by M L Sparrow
But the drugs were another issue all together…
“I can’t believe I didn’t realize you were smoking cannabis.”
Tensing, Riley turned to look at her over one shoulder, mascara brush hovering around her face. “I’m really sorry,” she said sincerely, turning to face the mirror once more, “I didn’t even think about your asthma.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not,” she exclaimed, abandoning her beauty routine entirely and turning to face her. “Parker was right, this is your room too, I should have been more considerate. You’re my friend.”
“Okay, well, just make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Chloe shuddered as a sudden thought popped into her head, “Plus, I really don’t want to be arrested. They’d probably send me back home and it’s wet in England. I like it here.”
Riley laughed, a small half-hearted sound, but a laugh nonetheless and Chloe felt a little better.
“You know drugs aren’t going to do you any good? They’re only going to mess up your life,” she said softly.
“You sound like my sister,” Riley huffed, “it’s not like I’m addicted or anything. I just dabble occasionally, you know, for fun.”
Nodding, though she didn’t really understand, or approve, Chloe curled a strand of hair around one finger, as she worked up the courage to ask her next question. “Did you and Joey breakup?”
Perfectly shaped eyebrows pulling together, Riley frowned in confusion. “No, why would you think that?”
“Errr… because the guy whose bare arse I got a good look at last night definitely wasn’t him.”
“Oh, yeah. I really need to remember to put a sock on the door or something. We need a code. Though I wouldn’t mind walking in on you and Parker… I bet he’s got a great butt…”
He really did, but they were getting off topic. “So, that other guy...” she left the sentence hanging, nudging the conversation in the right direction.
“Can’t remember his name. Don, or Dave or something. But anyway, Joey and I have an open relationship. It’s not like he’s not screwing other girls as well.”
“And you don’t mind that?” Chloe asked incredulously. She didn’t mean to judge, but her mind just couldn’t wrap itself around a relationship like that. What would be the point of it? What did either party get out of it, except meaningless sex?
Shrugging, Riley answered, “It’s a bit of fun, it’s easy. We’re not going to get married, settle down and pop out five kids.”
Chloe still didn’t get it, but she decided to just let it go. Standing up, she started gathering clean clothes and quickly ducked into the bathroom to change out of last night’s dress, tossing it into the washing basket at the foot of her bed when she came back out. While she had been changing, Riley had pulled out a text book and begun studying, something she didn’t do often.
Deciding to do the same, Chloe sat at her desk and flipped open her notebook, turning to the notes she’d taken in her last Literature class. However, she hadn’t even flipped the lid off her pen when Riley closed her book with a snap and asked, “So, I’m guessing you stayed with Parker last night?”
“Yes,” she tried to answer casually, but the smile in her voice was obvious and Riley jumped off her bed, bounding over onto Chloe’s.
“You slept with him, didn’t you?” she screeched, bouncing on her knees.
Chloe grinned, “Yep.”
“Finally!” Squealing in delight, Riley leant over to grab her in a tight hug, squeezing until she couldn’t breathe. “What took you so long? Was he good? I bet he was amazing. Tell me all about it. Did he take his hat off, I’ve never seen him without it? Is his butt as nice as I’m imagining? How about his abs?” Drawing back, she fanned herself with one hand, sighing, “Parker is smoking hot.”
Laughing, Chloe shook his head, but she couldn’t help agreeing. “I’m not going to go into the gory details, but yes it was good, better than good. Not that I have anything to compare it too.”
“What?” Riley’s voice lowered to a whisper, as if it were a government secret, “You were a virgin until last night?” Chloe’s blush was all the answer she needed. “I can’t believe it. Wow, we have to celebrate!” Before she could open her mouth to protest, Riley was on a roll. “There’s a big party on at the Beta house tonight, we should go. Drink and dance…”
“What, like every other night?” Chloe smirked.
Riley rolled her eyes, taking the sarcastic comment in her stride. “It’ll be great fun. I’ll even let you bring Parker if you must.”
“So considerate of you,” she replied dryly, as her roommate continued onwards like a steamroller.
“Just don’t invite my sister, I seriously can’t put up with her right now. She’s so high and mighty. And what the hell is going on with her a Jet? They’re not together, if they were I hope he wouldn’t be checking out my boobs every time I see him, but he still does everything she says like a doting puppy.”
Chloe didn’t think Jet was quite that much of a pushover, he was just very laid back, and she also didn’t think Terri had been out of order telling her sister to stop doing drugs. Of course, she could have been a bit more tactful, but that wasn’t the kind of person Terri was; she was blunt and brutally honest.
Instead of saying that though, she just shrugged, keeping her thoughts to herself and replying, “I suppose we could go to the party for a little while, I’ll ask Parker.”
Groaning, Riley whined, “Please don’t turn into one of those girls who gets a boyfriend and then has to ask his permission for everything, or worse, can’t do anything without him.”
“I won’t,” she assured her, “I’m just going to see if he wants to come and anyway,” – she shot her friend a narrow eyed, warning look – “I’ll need someone to help carry you home if you drink too much like last time.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Riley sighed. “I guess he does have his uses.”
