The Stipulation (Volume Four)

by M. L. Young

  I licked the stray breadcrumbs from the side of my mouth and threw away my trash before heading back to my dorm. I really had no plans for today, other than to study, and I really needed to get back on that grind. My grades were starting to slip slightly from my abandonment of my studies, and if I wanted to keep my grants, I was going to have to keep my GPA up. Losing my grants and Roman wasn’t something I was willing to do.

  I walked inside of the lobby of my residence hall and a familiar, yet unwanted face, immediately stopped me in my tracks.

  “Hey Natalie!” Trevor said happily as he violently waved his hand.

  He walked over to me and pushed his glasses back up on his face as he came in for an awkward and unwanted hug. I kind of stood there, keeping my hands and arms at my sides instead of wrapping them around him in some kind of friendly embrace.

  “Oh, hey Trevor,” I said hesitantly before he let me go and stood back smiling as he stared me in the eyes.

  “How are classes going? It sucks we don’t have any together this semester,” he said as he slipped his hands into his nineties-era faded jeans.

  “They’re going well, just a little difficult. I was actually just about to go and study. I really need to do well and haven’t been able to do any as of late,” I said, hoping he would somehow take the hint and let me go study.

  Trevor went on talking about his winter break when it happened. I saw Robert, walking through the large corridor near the cafeteria. What in the hell was this guy doing here? Did he get some kinky joy out of the way I treated him that he thought he had some kind of chance in getting with me? He hadn’t noticed me yet, and I shifted my stance slightly to try and hide behind Trevor’s body, but it didn’t help. As Robert was talking to some random students—he saw me, and practically shooed them away as he waved at me and began to walk toward us. I began to sweat, being understandably upset, as I tried to figure out a way to get out of this situation. I wasn’t positive I could even make it to the elevator before him, and that’s even if I pushed Trevor out of the way and ran. He was closing in, and I was in the crosshairs.

  “Hey Natalie,” he said slyly as he came up to us and tucked his shirt into his pants.

  “Who are you?” Trevor asked, forgoing his usual friendliness as he saw I was nervous.

  “I’m her boyfriend, Robert,” he said confidently.

  “What?” Trevor asked in shock.

  “Trevor, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s some old wrinkly freak that tried to seduce me.”

  “Oh come now, Natalie, you know that was just the old cat and mouse game. You know you want it,” he said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

  “Don’t touch me,” I said as I tried to nudge off his hand.

  “Hey buddy, get your hands off of her,” Trevor exclaimed passionately before swatting Robert’s hand from my shoulder.

  “Who do you think you are, boy? This is my woman, and if I want to treat her like this then I will, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Robert said defiantly, as he began to antagonize Trevor.

  “I think I’m her friend, and I’m going to help her,” Trevor said as he puffed out his chest confidently.

  “You think you have a chance with Natalie? Hell, you don’t have a chance with a blow-up doll,” Robert said meanly.

  “I might not have a chance with Natalie, and she might not ever like me, but I care about her, and she’s my friend. I’m not going to let you treat her like this and disrespect her. She told you to leave and that you’re not with her in any way. You need to go back to the nursing home you crawled out of,” Trevor said, as he waved his hands in the air.

  I looked on in awe as Trevor stuck up for me. I had never seen this side of him, and the way he was doing it made me realize I’d been treating him so badly. I had been a complete bitch to him, and he still thought I was wonderful and his friend. I was literally ashamed of myself, and knew that even though he comes on strong, he did it because he cared.

  A campus security guard came very shortly after, saw the scuffle, and heard the yells Trevor and Robert were trading with each other. He asked to see identification and saw that Robert had no ties here, and that Trevor and I lived here, resulting in Robert being forced to leave. Sadly he wasn’t arrested or charged with trespassing, but was told not to come back here unless he had direct business with the front office. He left yelling that we didn’t know who he was and we’d be sorry, but we all shrugged off his false and empty threats.

  “Thank you for your help, Trevor. You’re a true friend.” I smiled.

  “I’d do anything for my friends,” he said shyly with his head down.

  I walked up to him and hugged him, a real hug, and kissed him quickly on the cheek before walking off and going back up to my dorm. Trevor didn’t follow behind, but I was sure he was likely frozen in place from me actually getting somewhat close to him. I still didn’t have the slightest interest in Trevor, but he proved himself today, and I was going to make an effort to hang out with him and be his friend. It was the least I could do.

  ***

  I sat alone in the much-needed silence of my room for an hour before Jillian and Tara came barging through with plates of pizza that they must’ve scored from downstairs.

  “Natalie!” Tara said happily as she walked through the door.

  Jillian handed me a piece of pizza, saying she had gotten it for me since supplies were apparently limited. I thanked her and took the slice of pepperoni pizza, which was oozing with grease, but amazing nonetheless.

  “What’s up?” I asked as I shut my notebook and started munching on my greasy pizza.

  “We really need to talk,” Tara said in a serious tone.

  “What’s wrong? Did I do something?” I asked confusedly.

  “It’s about Jerome and some insider news that I came about,” she said before nibbling off the oozing cheese from the end of her slice of pizza.

