one
"Well, that's concerning," My RA said, as I brought her to my dorm room door.
"What do I do, Taylor?" I ask, hands trembling.
"I have no idea…" she says, crossing her arms, concern tightening her expression.
The notes plastered to my door were… unsettling. Sloppy lines like "We're following you," "You'll never be safe," and "Soon you'll be ours" were scrawled on sticky notes held on with duct tape. They felt… personal.
"Have you considered stepping back from your online platform?" Taylor suggests.
"I've already stopped sharing literally *any* personal information on everything," I said, voice tight.
The platform she meant was my Instagram. Over 500k followers. I'd become an influencer a couple of months before college started, and now, as a sophomore, things were… wild. Success had its downsides.
"Do you want me to call the police? I know you've been worried lately." Taylor offers, her brow furrowed.
"No, not yet." I respond, starting to rip down the threatening notes.
"I'm sure it's just a prankster or something." I reassure myself, but the lie tasted sour even to my own ears. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to sleep tonight.
"I mean, okay…" Taylor trails off, unconvinced.
"I'm fine! Thank you for coming over though." I respond, forcing a smile.
"Okay, but please Carmen, let me know if you need anything." Taylor says, turning to leave.
"Of course! Thank you again." I say, unlocking the door and pushing it open.
I walk inside and throw the notes into the bin next to the door, then turn and make sure the deadbolt is engaged. I throw my bag onto the ground and jump into bed, immediately opening my phone. A DM from Zack pops up.
── @zack_reynolds ── hey babes, are u trying to get fucked up tonight? ──
I roll my eyes. Zack can't handle being friend-zoned. He's been trying to get me drunk and lonely for weeks.
── @zack_reynolds ── hey babes, are u trying to get fucked up tonight? ha. me and you alone? no thanks zack. cute, but no. nah not alone. there's a frat party at SAE tonight. was hoping you could come with us. sounds tempting, but i have marketing homework tonight :( c'mon car. you can copy mine!! pls come really? no other strings attached? nope. i'll pick u up in 10 minutes. how does that sound? sounds like you're making my gpa drop. have fun for once. see u in a few. ──
I put my phone down and quickly slip into my favorite pair of jean shorts and a white rock and roll tee. Before I know it, I'm buckling into Zack's car, and we're driving to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
"You look cute, babes." Zack smiles, glancing over.
"Thanks, but I'm not *your* 'babes'." I retort, shooting him a glare.
"Look, a man can dream, can't he?" He looks over at me as we stop at a red light. I laugh quietly.
"How was your day?" He changes the subject.
"It was good, except for coming home to some creepy ass messages on my door." I say, clenching my hands in my lap.
"That shit's still happening to you?" He asks, his jaw tightening.
"Yes, and I'm starting to get really worried." I sigh.
"I would've been worried after the first creepy thing, honestly." He laughs, trying to sound casual.
"Zack, I mean this isn't my first time dealing with a stalker." I say, the words catching in my throat.
"Yeah but I'm sure it's your first time being *threatened* by one!" He argues, his voice laced with frustration.
"Yeah, true." I say, as we pull up to the frat house.
He parks the car and we unbuckle.
"Hey, don't venture out too far, I don't want you to fall into the care of any of these other weirdos." Zack says, getting out of the car.
"I'll be fine." I say, following him inside.
I walk into a dark room with flashing lights and deafening music. It reeks of marijuana smoke and cheap beer.
"Damn, this party has been kickin' for a while!" Zack yells over the music.
"I'm gonna get a drink!" I yell back, walking away from Zack and heading toward the kitchen.
I grab a red solo cup and scoop some ice into it from the ice chest. I'm interrupted by two tall guys walking over to me.
"Heyyyy who invited Carmen to this party?" One of the guys says, snatching the cup away from me. I make a face.
"She's even badder in person!" The other guy says, grinning.
"I don't believe we've met?" I ask, trying to regain control of my cup. Aaron pulls it just out of my reach.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be making her own drinks. Here, come with us." Tanner says, leading me away.
I look behind me for Zack, but he's nowhere to be seen. I catch a glimpse of a girl, though, with icy blue eyes and electric green roots. She looks at me for a split second, then disappears into the crowd. I’m pulled around a corner and toward a makeshift bar.
"Here you go, cutie." Aaron says, handing me a drink.
"What is it?" I ask, taking a sip.
"It's our jungle juice." Tanner responds, bumping his hips into mine.
I pull the cup away from my lips and wipe my mouth. "What the *fuck* is in this?" I respond, my voice laced with suspicion.
"Chill girl, it's safe. It's just some liquor, lemonade and fruit punch." Tanner says, elbowing me.
Before I have a chance to respond, Zack comes running over with a group of friends.
"Shots!!" They exclaim, passing around small cups full of a clear liquid. I could only hope it was just vodka.
I took one from Zack, and then the whole room counts down and takes the group shot together.
Everyone cheers, and then the music is cranked up even louder. Aaron and Tanner pull me onto the dance floor and the next hour goes by in a blur of shots, sweat, and strobe lights.
"Where are you going?" Aaron slurs, watching me as I walk off the dance floor.
"Chill Aaron, I'm just going to the restroom!" I yell over the music. He nods his head dismissively and goes back to the party.
I stumble my way to the restroom and open the door with sweaty hands. I look in the mirror and see what a mess I am. My blonde hair is completely frizzed, and my makeup from the day looks like it’s worn off quite a bit. I put my back against the wall and slowly slide down and onto the ground, feeling extremely dizzy.
I've had too much to drink.