Two brutes from the forth floor tilted the soda machine on its edge in our lounge and slam. They were trying to shake out free beverages. They tipped it back and slammed the machine against the wall again. It worked. They gave me two cans of grape soda as a bribe and I went give one to George.
We began the pursuit of potent potables early with some drinks in George’s room and then went up to a girl named Lisa’s fifth floor single. She was a friend of James’ from Psych 101. The topic of discussion centered on an unfortunate event that happened to a junior at a nearby college. He had a party and ended up having sex with a girl who he didn’t know. She was sixteen and her father tracked her down that night and burst into the party.
She was caught under the sheets.
The father stormed off with his daughter and she lied to him about what happened to save her own skin. He returned later with a shotgun and threatened to kill him. The police prevented it, but the advice that Lisa gave us was always check IDs and watch out for dad.
The first stop on the night’s tour was the Three Girls House. I drifted from the group and ended up alone in the backyard. The crisp night was a savory taste but then Cyrus, George and James popped out to get beers from the lonely keg. George approached me, held out his hand and opened it to reveal a shiny lime-green bud in his hand that Tim had given to him.
“Do you want to burn?” he asked.
We went to the bushes at the end of the yard where no one could see from the house. We puffed the fumes to finality. The rush of the red haired hybrid hydroponic dispersed through my arteries. James and Cyrus went back inside but George stayed and we threw horseshoes at the sandy pit near a row of willows. About three minutes into the game, I started to see the red dots cover the ground again.
Panic washed over me.
My body was a mound of stoked embers. I told George I had to quit. He looked at me, laughed, and said, “All right. You look like shit. Go inside and sit down. You might want to slow down on the drinking.”
I went in and took over the only furniture I could find, the large blue love seat.
The pressure returned. Breaths were shallow and dizziness spun around me as a gaggle of girls stared. When I closed my eyes, I heard screams.
One girl wearing a barn coat and another with a red crew jacket asked me if I was okay? Their voices were hollow.
“I am fine,” I said.
They shrugged and passed into the night. As they left, George showed up out of the vibrating periphery with some apple juice. My hands trembled but I took the transparent cup. After a few sips and spills, I could breathe again as the sugar entered my veins. George told me to ease up and that he had to leave.
I was radioactive. Feeling better and bored, I got onto my unsteady feet. George was in the kitchen talking to a curvy blonde named Missy with eyes flickering with golden fire. I saw her around the campus, or should I say stared at her around the campus, but never saw her out. Most people thought she looked like the playmate Jenny McCarthy. George’s intentions were clear and I didn’t want to interrupt. I felt stronger so I decided to go another beer.
The backyard was empty and the silence was only broken by wind. The scents of the orchard were gone. Nothing but dry leaves perfumed the air. I pounded three beers to keep the red dots at bay. A solution was the solution. Confident in the glow of intoxication, I made my way back to the kitchen figuring that Missy would be gone. I was wrong so I waited for a pause in the conversation before I greased up the ball bearings to become a third wheel.
“How are you feeling?” George asked.
“I am fine now. Thanks for the juice it helped,” I responded while I began to blink uncontrollably.
George looked at me with a crimped grin.
“You probably shouldn’t be drinking,” George said.
“I am cool now. Do not worry about it. I am going to take it easy,” I said, flared my nostrils and rubbed my stomach.
“Fine Joaquin, but you should watch yourself,” George said and Missy turned and leapt in with a question, “What’s wrong?”
“My chest tightened up and lost my breath for a bit,” I answered.
“Do you have asthma or any pre-existing medical conditions?”
“I do not think so,” I said.
“You should have that checked out but anything major would have shown on your recent physical. Have you lost your breath before? Or do you smoke?” she asked and tapped her chin.
“I have been smoking for a couple years so that is not it. It just happens out of nowhere,” I said while watching her tap her chin faster.
“You would know about allergies, but adults can develop them, but could be an anxiety attack,” she said.
“That sounds like a mental illness and this hurt.”
“They hurt. Have you been drinking a lot?” she asked.
“I will see a doctor when I get home.”
“You should see the doctor as soon as possible,” she said.
I chin nodded and asked her, “Are you pre-med?”
“No, a nursing major,” she responded.
“Oh, my name is Joaquin,” I said, bowed my head and presented my hand.
“Mine is Missy. Nice to meet you. Hope you feel better,” she said and shook my hand with a firm grip.
“I am leaving so have fun. George, see you later,” I said.
I didn’t see George anymore that night and a beautiful day dawned but something wicked was brewing. I felt it.