The music was loud, the crowd was attractive, and Matt was out of his depth.
He had come to McIntosh University for the weekend for a combination campus visit and sibling weekend. His sister, Amanda, was a sophomore, studying psychology. Matt had not decided on a major yet, he just knew psychology was not it.
He was a high school senior with an interest in the arts. He had never really had an interest in sports, but had recently joined the cross country team in an effort to be awarded a fabled Senior Letter. The hours of running during practice and meets had kept him lean and muscular, but, so far, had not earned him any accolades.
Matt had arrived on campus around 5 o'clock that Friday evening and, after enduring an interrogation from the woman sitting at the front desk at the women-only Hamilton Hall, he made his way to room 216. He knocked, expecting to see his sister, but was greeted, instead, by Katie.
Katie was Amanda's roommate, also a sophomore. She was small and slight, only 5'2", with a vibrant, bright smile.
"Matt's here!" she called back into the dorm room, before wrapping her arms around Matt's neck and hugging him. He returned the hug, feeling the lightness of her thin t-shirt as his hands held her lower back. After a moment, they broke apart. Katie adjusted her glasses.
"Hey, little bro," said Amanda's voice as she appeared from the bathroom they shared with their suitemates. She was wearing a tanktop and jeans; her blonde hair was still wet from a recent shower. Matt hugged his sister hello. She playfully rubbed his buzzcut hair.
Katie took Matt's overnight bag and set it near the futon that would serve as Matt's bed for the weekend. The girls had bunk beds, set up in an "L" formation, nearby. Matt stole a glance at Katie's shapely backside, perfectly displayed by her black yoga pants. He looked away just as she turned back around.
"So, the Sigma's are throwing a huge party tonight," Amanda said. "We were already planning on going before mom called and said you were coming to visit. You can come if you want, or you can hang out here instead. We've got free cable and our Wifi doesn't suck."
Matt thought about it briefly. He had never been one for parties; he did not really like modern music, he barely ever drank, and most high school parties involved drinking as much as possible as fast as possible while listening to modern music. But, then again, he was 18 now and he would be in college next year. He might as well find out what college parties were like.
"No, I'll come along. Might be fun."
***
Sigma House was an old colonial on the edge of campus. The party was already in full swing by the time the three of them arrived. At the prompting of Amanda and Katie, Matt had worn jeans and a rugby shirt. It would help him blend in, they said, so that no one would ask who the kid was at the party. Still, he was surprised to find that he was nervous.
"Relax," Katie had said. "After all, it's a party."
They entered the house; the volume of the music increased tenfold. Matt stood in the doorway until Katie dragged him inside. He was greeted by the sight of a large living room, sparsely furnished, packed with college students. The guys were all dressed similarly to Matt, jeans and rugby or polo shirts. But, the girls. Matt had never seen this many beautiful girls in real life before, and all of them confidently showing off their legs and cleavage in a whirling flurry of skirts, tight shorts, tanktops, and t-shirts.
Katie and Amanda dragged Matt around the party and he was introduced to dozens of people. Unfortunately, due to the noise of the party, he could not hear any names, so he spent the next several minutes smiling and nodding. He was handed a Solo cup filled with purple liquid. He took a big sip and nearly choked. It must have been nearly 70 percent alcohol.
He stood there amidst the music, the writhing bodies, and the sweat-scented air for as long as he could stomach before making his way out the backdoor. There were a few scattered pockets of partygoers in the yard and Matt caught the unmistakable scent of marijuana. He sipped his drink in silence and solitude until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around.
Katie smiled back at him, her hand moving to brush a stray hair from her forehead and back into place. She had chosen a plum-colored t-shirt, a black jacket, and skinny jeans for the night. A black choker accented her dark, pixie cut hair.
"Not your kind of party?" she asked. Matt returned her smile, doing his best not to obviously look her up and down.
"Not really," he replied. "I'm not much for parties in general. No chance to talk. Where's my sister?"
"She ran off with Darren. She's had a crush on him for months, so, good for her, I guess."
"If you say so."
"You said you wanted to talk. What do you want to talk about?"
Matt shrugged and took another sip.
"Do you have a girlfriend back home?" she asked.
"Yeah," he nodded, "Sheila. We've been together for a couple of years now."
"Years? Wow. Sounds pretty serious."
"I like to think so," said Matt, taking another drink.
"So, have you fucked her?"
Matt involuntarily spat.
"Sorry!" Katie laughed. "I forgot you were just a high schooler!"
"No, no, it's OK," said Matt, choking slightly. "To answer your question, though, no, we haven't."
Katie looked surprised. "Never? Why not?"
"We... we decided to save ourselves for marriage." Matt realized how stupid it sounded as he said it outloud. Maybe it was the booze.
"So, like, nothing then? No sexy fun?"
"Well, after prom last year, we..." he paused, suddenly realizing how much how much he was revealing.
"You what?" she flirted, moving closer. Katie's warm body next to him put Matt at ease.
"We fooled around a little bit in her family's hot tub."
"Fooled around? How so?"
"I... I fingered her while she straddled one of the jets and she... well, she gave me a handjob under the water," he confessed.
"Ooh, that sounds fun," Katie smiled, downing her drink. "Would you like another?"
