"Yes." I murmered. My hands played with the white comforter on the bed while my other hand had started to feel warm from holding the phone to my ear. I pulled my face away having my cheek almost suction off. I winced. The blankets fell through my fingers.

"Your mother and I wish we could be there to help get you settled." I could hear my father shuffling through paperwork on his desk. I can just imagine my mother rolling her eyes across of the room with a smart phone glued to her ear.

"No dad, it's fine. Really." I smiled and lightened my voice so he could tell through the phone I wasn't upset. Truth be told, I really wasn't. Used to it, maybe.

"Its my sophmore year, theres nothing to be settled." Same roommate, same dorm room.

"We miss you Leda." He hushed. I wish he didn't have to speak for Alicia sometimes I wished she would call me. Try and be my mom. Maybe this was her trying.

"I miss you too dad." I felt water start to gloss the surface of my eyes. I quickly left my seat on my bed and stood up walking towards the bookshelf. I ran my hands across the spines. I'm glad Sara let me set up a bookshelf on the empty wall.

"Bye honey, call soon-" I heard something fall on the other side of the line followed with a "William!" the line cut.

"Bye dad." I clicked off my phone and threw it on my bed. I rubbed my eyes hard. I am beyond exuasted. classes start tomorrow and I probably won't get any sleep tonight either.

I walked into the bathroom to rinse my face with water. I picked up the beige hand towel and padded my face. I heard the dorm door shut.

"Hey." Sara walked to her bed throwing her purse. Sara and I didn't really talked. Last year we acknowledged each other, but we never really 'hung out' or really did anything outside of seeing each other in our room.

"Hey." I finished drying my face putting the towel back on the side of the sink. I walked out of the bathroom door while Sara was already flicking through the hangers in her closet looking for something better to wear.

She held up a short gold sparkly dress with a low cut neckline. "Hows this?" I nodded my head followed with a shrug in my shoulders. That was a yes.

She shimmied out of her jeans shorts and tank top throwing the dress over head. Sara walked into the bathroom to most likely fix her makeup. I picked up the book on my bedside table starting to read when she came out of the bathroom holding a tube of lipstick.

"Have you ever been to a college party?" She applied the lipstick by a mirror hung up on the wall.

"Well.. yeah." I looked up from my book. she put the cap on showing a bright red lip.

"Why don't you come tonight?" I tilted my head. I can't tell if its retorical or a trick qeustion.

Sara rolled her eyes. "You have like insomnia right? Maybe some going out will do you good." She was waving the lipstick tube around as she talked. I started to shake my head when she threw a black dress at me and pulled me into the bathroom.

"Sara-"

"Get changed and I'll cover up those bags under your eyes." Her blonde curls bounced while she placed shimmery eyeshadow on her lids. She swung her hips putting on the rest of her makeup.

I just finished putting the shoulder strap where it belonged when she sat me on the toliet seat and started applying concealer.

"This is.. tight." I pulled at the bottom of the dress trying to stretch it out somehow. The fabric always shot back up and looked even higher than before.

"Its supossed to be." Sara smiled putting mascara on my lids. She stepped back pursing her lips. "Take this and lets go." She threw a lipstick tube at me and grabbed her purse from her bed already almost out the door.

"Sara!" I grabbed a small purse grabbing my phone and stuffing it in. I walked out of the door seeing a guy looking at me on my left. I went to the right chasing after sara.

"Sara!" I shouted again stuffing the damn lipstick in my purse. I caught up feeling soreness instantly shoot to my feet.

"These shoes hurt." I mumbled

"Well, we have to walked Beta Theta Phi." She took out her phone responded to a text.

"What?"

Sara thought this was funny. She threw her head showing perfect white teeth.

We made it out the door and into the night it was warmish. Night weather before it gets too cold. There was some pink in the sky from the sunset still remaining.

Sara never brought me to a party, she never even asked before. I wanted to ask her why when the lights and the music were in front of us. People flooding in and out of the house some on the porch, some in the back yard. It was a big party. It was a big house. I figure thats what big frats are made for. Parties.

