A Peaceful Night In

It was going to be another peaceful night for you. You had your tea, a diffuser full of lavender oil going in your room, your headphones, and your laptop. All you wanted to do on the weekends was binge Netflix and have a moment to yourself. Since the new semester started, you were up to your elbows with work from all your classes. Being that your freshman year had gone so-so regarding your grades, you were determined to do better for your sophomore year. You had your routine and you stuck to it. Although it put a bit of a dent into your social life, you were convinced that this was for the best. What the hell could this year bring you that was new anyway? You sipped on your drink and started to slip your headphones over your ears when your roommate Hitch barged in. “Hey,” she said as she closed the door behind her. Without waiting for your answer, Hitch stripped off all her clothes and started to rummage through her dresser for something new. You learned early on that living with Hitch meant you’d be seeing her nude more times than you wanted. She was comfortable and confident with herself, though, and you had to admire that. “Another cozy night in?” she teased as she looked over her shoulder. “Yes. Another night out?” you countered, making her stick her tongue out at you. Your roommate during your freshman year was quiet and kept to herself. Naturally, the two of you got along. But then she transferred and you were reassigned a new roommate for the next year. Although you liked Hitch in your own way, she was different from your old roommate. Hitch was far from quiet, and she couldn’t keep to herself to save her own life. She loved talking to you even when you wanted quiet, and there was nothing more that she liked than being in your business. That was, when she wasn’t going to parties nightly, or bringing different guys and girls back to the room. You got so used to seeing scrunchies tied around the doorknob in the middle of the day, that the library almost became your second dorm. She at least had the decency to never take them back to the room when you were asleep though. Then again, you were always asleep before she was. “God damn it, that’s not the dress I want,” Hitch muttered to herself. She tip-toed over to her hamper full of dirty laundry and started to pull through the clothes. You shook your head as you tried to hold your judgment, but you knew Hitch couldn’t care less. Your gaze wandered back to your laptop and the movie you had loaded up, but you were pulled out of your thoughts again when you heard Hitch yell. “YES, PERFECT!” Your eyes darted up to see she was holding up the tightest, shortest piece of clothing she owned. While you were sure it was a simple black tube dress, you swore that from far away it looked more like a top. Hitch jumped into the dress as soon as she found it, then sprayed perfume on it. She gave you a wink when she caught your eye, and grabbed her makeup bag so she could sit on your bed with you as she got ready. “What movie are you watching tonight?” she asked as she applied some mascara to her lashes. Unbothered, you simply looked over at her with a smile, both amused and horrified by how unkempt she looked. Her hair looked matted as if she’d just gotten back from a romp with some random person, and as amusing as it was to you, you couldn’t let her go out like that. “Something from Netflix’s top10,” you sighed, getting up so you could get a hairbrush for her. “Thanks, babe. Which gloss?” she beamed at you as she held up two lip glosses that looked a shade or two off from one another. You jutted your head towards the pinker one in her left hand, and she praised your decision before pinching your cheeks. “You know you’re invited to come with me,” Hitch sang out to you. She began applying glue to a strip of lashes, while you brushed her hair out, and you had to admit a tinge of envy bloomed in your stomach. Even though Hitch partied and hooked up with people left and right — she still managed to go to work, keep up with her classes, and maintain a decent GPA. It wasn’t even as if you didn’t go to your fair share of parties. Your freshman year had more than enough. But after almost failing a class and getting the verbal lashing of your life from your parents, you weren’t sure you wanted to go back to that. This wasn’t going to be the year for fun, and you had to be okay with it. “Helloooo,” Hitch called your name out. “What? I heard you, I just didn’t say anything.” Hitch pinched her lashes together and started to flutter her lashes at you as she adjusted to the feeling of the fake lashes over her real ones. “I know. And I’m telling you that you are invited.” Her hands were intertwined with yours now as she gave you a gentle tug towards her chest. “Babe. You are young. Hot. Single. Smart. Whatever. You deserve to have some fun sometimes. I’m not saying you have to be like me, but just come out with meeee. For like two hours, and then we can go. Please. I hate thinking about you all alone in this fucking room every weekend. PLEEEEASE.” Hitch was full on pouting at this point, bouncing up and down in your bed as she tried to beg you to come out with her. From the look on your face, she could tell that you were musing it over. Your teeth met your bottom lip as you contemplated more about the decision, and she didn’t stop her begging. “Please. Please. Please. Let loose for once. Relieve some stress with me. You don’t have to stay the whole time, just try. I’ll even do your makeup,” she pleaded. “I think I have a dress you can borrow, too.” “Is it clean?” you jested, letting go of her hands. “Ha, ha. Very funny,” she rolled her eyes at you. “Wait. Is that a yes?!" A sigh left your lips and you glanced at her for a second too long. Truthfully, you were stressed. It sounded appealing. The nights when Hitch would come in and out of the dorm made you envious sometimes. Although you weren’t the biggest partier, you still enjoyed them from time to time. Kind of. Your yes was quiet, but Hitch tackled you with a hug before you even got the full word out. “For real, you’re coming? Tell me you’re not