--Tri-Var Sorority
After painting her nails that ridiculous color of neon purple, Brittany was ready for tonight. There was going to be a party at the fraternity house. Everyone was invited.
As a queen bee, it was Brittany’s job to be seen with all the right people, especially that really cute prelaw student, Castor Nova.
And, hopefully, tonight would be the night that her number would be in Castor’s phone.
Tiffany looked one more time at the grey sweater that could only belong to a guy. It smelled just like him, and the events of last night could only explain why she was feeling this kind of feeling. It was that feeling and she knew that this wasn’t the last time she’d feel like this.
She grabbed the sweater and buried her face in it. After one long nostril-filled inhale of his scent, she sighed.
Out of all the girls on campus, Tiffany had by far come closest to the college’s Casanova, Castor Nova. That was why she had his sweater…
Everyone knew that Castor liked someone, but no one knew that it was Tiffany. Now, she only waited for him to tell everyone about how they felt towards each other. Hopefully, it would be tonight.
After adding another layer of lipstick, Heather knew she was ready. Looking at herself in the mirror, she knew that she would be the prettiest one. She’d shine at Castor’s side.
And, she deserved to shine at his side. She was the one with the better reputation—hailing from Veronaville’s prestigious Huffington Empire as the third in line heiress to all that wealth.
She knew where Castor was from—he came from the Nova family of Riverblossom, an empire built from celebrity chefs, golden-standard farms, and a TV series which had been popularly aired since the 60’s. If they were seen together, the world would bow down to them in utter admiration.
Hopefully, he would look at her and make it official tonight…
--The Bright Family
Grabbing another book on philosophical ideologies, Allegra made her way to the door. Already at the door were Jane and Martin, patiently waiting for her.
“Do you think he’d have time to discuss philosophy at a party?” Martin asked. “He’d be too busy…”
“I don’t think Castor would be too busy. He isn’t like any of them—especially, not your brother.” Allegra grabbed her messenger bag.
Jane followed the two and locked the house. She was quiet, especially when people began to talk about Castor Nova.
The three friends began to walk down the sidewalks towards the frat house that was booming with music. They noted some students wearing Halloween costumes.
“Idiots; how old do they think they are?” Allegra sighed. “They should act their age.”
Jane nodded. “But, it’s a Halloween party.”
“But, we’re grown-ups.”
“Technically, I still think we’re little kids…” Martin admitted. “Though, we are almost all twenty-one.”
The ominous sound of their upcoming ages made the air around them seem awkward. If they were turning twenty-one, they were graduating or continuing at another school.
Jane was going to Strangetown to study physics at the science academy there; Allegra would still be here continuing government philosophy; Martin would attend a military college, where he would deepen his understanding of mathematics in order to teach there.
Finally, they arrived at the door of the Urele-Oresha-Cham Fraternity House.
Sitting alone in the back corner of the living room, Sue stared wide-eyed at the amount of liquor people were pouring into each other. She shouldn’t be here…she should be at a library somewhere, with her roommates—Yen and Emily.
Her eyes darted from the kegs of liquor to the grinding happening in the middle of the room. The dry humping was enough to make a person throw up.
She got up and walked into the kitchen—the kitchen that had been littered with clothes and pizzas. She sighed as she grabbed some chips and walked around, until she ventured upstairs. The library door was open and no absurd sounds were coming from inside. She crossed the threshold and wished that she was still at home with her parents and siblings.
A half naked man and woman were getting busy on the desk. They saw her, but didn’t even express their shame or embarrassment. If anything, the girl seemed to be smirking at her.
Sue covered her eyes and nearly screamed her apologies as she ran out. Running out was a bad idea, as well: she collided into someone. Beer splashed all over her and nearly seemed to drown her. Chips had been settled into her hair, and she swore there was a slice of pizza on her.
She looked at the guy, who in turn was looking back at her. Pizza, chips, and beer stained his shirt. The look on his face was priceless.