"You good?" Sara stopped walking and turned towards me at the mailbox.

"Yeah, definitely." I said quickly looking the house up and down.

Her eyes narrowed. She could tell thart wasn't the truth. She took a deep breath and looked towards the house and decided to let it go. "Hey, bonding right?" She showed a small smile.

Sara always smiled like she really meant it. Really.

I tried my best smile back. "Right."

Sara  started walking down the concrete path when people some people started to wave and call her name in the way that they drain it out like 'Saaarrrraaaaa' in loud booms. I forgot Sara did this often as she did.

We walked through the front door while Sara grabbed two beers and gave one two me. She shouted over the pounding music. "Follow me! Okay?" I watched her walk down into the basement taking a deep breath. It was weird being around masses of people in such a big house were all the people made it feel tiny and suffocated.

I went down the stairs seeing Sara by a couch of people all lanked up against each other.

"Guys, this is my friend Leda." Her drink wobbled in her hand. She called me her friend instead of her roommate. A first for everything.

"Leda, This is Noah," A lanky guy with brown curly hair raised his hand slightly, smiling. I nodded.

"Vee." Vee's hair was bright pink she was wearing a fish net shirt followed with the same leggings she was seated on a red heads lap.

"And thats Romeo." Sara rolled her eyes the red head waved his hands and shook his head.

"Fuck you Sara." He laughed showing his smile. His brown eyes smiled with it.

"I'm Levi." His eyes held on to mine. I smiled slightly.

"Have you guys seen Ethan?" Sara's curls bounced around as she looked back and forth over her shoulders.

"The boy toy? no, not lately." Vee snickered. A worried look placed on Sara's face she just brushed off the comment.

"I'm gonna go look, You good here?" She glanced at me and I nodded. Sara left and I regretted saying I was fine.

Vee shifted on Levi's lap narrowing her eyes at me not saying anything.

"So Leda? What's your major?" Noah lifted his cup taking a swig. Vee snorted at the question.

"Law." I mumbled take a big gulp of beer, I'm  not good at this.

"Cool." He lied.

"Not really. It actually fucking sucks." I rolled my eyes tasting the warm beer wash down my throat. Just fucking leave Leda. You shouldn't be here.

Noah started laughing while Levi chuckled.

"Then why are you doing it?" Vee said in a quick sharp tone.

I raised an eyebrow tilting my head. "My parents." She huffed and turned her head in the opposite direction. The room was filled with fog. It looked like if a headache was a place

"Do you guys have anything stronger than this?" I lifted my plastic cup.

"Yeah, I'll show you where it is." Levi pushed Vee off his lap standing up. Wow he is tall. He towered above me. Vee looked insulted glaring at Levi's back.

"Be right back." He nodded leading the way in front of me. We walked up the stairs. There was more people than I remembered up here the last time. I started getting shoved back by people. Levi glanced back seeing me start to disappear into the crowd. He found my hand grabbing it and leading me into the kitchen. Levi's hand was big and soft. Our fingers weren't interlaced. I was barely hanging on with his thumb and about two fingers. He pulled me around to the fridge by the counter letting go of my hand.

"Can I make you something?" He showed a cheeky smile watching my eyes.

"Why not?" I hoisted myself up onto the counter so I could be somewhat near his height. "Just promise me something." I told him. My head started to feel lighter so I felt braver.

He opened up the fridge glancing back at me. "Anything."

"Don't poision me." I smiled watching him shift through the fridge.

He laughed grabbing a lemon and some sort of leaf out of the fridge. "I didn't even know Sara had a boyfriend." I picked up the leaf on the counter smelling it. Mint.

"They've been dating since.. Last year. Seems like forever." He searched through the maze of bottles in the center counter. He grabbed white whiskey placing it over by the counter I was sitting by.

Levi squeezed the lemon into a plastic cup putting the core in along with the mint. "Duck." He lifted his hands of my head getting into the cupbored finding a container of sugar. He closed the cabinet. He was inches away from my face I could lean slightly and I would be on his lips.

