It had been two days with no reply from Laney.
So this is what it feels like to be ignored. It fucking sucks. But maybe I deserve this. I ignored her, didn't I? But that was before... why is she ignoring me? Does she regret what we did?
"Red!" Ken waved a hand in front of his friends face. "Did you hear me?"
"What?" Red looked around, all his friends were staring at him. He hadn't realised they'd been talking. "No."
"He's fucking high, bro." Tom laughed, taking the spliff from Red's hand and taking a few puffs.
"I was saying let's go out tonight."
"I don't know," Red began, "I don't know if I feel like it. Why don't we just stay in?" He wouldn't have minded smoking himself into oblivion and playing some PlayStation.
"Jesus, what happened to you? When did you get so boring?" Scoffed Diego, his Columbian housemate with curly hair who was sat on the sofa beside him, opening a beer bottle with his clipper lighter.
"Come on, Red. What's gotten into you?" Ken shared a look with the other boys, "It's freshers week. All the slutty first years will be drinking too much, dancing all night, and dying to fuck a third year."
"Yeah, what happened to the other night? You disappeared. Did you leave with one of the freshers at Ken's party?"
Red almost blushed. "No. I mean, I don't know. It was just some girl. I don't know if she was a first year."
"Becca was so mad at you," Diego laughed, "stringing her along all night and then leaving with another girl."
"What?" Red tightened his grip on the arm of the leather sofa, "Did she see me?"
"I don't think so," Ken replied. Tom handed Red the spliff and he sucked it eagerly, trying to quieten his nerves. "That's what she heard at the party, though. That you went off with another girl."
Fuck.
Red panicked.
Who could've seen us? I should've said I picked someone up after the party. What if someone saw me leave with Laney? What if they put two and two together. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
But outwardly Red tried to look calm, he sat back on the sofa, kicked his leg onto the coffee table and said casually, "Fuck Becca anyway. Let's go out tonight."
"My guy." Diego grinned.
"Well someone might fuck blondie, now that you mention it." Red passed the spliff to Tom while Ken spoke, "She went home with Sam."
Red raised an eyebrow. "What is it with Sam? He's supposed to be my friend. First he goes after my sister, then he goes after my girlfriend. Well, he can have her. She's not that hot anyway."
Diego disagreed strongly, "What are you talking about, Red? I thought you were a man of taste. Look at Becca," Diego pulled out his phone and scrolled through Instagram. "Look at her! Look at those breasts, the milk white skin, the red lips, cock sucking lips. Those hips, that ass. She's a ten." Diego gestured with his hands, making an hour glass figure, then held up ten fingers. "Ten."
"He's not wrong." Tom laughed. "But Red, you never told us your sister was a hottie. You'd better be careful. Sam would have happily taken her home instead."
Red clenched his jaw. He reached out for the spliff. He needed it.
"Yeah," agreed Ken, "he was pissed when she disappeared. Thought he had her for sure."
"Okay, I will admit," Diego eyed Red, "don't get mad at me, Red, but your sister is hotter than Becca."
"Is she?" Red tried to sound disinterested and smoked the spliff all the way to the end. Then when it was clear it was done, he stubbed it out on the coffee table and began to roll another one. "Where's the grinder?"
"Here," Tom passed it to him, and chucked him the bag of weed.
"Guys come on, don't talk about the poor man's sister like that for fuck's sake." Ken gave them all looks, "Anyway tonight. Where are we going?"
...
Three hours later and they were in town, vodka in hand, drinking it straight from the bottle and queuing up to get in the club. Red welcomed the burning sensation as he gulped down the clear liquid.
"Clubs are so lame." Tom complained. "If it's not a house party I'd rather be home smoking and gaming.
"Shut the fuck up, Tom." Diego cuffed him behind the head. "You do nothing but game. Look at all the sexy sexies in the queue. It's warm tonight, I never felt such a warm September in the UK, you know what that means? These girls are wearing nothing. Look," he pointed ahead of the queue. "I can see that girl's knickers."
Red laughed, Diego had picked up so many British mannerisms and phrases in their past two years living together.
Ken was checking his phone. He was always checking his phone. "There's a house party later anyway. Let's find a few girls here and bring them, or it'll be a sausage party."
"Look," hissed Tom, "there's Becca." He looked at her from head to toe then eyed Red, "I think you'd call that a revenge dress."
Becca was wearing a tiny black dress. She looked a little Marilyn Monroe with her blonde hair and red lips. Red almost felt sorry for not fucking her, but she had nothing on Laney. With a twinge he remembered his sister had been wearing a black dress that night. "Yeah, she looks hot." Red admitted.
"Smokin'" Diego said, and wolf whistled.
Becca saw them and smirked at them all, making heavy eye contact with Red. Then the queue moved along and the bouncer wanted to see IDs. He confiscated their vodka, and then they were inside.
It was hot and sweaty and dark. Strobe lights flashed all around them. The club was already heaving. Ken went to buy the first round and the others began to dance.
Diego could move. His hips did not move like other mens hips. He flowed like water across the dance floor and already several eyes had begun to follow. Girls noticed Diego even when he didn't dance. He had dark skin and curly hair and perfect lips. He was well built and always dressed well. If Red was gay he'd probably have gone for Diego, too.
Tom was sort of shuffling from side to side awkwardly. Usually he just nursed a beer, and he looked out of place with nothing in his hands.
Red's eyes searched the club, hoping to see Laney or one of her friends. That Sarah girl was always messaging Ken, and if she was here Laney probably would be too.
When Ken got back with the drinks they all downed their shots. Afterwards Red shouted in his ear, "How's things with that Sarah girl? Did you invite her tonight?"
"Yeah, to the party." He shouted back over the music.
Good
, Red thought,
maybe Laney will come too. She can't avoid me forever.
The group danced and got more and more drunk as more rounds were bought. Diego was making out with a girl who was straddling his lap in a dark corner of the club, but more surprisingly Tom had befriended two girls who said they'd come to the party with him. Freshers named Nora and Ellie. Nora was homely and red haired. Ellie was skinny and sexy and elegant with blonde hair and tight black trousers that accentuated her narrow hips and flat stomach. Nora and Ellie both played the same video games as Tom apparently.
Just as Red saw Diego being pulled discreetly into the girls bathroom by the girl he had been making out with he saw Laney come into the club. With Sam.
He had one arm thrown over her shoulder and their hands were intertwined. Sam whispered something in her ear and she laughed. Red was seething.
What the fuck is she doing here with him?
The next hour was like a blur. Red had been drinking already, and the weed he had smoked amplified his drunkenness. He couldn't stop staring at them. Them dancing. Her grinding her ass into his friend. Sam's hands on her waist. All over her. Touching her. Touching his sister.
The worst part was when Sam came over to say hi. "Hey Red, how's it going?"
He wanted to punch his fucking lights out.
How dare you come up to me so casually, with my fucking sister on your arm. Who I fucked two nights ago, by the way. Yeah, instead of her going home with you, she went home with me.
All he said was, "Hi, Sam." It was a little frosty, but that was to be expected from a guy when he sees you with his sister.
"Hey Sam, hey Laney," Tom and Ken joined in. "Are you coming to the party after?"
"Oh," said Laney, "what party?"
Ellie and Nora joined them. "Laney!" Nora exclaimed. "So good to see you! We're on the same course," Nora addressed the group, "you've got to come tonight."
And then they were all talking and all hanging out and Diego was back from the bathroom with the same girl. He whispered into Red's ear, "She sucked me off in the stall. Her name's Anna."