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The sounds of metal against metal fill the air, cutting through the silence. Not a single employee utters a word through the now-propped-open office door. They only stare curiously at their CEO, who crosses his arms over his chest, facing his troublemaking son.
"No need to cuff him. He'll walk it off."
FORTY
JULIANA
So, I gave that whole wallowing in self-pity thing a fair shot... It didn't work. Luckily, I've found something else.
Hip-hop blasts through the speakers lined on the walls, rattling my brain, infusing my veins with energy.
Who knew so many people could cram into a single frat house basement? Amid disco lasers and glow-in-the-dark T-shirts and body paint, I throw up my arms, dancing shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers—except Mei, who's effortlessly cool, puffing a joint pinched between her two fingers, swaying her hips to the beat while sipping from a red Solo cup in her other hand.
I already finished my drink—my third drink.
Turns out, Mei doesn't have to finesse anyone to get into Columbia's notoriously exclusive frat parties—even as a pair of single girls. She doesn't text ahead, bring a pack of drinks or a plus-one who's still part of Greek life, nothing. As an infamous alum, she just shows up on any given doorstep, purses those red-painted lips, and the fraternity door attendant clad in a collared shirt, tailored chinos, and daddy's money grants us swift entrance. In fact, those doormen, they even recognized her. Every. Single. One of them, and this is our third party on Greek Row tonight—or maybe our fourth? I don't know. Time is irrelevant, like my problems.
Thanks to my new friend.
Alcohol.
Who I flirted with earlier tonight, but rekindled a flaming love-affair with on our entrance to this basement, when we went straight to the bar—AKA, a fold-out table in the corner, next to the makeshift DJ booth operated by the guy in sunglasses sucking on a vape like it's an oxygen tank. On the table, our drink choices were simple, housed in clear plastic jugs labeled with glowing pink Sharpie. Vodka or Tequila. Even with the pineapple and cranberry mixers nearby, those sounded intimidating, so I sided with option three. Jungle Juice.
Wrong. Choice.
Or, the right choice—question mark?
I bang my head, writhing between bodies as the juice goes straight to my brain. Sweat slicks off my brow, as a new song thumps a quicker tempo, my Converse crunching atop the sticky floor with every stuttered step. Through the smoky haze, I catch Mei's eyes and laugh for no good reason, causing her to do the same.
"I gotta pee!" I announce over the bass, shaking the room.
Her lips brush my ear. "You won't like the line."
Soon enough, I discover just how right she is.
"Uuughhhh," I groan, earning her smile as I shift from foot to foot, doing the potty dance. Never before has ten minutes felt so much like ten hours, and we're only halfway to the uni-sex, single-toilet bathroom, crammed at the end of a skinny hallway clouded with cigarette smoke.
"I told you not to break the seal so early in the night."
I blink. "What the heck's that?"
"I already told—well." She snickers, giving me a funny look. "You probably forgot. It's when you go to the bathroom for the first time after drinking. Then, you'll be running to pee all night long."
My face scrunches, as I sway and bump into the wall. "Ish that even true? Soun's like a bunsh of hogwash."
Mei's eyes bulge.
"Wha'? Whassat look for?"
"Oh, nothing," she says sweetly. "You're just hammered, is all."
"Huh? Noooo, I'm noooot—" I stumble backwards, knocking into someone behind me. "Ssssorry, so sorry!" They laugh it off, their eyes hazy with who-knows-what. Mei's giggles fill the air, alongside my own. In no time at all, we're hunched over, hands on the wall for support, laughing hysterically for no apparent reason.
"Stop—STOP! You're gonna make me PISS MYSELF!"
"Ahh!" She smacks the wall, her labored breath coming out in wheezing snorts. "That's... so... funny. I can't fucking... breath!"
Through my teary eyes, I inspect the line. Shit! We're still five people out. What the hell are people doing in there? Having sex? Oh my god, oh my god, I need to distract myself right now. Think or something else. Or I'm gonna—
