─────────────────────────── one ; the party. ⤸

tick tock, tick tock.

the clock ticking on the wall could be heard, the small teetering being the only thing bambi could seem to focus in on ━ it was a stark contrast to the loud music that crowded the frat house, overwhelming her entirely. she was usually always down to attend her best friend's frat parties that his fraternity hosted, but tonight was just a bit much for her.

once he had sidled up to some random girl, bambi took it as her cue to leave the two to it ━ her girlfriends were much in the same boat, having migrated around the house finding different things they were doing. riri had been playing beer pong with a cute blonde she'd met, and bambi could tell by the end of the night she'd very much end up beneath his sheets. niyah and her boyfriend were probably already in one of the random frat rooms fucking, and Lord knows bambi did not wish to stumble upon that. zay and aiden were dancing previously with bambi, but the overstimulation caused her head to spin and the poor girl needed to find a resting spot for the remainder of the night, until whichever one of them decided it was time to go home.

she'd texted her best friend though, trying to pinpoint his location but the pretty brunette girl he urged up to an empty bedroom told her all she needed to know of his whereabouts ━ so without wasting any more time, bambi decided an empty bathroom would have to do.

she tried to avoid people as much as possible, occasionally throwing a greeting at someone who recognized her; her brown, exposed legs shook lightly as she felt cold suddenly, teeth beginning to chatter slightly. perhaps it wasn't the best idea to wear that short of a skirt, even with the white thigh-high stocking that adorned her ━ but it matched and it was cute, so she sucked it up.

the longer it took for bambi to reach the bathroom, the more she could feel tears welling up in her eyes ━ it was too much. she could make out the bathroom just a few steps away, the brass doorknob looking ever so inviting and almost within her reach. she almost lunged at the door, hurriedly opening it as she stepped inside quickly before shutting it and letting out the loudest gasp she'd been holding in all night.

"goodness!" bambi whispered to herself, tucking two stray braids behind her ears as she slid down the wall, throwing her head back against the white door frame. "what a night. . ."

when bambi could feel her breathing beginning to even out again, she slowly stood to her feet, taking the bathroom in. it wasn't that it was her first time in there since she frequented these parties, it was more or less she seemed to always notice little changes about it. the medicine cabinet wasn't as crowded today, seeing as that's where the frat brothers kept their extra stashes of weed when it couldn't fit anywhere else. she also started to feel heat emitting from the fan above, meaning that the heater was currently on ━ a content sigh leaves her lips as she rubs her hands up and down her exposed arms, the goosebumps beginning to subside on her nearly exposed breasts.

bambi suddenly remembers she's got her purse dangling on her arm, the small pink juicy couture bag a reminder of what treasures she'd brought with her tonight ━ a grin tugs at her lips as she opens the bag, hoping to find the spiderman decorated fidget spinner her parents gave her when she was thirteen. it seemed childish to alot of people, but bambi found comfort in it, especially when things had gotten to be a bit much for her, so she'd whip out the toy and spin it until she felt okay again.

she hums as she sits on the toilet seat of the bathroom, beginning to spin the device in her hand ━ she focused on the way spiderman's figure made weird shapes as it spun, causing a giggle to leave her lips as she continued spinning it.

a sudden turn of the door knob has bambi panicking, her eyes widening as a figure stumbles inside, the smell of weed almost immediately encompassing the atmosphere around them. before bambi has time to protest, he closes the door behind him and turns around, his eyes wide as he's surprised to see someone's already occupied the bathroom.

bambi sucks in a sharp breath, taking his features in ━ he's got dark brown hair, small strands sticking to his forehead probably from sweat. a joint hangs lazily as his pink, pouted lips, his azure eyes piercing into bambi watchfully, shamelessly roving over her figure. she clenches her thighs instinctively, feeling a heat blossom in her cheeks at the way he looked at her. he had a lanky figure, but he was slightly taller than her. the white tank top he had on made his biceps visible, the muscles flexing slightly when he ran a hand through his hair as a smug smirk fixed onto his lips. 

but the thing that bambi noticed the most was how he looked exactly like her best friend, matt sturniolo.

for a moment neither of them spoke ━ his long, slender fingers reached for the joint that hung at his lips, taking a drag before blowing the smoke off to the side of him. the smirk is still etched across his features as he licks his lips, eyes lingering on bambi's cleavage area a little too long.

