Friday, November 7, 2008

Kate
Later that day, I was clicking through the UMass website, looking at my course descriptions. I was technically undeclared, which I wish I could major in. Undeclared, the study of what the fuck was I doing at college. Oh well, I thought, at least my class requirements tell me where I needed to be and what I needed to be doing. Classes started tomorrow, a fact which caused me almost as much dread as going to the GSA party tonight. What if it was just a major make-out fest and I was left alone, the sad girl by the spiked punch with no one to dance with? God, that’d be pathetic. I swiveled around my chair, and faced Alice, godfather style with my hands on the armrests.
“So what class do you have first tomorrow?”
“Art history, god that sounds miserable.” she flopped back into her pillows.
“I have Spanish 102, because I am smart.”
“No you just memorize 20 words and only use those to answer your questions, hombre.”
“La bibliotheca esta a la derecha.”
“Nice.”
“The fajitas got me in the mood. I should get extra credit already.” I swiveled back around, and checked my university email. There was a message from the GSA reminding me about the mixer tonight. As if I could forget. All this hype was making me feel like throwing up those delicious fajitas. I checked the clock, for the thirtieth time or so that hour. It was seven forty five, and I figured it was early enough to start drinking. I heaved myself out of my arm chair and went over to the closet where we hid our booze. I also checked m caller id, and saw no one had called. I thought it was weird Marcus hadn’t checked in about tonight, but I’d call him in a little. I slugged straight from the bottle, a mouthful of harsh tasting vodka. I flipped open my phone and pressed recent calls. As the phone dialed and rang, I took another pull.
“Hello?”
“Yo dog.”
“Hello, Kate.”
“Sup buddy? Ready to come over and get buck for this party?”
“Let me check…I’m wearing pants, so yeah I’m ready.” I laughed.
“Alice is coming, are the other girls?”
“Uhm, Jess and Ellen are here now let me see if they’re down.” He paused, muffling the phone and yelling something over at them. “Yes. Jess is always down for a party, she says.” I felt a thrill knowing Ellen would be there. Alice took the bottle from me, and calculated a mixed drink with some plastic cups, pouring back and forth to mix the combination perfectly.
“Ok, everyone come over and drink already!” Alice yelled into the phone.
“Okay, okay, Jesus you two are wild.”
“We know.” Alice yelled again, brutalizing my eardrums.
“Ouch.” I complained, snapping the phone shut. I sipped some of Alice’s drink, admiring her handiwork.
“Mm, vodka orange juice, delicious.” I nodded with approval.
“Just don’t drink too much. First, you don’t want to be the sloppy lesbo, and second you don’t want to vomit all the fajitas because I am not about to clean that shit up.”
“I won’t, I won’t.” I hadn’t drank to excess yet at school, a feat which I was extremely proud of. Occasionally in high school, I got booze sick, puking in cars or bushes inappropriately.
“I can’t wait to start tonight!” Alice exclaimed, shaking me by the shoulders. I shimmied along with her shake, exaggerating like I was being electrocuted or something. I began to get ready, trying to look cute for all the potential first lesbian experiences that awaited me. I borrowed one of Alice’s tank tops, topped with one of my dad’s old vests from the seventies. I pulled on my baggy Dickies, and looked in the mirror. I looked like Charlie Chaplin with cleavage.
“How’s this Al?” I turned around on the spot, rotating for her approval.
“Nice.” she was struggling into a fresh pair of tights, neon blue ones with runs riddling them. Over this she put a tight black mod dress, and I could tell she was emulating Blanche. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail, arranging her bangs straight across her forehead. She painstakingly applied makeup with an unsure hand. She never really wore it and I laughed, watching her poke herself in the eye with mascara.
“Nice, Alice. Who you trying to be anyways?”
“You gave me the idea when you called me Twiggy.” she rolled her eyes.
“You look like a tall Blanche.”
“Shut up, I do not.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Do not.”
“Fuck you.”
She threw the mascara at me, and I ducked. When I raised back up she threw a compact at me, hitting me square in the chest.
“Bitch!” I aimed with the mascara, but a knock at the door stopped me. I opened it a crack seeing if it was an RA or our friends. Since it was the latter, I flung the door open and gave Marcus a big hug.
