Say Hello For Me

s e v e n t e e n || the party via liam

The sorority house is two blocks away from Liam's apartment, which is located on the border of the university campus. He can hear the music and voices from the end of the meandering street despite the raging laughter of his two friends ringing constantly in his ears.

When the three of them finally reach the house, they see that the ornate wooden door is cracked wide open, an invitation for all passersby to come right in. Intoxicated college students holding red solo cups of alcohol littered across the lawn. Most of them are belching out the lyrics to the pop song blasting inside.

Right as they walk inside, a girl wearing a short, sheer black dress hands Liam a cup of alcohol. As he takes a gulp of the bitter liquid, he can't remember the last time he had beer straight out of a keg. He can't remember the last time he went to a party on campus either. His friends pat him on the back before they leave to make their way around the room.

Wearing a plain black t-shirt and dark denim jeans, Liam blends right in with the crowd. He brushes elbows with the couples moving their connected bodies to the beat as he heads into the backyard, lights flashing spasmodically in his face. The volume of the music makes his heart beat harder. Or maybe it's actually a product of the spiked beer he finished a couple of seconds ago. He can't really tell.

On the way out of the back door, he stumbles headfirst into a tall girl holding three cups of beer in her hands. The alcohol nearly spills out of the cups and onto the floor when they collide. A quick gasp escapes her lips as she steadies herself against the side of the brick house. When Liam looks up through how dark lashes, he sees a pair of expressive brown eyes staring back at him.

"I'm so sorry," the girl apologizes, her fingers carefully tucking her dark curly hair behind her ear. He can't tell if it's blush or natural color in her cheeks. "I really didn't you see there. Did anything get on you?"

They both look down at Liam's dark t-shirt that hugs his arms every time he moves his arms. His eyes shift momentarily to her black stilettos and then his white vans. A strapless, maroon bodycon dress covers her skin.

"No, you're good. Don't even worry about it," he says. "It's probably my fault anyways. I'm a klutz."

"Me too." She laughs, her long curly hair falling back in front of her face. "I almost ran into the glass door on way out here earlier tonight."

Her honesty makes him smile, bringing out a soft chuckle from the back of her throat.

Before Liam can say anything, she comes to the realization that she's openly revealing her embarrassing moments to a complete stranger. "Wait, did I just say that out loud?"

He bites down on his lip as he nods his head slowly.

She waits a couple of seconds, embarrassment flooding her entire body. "It looks like I've completely blown my chances, huh?"

"I wouldn't go that far," he flirts with the pretty girl standing in front of him. "It's probably just a product of those."

His eyes focus on the cups in her hands.

"These two are for my friends," she scrambles to find the words to explain herself, raising her left hand with two cups. "I've been looking for them. I can't find them anywhere."

She places the red cups down on one of the multiple tables that decorate the patio and sits down on the stone bench behind it. Liam watches her pull her dark brown curls behind her shoulders, crossing her legs afterwards.

And maybe it's the alcohol speaking, but Liam surprises himself when he says, "How about I keep you company until they show up then? It looks like you didn't blow your chances after all."

The girl's brown eyes answer before she does. After she surveys her surroundings one more time, she pats the spot next to her, encouraging Liam to sit down. As Liam sits down, he notices the necklace around her neck. The pendant is crafted in the shape of the letter V.