.
I sit up straight, shoes forgotten. "What's that suppose to mean?"
He chuckles. "What exactly are you getting back to? Drinking yourself dizzy and being hit on by men you have no interest in." He flicks his dead cigarette into the grass.
"You say that like you know me." I cross my arms, feeling offended.
This time, he laughs, deep and strong, down to his core.
"I know enough girls like you. Just another UW sorority chick who thinks she's hot shit. You come off all sweet, but you'll fuck anything with a dick and will judge anyone who isn't is your precious greek life."
I grit my teeth and sit in my chair, seething.
If I could see him, I'd slap him so hard across his face his head would turn.
My sorority, my greek life, they're everything to me. And if there's one thing I hate, it's the stigma of stupid, sleazy, worthless sorority women. Most of the women in my chapter make Dean's list each semester, and sure, I might have fooled around once upon a time, but that hardly makes me a slut.
"Let's get something straight, asshole." I stand from my chair. "You sound like someone who's not good enough to get a woman like me, and therefore, you're jealous and bitter. And what makes you think you're so much better than me? Huh? Because you gave me a cigarette? Well congratu-fucking-lations on being dude of the year." I reach into my pocket and pull out a dollar. I throw it in his face.
"That's for the cigarette." I lean down and pick up my shoes. As I walk past him, with my head held high, I kick out the crappy leg of his chair so that it collapses under him.
"And that's for being a dick." I turn on my heel and walk away, back to the party.
"There you are!" Alice runs into me as I enter the house. "We've been texting you for like thirty minutes. Ready to go?"
I look over my shoulder, feeling uneasy.
Standing in the doorway is a man with a tight jaw, clenched fists, and beautiful green eyes. The look in his eye tells me exactly who he is.
I straighten up and stare right back at him.
"Yeah, let's go." I say to Alice without looking at her. The staring contest has begun, and no way in hell am I going to back down first.
"Uh, Bella." Alice waves her hand in front of me and forces me to break my concentration. "Are you okay?" She looks towards the guy in the doorway. "Who's he?"
I look back at him. He now wears a tight smirk, knowing he's won. I bite my lip in frustration and turn away.
"No one. Let's go." I grab her arm and we head out.
Jasper, Emmett and Rose are already waiting in the car. Alice takes the front and I sit in the back, next to a sleepy Emmett and a passed out Rose.
~S~
I've never been so happy to be home.
I immediately kick off my shoes and drop my jacket to the floor. I'm too tired, and still a bit too drunk, to care about the mess I'm making.
After I change into my pajamas, I climb into my bed.
I snuggle into my blankets and reach for my phone to turn on my music so I can sleep. My hands gropes the end table, but finds nothing. Figuring I've lost it in my sheets, I throw off my covers and search my bed, but come up empty.
Jacket!
I jump out of bed and grab my discarded jacket from the floor. I search the pockets, but still find nothing.
"SHIT!" I groan. I must have left it at the party. The last time I had it was in the yard. That asshole must have made me forget to grab it.
Dick.
Hopefully one of the Tekes knows whoever threw the party and I can ask them tomorrow to ask the house owners if they found a phone.
Too tired and drunk to worry myself, I climb into bed and fall asleep.
Panhellenic: The governing body of all sororities on a campus. Run by students in sororities
IFC (Inter-Fraternity Council)-Governing body of all fraternities on campus. Run by students in fraternities
DG-Delta Gamma
Tekes-Tau Kappa Epsilon
Sig-Rho-Sigma Beta Rho
I'm also looking for a BETA who is quick with response time. All I need is just a second set of eyes to catch stupid mistakes I miss. I read through each chapter 2-3 times, but there's also something I miss. So if you're interested. PM me!
Also, I do not attend UW or are from Seattle or anywhere even close to Washington. I'm going off research I'm doing on the school and areas so I apologize if it's not accurate.