Finding You (By You #3) (4 page)

Where is she?

It wasn't until after five that there was finally a knock at the door. Sarah jumped and rushed over to the door, throwing it open to see both Reagan and Tate standing there. Reagan gave her a cool smile while Tate seemed a little preoccupied with his phone.

"Hey, got your message, what's up?" she said. Sarah all but pulled them both into the room.

"Boy am I glad to you see you two." Tate cocked an eyebrow at her, and then looked her up and down.

"What in the
world
are you wearing?" he said, his voice shocked.

Tate was shorter than both the girls, and his boyish face made him look a lot younger than he really was. They liked to tease him about it, but he said his boyfriends didn't mind.

Sarah looked at him in horror, then glanced down at her navy pencil skirt.

"You don't like it? I thought it was classy."

His lips curled back in disgust.

"Sure, if you've got a job interview at The Gap." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You don't have an interview at The Gap, do you?"

She cringed and let out a sigh while Reagan laughed, seeming to find the whole thing very entertaining.

"No, it's for a party tonight. I need to find something perfect to wear."

That got attention from both of them.

"You're going to a party tonight?" Reagan asked. Sarah nodded, vigorously.

"That's what I was texting you about. Jeremy invited me to go to a frat party when I told him that Huck and I had broken up. You
must
come with me. I can't do it alone."

Reagan got a nervous look on her face as Tate shot her a death stare.

"Oh, no you don't," he said to her, when she actually considered it. "You promised me you'd come to the opening tonight! I even got you front row tickets!"

Sarah let out a groan. Tate was a part of a local dance company, and she'd totally forgotten that the their big fall opening was that night. She was suddenly thankful that she hadn't agreed to go herself--there was no way she could turn down Jeremy for that.

Reagan cringed one more time before turning back to Sarah.

"I'm so sorry, I can't." She gave Tate a sideways look, a mostly satisfied look appearing on his face. Then she regarded Sarah, again. "But you're going to be fine. It's just a party, go and have a good time."

Sarah was about to protest, when they was a scraping followed by a loud bang at the door. All three of them shot looks at the door, startled by the sudden noise. There was a jingling as the knob rattled and then unlocked. As the door opened, Billie came spilling into the room, cursing like a sailor as she stared at the door.

"Christ, I hate that fucking thing. We should just leave it unlocked." She spun around and scowled at everyone as though they were just as much to blame as the door was. "What are you all looking at?" She snorted, eyeing each of them one at a time, before heading over to her side of the room.

Billie was Sarah's roommate, and when they'd first moved into the dorms Sarah had been convinced they were going to end up killing each other. Things hadn't been pretty for a while, until Billie had really shown her true colors. Sarah had started packing her things to move back home after she found out Huck was cheating on her, and it had been her new roommate that had managed to do the impossible and talk her out of it. She'd shared some pretty personal stuff that was too crazy to not be true, and Sarah understood why she kept people at arm's length.

They all watched her for a few seconds before turning back to each other. Reagan rolled her eyes and Tate seemed unfazed by the whole exchange. No matter what Sarah had told Reagan, she'd never come around to really liking Billie. Not that anyone could ever really
like
Billie, but Reagan still thought less of her than Sarah wanted.

"I don't know," Sarah said, picking up where they'd left off. "I've never been to a real college party. I don't know what to expect."

Tate eyed her up and down again, shaking his head. "Well, if you go dressed like
that
then you can expect to get ignored."

Billie let out a laugh from the other side of the room. They all looked at her again, but she didn't acknowledge them further.

"Fine, I'll change. But still...I don't want to go alone."

"Well, when are you supposed to go over there?" Reagan asked.

"Jeremy said he'd probably be there around nine, or so. Maybe you can come after the opening?" She gave them both a hopeful look.

Tate shook his head, emphatically, and Reagan gave him a curious look.