Now it was Chloe’s turn to roll her eyes, a little laughter slipping out.
After managing to get in a couple of hours studying, Chloe called it quits; she couldn’t think with Riley dancing around the room to some upbeat girl band anyway. Snapping her laptop shut, she sighed, stretching her arms up over her head, the muscles in her shoulders unknotting.
It felt good to be learning again; the last few years had been spent stacking shelves at a supermarket near to her house, boring, tiring work that left her mind unchallenged. To be fair though, even if she hadn’t been saving so that she wouldn’t have to work while in America, she probably still would have accepted all those double-shifts and Bank Holiday overtime, simply because it had kept her mind off other things. Back home, her problems had seemed so huge, always looming over her, Jack’s death a big neon sign that was constantly lit up, but here all that just seemed so far away.
Of course there were moments when it all came rushing back to her, like a tidal wave threatening to drown her, but it wasn’t constant. Here, in Texas, she could keep her head above water. Here, she could start to enjoy life again. Even if the guilt crippled her when she realized she was having fun, living, whilst her brother was dead. Tears came to her eyes when she thought of all the things he’d missed out on, all the things he’d never experienced. He’d wanted to go travelling after he got his degree but then he’d died before he’d even gained the first stamp in his passport.
The breath caught in her throat. Her brother was dead and she was about to go out partying. She’d lost her virginity last night. Surely that wasn’t fair? They’d been in the same car, she’d been driving, why had she survived while Jack died? Why was she allowed to keep living her life?
“Hey, you all right?” Riley’s face suddenly appeared in front of her, concern in her eyes. “You’ve gone really pale.”
“I’m fine.” But her throat was dry, her hands shaking. Despite that though, Riley had pulled her from her funk and she forced back the melancholy which she knew would overwhelm her if she wallowed in it too l
ong. Standing abruptly, she made her way over to the bathroom on legs that were made of rubber, saying over her shoulder, “I just need a minute.”
“Okay,” came the confused response as she shut and locked the door.
At the sink, she splashed cold water onto her face, staring at her ashen reflection in the mirror above. At least she didn’t have to worry about her makeup running, since she hadn’t put any on. The tedious thought made her laugh, a hysterical little giggle that felt like it was scraping her throat raw as it came out.
Going to sit on the toilet, she clasped her hands together in her lap – at least the trembling had stopped now. Water dripped off her chin and onto her hands. The rhythm of it was oddly soothing.
After several minutes she stood once more, all the bad memories successfully compartmentalized for now. Back in the bedroom, she began flicking through the clothes in her wardrobe, wondering what to wear. Her fingers halted on a red dress she’d brought a few weeks ago on a shopping trip with Riley, stroking the silky material.
Red was her favourite colour and she thought Parker would appreciate it too, especially alongside the fit of the dress. It wasn’t partially tight, nor was it too short, but the cut emphasised her breasts and waist, whilst the way the soft material swayed when she walked made her butt look good – according to Riley at least. The only reason she hadn’t worn it so far was because… Well, she wasn’t entirely sure why. She knew it looked good on and yet she was a little self-conscious wearing something that was so obviously designed to draw the eye.
“Go for it,” Riley prompted from behind her, having come to sit on her bed and watch, wearing an electric blue sheath dress and exaggerated eye makeup.
Biting her lip, Chloe considered it and almost pulled the dress from the wardrobe, before chickening out and hanging it back up amongst the other clothes, pulling out a simple black one she’d worn several times before. Honestly, it didn’t really matter what she wore; most people didn’t bother getting dressed up, they just came in their casual clothes.
“Maybe some other time,” she said when she turned and saw the disappointed pout on her roommates face.
“But why? It’s perfect for tonight! You look like a total knockout in that dress. You’d have the guys drooling all over you. Of course, that would probably end in Parker punching out a few people, which would actually be quite entertaining.”
Chloe scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not,” Riley insisted earnestly, all that mascara making her eyes look humongous as she stared back at her.
“Have you seen some of the girls that go to the frat parties, they’re could be freakin’ models?”
“So?”
“Believe me, I’d pale in comparison.”
Riley looked perplexed for a moment, before understanding dawned and she gasped, “Is that what’s been holding you back? Seriously Chloe, have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re gorgeous! I’d kill for your ass… and your boobs for that matter. I’ve got too little mosquito bites on my chest; I’d have to pay through the nose to get mine to look even half as good as yours. And guys dig your accent. Something definitely grabbed Parker’s interest.”
“I know and I keep telling myself that, but I can’t help but feel inadequate at times when I see some of the other girls he’s been involved with. Especially Karla. She might be a bitch, but no one can deny that she’d absolutely stunning. We’re in too totally different leagues.”
“Okay, let’s pretend that’s true. I don’t think Parker is going out with you because you’d win Miss America, I’m pretty sure it has more to do with your personality.”
“I know, I know…” she groaned, plonking herself down on the edge of the bed, the black dress still clasped in her hands, “but it still niggles at me. It’s not like Parker’s even given me a reason to be self-conscious. He’s great.”
“Maybe you should tell him how you feel,” Riley suggested. “I’m not a big believer in spilling your guts to a guy, but apparently it helps to talk.”