  “What do you mean? Is something wrong? I’ve been doing as well as I can!” I said, as if I needed to plead with her.

  “Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but I heard from one of the girls that Jerome is contemplating dropping you from his services,” Tara said.

  “Why would he do that? I mean, he has been setting me up with guys and everything. I’ve been going on the dates and doing the best I can,” I said.

  “Yeah, but you haven’t been keeping the guys after the dates. It’s one thing to have a bad date now and again, but you’ve been on four dates and none of them have stuck. Since everything with Roman went downhill you’ve been unable to get close to these guys, and that isn’t good for business,” Tara said bluntly.

  “Well if he drops me then I don’t know what I’ll do,” I said as I set the plate down on my desk.

  “Just stop being such a prude and give it up to one of these guys. Who knows, you might end up liking the guy and everything will be okay!” Tara said with a chipper tone, as if she genuinely thought it was that easy.

  “I love you, Natalie, and everything, but I told you in the beginning you weren’t cut out for this. You’re too nice and lovable,” Jillian said.

  “I can do it, I just need time,” I said, defending myself, even though I knew I wasn’t cut out for it.

  I guess I just didn’t want to admit to myself that I couldn’t do this and seal the deal. I knew how important it was to be a sugar baby and to have everything taken care of, but Roman was stuck deep within my mind. He wasn’t even coming back, at least not anytime remotely soon, and I needed to try and accept that, even if it was insanely difficult.

  “Come with us on Saturday night to a house party,” Tara said.

  “I don’t know about that. The last party wasn’t exactly my idea of a great time,” I said as I twiddled my thumbs.

  “Just come with us. It’s not even at a frat or anything. I promise you’ll have fun. You need to get over this, and making out with some hot senior will do that for you,” Jillian said.

  “Well,” I said as I thought about
the proposition.

  “Come on!” Tara exclaimed.

  “Fine, I’ll go,” I said, exciting them both.

  Even though I wasn’t a party girl and the last party in that frat basement was horrible, I knew I needed to get out. Maybe they were right. Maybe making out with some superhot college guy would help me over the hill to get Roman out of my mind, if not for one night. I needed a night away from all of the drama and heartbreak, and getting over the hill will help me convince Jerome I’m good to go.

  Jillian and Tara looked on with smiles as they began to talk about the party. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but this might be my only chance.

  Chapter Seven

  The days passed and Saturday finally arrived, meaning my entire day was going to be spent studying and then getting wild and crazy at some party. Well, I wasn’t planning to get wild and crazy that much, but I knew Tara and Jillian wouldn’t be able to have a good time until I was on some table dancing, but I planned to not have anything escalate quite that far.

  I was lucky enough that the sun was shining brightly outside and that meant that the sounds of my hall and outside were bustling and all of the on campus students were out in full force. I had woken up at ten, meaning I slept in far longer than I usually did. I opened my groggy eyes and saw Jillian sitting at her computer doing something, likely online and spying on everybody’s personal business. She had a habit of doing that.

  “Good morning, sleepy head,” she said as she got up to get her phone from her nightstand.

  “Good morning,” I said with a raspy voice, as it needed time to warm up.

  “Are you excited for the big night tonight?” she asked with a smile.

  “I guess, but I’m a little nervous. The last party didn’t go so well, and I’m not sure I’m the type of girl to hang around frat boys, no offense,” I said, referring to Steve.

  “Don’t be sorry. Frat guys definitely aren’t for everyone, and I’m not even sure they’re always right for me. This one is at a house though, not a frat, so it should be better,” she replied.

  “Who would let a party happen in their house?” I asked.

  I couldn’t imagine that some parents would let their college-aged kid have some crazy and wild party inside of their house. I could just see them sitting upstairs reading and knitting while kids were making out and having sex in the next room. I knew my parents would never let me have any kind of party at home, unless it was with all of the kids from youth group I grew up with. Even then, they would want supervision to make sure we didn’t play spin the bottle or anything, even though we were adults and spin the bottle wasn’t exactly a game that was played outside of middle school.

  “Well, Natalie, they rent the house. The landlords don’t exactly know they do this,” Jillian said with an almost exasperated chuckle, as if she couldn’t comprehend why I didn’t know that.

  “Oh,” I replied embarrassingly.

  I guess my sheltered upbringing really didn’t prepare me for all of the college-aged humor and mannerisms that everybody else knew. Hell, I was sure Trevor even knew more than I did about these subjects.

  ***

  The night finally came, and that meant this elusive and highly talked about party was finally about to come to fruition. Tara came over and we all got ready together, as we took up three sinks and mirrors in the bathroom while two other girls from my floor were getting ready for dates with their boyfriends.

  Jillian and Tara both talked me into wearing a tight pink dress that Tara brought over for me. Tara and I were both around the same size, and I might have been a smidge bigger because the dress seemed very tight on me. Luckily the fabric wasn’t heavy or restricting, but I felt as though I was wearing a spandex body suit.

  “I’m not sure about this dress. Isn’t it kind of tight?” I asked as I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to pull it down farther.