"Why can't we?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," he said. "All the dancers get together after the opening for a little celebration of our own. You promised you would go and I'll hate you forever if you back out." He turned to Sarah, giving her what she guessed was supposed to be an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry, dear, but Reagan is off limits tonight. If it were any other night we'd both be there for you."

Sarah clenched her eyes shut, letting out an exasperated sigh. She really didn't want to go to the party alone. What was Jeremy going to think if she'd said she was going to bring a friend and then showed up alone? He was either going to get the wrong idea, or he was going to think she didn't have any friends.

When Sarah opened her eyes, she was startled to see Billie looming at them from behind Reagan and Tate. She hadn't even heard her walk over.

"What's this about a party?" she asked, eyeing each of them like they'd said they were going to steal her lunch money.

Sarah waved a hand. "It's nothing--I'm sure you wouldn't be interested."

Billie cocked an eyebrow and studied her, up and down.

"You're probably right. If
you
were invited, it's probably going to be boring."

Reagan and Tate both looked offended for her, but Sarah just rolled her eyes. She'd been around Billie enough to get used to her snide remarks. Now Sarah just accepted them as a part of any conversation with her.

"It's a frat party," Sarah said.

"Tonight?" Sarah nodded. "Which frat?"

Sarah just shrugged, not sure why it was relevant.

"I don't know. Jeremy gave me the address, but I don't know which frat it is."

Billie considered her for a long breath and then rolled a shoulder. "I suppose
I
could chaperone--since you're so desperate for company."

"Well don't do it on my account, I wouldn't want to put you out." Sarcasm dripped off every word.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help. If you want to go by yourself, then get bent."

They gave each other hard stares for a second, before Sarah let out a resigned groan. She
really
didn't want to go to the party alone. Maybe going with Billie would be better than nothing, even though the looks on Reagan and Tate's face suggested otherwise.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I'd like it if you came."

Billie gave her another hard look, but finally turned away with a satisfied sniff. Reagan gave Sarah an incredulous look, shaking her head.

"You're brave," Tate said, drawing a warning look from Billie, though he didn't notice it.

Sarah waved a hand, dismissively. She could handle Billie, she'd just been hoping that Reagan would be able to go with her. She as the closest thing that Sarah had to a best friend, and she knew she could depend on her in case anything happened.

Before they left, Reagan wished her luck and told her that she was going to have a good time, no matter what. Sarah put on her most confident smile and hoped she was right.

Sarah settled on a pair of skinny jeans and a mustard yellow blouse atop a white t-shirt. Billie cringed when she saw it, but Tate had helped her pick it out and Sarah had to admit it turned out better than she was expecting. Having a cute outfit to wear definitely put her mind at ease about the night. She was going to be fine, even if Reagan couldn't go with her. She just had to hope that Billie didn't find some way to embarrass her.

When it was finally time for them to head out, Sarah followed Billie's lead as they walked across campus toward the fraternity. It was Thursday night, and there were a lot of people roaming around, heading off to parties and to the bars. She'd been surprised when she found out that Thursday was nearly as big of a
going out
night as Friday was. This was going to be her first experience going to a frat party, and she had no idea what to expect.

They followed the sidewalk paths from the center of campus, where their dorm was, to the street that had been dubbed
Greek Row
. It was where all the fraternity and sorority houses were. Sarah hadn't rushed a sorority, and after she saw what a few of the girls in the dorm had to go through, she was decidedly happy about that decision. As they made their way down
Greek Row
, there were a few houses that looked like they had little get togethers going on, but it was the large house at the end of the street that drew her attention immediately. And as they got closer, she could tell that's exactly where they were going.

The house looked bigger than all the others they were passing. It was two stories, and sat on a corner lot with a gray brick fence sectioning off the backyard. A group of people were gathered near the front door, and as they walked up the tiny path leading to them, they could already hear the thumping of music coming from inside. When they stopped in front of a big guy standing at the front door, Sarah was overcome by a sudden bout of nerves.

The man leaned against the stool, reminding her of the door bouncer at the Saloon back home. He eyed them up and down as they waited for him to let them in. Billie cocked an eyebrow at him while she stared him down with even greater intensity than he had given them.

