gotten to know the day before. Call me a romantic.
I gave Melanie a call after dinner. Because she had to study for a test, we only talked for two hours instead of the desired sixteen, but it was a wonderful conversation, hampered only by Will’s frequent “gagging” gestures. We weren’t even saying any lovey-dovey stuff.
When we finally hung up, even the mutilated bodies on our wall seemed to be radiating love and happiness. Ed Gein, the inspiration for Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, looked like Cupid.
The phone rang.
“If she’s calling you back already, I’m going to puke,” Will informed me.
“Keep it on your side of the room.” I picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Dude, I’ve been trying to call you for the past hour!” said Darren. “You’ve gotta come over here.”
“Why?”
“Because you do. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
“I’ve got homework.”
“Screw homework. I’ve got life lessons here, Alex. This is education that you’ll remember forever. Get over here.”
“All right, all right. God, you’re pushy.”
“Get over here quick.”
“I will.”
“No lollygagging.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll kick your ass if you lollygag.”
“Maybe you should chill.”
“Maybe you should get over here before it’s too late.”
I hung up the phone. “I’ll be back,” I told Will as I headed out the door. Darren’s dorm was on the other side of campus and I jogged most of the way. I walked up the stairs to the third floor and knocked on his door.
Darren answered and quickly ushered me inside. The first thing to catch my attention was the nearly naked woman on the bed.
Chapter Thirteen
She looked a couple of years older than us, and was dressed only in black panties and a tube top. Under other circumstances she was probably an incredibly attractive woman, but her brown hair was messed up and her makeup was smeared. She smiled and gave me a clumsy wave as Darren shut the door behind us.
“Alex, meet Trisha,” Darren said.
“Hi,” I said, politely but warily.
Trisha nodded. I couldn’t quite tell if she was looking at me or at something behind me.
“So what’s up?” I asked Darren.
“She’s pretty hot, huh?”
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
“You want her?”
“What?”
“She’s yours if you want her. You’re not gonna get many chances at a body like that. She’s horny as all shit.”
I looked back at her. “Darren, she’s drunk off her ass.”
“So? Dude, I’m offering you an end to your virginity. C’mon, I told her all about you. She said she’d do both of us.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious. But we don’t have to share her. You can have her all to yourself. Now that is friendship.”
“Is she a student here?”
Darren shook his head. “Nah, just some waitress I met.”
“You and those waitresses.” I forced a chuckle. “I’ve gotta get going.”
“This is exquisite pussy you’re passing up. You can’t just walk out on this. At least get her shirt off and check out what I’m offering.”
“I’ve got a girlfriend.” I was pretty sure that Melanie didn’t quite count as an official girlfriend yet, but it did seem like a good excuse to get me out of here.
“The spacey chick?”
“Yeah.”
“You fuck her?”
“None of your business.”
“Because if you didn’t fuck her, there’s no commitment yet and you can do whatever you want. And if you did fuck her, then she’s a slut who puts out on the first date, and you shouldn’t have any commitment there, either. C’mon, nobody will know. I won’t say a word.”
“I’m not doing it.”
“Why not? Give me one reason.”
“She could have diseases.”
“That’s what rubbers are for.”
“It could break.”
“So you let her use her mouth.”
I took a deep breath and tried to speak in such a way as to allow no room for argument. “I’m not doing anything with her, and that’s final. I appreciate you thinking of me, but my first time is not going to be with a drunk lady that I met thirty seconds ago. I’m not going to mess things up with Melanie before they even start.”
Darren shrugged and let out a deep sigh. “All right. I was just doing you a favor.”
“Thanks.”
Darren looked at Trisha, then back at me and lowered his voice. “You could hit her.”
“Say what?”
“She’s more than just drunk. She wouldn’t feel it.”
I gaped at him.
Darren slapped me on the back, hard. “Aw, I’m just playing with you, buddy. You go back and get some sleep. Tell the spacey chick I said hi.”
“I will.”
He opened the door for me. “Yeah, I’m gonna make me some sweet, sweet love. Give me a call if you change your mind. We’ll be here all