  “You look so hot, Natalie. If this dress doesn’t land you a guy tonight, then I honestly don’t think there’s hope for anybody else,” Tara said.

  “Yeah really. You look incredibly sexy. If I were a guy I’d pounce on that,” Jillian said as she put on her mascara.

  I looked in the mirror again, seeing that maybe this is what I needed. It isn’t that I was shy about wearing a tight or short dress every now and again, especially when I was with Roman, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be labeled as that girl. I didn’t want a guy to give me the time of day and talk to me just because he liked the way my ass looked in a tight dress. I guess I just needed a little bit more than that.

  I finished my makeup, with Tara putting on some fake eyelashes for me. I was a little hesitant, as I thought I’d look a little trashy, but she trimmed them down and they really accentuated my eyes. After everything was all said and done, I backed up and looked at myself in the mirror to see that I really did look hot. The tight pink dress, which had ridges in it, accentuated all of my curves, and created curves I didn’t even know I had. I felt sexy, and I felt as though if I had any chance of landing some guy, then tonight was the night it was going to happen.

  “Well, girls, are we ready?” Tara asked as she smacked her lips and put away her lipstick.

  “I think we are,” Jillian said with a smile as she looked at me.

  ***

  We had a car service take us to the house. Well, it wasn’t really a car service like Roman and I had taken to the airport, but rather a caravan service the college had to get students to and from parties so they wouldn’t drink and drive. Students widely used the service, which ran until three in the morning. The drivers were mostly older people, with no actual students driving, and they usually got great tips, especially when the students were drunk and didn’t know what they were doing. Our driver was an older and very lovable gentleman named Thomas, who had been doing this for years. He was the most sought after driver because he was like a grandfather to us all, and would make sure we were all taken care of. He dropped us off and told us to be good girls and not to give it up too easily. He said to make the guy work for it a little before he laughed and said good-bye as we closed the doors. We all laughed, not in a nervous way, but because he was so funny and incredibly random.

  The outside of the house was bumping, as there were students of all ages coming in and out of not only this house, but also a couple others on the street. We walked up and passed by a few kids who were sitting out on the front porch talking about existentialism, and they seemed to really be into the conversation and philosophy of it all.

  Tara flung open the door as if she owned the place and we proceeded to put our coats in the closet as we shimmied past all of the other kids who were dancing and groping each other.

  Tara and Jillian scanned the room and walked around as if they were on a mission and looking for someone, and I followed closely behind like a lost puppy. I didn’t know a single soul here, besides them, and I wasn’t about to lose them and be lost in the endless sea of horny college students.

  Tara found the kitchen, where the keg was, and went to get us some beer. She poured the flowing golden liquid into the red plastic cups and brought them over to us, and once again, I was disgusted as this piss-water beer was sitting firmly in my hand. I wasn’t one for alcohol, mostly because of the taste, but I guess this is the only drink I’m going to be having all night, so I better make the best of it.

  An hour passed and Tara began to get a little sloppy. Jillian wasn’t quite at that point yet, but she was getting a little buzzed, and kept saying Steve was on his way because she didn’t want to be here without him. I wasn’t too happy about that, thinking we were having a girl’s night and would be like the three musketeers at the party, but I guess I was mistaken. Jillian was dependent on Steve, and I should ’ve seen that little twist coming.

  “Natalie! This is Justin and he says he wants to make out with you,” Tara said, as she couldn’t stop laughing in some drunken glaze as she brought over this guy.

  He looked incredibly embarrassed, with his ch
eeks turned red as he didn’t quite know what to make of both Tara and this situation.

  “Hi, I’m Natalie,” I said, before shaking his hand and trying to make him feel better.

  “I’m Justin,” he replied as he began to calm down and not be so embarrassed.

  He was cute, with blond hair and blue eyes, and he was about two inches taller than me, and I was in heels, meaning he was at the perfect height. Not too tall where I have to climb Everest just to kiss him, but not so short where I have to kneel down to kiss him.

  The minutes passed and Justin and I began to get rather comfortable with each other. We talked about school, our upbringings, and even about Pretty Little Liars, which he admitted to being a fan of. His dad was a pastor and his mom a youth group leader, so we had a lot in common and talked about how growing up in those environments were tough for us. I was actually beginning to get comfortable with him, and he was a perfect gentleman toward me. Instead of trying to grope me and shove his tongue down my throat, he wanted to know what my mind was like and if I was different from all of these other drunken sorority girls.

  “So, are you seeing anyone?” he asked after we had been talking for an hour.

  I could tell he had been waiting a long while to ask that, as he was clearly waiting for the best possible time so it didn’t seem as though that was all he was into. I appreciated that, and knew he was the kind of gentleman my parents would like, especially with his upbringing.

  “No, I’m not seeing anybody at the moment,” I said shyly, as if almost inviting him to ask me out.

  “Justin! I want to go home!” a drunken woman said as she put her arm around his neck.

  I looked on in shock, as I felt completely duped and played.

  “Christina, I’m trying to talk to someone. I’m sorry, Natalie, this is my cousin Christina,” he said as he tried to shove her off him.