"Got a feisty one here," he said, letting out a low chuckle.

"Just let us in, buddy," Billie said.

His lip peeled into a cocky grin, but he stepped aside and let them both in. Sarah tried not to make eye contact with him as she squeezed past.

The music inside was even louder than it had been out on the street. Huge speakers sitting in almost every corner blasted electronic dance music while crowds of people crammed themselves wherever they would fit and mingled with red cups in hand. The two girls negotiated their way through a short hallway into what must have been the house's common room. Three hallways branched off the room, including the one back to the front door, and there was a huge crowd of people in the back of the room.

A girl stumbled in front of them, nearly spilling her red cup all over Billie. She only missed and splattered it all over the floor because Billie was so quick to leap away.

"Damn sorostitutes," Billie said, shooting the girl a death glare. She didn't seem to catch the insult, but rather let out an apologetic giggle while she stumbled out of the room. Billie turned and watched her for a second, shaking her head in disgust. "Looks like it's amateur hour around here."

When she spun back around, Billie surveyed the room for a few more seconds before making a beeline for the large crowd of people in the back of the room. Sarah scrambled to keep up, wondering what Billie had seen, but it didn't take long for Sarah to see it too.

A keg.

Alcohol. That was
exactly
what Sarah needed. She hadn't drunk anything since that ill-fated night at the beginning of the semester--and for a while she wasn't sure that she would ever drink, again. But, right then, nothing sounded better.

They made it to the back of the chaotic line formed in front of the keg and Sarah looked around the room one more time. She craned her neck and stood on her tippy-toes to see around people.

"It's going to be impossible to find him," she grumbled.

She glanced over at Billie, but it was obvious she was talking to herself. Billie's eyes were fixed on the tall guy standing next to the keg. With one hand he was pumping the tap, and with the other he was filling people's drinks. His lips were peeled wide in a toothy smile, and he looked like he was best friends with everyone that talked to him.
 

"You have a cup?" he asked, when they got to the front of the line, his voice booming.

"Does it look like I have a cup?" Billie said, cocking her hips to one side.

His grin spread even wider as he regarded her. "My friend, you need a cup if I am to pour you a drink."

Billie didn't even flinch.

"Well, I don't have a cup--so we're gonna have to figure something out."

Sarah gave her a confused look. Her voice was much softer than usual. And was she almost
smiling
?

"Hmm, I guess you're right," the big man rumbled, giving her a sideways grin. "Well, there is one thing I can think of, but--" he looked her up and down "--I don't know if you can handle it."

Billie shifted her weight between her feet, cocking both hands on her hips. "I can handle anything you give me."

Sarah's jaw dropped open when she saw the man's grin spread even wider. Was Billie actually
flirting
?

"Perhaps you can," he laughed, looking her up and down one more time. "Have you ever seen a keg stand?" He cocked an eyebrow at her in a challenging way.

She nearly doubled over with laughter. "Seen one? I practically invented them."

Sarah's eyes went even wider at the same time as the man let out a bellowing laugh. Was she hearing things, or had Billie just agreed to do a keg stand? They hadn't even been there for five minutes, yet...

The man pulled himself together enough to signal to some of the guys standing around--two of them got behind Billie, ready to pick her up by her feet, but she didn't even acknowledge them.

"
Ladies and gentlemen
," the big guy roared, his voice booming over the loud music. Everyone turned to look at him, startled by his loud voice. "We have a first keg stand of the night! It's time to get this party started!"

Without warning, the two guys behind Billie grabbed her by her ankles and lifted her up. She must have been ready for them, because she already had her hands clutching the rim of the keg. As she was lifted almost completely upside down, the big man let out another bellowing laugh and held the nozzle of the tap to her mouth. With one hand he pumped the keg, furiously, while holding the nozzle to Billie's lips. Beer gushed out of it, and Billie started slurping down every last drop.