“No, I can’t tell him. He’d think it was his fault and it’s not, it’s mine; they’re my issues and I’m just going to have to work through them.”
“In that case,” Riley jumped off the bed, making the mattress bounce, and went to the open wardrobe, pulling the red dress back out, “you should wear this tonight. Step one in working through your issues. You need to know how good you look, then maybe you’ll start feeling a bit more confident about yourself and about your relationship.”
It made sense, but she still hesitated as she looked at herself in the mirror an hour later. Riley had done both her makeup and her hair and she was now wearing that dress, smoothing her hands down her sides.
“Stop fussing. You’re ready, let’s go, Parker’s been waiting outside the door for ten minutes, he probably thinks he’s been stood up. I suppose that would make you even though, want to wait a bit longer?”
Grinning at her, Chloe shook her head. “No, let’s not be cruel.”
When they opened the door it was to see Parker leaning against the opposite wall, one foot propped up, wearing his customary red baseball cap. Seeing them, he immediately straightened up. Smiling, he started to come forward, but then stopped, his expression turning serious as his eyes raking her up and down.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but she needn’t have worried. Whistling low between his teeth, Parker reached out a hand to caress the curve of her waist, his calloused fingers rasping against the silky fabric.
“Sugar, you look…” Trailing off, he whistled again, shaking his head slightly, before swooping down to kiss her full on the lips, his tongue plunging into her mouth.
Moaning, she stepped into his body until they were pressed together from knees to chest, his big hands gripping her waist whilst her arms crept around his neck, using her grip to pull herself into the kiss.
“All right people, enough of that,” Riley snapped, hitting his shoulder with the back of her hand. As they reluctantly drew apart, Parker’s mouth stroking over her cheek and up to her temple instead of departing immediately, causing Riley to tut disapprovingly and grab Chloe’s arm, pulling her away.
“Look what you’ve done,” she admonished, pointing one bright blue fingernail at him, “now I’ll have to redo her lipstick. And wipe your mouth, it’s bright red.”
Grabbing her chin, Riley pulled Chloe’s face down so that they were eye to eye, using her finger to wipe the smeared lipstick off the skin around her mouth. Making an irritated noise when it clearly wasn’t coming off as easily as expected, she stuck her finger in her mouth before trying again.
“Ahhh, Riley,” Chloe protested, trying to squirm away, “that’s disgusting.”
“Stop wiggling, I’m almost done.”
Finished with that, she took Chloe’s handbag from her shoulder and pulled out a tube of lipstick, which was hidden beneath her inhaler at the bottom of the bag, reapplying it in swift, precise strokes.
When she was done, she once more pointed a commanding finger at Parker. “No more kissing until it’s dried.”
“How long’ll that take?” he huffed.
“At least until we get there. I’m sure you can control yourself that long.”
“Self-control isn’t one of my talents.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” she sniffed haughtily, closing the door and strutting off down the corridor.
Parker scowled after her and Chloe patted him companionably on the shoulder. “Don’t take it personally, she’s just doing her best friend act. Secretly, she likes you.”
“Yeah, right,” he muttered under his breath as she slid her arm through his and they began walking.
“Well, maybe not, but she thinks you have a great arse.”
Chucking, he shook his head. “That girl’s a man eater.”
As usual the party was in full swing when they got there – Chloe wondered how early they actually started – and quite a lot of students were already drunk. One gu
y bumped into Riley as they headed towards the kitchen, spilling the contents of his red cup down her front.
“Shit, sorry,” the guy apologized, yelling to be heard over the music, as Riley gasped and backed away a step, pulling at the wet material of her dress. “Here, let me help.” Using the front of his own shirt, he began dabbing at the mess he’d made.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Riley said, trying to move away as the guy continued to pat at her chest. Parker stepped forward to intervene, but another guy Chloe had never seen got there first.
“Keith, what are you doing?” the newcomer demanded, his tone appalled. A relatively small guy with some sort of Hispanic background, he pulled at his friends’ arm, forcing him back a few steps, before turning to Riley and saying, “I’m so sorry about him, he doesn’t drink well.”
“It’s fine, honestly,” she smiled good-naturedly back at him and Chloe saw his eyes widen.
“Riley Murphy.”
Suddenly wary, Riley studied him. “Do I know you?”
The guy flushed, glancing down at his feet momentarily. “Er, yeah… we used to go to school together, before you left.” She looked vaguely confused, then he added, “I used to help you with math,” and recognition dawned in her eyes.
“Yes, I remember. Caleb, no… Colby?”
“Cameron.”
Snapping her fingers, Riley grinned at him. “Yes, Cameron. You used to do my math homework, you were a math wiz. What a surprise to see you here! How are you?”
“Good, you?”
“I’m great,” she replied enthusiastically, “I love college! It’s like one giant party all the time. It’s so much fun.”
Cameron nodded, but Chloe detected a slight scepticism in his face; her guess would be that he was more academic than party-goer. “I’m glad you’re okay, especially after your injury.” His eyes widened and he rushed to amend, “Not that I was keeping track of you or anything, it’s just… well… my sister likes gymnastics.”
