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Tali
Nina stoodin front of her mirror, flat ironing the shit out of her already straight hair.
“Are we going to discuss Laura?” I asked as I rummaged through her clothes. My clothes had been deemed unacceptable for parties, since all I owned were concert tees and jeans.
“Nope. I am well aware she’s as hetero as they come. My heart is just dumb,” she replied.
“I like her. She’s a cool girl,” I said, holding up a vinyl skirt, then immediately tossing it to the dark depths of the closet. Hopefully Nina would never find it, because vinyl wasn’t a good look on anyone.
“At least you know I have good taste in my hopeless crushes.”
I laughed and pulled out a pair of skinny, black cargo pants. Cute. “I’m making it my mission this year to find you a girl who’s actually interested in going downtown. There are forty thousand students at this school. We’re not in small town New York where straight girls were your only crushing option.”
Nina unplugged her flat iron and popped her hip. “Oh please. Jenny Barbarina wasn’t straight. Girl was deeply, deeply closeted, but definitely not straight.”
“That might be true, but the point is there are probably thousands of lesbians to choose from here.”
She laughed and threw a pillow at me. “Thousands of lesbians just waiting for me to choose?”
I tossed the pillow back. “Shut up. I’m trying to be helpful.”
“Don’t worry about me, Tals. I’ll find my special lady one day.”
I threw another pillow at her. “You’re the worst.”
“Stop throwing pillows at me. I just did my hair!”
I plopped on my bed. “Fine. But I have nothing to wear.”
Huffing, Nina went to her closet and rifled through her hangers. She was already dressed in baggy green pants, a tiny white tank top, and studded leather belt. I told her she resembled Avril Lavigne. She almost murdered me.
She handed me a long sleeve mesh top and a black tank. “This will be cute with the pants you picked out. I approve.”
“Would my mom approve?”
She arched a brow. “Absolutely not.”
“Then it’s perfect.”
* * *
Even though shewas under twenty-one, Laura had bottles of ice-cold strawberry Zima waiting for us. It tasted like slightly alcoholic toilet water, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, so I accepted. We snuck our contraband booze on the university bus, which dropped us off at the edge of campus.
As we approached Tino’s house, Nina wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Remember what to do if we get separated?”
“Meet you at the dorm,” I said.
Laura hip-checked me. “Do not, under any circumstances, walk to the bus alone. Find a buddy or a group.”
“But we’re going to stick together, right?” I asked.
“That’s the plan, but Tino’s can get crazy,” Nina said.
That became clear two blocks away from the house. Lights, music, and people spilled out on the sidewalk. I was surprised the police hadn’t broken it up yet. As I got a clear view of the property, I saw it backed up to a wooded lot, and the smaller houses surrounding it were all occupied by college students. No one was going to complain. They were probably all at the party.
My nerves almost got the better of me as we climbed the wooden, wraparound porch, but Nina had a firm grip on my hand, pulling me along with her. The inside of the house wasn’t as crowded as I expected. Sounds of live music filtered through open windows, so I figured the majority of the partygoers were outside.
“We need drinks!” Laura threw her arm in the air, leading us toward a keg in the kitchen. She filled three Solo cups to the brim and passed them out to each of us. As I took my first sip, a guy with short dreadlocks, copper brown skin, and a silver lip ring came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