“A-are you okay?” he squeaked.
She felt her tears well up as she was stared at and laughed at by the neighboring bystanders. “I-!” And, just embarrassingly enough, she began to cry like a little kid.
The cold laughs given off by the people caused her tears to fall even more. But, someone grabbed her arm. The grip was strong and it pulled her up.
“Hey, it’s fine. Everything’s alright. Let’s get you cleaned up, okay? Hey, don’t cry. It’s fine. I’m fine; you’re fine.” He pulled her towards the bathroom, where he chased out the half-naked, gawking people and locked the door.
He handed her a towel and she quickly wiped away her tears.
“There, that’s better.” He smiled. He lowered the toilet seat cover and told her to sit. He kneeled to her and, with another towel, wiped away the chips and remnants of pizza from her head. “Are you new around? I’ve never seen you before…”
“I-I’m a freshman,” she hiccupped.
“Oh, that’s why. What are you majoring in?”
“In-international business.”
“That’s why I’ve never seen you. I’m going for prelaw.” He chuckled. “Well, it’s my last year, but I’ll still be around.” He used his fingers to pick out the pieces of pepperoni and peppers from her long hair. “What’s your name?”
“S-Sugunya.”
“Su…Su…” he difficultly tried to pronounce.
Her feeble attempt at a smile was heart-warming. She took off her glasses and used the towel to wipe them. “Just Sue.”
“That’s easier to pronounce. I’m Castor, by the way. I’m thinking that you don’t want to be here. Want me to drop you off?”
“…It’s fine…I-I can go home myself.” Sue had heard of Castor, and what the girls thought about him. He was handsome, but he was just handsome. He was certainly kind, but it took years to develop feelings for someone…Yes, he was the whole package, but just a very gross encounter didn’t make up for any mushy, gushy feelings.
He looked at the door; someone was pounding. “Not with that crowd. They’ll laugh at you.”
“I-it’s fine.”
“Let me take you home.” He stood up. “Or, are you supposed to be somewhere?”
“The library, actually.”
“Perfect. I was just about to go, too. We can go together.”
“…Well…if you have to go…Then-then, let me say good bye to Ashley.”
“Ash?” Castor’s sudden curiosity signaled a potential interest. “Ash invited you?”
“He and I are friends.”
“…I haven’t seen Ash all night. I don’t even think he’s here. He’s probably messing around with a girl somewhere…”
“…Oh…”
“How do you like college?” Castor asked as he walked with Sue towards the library.
“…I don’t like it.”
He laughed. “That’s unexpected. Everyone loves college.”
“I don’t. I’d rather be home, studying online.”
“I take it that you don’t like people?”
She lowered her head. “I-I like people. But, I don’t like party-people.”
“Oh, so you don’t like partying.”
“I find it pointless.”
“Really? Are you sure you’re not some old lady who screams at kids on her lawn?”
She smiled. “I’m sure. I just like quietness.”
“Then, how’d you get to know Ash?”
“He…he’s just a weird person. I was waitressing and he just started flirting with me while I took his order. Then, he said that he wanted to be my friend.”
“That sure sounds like him.” He looked at her and smiled. “Where do you work?”
“At Marlowe’s.”
“Then, how come I never see you?”
Her questioning look was utterly adorable.
“I’m a regular there.”
“I work the night shift.”
“Ah, figures. I only eat breakfast there…does this mean your classes are in the morning?”
She nodded. “All business majors are in the morning.”
“That sucks. All law majors are in the evening.”
She giggled. “Are you trying to match up our schedules?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And, why’s that?”
He looked up at the stars, a smile on his face. “Well, I think we’d be good friends, you know. You and I are kind of alike. Honestly, I hate parties. I was looking for a way to ditch this one, but it’s a total bitch that they decided to throw it at our house.”
“I don’t think we’re alike.”
He looked at her. “And, why not?”
“Well…well…for one, you’re pretty popular.”
“Okay, and?”
