Chapter Thirty-five: A bad connection in the line
We marched as a roman legion out into the static electricity of the evening. I could smell the clean water riding the air. Roger and Cliff joined us for the first time in months. That wasn’t a surprise but Buzz Cut Brian came out. I talked to him twice, he lived on the hall, and I thought he was a Straight Edge kid on the golf team.
No drinking, no anything.
His arms swung low, an orangutan gait, as he piled through the night in front of me. Tim gave him a cigarette and the smoke ran over his head shaved so tight he was almost bald. The “Just Say No” kid wasn’t.
Everyone wore jackets but me and the chill of the breeze stuck. The sky was scattered white dots of clouds racing across the distance. A dark blue blur covered half the Moon with a fuzzy net. Selene was a silvery cat’s eye peering through the mesh.
As we rose on the climbing sidewalk across campus, I went up to George and Tim at the front of the pack. Trailing a few steps behind it felt like that first Thursday when I out with them. The houses on Fraternity Row clung to the light of the street lamps.
“Hello,” I said to George with a nod and asked Tim, “Can I talk to you?”
“Sure hold on,” he said and we let the people pass by.
“What’s up punk?” he asked as he lit a cigarette.
“I wanted to know if you heard anything else about what we discussed earlier?” I said as I got a smoke out of my pocket.
“Nothing really, but I’m not going to stress it. You and George still not back on the up and up I see. What’s up?” he asked.
I paused and then said, “After what he said last semester, I am not going to act like it did not happen.”
“You didn’t know he was pissed at you at the time did you?” he said as the last of the straggling troops went by.
“What the fuck are you talking about pissed at me?” I asked.
Tim hunched over and chuckles bounced his chest. He straightened up and put his hand on my shoulder.
“Man he was reeling about you hooking up with his sister’s friend that he wanted. Shit you did it right behind him while he’s driving and you didn’t think he might be little irked. Heard she was fine. What was her name Saundra?”
“No, Cindy. Why was he pissed? He was fucking Missy,” I said as my left cheek twitched.
“Yeah but he’s petty dude. He wanted something and you got it. As for me, after what you did to Justin, I’ll try to be on your good side,” he said.
“Very funny, hurry up, we have to get there before the beer is gone,” I said.
He looked at me and I looked back at him. We both took off racing to the party and in a few seconds we passed the group and reached the house. We tied, but he was more winded than I was. We sat on the lawn and waited for the rest of the troops to get there. The dirty canary yellow house pumped out the songs of Ratt. The guys lined up at the back gate to pay.
The place was mobbed.
The backyard was back to back full. The loud speakers stopped playing Ratt mid-tune and “No Sleep til Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys blanketed the rotating mess of students. I bobbed my head and looked for a corridor to get to the corruption of tasty brew. A swarm flew around the keg behind a horse shoe pit by the back fence.
I matched rhythm with the pulsing swarm and dove in, pushing and struggling just to remain on my feet. Jinx’s round head was above the keg. He was pumping the tap and gave me a nod. He let me slip in as he pushed his way out. I snatched the tap as it fell. It clacked on my guitar string ring.
I reconnected with my group and found that Tim bought a case of beer from a guy who lived there. The mid priced cans went down smooth and the case was killed in minutes. Drunk girls kept coming up to me and would asked, “Are you feeling better? Did you go to the hospital?” or “I am glad you are doing better.”
Nausea bubbled.
The place increased in population and I began to feel trapped and claustrophobic. It was only a matter of time until a fight broke out and a circle around them formed but the guys were too drunk to land a punch. I felt something was wrong and Police sirens began to wail over the Beastie Boys. We dashed through the neighbor’s yard and made it to the next party alive from the chase but soon our next destination turned into the last. I got lost in the crowd as I went to get a beer.
The guys were gone.
After going inside to pee, I saw Tim and Erin holding hands near the corner of the house as she chomped on a lollipop and he sipped on a beer. As I got nearer, he whispered something in her ear and she went off in the other direction. He raised his hand up and gave me the high-five sign. I hit his hand with a more of a punch than a slap.
“Calm down tough guy. What are you doing?” he asked.
“Man it is too crowded. Fucking bored and every person I talk to says the same old crap. Are you all right from your seizure? Or some shit. People thought I was having a seizure,” I said.
“People think you’re epileptic. Ha! Sorry brother, but I do have some good news,” Tim said and chugged.
“I know of a hidden keg. Invite only. Erin just went there and I came to get you. The others bailed and are there now,” he said.
I thought his voice sounded demonic.
“Oh, all right,” I said and the world spilt into two so I squint to realign my sight.
“Just follow me out. It’s one of Erin’s friends and a really nice house. They don’t want anyone to mess shit up,” he said and I agreed.
I matched his pace and moved through the mob and dodged the swells. The tide of drunken students waned.
As we strutted down the block, a question came to mind.
“Are you and Erin fucking?” I asked.
“Yup we’re together. She’s awesome dude. So different than last year. Last year she was kinda, well, timid. Not anymore. Shit’s going good too but I’ve had to limit her purchases,” he said.
“Why her? I heard you two fight in your room while I was being a hermit.”
“Why her? She mellowed in her judgmental crap ever since she started doing crank and shit. She’s not scared of the world anymore and a freakin Harpie in the sack. The fights were just for fun,” he said, pushed me on my shoulder and his eyes shifted.
He was not telling the whole story.
That was easy to see.
“Here we are and private stock awaits us,” he said and pointed to a house that looked like it came out of Homes and Gardens magazine.
Tim led the way up the front walk and he jumped the steps and went to knock. I did not jump but I skipped the first step and bounded behind. Erin answered the door with a smile that showed her gums and waved us in. The first floor was one large room splattered with random couches. A looming bar decorated in murals menaced the back wall under slung together track lights. Brass art-deco ashtrays sprung up out of the blond hardwood floors.
