Last Minute Homecomings

In the end, I decided to skip the game. I left for my hometown on Friday evening and planned to come back in time for the party. I texted Kate and Lily about my decision when I was on my way.

Lily called me; Kate was with her, and they both started yelling at me. But it was no use. I wasn’t going to return. I sent Drew a message, too, apologizing for not being at the game.

He never answered it, but I knew that he had read it.

My parents were delighted to see me. We had a delicious family dinner and went to the movies. My mom couldn’t hide her curiosity.

She wanted to know everything about my studies and, especially, about my love life. It was good to talk to her, but I didn’t tell her much about my relationships, or rather, the lack of them.

The only bad thing that happened was on Saturday morning when I went for coffee and ended up running into my ex, Adam. He had also returned home for the weekend from his college.

He started hitting on me almost as soon as he saw me. Dickhead. So I guess Drew was right. Deep inside, Adam was affected by our breakup. I shrugged him off and felt very proud of myself.

His attention didn’t bother me, and it was a good thing.

When I left the house to drive back to college, I was ready for the party. I wore a simple knit dress. It was short and form-fitting, with a low neckline.

My hair was in beach waves, which was the ideal I-woke-up-like-this style for me, and I also applied some makeup. I gave myself smoky eyes and added nude lipstick.

My look was effortless, but at the same time, my dad couldn’t help but whistle when I walked out of the house. I guess I did a good job.

As I drove closer to the college campus, my phone started to ring. It was Kate.

“Where are you?” she almost yelled.

“Near the diner. You?”

“We’re at the fraternity house. How soon will you be here?”

Ugh, I didn’t want to go there alone. But what choice did I have?

“I will park my car, and then I will be on my way. In twenty minutes. Did we win?”

“Are you really asking me this?! Of course! It was insane!”

“I believe you,” I laughed. “Is the party huge? How many people?”

“Becca, there hasn’t been a party like this before. It was a big win for our team, so there is an impressive crowd of people, loud music, and good booze. We’re waiting for you. Do you want us to come for you?”

“If you want me to find you, the answer is yes.”

“Okay. We will be at the front lawn in twenty minutes.”

When I walked toward the fraternity house, my eyes widened, and my mouth opened to form a small “o”. The number of people was insane; they were everywhere, and the music was so loud that my body started to vibrate as I came closer.

“Becca!” I heard Kate’s voice and spotted her in an instant. As I reached her, she hugged me. “I missed you. Why did you go home without me?”

“I missed you too. I hardly had a chance to talk with you this week. But I needed this, I needed some time alone. And I didn’t think you would ever miss this game.”

“True,” she laughed.

“Where is Lily?”

Kate hesitated, and I arched my eyebrows in question. She sighed.

“Well…we were hanging out with Rob and his friend Bruce. She stayed with them.”

“Oh. Were they flirting?”

“Ye…yeah. Are you okay with it?”

“Of course. Why not? I noticed that they liked each other. She even told me that she was interested in him before we started dating. Where are we going?”

“To dance. Tim is still busy. The whole team is celebrating separately from the rest of us.”

We went into the house and proceeded to the living room. I hugged Lily when I saw her, then waved to Rob and Bruce. We laughed, talked, and danced.

I was feeling thirsty, and was about to go and find a drink when suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. Everyone erupted in cheers and happy screams. Our football team had arrived, and I tensed up.

I didn’t want to see Logan. His presence and the place gave me the creeps. I felt vulnerable. However, I wanted to see Drew. He hadn’t contacted me since my text message to him.

I was sure that he was busy with the game. But what if that wasn’t the only reason? Maybe he had already found himself another girl to sleep with... I was afraid that he wouldn’t be alone.

I hated this feeling. He didn’t owe me anything, but I was waiting to talk to him. Because there was something between us, and I wanted to know what it was.

“I guess it’s time for me to go and find a drink,” I said to no one in particular. Lily nodded and smiled. She was cuddling with Rob and had been talking to him almost the whole time after I’d arrived.

Kate took my hand and squeezed it, saying, “I will go with you.” I smiled, and she started to lead us out of the room.

I was trying hard not to look at the guys from the team. I was too afraid that I’d catch a glimpse of Logan or Drew. Then I realized that we weren’t heading for the exit.

Kate was dragging me exactly to where the team was sitting. Shit! I tried to pull my hand out of hers, but her grip only tightened. She looked at me, pleadingly.

“Becca, please, I want to see Tim…”

“Fuck, Kate! It’s not fair!” I hissed at her, but it was no use. She didn’t hear me because she didn’t want to, and because it was too loud here.

Kate located Tim right away, as if he was on her radar. I noticed Logan: he was sitting on the couch with Melanie on his lap, and they were kissing. Near the sofa, I saw Drew. He wasn't alone, though.

He was with Melanie's friend. I recognized the brown-haired girl. His hands were all over her. Everything was exactly as I had feared. I frowned and wanted to leave immediately.

Kate stopped near the couch; Tim was there with a bottle of beer in his hands. All of the guys seemed a little drunk to me. It was the first time that I had seen them in this condition.

I guess they were truly happy with their victory. Kate didn't let go of me, so I was forced to stand beside her in plain view.

“Hey, Tim. You finally made it!” Kate's voice was one octave higher. She was nervous. I squeezed her hand reassuringly, and she pressed mine back. Tim tried to focus his gaze on her. Yep, he was drunk.

“Hey, Katie! Wanna sit with me?”

He gestured to his lap. She finally let go of my hand. I couldn't believe my eyes. My strong and brave friend was behaving like a stupid bimbo. She nodded and went to him. He pulled her onto his lap.

Thank you very much, Kate. Okay, what was I doing here? Tim noticed me, his smile widened.

“Hey, Becca! I was wondering if you would be here or not?”

“Well, here I am. But I was going to find a drink.”

I felt stupid, standing there. But mostly, I felt vulnerable because at the sound of my name, both Logan and Drew turned their heads to me, and so did their girls. Fucking hell!

I turned away and rushed out of the room. It was difficult to do, but in a few seconds, I managed to get out of there. I hoped that somewhere there was rum. And a lot of it.