I guess it came from Kentucky. When will I learn to say “No” to whiskey? Ugh. Mark slipped the flask back in his pocket. I wasn’t sure if I was going to retch, so I set my red cup next to Katie on the railing and quickly went inside to find the toilet.The party was in the backyard with the keg on the deck, but the bathroom was inside, naturally. I slurped some water from the tap and checked myself in the mirror. My tummy...

It was the first Friday after Spring Break. I played the sick card. Riva was throwing a party and I couldn’t bring myself to go especially on a Friday night. Instead, I stayed in Tegan’s room while she went. I said I wasn’t feeling well and insisted that she go in my stead. She begged me to go, I couldn’t. Spring Break was still too fresh in my head. I lay there in her bed for hours, trying to convince myself that I shoul...

We were asleep in her bed. I was spooned to Tegan’s backside. Riva spooned to my backside. She snuggled into the pillow and held us both. I was startled, but conscious of who and where. Tegan seemed unparsed. I let Riva slide her warm leg between mine. The sun had warmed her, and she smelt of pool water. Time was lost as I looked at the sunlight streaming in a crack against the wall. School was out this Monday after Easte...

No one saw the bombshell coming from Benito. We were hanging out in Riva’s bedroom, that’s what we do. “Let’s do something special on Thursday Night. Carl dropped off the Killer-X last night,” Riva said. “I think we should invite some guests,” Benito said. “Are you crazy? Mother Fucker. We can’t bring people in on this. Don’t be a jackoff,” Kayla said vehemently. “Well, we can’t go on forever. It’ll all be different next...

“It all started on Tegan’s birthday,” I began to explain. “We had had a few drinks, then came back to my dorm room because I had explained to her that her birthday present was there. It was actually Riva hiding in my closet. “When we got into the room, I saw the Red Sox cap on the desk, moved there from the chair: Riva’s signal that she indeed was there. Tegan instantly ringed my neck and laid a great kiss on me. Our fore...

I first saw Tegan in this very bedroom early in the school year at a party. It was the second weekend after my life as a college student had begun, and Riva had invited me to her party after meeting her at the coffee shop. She claimed to throw the best party and she was right. Riva can be very persuasive. Who am I to judge anyway? I had been away at college for three weeks and this was my first full-on party. “You’re a ge...

Chapter 1 of 26.The smell of marijuana is overwhelming. Tegan’s curly blonde hair leads me into the dimly lit bedroom where smoke rises from the group. The door closes to muffle out the sounds of the party. The music in the room is smooth, rhythmic and unknown. Perfect for smoking. Yet I recognize the song is Cat Power: Empty Shell . “Who is doing the planning?” Benito asks as he receives the joint. He is sitting with Kay...