"There will be free booze." I hear Jessica from behind me tell her friend while walking out of the lecture hall after submitting my last exam of the semester.

Hefting my tote bag further up my shoulder, I slow down my step so I can eavesdrop where this free booze will be. I think I have a hunch, but I want to be sure.

"Yes." The other girl exclaims. "And I'm betting there will be lots of hot guys as well."

I hear them both snicker, and I can't help but smile as well. College parties sometimes go beyond wild. And Miami people love to party so the wildness is double here at the University of Miami.

And 99 percent of the time, I'm at one of those parties. Mostly those that are at the frat house. And yes, because all the athletes go there and they're hot. But also because my brother lives in the biggest house and he's the football team's captain. Ben is two years older than me and he's currently a senior. Last year, when I was still a freshman, he had already become very popular, and he introduced me to his friends and showed me around the college campus. But in typical older brother fashion, he declared me off-limits. According to him, guys only want to get in my pants and he can't have that happen to his little sister. His words, not mine. But that was fine by me since I also wanted the same thing from them.

So me being stubborn and insubordinate, I didn't listen to him and hooked up with some of his athlete friends. I tried my best not to sleep with anyone from the football team, just to avoid any awkwardness since I spend a lot of time with my brother and, subsequently, with his teammates.

"He's so hot." Jessica sighs, pulling my attention back to the conversation happening behind me. "But every time I try to approach him, he already has a girl on his lap."

"Or a few." The other girl says.

"He's the football team's captain, so I get it." She sighs again.

That confirms it. The party they're talking about—where the free booze is—is taking place at my brother's frat house.

My normal routine for tonight would be to go to that party. But I'm thinking of skipping it this time. Since the start of college, I haven't had a break. Every day there's something happening. If not a deadline, essays I need to write or just general school work. And I often have plans with my mom, who lives about an hour away. Or I go shopping with my best friend and roommate, Sara.

My mom taught me to not take things seriously and just have fun whenever I can. Especially in college. So that's exactly what I've been doing since I started. Some may call me a 'party freak' and I guess that's true. But, I'm a responsible party freak, if I say so myself. I never drink too much to the point of getting black out drunk that I can't remember shit the next morning. I always call an Uber to drive me back home. And most importantly, I always fill my own drinks.

I quicken my pace and veer right as I mentally sift through which movie I'm in the mood for tonight.

My mind immediately goes to the gutter, and I think of a porno movie. No, Isabella, not that kind of movie.

I grin to myself as I enter the key in its slot. Sara and I are renting a little apartment at an off-campus dormitory. Its location is quite close to college, only a seven-minute walk—yes, I timed it once. There are two bedrooms and the best part is that each room has its own bathroom. Even though I wouldn't have minded sharing a bathroom with my roommate, I have to admit; it is nice to have my own. It is more expensive than living in a sorority or dorms on campus, but I'm willing to pay extra so I can choose my own room and have a clean bathroom. Our little apartment is on the ground level, so when I'm back from a party and slightly drunk, I don't have to worry about falling down the stairs when wearing heels.

When I finally get the door open, I spot Sara leaning against the kitchen counter. She looks super cute wearing her jean skirt and a tube top. Her blond hair is cascading down her back in big curls. I drop a kiss on her cheek as I walk by her to wash my hands.

"Hey, babe." I say.

"Hello, you." She puts her phone down and faces me. "How did it go?"

"Fine." Shrugging, I dry my hands. "A solid B+."

"That's great." She claps a few times before dropping her hands. "Now go get dressed." When I raise my eyebrows at her, she answers. "We're going to Benny's."

Did I already say that Sara is my partner in crime? Well, she is. We've been best friends since halfway through highschool and when we found out we got accepted to the same college, our squeals of surprise probably made us go deaf for a few minutes.

I groan and slump on the couch. "I don't feel like going tonight."

There will be a million people there. Being a Friday and the last day of finals.