“I think you’ve been drinking.” he raised his eyebrows at me.
“How do you know?”
“Because you have a wild look in your eyes, and you almost crushed my ribs. You’re like the hulk when drunk, you don’t know your own strength.”
“Oh, you think you know me now, homie?”
“You also get kind of gangsta when drunk.” Alice and Jess laughed, and I knew it was true.
“Don’t hate the player…” I trailed off.
“Hate ridiculous drunken comments.” Alice finished.
“Not what I had in mind, Alice.”
“Let’s, as they say, get crunk.” Marcus suggested.
“I am so down it’s insane.” Jess exclaimed.
“Hey, Kate. How’s it going?” Ellen had sidled up beside me. She was dressed in a short black skirt and small black top, with red lipstick and black rimmed eyes. She looked smoldering, and I got suddenly nervous. I felt like my stomach would reject my vodka all over her so I just shook my head slightly.
“Nothing.” I managed to get out.
“Oh, word?” she smiled, looking all come hither.
“Want a drink?” I imagined her red lipstick smeared all over my mouth and shook my head again. Now was not the time for inappropriately sexual thoughts about anyone, I scolded myself.
“Yeah, duh.” she said coyly. I mixed her one, mimicking Alice’s procedure, making Ellen’s a two to one ratio. I figured getting her drunk wouldn’t hurt.
“Jesus.” she said after one sip.
“I like them strong.” I winked and mentally told myself to stop flirting. I just couldn’t help it with her. She was such a sexpot.
Everyone was hanging around on our beds, making the room look homier than usual. Jess was matching Marcus shot for shot, impressive for someone of her small stature. She was definitely a party animal.
“Ughhhh,” She moaned after five or six. “I quit, I quit.”
“I win!” Marcus held his hands up, Olympian style, shaking clasped hands over his head.
“Ok, beauty queen, enough self congratulation.” Jess rolled her eyes, slurring slightly.
“Oh no, she’s Jess-ted.” he remarked.
“Jess-ted?”
“Jess wasted. She gets ridiculous.” Ellen explained. “She gets a teensy bit belligerent.”
“Do not.” She said solidly.
“See what I mean?” Ellen giggled, and I felt a hot surge of attraction for her. Ni looked away, telling myself to keep my options open tonight. I didn’t want to fumble around with Ellen, inept and drunk. I needed a practice girl, I realized. I thought back to Aaron, who turned out to be a boyfriend, not a practice boy. I wanted a girlfriend, too, but who said I couldn’t fool around a few times first? It was possible that I could meet an amazing girl through GSA, a girl who liked me and wanted to be with me, but in case I didn’t, I might meet a right now kind of girl. Then I could move on to Ellen, and having regular hook ups. I took another drink from the bottle and Ellen whistled.
“I’m part Russian.” I explained.
“And part alcoholic.” Alice added.
“That joke is so old, Alice. You’ve been making it for two years.” I complained.
“I thought you forgot about it because you’re always so drunk.” She responded.
Everyone laughed, and I shoved Alice’s shoulder. Her phone buzzed, playing Pink Floyd loudly. I began to sing along til she answered it.
“Hey B.” she answered. B? Obviously Blanche. I felt a twinge of jealousy. I didn’t have a nickname, unless you counted asshole.
“Yeah, come over, we’re all drinking. No, No, I’ll tell you about it later.” She giggled. “Oh my god, yeah. Too funny. See you soon.”
“What was that all about?” Marcus asked quizzically.
“Nothing” she smiled mysteriously. He looked at her with questioning eyes, and I could tell he was liking the whole mystery woman routine. I had caught him checking her out too, and I felt a new hope for them as a couple. I really wanted that, to have a reason for him to be here all the time. I got along great with Aaron, and I missed having a dude friend to chill with. Unless they were getting down, it was always us three hanging out in Alice’s basement, and I missed that easy comfort. But then, if she was having these one night stands, who knew if she would hurt him. He had told me about him and Blanche, and I didn’t want him to hurt like that again.
“Blanche will be here in twenty minutes are so, then we can head over?” Alice looked around. I was surprised to see her so assertive. But again, she was New Alice, so who knew what on earth she would do next?

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