“You want to see something cool?” he asked, his face lighting up.
“Sure.”
He went through a door on the opposite side of the room. Confused, I followed him. I had originally assumed the door led to a closet, but I walked through and found myself on a small balcony.
“Whoa,” I said, looking out at the huge backyard of the frat house. “This is cool!”
He let out a laugh. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. I come out here to think sometimes.”
I looked down at the crowd of people below us. I saw several pairs of kids kissing and making out around the edge of the yard, attempting to use the shadows as a disguise. A bunch of people had jumped into the pool with their clothes on. I swayed my hips lightly as fast music floated up from below us.
“Thanks for bringing me up here,” I said to Matt. “But I should probably get going now. My friend is waiting for me downstairs.”
Matt frowned. “Yeah, okay.” I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me. I looked at him, confused, and he said, “Before you go, I just want you to know I didn’t bring you up here to sleep with you. I think you’re really smart and pretty, and I wanted to talk to you.”
I smiled at him. “That’s really sweet. Thank you.”
He nodded, and before I left, I leaned in, pressing a small kiss to his lips. It was fast but sweet, and he had a big goofy grin on his face. I went back to the party to find Maggie, hoping she hadn’t been worrying about me. I finally found her amongst the crowd, dancing and yelling, completely intoxicated.
“Oh, boy,” I mumbled to myself as Maggie ran over to me, suffocating me in a huge hug.
“Alyssa! I missed you!” she screamed, her words sloppy and slurred.
“Missed you too, Maggie,” I said, pulling out of her iron-tight grip. I had to practically drag her to the car, and she managed to sober up some by the time I dropped her off at home. I laughed as I watched her walk up the steps to her house, almost tripping.
When I pulled up to our house, I was surprised to see Blake’s car. I had assumed he would still be at the party. I got out of the car and headed inside. My father and Debbie sat in the living room, watching a movie.
“Hey, pumpkin, how was the party?” Dad greeted me with a smile.
“It was good. How’s the movie?” I asked, wanting to hurry upstairs.
“Oh, it’s all right. I’m glad you had some fun. I was surprised Blake didn’t go. I told him he should have some fun before finals.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Blake didn’t go?”
“No, he stayed home to study,” Debbie said.
“Wow. Well, good for him. Goodnight, guys.” I headed for the stairs.
“Oh, Alyssa?” My dad called, and I groaned silently before turning back around.
“Yeah, Dad?” I asked, poking my head into the living room.
“Just wanted to remind you that Debbie and I are going on that cruise. We’re leaving next Monday,” he told me from the couch, his eyes focused on the television.
“Sounds good; talk to you later,” I called out, not really caring about their cruise.
I passed Blake’s bedroom on the way to mine, and I kind of wanted to see him, but I knew better and ran quickly to my room, slamming the door shut. I climbed into bed, remembering how nice it was after the last party when Blake held me all night. I let out a long sigh, kicking off my shoes and snuggling under the covers, wondering how long it would take for the emptiness to fade.
***
I woke up the following Monday with a rush of relief because I could finally sleep in. Today was the first day of winter break, and after relentless studying and grueling exams, I was ready to take it easy. I heard shuffling downstairs and climbed out of bed, not bothering to change out of my pajamas.
I walked into the kitchen to grab a granola bar. I ate it while I made myself a cup of coffee. My father walked in wearing a bright red Hawaiian shirt, a suitcase in his hand. I looked at him over the rim of the mug as I sipped the hot coffee.
“What are you wearing?” I asked with a loud laugh.
“This is what all the cool dads wear on Jamaican cruises,” he said with a toothy grin.
“That’s this week?” I asked, confused.
“Debbie and I are going. I told you,” he responded, grabbing his own cup of coffee.
With a frown, I remembered the conversation, though I hadn’t realized the dates had coincided with winter vacation. “Okay, Dad, hope you have fun.” I gave him a hug.
“We’ve made sure there are enough groceries for while we’re gone.” Debbie said in a very motherly fashion. “Make sure you call us if you need anything!”