joking!” she cheered your name and poked your chest repeatedly out of excitement. “Yes, Hitch. I’m serious - get off, I can’t breathe,” you muffled into her bony shoulder. She popped off you and clapped her hands together, but you held a hand up to her before she could say any more. “I can do my own makeup, though. And I have my own clothes,” you laughed. “FUCK YES!!” Hitch screamed. She then started to dance around the room while she tapped on her phone, completely giddy like a schoolgirl over the fact that you would be joining her for the night. Grabbing your shower caddy from your bedside, you merely shook your head at her in laughter and ran off to the shared bathrooms so you could at least get clean before arriving. The party Hitch wanted to take you to was at one of the frat houses on campus, supposedly known for throwing some of the best parties at your university. You had remembered hearing stories about the Ekato Tessera chapter, but you never had a chance to go to any of their parties before. The house itself wasn’t too far away from where your dormitory building was, so you and Hitch chose to walk the short distance. You briefly cursed yourself as the cold wind brushed against your bare legs. While you didn’t wear a dress as short as Hitch, you still chose one of your most flattering dresses. When you had finished with your hair and make up, Hitch wolf-whistled at you, making off-color compliments about how pretty you looked. She joked that you were going to steal all the guys from her, and that there’d better be girls there for her to make up for that. You couldn’t lie — it did boost your confidence. While you were no blushing virgin, it had been a while since you had gotten laid. The last time was with some random guy you had English Composition with, and it was nothing but disappointment. A few strokes with no attempts to touch your clit, and he was done. You swore off casual hook-ups since then. As the two of you got closer to the house, you could see swaths of people entering the door. The house was booming with music, and a few people were already passed out on the front lawn next to a few keg barrels. Some of the rowdier frat boys started to whistle as more girls passed the door, and sensing your discomfort, Hitch grabbed your arm and stood in front of you protectively while she led you inside the house. “Don’t mind them,” she muttered, turning her head to you and keeping her grip on you the entire time. “They’re just freshmen or idiot pledge-wannabes.” You laughed at the mere idea of Greek life, and thanked your lucky stars for a friend like Hitch in that moment. Although she intruded on you more than you liked, you couldn’t deny that she had a good heart and at least cared about you. When you entered the interior of the house, you could see people dancing in one room, drinking, making out, grinding against each other, and packed back to back like sardines. Sensing your mild discomfort again at the sheer size of the party, Hitch moved to hook her arm around yours and leaned in. “Don’t worry, these aren’t the people we’re partying with. Luckily for us, I know the president. He doesn’t even bother being up here half the time,” she frowned as the two of you walked past a couple who looked like they were trying to swallow each other’s faces. A few more passes between crowds of people, and Hitch finally led you to a space in the back of the house that was closed off for entrance. Standing outside the door was a big, braulic blonde guy who looked like he could crush someone’s head with one hand. Hitch gave you a sly wink as the two of you got closer, and unlooped her arm from yours. “Hey Reiner, tell Jean I’m here. I brought a friend, too. Hope that’s okay,” Hitch tilted her shoulders towards him, letting her fingers dance across his bicep all while she spoke. You couldn’t even hold in your laugh, especially because the guy called Reiner folded for her so easily and the stern look on his face faded away. He unclipped the walkie talkie hanging from his belt loop and phoned in for Jean, whoever that was. “President,” Hitch whispered in your ear, reading your mind. “Of course,” you giggled. “What? We hooked up once or twice,” she shrugged. “It was good, too. Obviously trying to get some again tonight. Oh my god, I have to tell you about this one time when he ate my -” “You girls can head in,” Reiner said, interrupting Hitch and jerking his head toward the door. The two of you stepped past him and you could see stairs leading down to what looked like the basement. Hitch led you down the entire time, refusing to let go of your hand out of support. If you thought the upstairs of the frat house was huge, you underestimated how big the rest of the house was. The basement was just as spacious, with a living room, its own individual kitchen, what looked like two bathrooms, and a few closed doors you assumed to be bedrooms. The music down here was a lot softer and chill, a mix of R&B and alternative. Not to mention there were way less people. It seemed as if this space was reserved for those higher up in the fraternity hierarchy and their friends. “President and VP live down here,” Hitch giggled, reading your mind. “Let me guess, you’ve been fortunate enough to hook up with the VP, too?” you asked, turning to her with a smile. “What?! No. He’s a fuckboy, I would never. And if you’re smart, you wouldn’t either,” she warned, her face turning rather serious. “Well at least let me know who -” “Hitch! Glad you made it,” a voice called out. The two of you turned to see a tall, sandy-haired boy approaching and you assumed it had to be Jean from the overly friendly embrace they gave each other. “Jean, this is my roommate,” Hitch introduced you by your name and ushered you closer. “Hey. Hope you’re enjoying yourself so far,” he said with a kind smile. “Sorry for whatever you may have seen upstairs. It’s my job to be the professional babysitter for seventy idiots and I’m off on the weekends.” Jean said this with his hands on his hip like an annoyed mom, and neither you nor Hitch could suppress your laughter. “It’s fine, Jean. Thanks for having me,”