Chapter 4
Once she made her way back to the apartment, she noticed no one else remained in their house. It was typical of a Friday night. She doubted either one of them would make an appearance, sleeping off their problems until tomorrow morning. She hadn’t seen her roommate Ethan earlier. He must have started his weekend yesterday. Calmly heading into the bathroom, she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower.
Her hand adjusted the water temperature, letting the warm liquid flow down upon her. She yelled. She had no idea why she held it in so long but everything finally hit her. She witnessed a giant fish man fighting this other guy in the library. The fish guy then exploded and covered her with its liquid which she assumed was his blood after chasing her. She thought of nothing which even came close to describing what happened. She wished she remembered a movie she saw this in to discount it but nothing popped out at her.
As the water dropped onto her, she noticed the green liquid slowly heading towards the drain. Once the water started running clear, she exhaled in relief. It was over. She would never worry about encountering a fish man again. She planned on forgetting this ever happened. Everything would head back into her normal, routine, everyday life. This entire day was a figment of her imagination, brought about by stress and...something. She’d find something to blame it on. At the least, she could say she was going crazy. That would work too.
She changed into another set of clothes and exited the bathroom, throwing her clothes from earlier into the trash. She pressed them hard into the trash already in there, smashing them down as far as she could. She grabbed a few pieces of garbage and threw it atop them as well. She wanted to get rid of all the evidence linking her to the fish fight. She scrubbed her hands in the sink and wiped the memory out by humming the latest pop song to herself. The noise didn’t work great but the constant melody kept her brain distracted.
The door to the apartment opened. Kitty stepped inside, her compact out and blush being applied. She smiled at herself in the small mirror before noticing Evie standing near the sink. A smile crossed her face. This particular look always meant she had a favor to ask. “I thought I'd find you here. Come on, get dressed.”
Evie motioned with her hands downward. “I am dressed.” She knew her jeans and T-shirt were likely the culprits Kitty referred to as not being dressed. Dressed, in Kitty's opinion, meant wearing clothes slightly formal with a more skin showing.
Kitty lowered her mirror, closing the compact with a snap. “You understand what I mean. Put on something nice.” She walked over to the counter and poured herself a small glass of water. She quickly downed it in one gulp.
“Where are we going and what's wrong with what I have on?” If it was to go shopping, she’d pass. Going shopping with Kitty was horrible. They argued over every outfit. The excursion always ended the same way: Kitty having a fit and buying everything to end the problem. She never tried resolving anything.
“There’s a party at the Sigma fraternity tonight. Apparently there's something huge going on down there. I'm not sure what – I just found out from one of my friends earlier today. Come on. This party will relax you. If anything will work, this is your best chance.” Kitty pointed at Evie with her index finger, running it up and down her body. “As for your clothes, you're never going to find a guy dressed like that. Do you need something? Do we need to go check my closet?” Kitty's closet was the equivalent of three stores in the mall.
Evie sighed. She really didn't feel like going to a frat party tonight. They ended all the same: show up, drink, fight off guys, someone does something stupid, cops show up, party over. The script never changed. As much as she hated to admit the truth to herself, Kitty did have a point. She needed a break from everything especially the odd adventure she experienced earlier. Perhaps going through this monotony one more time would ease her back into her comfortable life. At the very least she might get some free drinks.
“Let me search through your closet,” Evie said resigned to accept the help. Her closet lacked anything wearable. She headed off towards Kitty's room with her roommate following, a large grin plastered across her face. Evie grimaced. Her look didn’t ease her worries any.
After what seemed like hours, Evie emerged, dressed in a short blue party dress Kitty completed with matching shoes and her hair arranged in light curls around her face. Kitty smiled, pleased at her progress. “You look great in that. I wouldn't be surprised if our little Evie doesn't come home tonight.” She winked. Her own light pink outfit easily set her apart from almost everything else in the house.