She mock gasps. "Excuse me? We're done with finals and have nothing to do until Monday." She takes a seat next to me. "We have to celebrate."

She looks at me, then asks in a soft tone. "Why don't you wanna go? Is everything okay?"

I've never turned down a good time, let alone a party, so I don't blame her for being worried.

"Everything is fine. It's just that I wanted to relax this time. Finals were pretty tiring," I explain.

The concern that was noticeable on her face a second ago vanishes. "Please!" She gives me her signature puppy eyes. "We can come back early. I haven't seen Alex this week, and he also wants me to meet his new roommate."

Alex has been her boyfriend since the middle of freshman year. He is on the basketball team. He lives in a similar apartment complex next to us. Apparently, he now has a new roommate since his former one moved out to live with his girlfriend. And he wants him to meet his girlfriend.

For the few months Alex has been roommate-less, Sara was quite happy about that fact. She spent most of her nights there. In the beginning, I didn't want her to leave me alone, but seeing as I could bring anyone home was easier, I stopped complaining after a week. Not that she ever judged me for my choice of guys, but I could be as loud as I liked and I enjoyed not having to hold back my moans. But those days are over, I guess. Ah, well, she can wear headphones on those nights. Just like I did when Alex came over.

I can't help but agree when she looks at me with those sad puppy eyes. That her blue eyes make her look like she's about to tear up doesn't help. She knows she can get me to do anything with them, and she uses that to her advantage.

"Fine, I'll go." I sigh, then hold up my finger before she gets too excited. "But promise we'll come back at a reasonable time."

She nods enthusiastically, gives me a quick hug before dashing to her room to change.

An hour later, we're walking to where the party is going down. Aka, Ben's frat house. I'm wearing a tight red dress with a sweetheart neckline. Wearing tight fitted clothes is one of my specialties. I worked hard for my physique and I'm proud to show it off when the time is right. And a frat party is the perfect time. My four-inch heels make me appear five foot eleven and my long hair is in a half up, half down hairdo.

We're able to hear the music blasting from down the street. People are milling around the front yard. The door is ajar and as we step inside; I shoot Ben a quick message telling him I'm here.

I can feel the bass of the music all the way to my toes, and the smell of cigarettes and marijuana fill my nostrils at once. It's pretty humid inside and I am thankful I have my hair out of my face, otherwise it would have stuck to my now sweaty forehead.

Sara and I walk, hand in hand, so we don't lose each other, all the way to the backyard where I know my brother and his teammates usually are.

My eyes instantly land on the prominent figure that is Ben. He's sitting on a lounge chair with a pretty girl on his lap, one arm around her waist and the other holding a beer. My brother is a womanizer. More so since becoming captain. Though he is never rude or disrespectful to any of the girls who hang themselves on him, he's just one cocky motherfucker.

Grinning, I walk up to him. He sees me approaching and mirrors my grin, holding up his half empty beer can to me. I take it from him and take a swig.

"Congrats on finishing your finals, Izzy."

"Thanks." I grit out, the sour taste of beer fucking disgusting. Pulling on a hair strand of his, I sit on the arm of his chair since all the seats are already occupied. The blondie on his lap gives me a look, but when I smile at her, she smiles back.

Handing back his empty beer can, he takes a swig, but nothing comes out. He shakes his head at me and softly elbows me.

"Idiot." I mumble, the music too loud for him to hear me.

Sara appears at that moment, passing me a red solo cup. She high fives Ben, then rests her elbow on my shoulder.

"Where's your man?" Ben asks her.

The blond on his lap tries to get his attention by running her fingers through his hair. But Ben merely pulls her closer to him and keeps his gaze locked on Sara.

"I'm guessing in the playroom." Sara answers, looking down at her phone for a second. "Yup, he is in the playroom. Should we go to him?" She glances at me.

"Sure." I mess Ben's hair, then stand up and pull my dress down. "Love you." I call out to him as I take Sara's hand in mine again.

"Love you, too." He says back before fusing his mouth with the girl on his lap.