Then I remembered that I just met this guy and Vee was using him as a fucking chair five minutes ago. Calm down, Jesus.

"So." I turned my head away from him and towards the ingredients. "You make this for all the girls you meet at parties?" I smiled. Levi poured about a tablespoon of sugar into the cup.

"And the guys." He watched me tilt my head. "Ohhh, you thought you were special?" He poured the whiskey into the cup.

I laughed as he mixed it with a straw. He showed a cheeky smile that showed on his face. I think that smile is genuine. Or maybe all of Sara's friends just smile all the time?

"Taste." I took the cup as my fingers brushed his. He watched me take a drink. The whiskey burned going down my throat. I pursed my lips as if I was thinking about it. He waited watching me.

"I give it...." I swayed my legs back and forth. "A three out of ten."

Levi's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me right" I smiled sipping through the straw.

"You must live here, huh?" He grabbed one of the bottles of vodka taking a shot glass out of the cabinet above him.

"What makes you say that?" He poured the clear liqued to the top of the shot.

"For one, you look like a frat boy." He laughed shaking his head. "Two, you know where everything is."

Levi nodded. "Mostly the first one though." I shrugged. He downed the shot and I noticed i've already sipped half way through my drink.

He grabbed another cup of beer, I bet its mostly to have something in his hand. He dumped out the beer in the sink filling it with water. I'm right.

"Shh, don't tell anyone." Levi is muscular, maybe it stands out more with his tan and the dark red almost brown sort of chesnut hair. If you think of college guys, He is the model standing at the front of the school.

"I should find Sara. I gotta get back." I mumbled hoping off the counter. My drink is empty now. I leave the cup on the counter since the garbage isn't anywhere to be seen.

I start to walk back down the the basement when Levi gently grabs my arm. "She didn't text you?" I furrowed my eyebrows grabbing my phone out of my purse.

Sara (1)

Went home w/ Ethan :) see u tommorow love!!!!

I barely saw Sara drink her beer, She must've drank more when she was with Ethan.

Great I'm walking home. Again, but this time alone.

"I'm gonna go." Levi let go of my arm drifting at his side.

"Want help?" He said quickly.

"Help? Walking home?" I furrowed my eyebrows. he started shaking his head rapidly.

"No, no, I mean can I walk you home?" He ran a hand through his short hair. I looked to the door and back to him.

"Vee probably needs someone to walk her home." I met his sparkly brown eyes and his smile altered.

"Yeah." Levi's eyes went to his feet.

I go to walk towards the door and he grabs my arm again. "Text me when you get back." I smiled slightly giving him my phone to put in his number.

"Bye Levi." I Walked through the hot crowded house onto the side walk. At first it felt nice with the brisk cold air. almost refreshing.

Now it was chilly I'm wearing a short black dress at night in september. I should've brought a sweater or just wore sweats and stayed home. I felt a buzz going through my body from the liqour.

I opened the door to my room and took and asprin and a glass of cold water. I walked to the bathroom in the darkness I turned on the light wincing. Too bright, too late. I washed the make up off my face. I don't want to wake up with a headache and sticky makeup tomorrow. I slipped on shorts and a sports bra.

I grabbed my phone out of the purse on my bed trying to find Levi's name. I found his contact. I laughed quietly.

To: Romeo

Is this Romeo or some douche I met at a party 2nite?

I opened my desk drawer lifting up a folder of papers finding my lighter and a pack of cigarettes. The nicotine helps me fall asleep. They're gross, but helpful to me at least. My phone buzzes

Romeo (1)

I thought he was cute, didn't you?

Cheeky bastard. I open the window making sure most of the stink goes out the window. I light the cancer stick.

To: Romeo

A 3/10 at best. He has that girlfriend named Vee too..

My phones buzzed quickly.

Romeo (1)

Not my girlfriend.

Bet.

To: Romeo

Goodnight Levi.

I got half way through the cigarette and thru it out the window. I brushed my teeth again and waited for my mind to shut off.