"um, can you knock next time?" bambi finally squeaked, frowning at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"already decided there's gonna be a next time, sweetheart?" he grins, locking the door behind them. bambi narrows her eyes at him as he does so. "relax, aight? m'sorry didn't know anyone was in here."

"well, you do now," bambi mumbles back, feeling her cheeks warm at the nickname.

"what're you doin' in here, anyway?" he questions her, gaze locked onto her as he takes another drag from his blunt, "s'your friends at?"

bambi lets out a sigh, shaking her head as she could feel nervousness flood her body as he awaited her response. "matt's in one of the rooms i think, with some girl. . .i dunno what he's doin' though, so i jus'—"

"hol' on, wait a minute," he interrupts, eyebrows furrowed as he nods to her, "matt? y'know my brother?"

"um yeah, i guess so?" bambi answers nervously, but then her eyes widen slightly as she tilts her head to the side child-like, her baby browns showing signs of confusion. . .and pure innocence. 

and that's when it clicked to him ━ the familiarity of the girl matt had been best friends with since high school was the spitting image of the girl standing before him, in all her glory. he took in her outfit, the pink skirt almost barely grazing her thick hips and the pink thigh-highs that thankfully didn't cover all of her legs, so he could get as much a glimpse of them as he could. her cropped, white shirt rested atop of her body, her breasts nearly spilling out of them and he had to suppress a groan for the restless thoughts that swarmed his head just now as he check her out ━ but his favorite part of her ensemble was the pretty pink bow that was laced in her braids. the flowy satin rested in the black and golden brown braiding hair, and he found himself obsessed. her long legs gave her the image of a girl almost doe-like, like a deer. 

"y'eyes..." he murmurs, gesturing to his own as she stares at him, her nose scrunched slightly as he awaits for him to continue, "y'got like a uh, bambi kinda thing goin' on, y'know? bambi. . .gonna call you bambi, yeah?"

bambi's feeling heat rush to her cheeks again, nodding slowly as she looks at him. he stares at her wordlessly, nodding back lazily as he puts out the blunt, dropping it to the floor and crunching it under his timberland boots. "so, what's your name?"

"s'chris," he tells the girl in front of him, swiping his thumb across his nose as he looks her over. in fact, he can't seem to look away. but bambi's not opposed to his lingering gaze anymore.

"yeah, we didn't talk much in high school, so that's why i didn't know," bambi giggles nervously, looking away for a second. chris's ears strain to hear the sound that spills from her lips, already having decided it's high favorite sound in the world. "i do remember nick, though. is he here? maybe i could've tried to find him instead. . ."

"aw, s'wrong pretty, y'regret talkin' to me?" chris teases her, licking his lips as bambi's eyes widen comically, shaking her head.

"i didn't say that!" she pouts, crossing her arms again, "i jus' meant cause he's my only other friend i think, besides riri and zay and niyah and aiden, but they're all doin' somethin' so i didn't wanna bother them. . ."

"you could bother me instead," chris shrugs nonchalantly, trying to ignore the smile threatening to grace his features upon seeing your shy smile as you tucked a braid behind your ear. "not makin' much more money right now, anyway. might jus' dip, y'know? go back home or somethin'."

bambi nods, eyes still widened as she looks at him ━ chris has to remember her eyes are naturally usually always so big so it's not uncommon for her to look like she's gawking at something or someone. she didn't seem to realize what he was talking about when he said he wasn't making any money; her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"making money? are you-"

"a dealer? yeah," chris finishes for her, nodding as bambi hums in response, taking in the newfound information about the boy in front of her. "how old are you anyway, kid?"

"i'm eighteen," bambi answers, nodding her head as she suddenly remembers the fidget spinner in her hand. before her oncoming nervousness could flood her system, she spins it as she talks again. "i graduated earlier this year, but i'm starting my first year at boston university real soon. matt goes there, do you?"

"course i do," he answers her, "we all got in an' jus' decided to go there for convenience."

"that must be nice, having your brothers at school with you," bambi smiles, spinning the fidget spinner in her hand, "i bet it's real comforting when things get hard, y'know?"

chris's eyebrows furrow at bambi in confusion, before he quickly recovers by mumbling a quick 'yeah', followed by a nod ━ he was shocked at the way bambi's immediate response to his presence wasn't throwing herself at him. he briefly wondered if she'd ever even had a boyfriend before, wondering if she knew when someone was flirting with her or not.

