ground.
“Is there someone here you like?” I
asked.
“I’m meeting someone here, yes,” she said
with a grin.
“Is he here yet?” I asked.
Crystal looked at me and grinned. “She is,”
she replied. Her eyes locked on mine, waiting for my reaction.
“That’s cool,” I said. I had wondered how
open Crystal was about dating women, since I knew she had sex with
them. Thankfully, I thought with a sly grin.
“You don’t mind?” she asked. “I haven’t
brought it up because I think it’s no big deal...”
“It’s your choice and totally cool,” I
said.
“I’m more worried about keeping them away
from you,” she said. I must have had a puzzled look on my face
because she continued. “Traci wants another evening with you so
you’d better be ready.”
This was really good news to me. Traci was a
sweetheart and I knew I would be glad to fall into bed with her
once again. I would not have initiated it, but if Traci did I was
looking forward to the chance.
“Keep them away?” I asked.
“This is my first time living away from home,
I’m going to be a bit of a slut with the right people,” she
said.
“Crystal, that is such good news,” said a guy
walking by.
“Not for you, Donald,” she said.
They both laughed, though you could see that
he had hoped he might win the Crystal lottery that night. “I had to
try,” he said as he shuffled off.
Just then a guy walked up that I recognized
from my Psychology class.
“Hey Crystal,” he said and leaned in for a
hug.
“Daria, this is Brian, a decent guy I think,”
she said, emphasizing the word think.
Brian reached out and pulled me in for a hug
before I could say anything. “Hey, Daria, cool name,” he said.
“Thanks, I like it,” I said.
“Who needs a drink?” he asked.
“We’ll need new ones soon,” she said then
grinned as Brian walked off to find drinks for us.
Crystal and I continued making our way around
the enormous back yard where the party was being held. The air was
getting cooler and people were seated around the massive brick
fireplace. Crystal knew quite a few people there and we found
ourselves having a drink with most of the women’s volleyball team.
Two of the girls had come from my high school and we sort of knew
each other, and it was nice to catch up on talk of home. Vancouver
was hundreds of miles away from home, and even though I talked with
both Mom and Dad every week, it was not like being there in town to
see things change.
Brian returned with drinks but Crystal was
talking to a girl and returned to her conversation after taking the
drink he offered. It was pretty clear that he was not going to hook
up with her and he walked off again. By the time Crystal introduced
me to Annette, Brian had moved on and was chatting up a girl not
too far away.
Annette is even taller than Crystal so I felt
really short. She is the captain of the women’s volleyball team and
six feet tall or more. Annette projected a natural confidence and
grace and it was clear that she liked Crystal. As she talked with
me she also kept Crystal front and center, and I knew I was in
their way and needed to change that. That’s when Brian showed up
once more with more drinks.
“Hey, Brian, help me find a bathroom,” I
said. Crystal gave me a dreamy smile as I walked off with Brian and
she turned back to Annette. Their lips met as we walked away.
“So what’s your major?” he asked.
We walked slower and slower as he led me
inside the house. He was being really sweet and he made me laugh
and relax around him. He was 19 and played lacrosse for a frat.
There was a line for the bathroom so Brian took me upstairs to one
of the bedrooms that had a bathroom and was empty. When I was alone
I knew I had to decide what I was going to do with Brian. He was
just flirting with me, trying to land a hookup for the night. I
knew I was nothing special to him and that was okay.
As I walked back into the bedroom Brian
leaned in and kissed me. It
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