All of the couches were occupied but I noticed some familiar faces. On the bar stools, George, Brian, James, and some girl with a faded Frankie Says Relax t-shirt sat next to Brian. She was transfixed on him with glued eyes. We walked back to the bar and I let Tim and Erin walk before me so I didn’t have to shake anyone’s hands. The taps to the kegs like the ones in a real bar reached out to be touched.
I grabbed a cup, went behind, slanted my beer cup and poured a perfect pour with no foam. I killed the soldier and filled another. A blitz was coming on.
Being less thirsty, I went over to George and shook his hand and said, “How are you kid?”
He smiled and said, “Nothing just perusing for this bruising.”
George then drank the rest of his beer, stood up and offered me the seat.
“I must go drain the main vein, I shall be back,” he said over the background music by Lenny Kravitz.
I spun the stool and sat.
“Brian how are you? This is the first time I have seen you out. I see you found the place of least resistance,” I said.
“Yeah, I am ju
st lightning like that that. When’d you get here?” he asked.
“Just now. This place is nice. Bet guys do not live here,” I said and a sultry voice bowled over Brian’s chest.
“Thanks, we try to keep it nice. That’s why we only have a few select parties,” said the girl in the Relax t-shirt as one drunk eye went left and the other went right and up.
Brian cleared his throat and said, “Please forgive my manners. This is my girlfriend Amanda.”
He turned to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, “This is Joaquin and obviously this is her little party.”
Brian grabbed the jigsaw and made the pieces fit.
“You’re that guy my friend saw pass out on the sidewalk by Collins aren’t you?” Amanda asked.
“Yes, I had a small incident, but I did not pass out. It was a temporary. Nothing permanent,” I said.
“You’re kind of famous around here Joaquin. I mean you and my friend Kevin were arrested on the same night, and now people really wondering about you,” Amanda said.
“I guess. It has been a strange year. Had to community service for the school though,” I said.
Brain put his hand up to Amanda and said, “That’s his business. You just met him. Let’s get some drinks from the kitchen. I think they are done with the Margaritas.”
She wobbled away and Brain turned to me and paused.
“She’s a little drunk. Sorry about that,” he said and tucked his hands in his pockets and followed his girl.
I pulled my stool over to James, swaying back and forth in his chair, and asked him, “Where did everyone else go?”
He looked up at me with glassy English Bulldog eyes. He turned up and shrugged. With a kick off, I sauntered around back through the couches and saw Erin, Tim and George huddled up around a blender in the kitchen while two girls were making shots of fruity drinks. Tim waved for me. I shuffled over and he put his arm around me.
“Come with me I got some good news,” he said and I followed him to the back door behind the refrigerator.
We blended into the deck with the others. A ping pong table was covered in cups as teams played Beirut as other played Asshole on a pull out table obscured by frail light of the side street. We went to the stairs were and I leaned against the railing and he said, “The professor is leaving middle of next week. So no more investigation. We’re in the clear.”
I nodded.
“You want to smoke or do a bump?” he asked.
I was filled with liquid courage and rational thought left so I spun my ring and said, “Fuck it. Why not?”
He searched for a refuge and found that one of the hostesses enjoyed the product as well. We pounded a couple beers for good measure first and followed a leggy red hair with shiny Atomic fireball candy locks that bounced up in curls. Her tight black dress licked her sleek stems. I should have been aroused by her heft cleavage as she turned back to look as I climbed but no.
Around the bend of the second floor hallway barren as a factory, we got to her room. On the end of waterbed sat a watery eyed Kevin. He shot out a peace sign and made waves. The door closed behind me and locked.
Tim introduced us, “Joaquin this is Casey and you already know Kevin.”
Kevin then looked dumbfounded and asked, “What are you guys up here with Casey for?”
“We are here to modify our conditions. Would you like some frost from where it never snows?” Tim answered.
Kevin’s lips spread across his face.
“You want a line?” Tim asked.
His eyes light up like a child gazing upon a giant lollipop.
“Yes, I would. Thank you,” Kevin said.
Casey pulled out a drawer and reached below it. A plastic tray slipped out of the space under the drawer. Hello Kitty dolls watched from the dresser top. She handed it to Tim. He went first.
Casey stole looks at me when she tucked her curls behind her ear. She took a bump like she had been skiing pro for years. I took the tray while my hand shook but I was the only one who noticed. Looking at the moguls first, I zipped it down and was reminded of what I missed. The chemical flavor dripped down my throat. Automatic gulps made you savor the taste. Kevin wouldn’t look at me and was silent except for his toots. The rush came and so did more party favors.
It was not a long session.
I couldn’t figure out why my loins didn’t stir with Casey practically erupting out of her clothes so I decided to go downstairs and drink some more. I could be opening up a can of worms that might be dead.
I mentioned to Tim what I was going to do and he said he would do the same. Without obstruction, I went to the door and said, “Later.”
Tim got up from around the small table and said, “Let’s do this again real soon, alllllllright.”
We departed.
As we were about half way down the steps I said, “Tim man, that Casey is hot do you know if she has a boyfriend?”
He stopped, his face looked like he was slightly irritated, and said, “Sure that fat fuck is her boyfriend. Why do you think he was up there?”
My eyes fluttered and I rubbed them with my palms. Drug beauty and the retarded beast.
“I was shocked too. I wanted her last year and almost had her, but I found out she was a coke-whore. That’s how he got her. He buys it from me, for her, all the time. Don’t look so amazed man, funny though isn’t it,” he said.
I let the shadows loose.
They ravaged the light; the night was a decadent pitch black.