A Wild Night's Encounter by Sweet and Special Books Page A

makeshift barbecue grill.
    Laila shook her head. She only came at Ashley’s insistence. Like all frat parties, non- members needed to be invited. Today was different. The A.K.O., just like all fraternities at the opening of each school year, participated in an open house event earlier that day that highlighted their achievements for all interested individuals and would-be members.
    All fraternities are given the leeway at night to host an open-house party welcoming anyone who wants to join, as long as they followed the rules set by the campus administration. If this party was an indicator, Laila thought, many of the rules had already been broken by the first hour.
    The wildness of this group in particular, had a high chance of going unreported. She noticed how drunk the participants were, too drunk to cause anymore problems. Though the music was blaring, everyone who lived in the dorm rooms’ vicinity were frat members and as long as the rowdiness did not get the campus security’s attention, the party would end on its own. The life of the gathering was also hidden from view, almost all contained at the back. Looking from the front, all that could be seen were a bunch of guys talking and drinking beer, and some couples indulging in a little teasing – a regular party.
    If there was any sign that this party would end soon, Laila saw it in the form of two men, arm in arm, puking their guts on the shrubbery that lined the path towards the back.
    Yup, this is ending soon, thought Laila, agreeing with herself.
Chapter Two
    ERIC HAD PLANNED TO get drunk.
    He was, in fact, a little intoxicated before he jumped from the roof. He took the time to swim his adrenalin off at the pool before getting back to the frat house to change.
    It took, at most, forty-five minutes; including the time it took for him to use the bathroom. He hurried outside, intent on catching up with the excited crowd. He did not expect to see what he saw.
    Almost everyone was drunk, the kind of drunk bordering between fuck-the-world-I'll-do-what-I-want and passed-out-after-a-very-embarrassing-deed drunk. There were some guests that were already passed out in many places – the benches, beside the pool, next to the bushes, on top of the bushes, and even beside the blaring speakers.
    This party is about to be over soon, he thought to himself.
    A straggler wearing a torn shirt bearing the frat's emblem skidded towards him. The straggler was heavily intoxicated and saying something garbled. He swayed all the way towards Eric.
    "Heeeeeey, duuuude, that…washhhhhhhh coo—," he was almost asleep before he hit the ground.
    Eric shook his head. He had looked forward to this night, the last true night of partying before school officially begins. He looked for his frat brothers but none were in sight.
    Probably getting it on, he thought.
    He headed for the makeshift grill where a keg full of beer was just brought in. A fresh batch of meat was being placed over the smoldering coal, tended to by a tipsy frat boy whom he recognized was a junior.
    Might as well get drunk, he thought, as he accepted a cup from the person who brought the keg.
    ***
    It was proving to be the most boring party she had ever attended, Laila thought. And she was a girl who thought formal get-togethers rocked.
    It was not because she was not getting any attention. To the contrary, she was being approached by men every minute or so. Drunken men seemed to be more attracted to her, though, and she didn’t take this as a compliment. There were some non-drunks paying her attention, too, but she knew why.
    They, like Ashley and everyone else in the place, just wanted to get laid tonight.
    Not tonight, she would say to herself.
    Laila reluctantly went inside the frat house so she would be left alone. She intended to get a couple of beers. One she would sip slowly, the rest she would place strategically in front of her on her spot so as to minimize the number of lost souls who would try to chat her up,