"y'got a boyfriend?" chris asks her, an eyebrow raised as he leans against the sink, nodding his head at her as he watches her carefully.

"um, no," bambi answers, shaking her head as she stares back at him.

there's a silence for a second, but it wasn't the awkward kind ━ it was like chris had immediately found himself wanting to be surrounded by bambi with each passing minute he spent with her. she hummed quietly while toying with the fidget spinner, not noticing the way chris watched her. an airy innocence settled about her, and he liked that. he didn't necessarily want to corrupt her in any way ━ he just didn't want the wrong person showing her things that she didn't know or understand. and suddenly, chris decided she didn't want her involved with anyone else.

"y'got a ride home?" chris asks her coolly, taking another joint from behind his ear. "doubt ya friends are gonna be able to drive since y'know, they're fucked up an' all."

"well matt was gonna drive me, but-"

"he's probably busy," chris raises an eyebrow at bambi, taking an orange lighter from his pocket and sparking the freshly rolled joint, inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke away from bambi's face. he licks his lips and rubs his hand along the stubble of his jaw, nodding at her, "let me take you home."

bambi sucks in a breath and lets out a small squeak, immediately shaking her head no. "m'sorry, but that's not a good idea."

"aw c'mon, can't drop ya off at home? why's that?" chris teases bambi with a grin, the joint hanging lazily at the edge of his lips.

bambi lets out a frustrated sigh. "um. . .i'm not sure how my parents are gonna react cause y'know. . ." she motions to chris and he raises an eyebrow humorously, pointing to himself in mock shock. she frowns at him and crosses her arms. "just promise you'll park down the street!"

"let's go, sweetheart," chris grins, stepping close to bambi.

his hand grazes just above her hip as he peers down at her, causing her to gulp as she stares up at him. he humorously reaches for her waist, pulling her towards him gently as he opens the door up for the both of them. they're immediately greeted with the loud noise, but this time bambi feels more calm as chris's arm never leaves her waist as he ushers outside of the bathroom. one of the frat brothers see the two of them, and he raises an eyebrow at bambi having recognized her since matt's always got her around.

"hey kid, haven't seen you all night," he tells her, causing both bambi and chris to stop. chris's jaw ticks slightly, and the frat brother's attention shifts to chris as he raises an eyebrow in confusion, "oh, what's up, man? didn't know you would be here."

"yeah well we're leavin'," chris answers him calmly, taking a drag from the blunt as his grip on bambi's waists tightens only slightly. the action causing her cheeks to warm as a small smile threatens to spread across her lips. "see you around, yeah?"

without waiting for a response, chris pulls bambi with him as they weave throughout the crowd of both dancing and drunk bodies ━ this would've had bambi panicking, but the comfort of chris's arm around her calmed her for some reason. she'd just met him, but she was already somewhat drawn to him, so she let him lead her outside away from the frat party.

when they stepped outside, bambi is immediately with the chilly breeze that wafts, causing her legs to immediately shake slightly as she lets out a breath ━ she can see her cold breath leave her lips, before chris's voice snaps her out of it.

"come on bambi, can't have you out in the cold," chris mumbles, taking her hand in his own. she can feel her heart race as she falls back into step with him, their footsteps synced as chris leads her to his car.

he opens the passenger door for her, letting bambi inside quickly before closing the door carefully and walking to the driver's side. he hurriedly gets in, turning the engine on. bambi's eyes are quickly drawn to his veined hand that turns the key in the ignition, before he puts his hand on the reverse lever, turning to back out of the parking space.

when he gets on the road, chris decides to have one hand on the wheel whilst the other subtly comes to rest at bambi's exposed thigh ━ he turns the car heater on, calming her chattering teeth and letting her relax. she sighs on content, leaning back in her seat as chris's azure gaze glances at her from time to time.

( lilly's corner 💌 )

my man licensed, and now i can finally write it without it being a lie !!

also erm 2.6k words is crazy work i didn't know i was ever capable ?? hope y'all enjoy this first chapter, there's so much more to come. muah. 💌

- lilly, out!