Given Time

♡14♡

After a quick drive, we pull up to a large house that displays the Alpha Delta Phi sign in huge green letters. The lawn is bright-green, and the hedges are freshly cut. The fraternity house looks exactly as I imagined it would, and I just hope it's as nice on the inside.

A few people are already standing outside, holding red plastic cups, and the front door is wide open, blasting out music. I suddenly feel out of my depth.

"Are there going to be a lot of people coming tonight?"

"It's a house party, Leah. So it's going to be packed." She giggles at my naivete, then gets out of the Mazda, pulling the passenger seat forward so I can jump out.

I still somehow manage to bump my head on the car for a second time, and I give my head a little rub to ease the pain away.

As we walk down the paved path to the front door, I can feel my pulse accelerate. Zara notices my unease and puts her arm around me as we walk.

"Don't fret, Leah, you're going to have loads of fun when you get in, and you're with me, so nothing bad is gonna happen." I feel reassured by her comforting words.

When we enter the house, I'm immediately surrounded by students, and I feel as if I'm trapped in an endless sea of people. There's noise coming from everywhere, and I can feel the floor vibrate from the sounds of the deafening music. I have never felt more claustrophobic than I do at this moment. Thankfully, Zara keeps a tight grip on my hand and slowly leads me through the throng of people, to the back of the house where it's quieter. I turn to look for Jake, but he's been swallowed up by the crowd, and I can no longer see him.

We eventually make it to the kitchen, and Zara walks straight over to one of the vacant kegs and grabs two empty cups, filling them up to the brim.

"Here," she says passing one to me before she drinks her own.

I'm not really into beer, but I could do with a slight buzz to calm my nerves. As I take a sip, I can feel the bitter taste slide down my throat, which isn't pleasant, but at least it's drinkable.

I follow Zara back through the house, keeping my eyes fixed on her dark-gray mini dress so I don't lose her in the crowd. I do my best to dodge the masses of bodies, and as I pass by them, I can feel the heat radiating off them and can smell their body odor. I hold my cup above my head so it doesn't get hit and then eventually wind up in the living room, where I spot Jake sitting in one of the armchairs, having a deep conversation with Tanner on the couch next to him. Tanner doesn't know I'm here yet, but his "friend" sitting right up against him does.

A girl with silver hair wearing an incredibly low-cut sequin top is eyeing me suspiciously after noticing that I was looking straight at Tanner. She gives a sly smile and moves in closer to him, placing a hand on his thigh. I avert my eyes and examine the rest of the room.

My attention quickly deviates to a very handsome guy with chestnut-brown hair who rises gracefully from his seat and strolls over to me. His face looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I have seen him before.

"Hey. You're the girl who shouted at Tanner at the coffee shop."

Oh no. I knew his face looked familiar.

My face whitens and I stumble over my words.

He flashes a megawatt smile and pats my arm. "Relax. I like a girl who stands up for herself. It's Leah, right?"

I nod my head and take a sip of my drink, too nervous to speak.

"I'm Eddie. Is this your first year at Berkeley?" I notice he is trying to subtly check me out, and I think to myself that Zara's makeover on me has worked its magic.