“You’ve got tons of friends. I’ve only got two or three.”
“I don’t believe it.”
She frowned. “And, why not?”
“Because you’re a good person to talk to. I wouldn’t mind being your friend. I think it’d be fun if we were friends.”
She laughed. “I’m as much fun as a snail on the speedway.”
He laughed with her. “That’s a new one…” As they reached the library, he opened the door for her. “Ladies first.”
“Thank you.”
He followed her towards the business section. Once she sat down, he disappeared. He reappeared, later, with three books on philosophy.
She touched the books, then looked back at him. “Philosophy?”
“Before I wanted law, I was a philosophe…” He sat down next to her and cracked open an old Voltaire. “He’s a genius.”
“I have to be studying.”
He looked at her books, opened them, and immediately shut them. “Business and philosophy’s kind of the same. Trust me, you’ll be studying better with Voltaire than with…whatever that is.”
“If I fail--.”
“You won’t fail. You’re a smart girl; I can tell.”
She smirked and flipped through the pages of the philosophy book. “Just because I’m Asian…”
“No, not because of that. But, because I get this worldly-smart vibe from you.” He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “That’s probably why you don’t like parties…or college.”
“Has anyone seen Castor?” Brittany asked around. “Have you seen Castor?”
To her dismay, all the people she asked shook their heads. Finally, she did meet someone who had seen her love: Joshua Rueben.
“Last I saw him was when he spilled all of his food over that poor Asian girl. It was pretty gross. He purposely did it…He even smiled.”
“Then what happened?”
“Well, he went into the bathroom with her. Maybe, they’re still there.”
Despite her high heels and her cat tail, Brittany trekked the stairs, avoiding the myriad of college students coming down, and kicked her way into the bathroom. Of course, all she got was a premonition of an orgy. “Is Castor here?”
Ashley’s face appeared from out of the crowd in the bathroom. “I haven’t seen Castor since--.”
“So, he’s not here?”
Ash shook his head. “Hey, have you seen my friend?”
Brittany piteously looked at him. “Which one?”
“This Asian girl. She’s kind of short and she has long hair and glasses…”
Well, actually, Brittany had seen her at the beginning of the party…in the back of the room…
“Oh, I saw her. Actually, Castor spilled his food on her and they came in here before we did.” Ash’s partner kissed his cheek. “Yeah, it was really funny, and it was even funnier because she began to bawl like crazy…But, I don’t get it…Castor spilled his food all over her, so we thought he might’ve not liked her. But, he had this pretty cute smile while he helped her get up.”
Ash’s face turned pale. He looked at Brittany. “I-I’ll help you look for him.”
Castor quietly closed the book and looked at the already asleep Sue. They had been studying philosophy for nearly four hours; it was three in the morning.
He peered at her business books. God, she was a business major. She was going to go places in life.
He sighed as he laid his head down. Sleep didn’t seem enchanting, but neither did reading alone. He grabbed her business book and flipped through it. A card fell out. He looked at it, and was instantly intrigued to see that it was vaguely familiar.
He picked it up. It was Ash’s number. He sighed as he placed it back in her book. Out of all the years he had known Ash, Ash was still as persistent as ever on getting a girl to like him.
As for Castor, he had been known to be a Casanova: somehow, one day when he first came to the campus, all the girls who saw him had a crush on him. And, he used that as his advantage: By the end of the first semester, fraternities came knocking on his door, begging him to join. He only joined this one because they had a pretty large library and it was near the campus lounge.
He became one of the most celebrated celebrities of the Sims’ State College at Pleasantview. Everyone seemed to know him; everyone seemed to want to be with him.
It was an awesome feeling the beginning of his second freshman semester till the end of his sophomore first semester. By the end of that, it was just plainly a pain in the ass: everywhere he went, people followed him like sick puppies. When he tried to be alone, people seemed to not get the message. And, slowly, he wished that he had never joined college. If he had remained home-schooled or had gone to a private men’s college, then things might’ve been better.