We walk inside, through the living room and sweaty bodies, then up the stairs. The Playroom is the first room in sight and Sara steps in before me and all but runs to her boyfriend, Alex. He puts his hand around her and lifts her off the floor a little while kissing her.

The Playroom is a spare bedroom with a pool table, foosball table, dart board, PlayStation and a couch. Hence the name Playroom.

When they finish mauling each other's faces, Alex nears me and gives me a quick hug. Alex is tall and has a nice body since he's on the basketball team. He's half Mexican and you can tell by his naturally olive tone skin.

We chat for a few minutes before he tells us, "Come on, let me introduce you to my new roommate. He's really cool." The music isn't as loud in the Playroom as it is in the kitchen or living room. They installed some type of soundproof panels herem for when the guys want to play video games during the day. So we don't have to yell if we're talking to someone. We follow him to a corner where a few kegs have been installed.

There is a guy with his back turned to us, and it looks like he's filling a couple of cups with beer. Alex puts his hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He turns around and looks at him, showing me his profile. In the dim lighting, I can see his strong jawline.

"Hey, I want you to meet my girl, Sara." Alex's chin dips down to her. He has his hand over her shoulders, so it's pretty clear who his girl is. "And this is Isabella, her best friend. Ladies, meet Luca."

Sara holds out her hand and he sets the beer cups down before shaking her hand. "Hey, nice to meet you. Alex has been wanting me to meet you since I moved in with him."

"Nice to meet you, too."

He then spins towards me and extends his hand. I shake it. "Nice to meet you, Isabella."

"Likewise. And you can call me Izzy."

He smiles, giving my palm a soft squeeze before dropping it.

Now that I've got a good peek at his features, I can tell he has dark eyes, but I'm not sure what shade exactly. On top of his head is a mop of dark curly hair, with some strands falling across his forehead. He has a strong nose and prominent cheekbones. With my heels on, I only have to look up a little to meet his eyes. He's around the same height as Alex, I'd say six foot something. He's wearing a loose fitted dress shirt with the top three undone and shorts. Typical attire for Miami weather.

Luca picks up the solo cups from the table and holds them out to Sara and I. "You girls want a drink?"

"No, it's fine. You take them." I smile at him. "I'll do it myself."

From the two minutes I've talked to him, he seems nice. But I just met him and I don't need the chance of us getting roofied.

My mama taught me well.

I move forward to the table with the kegs, standing beside him, and get to filling up the drinks. I tilt the cup slightly so I don't create a lot of foam. Then I step back and stop next to Sara and hand her a cup.

I don't enjoy drinking beer but I prefer to not mix alcohol and since I've already drank my brother's beer, beer it is for the rest of tonight.

Ugh, I feel like a dude with the beer.

I take a sip and glance around the room. Most of the guys are by the couch in front of the PlayStation with two guys holding a remote and playing some type of game with tons of shooting. There are two couples playing beer pong. At the pool table, I can see a guy pretending to teach a girl how to shoot. She's bent over while holding the stick and he has his arms around her, his hands on top of hers. He whispers something in her ear and I recognize it's David.

If they keep these shenanigans up, this girl will have at least two orgasms tonight. Yes, I'm speaking from experience.

I smile and mentally cheer her on. Get it, girl!

Turning my face to my left, I see Luca already has his eyes on me. "So, what do you do?"

"I study fashion design." I answer. "You?"

"Architecture."

I nod, impressed.

The sound of Sara's giggle pull my gaze to the lovebirds. Alex is whispering something in her ear while his hands roam her body. She giggles some more before focusing her eyes on me.

"Alex needs to show me something." I don't miss the smirk on her lips. "So, we'll be right back."

She throws a wink in my direction and then they're gone, leaving me standing next to Luca alone.

That sneaky little biatch. They left us alone on purpose. 

☀ ☀ ☀ 

A/N:

Hellooo everyone. What did you guys think of the first chapter? Let me know and don't forget to leave me your comments and to click on the star ❤️❤️