“I'm not like that,” Evie said, placing her hands on her hip. The closest thing she had to a romantic interest was the guy she flirted with at the coffee shop. Even then, her attention was only to get an extra shot of vanilla. She caught a glimpse of herself in one of the mirrors on the wall. She had to admit, Kitty was a master when it came to makeovers. Evie found things hard to believe she looked different only a few minutes ago.
“We'll see,” Kitty said, grabbing a small purse and moving their conversation outdoors. They climbed into her car, carefully making sure not to get their clothes caught in the door, and drove off towards the party. The destination was only a short distance away but there was little chance of making the distance in their heels.
They heard the loud booming sound blasting from three blocks away. This party was going to be over before they arrived. At least the fraternity threw it on frat row. If they held the bash anywhere else in the city, the neighbors would’ve already called the cops and the party dispersed.
Once they stepped out, Evie and Kitty started making their way through the crowd. Most of the people she came across she never met before. It was possible she casually passed them on campus but for the most part she felt like an outsider. She attempted to listen to a few people talk, hoping to gain some insight into who they were. Her venture became futile. She’d have to start from scratch and make new acquaintances over here. Only having Kitty to talk with set the night up for being long.
Evie poured herself a drink and one for Kitty as they stood next to the counter. She passed the plastic cup to her friend. “Are we supposed to meet anyone here? I don't remember any of these people.” She always felt uncomfortable not knowing anyone. The threat of being kicked out loomed over her.
Kitty shook her head, her short blonde hair barely moving. “Not that I know about. But there are dozens of cute guys over here. And you know what they say about frat guys.” She bobbed her head to the music, raising her glass to her lips.
That was the real reason Kitty wanted her to come along – she needed a wing woman. Her entire presence was to basically help Kitty find a guy. She used the guise of helping Evie to relax to lure her here. Evie raised her glass to her lips as well, taking a long sip. At least while she stayed, she planned on getting some free booze out of it. The booze was probably the only thing she’d get tonight.
Kitty nudged to the right with her head. “See him? That's who I want tonight.” She took another drink from her glass then placed the container on the counter next to the half dozen lying about.
Evie shrugged slightly as she sized up the object of her friend’s attention. He looked cute enough but she learned early the cuter the guy, the more he knew it. No doubt he received multiple compliments how good he looked repeatedly and only talked about himself. He wasn’t the kind of person she wanted to hang around with and definitely not the kind she wanted to date. She couldn't voice her opinions though and take away the optimism Kitty wanted her to share. “He seems okay.” she lied, turning back and drinking once more.
“Think you can distract his friend?”
That was confirmation she was the wing woman. Evie looked back at the man. He had a rather chubby friend standing there, looking as though he drank since noon. His loud, rambunctious laughter sounded across the house. He also seemed pretty touchy, slapping his friends on the back and moving his arms around constantly. He would try touching her. She groan
ed.
“Please Evie. I really want to meet him. He looks so cute and I don't see any other girls around him. Please,” she pleased, “I let you borrow my dress. You owe me.” She smiled; her dazzling white teeth and sad puppy eyes making her a volatile combination of pity.
“That's low,” Evie answered. If she knew she’d have to do this for borrowing a dress, she would’ve never taken Kitty up on her offer. She thought this should be her time for relaxing – not fighting off grubby little men. She sighed in frustration. “Fine.” Anything to get her mind distracted. She’d deal for a few minutes but that was all the time she planned on devoting to this lost cause.
Without waiting any longer, Kitty grabbed Evie hand and dragged her towards the men. She casually walked up to her target and said in a sultry voice, “Hi. My name's Kitty. What's yours?” She batted her eyes at him, pretending to be coy.
The black haired man ran his eyes once over her body, taking in everything. A grin appeared on his face. Making a slight gurgling sound before answering, he said, “Pleasure to meet you Kitty. I'm Harry.”
Evie paused, unable to think of how to behave in this situation. She heard that noise before. Her eyes connected with his. They seemed to pierce straight into her, drawing her closer towards him. She hoped he didn't notice the terror lurking beneath hers. He was one of those fish people. She only hoped he didn't know she realized his true nature.