He looked at Sue. “You and I are just alike. I freaking hate this place.” His conscience was slowly dozing off, dozing off into a faraway land filled with corn and horses and--.
“There you are!” The snotty voice could only belong to one person: Heather Huffington. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, Castor!”
Castor rubbed his eyes and looked at Heather. “Hey.”
“You’ve been studying?” She looked at the business and philosophy books. “That’s interesting. I thought you were majoring in prelaw.”
“I-I am. But, I was just reading.”
Heather looked at the sleeping girl besides him. “Who’s that?” Her eyes squinted into a glare.
“That’s Sue. She’s a friend.”
“I’ve never seen her before.” Heather was assured that she had seen every single one of Castor’s friends.
“A new friend.”
Heather suspiciously nodded. “…Let’s get some coffee. I’ll come and study with you over some Starbuck’s.”
“Nah, coffee doesn’t sound good. I’m actually pretty tired…” he yawned. “It’s been a long day.”
“Then-then, you could spend a night at my place.”
“No, the library’s sounding pretty good now.” As he said so, Castor caught glimpses of the people pulling all-nighters. Some were even dozing, while having coffee in their hands and proof-reading whatever was on their computer screen.
She instantly sat down from across him and laid her head on the table. “Then-then, I’ll stay here with you…”
He shrugged. “Okay.” He set his head down again and started dozing. In less than a minute, he was well asleep.
Heather made sure he was asleep; fast asleep. She then sat on the other side of him and laid her head on his arm. If people were to see this, let them see it; let them talk. Especially that girl that he had been up all night studying with.
“Oh, I bet you were studying, you slut.” Heather closed her eyes and began to bask in a dream about her and the Nova Empire in Riverblossom Hills.
By five in the morning, Ash tiredly walked into the library. At first, he had gone to her dorm—pretty sure that she would be there. When Yen answered the door and said that Emily had texted her to go wait for her at the campus lounge, he and Brittany stormed all the way there.
Emily wasn’t there but another friend—Anne—said that Emily went to Marlowe’s. Brittany was getting tired so Ash drove her back to her dorm before heading out to Marlowe’s. At Marlowe’s, Ash learned that Emily went home. No one at Marlowe’s had seen Sue, yet.
Ash went back to the party to search one more time, but no one had seen whoever he was looking for. Then, he finally remembered a part of the conversation he had with her at Marlowe’s: possibly fail my exam tomorrow because I won’t have enough time to polish my studying for it.
If she wasn’t home studying, or at the campus lounge, then there was only one place where she could’ve been at. And, he felt like an idiot for not thinking about it the first time.
Now, as he headed towards the business section, he felt his weary muscles creak like a rusty door hinge. He had never worked so hard for a girl. Never. They came and went naturally. But, this freshman refused him from day one, and he knew that she was going to keep refusing until the last day she lived.
He stopped at their table, a confused look lining his face. There was Sue, with Castor next to her, facing the same book as she was and having their faces so close together, and there was Heather on his arm.
Shaking his head, Ash went behind Sue and slowly shook her. “Hey, get up.”
She shifted and slowly opened her eyes. She yawned. “What time is it?”
“Almost five.”
She sighed. “…Are you going to take me home?”
“Yeah. I see that you’ve got a lot of studying done last night…”
“More talking than studying.” She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She then began to grab her things. “Good thing Yen left this with Walter before she left…I wouldn’t have had my things.”
Ash saw the philosophy books and smirked. “Did he convince you that Voltaire was a genius?”
“I’m partially convinced.” She grabbed his arm and leaned against him. “Please. Take me home. I need a bed. My arms ache, my back aches…”
“Usually, when people are suffering a hangover, they say their heads hurt.” He began to lead her out.
“I didn’t drink.”
“And, why not?”
“I’m only nineteen.”
“It’s college.”
She let out an exasperated sigh as she hopped onto his motorcycle. “I hate college.”
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