Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis

thought of me and Wyatt—that he was too good for me. The notion makes sick.
    Liz chuckles. “Mean but true.”
    “She has great hair,” Hannah says, obviously backpedaling. “And her eyes are a pretty green.”
    “Isn’t fugly worse than ugly?” Emma asks.
    “I don’t think so,” Hannah says. “I saw a special on fugly celebrities, and John Mayer was on the list. He’s cute in a weird way, so fugly can’t be that bad.”
    “It means fucking ugly,” Liz says.
    Hannah cringes. “Oh! I didn’t mean fugly then. I meant minorly unattractive.”
    “Is minorly even a word?” Emma asks.
    I know I’ll regret this, but I have to get Emma back on track—I’m officially tired of this conversation. “Where are you going with this whole Mica thing, Emma?”
    “It’s common knowledge a fuck buddy can be way out of your league.” She beams at me and holds her glass up as if making a toast. “You, Cassie Faye, could have any guy you want.”
    Liz’s raises her goblet in agreement. “Good call, Emma!” She turns her attention to me. “You could have Long Dong Peter! He’s hot, and he’s got a really big—”
    I hold my hand up to stop her. “Enough!”
    Being a part of a sorority at Vandeveer is a strange mix of socially prim on the outside and sexually free on the inside. There’s a secret sorority code that states we can talk about sex all we want as long as we’re gabbing to another sorority member. Heaven forbid somebody outside of our sorority hears us. Sometimes I think we should keep it clean on the inside too, but that’s obviously not happening today.
    Emma claps. “Let’s make a list of fuck buddy candidates for Cassie!”
    Liz is off the couch and heading for her room before I can protest, and Hannah’s clapping right along with Emma.
    “This’ll be fun!” Hannah says.
    “I thought you were on my side?” I groan.
    She shrugs. “I don’t expect you to actually go through with it.”
    Liz comes back with a small dry-erase board and a marker. She plops back down next to me and writes, CASSIE’S FUCK BUDDY LIST.
    “Wait,” Hannah says. “Can we come up with another name besides f—” She puckers her lips. “It’s too crude to even say. Maybe love buddy?”
    “There’s no love happening in a fuck buddy relationship,” Liz says.
    “Well, pick something else.”
    “Lust buddy?” Emma provides.
    “I don’t like it. Still too crude.”
    “Copulation buddy?” Liz says, rolling her eyes.
    Emma shakes her head. “They’re not making a baby.”
    “Hug buddy!” Hannah says. “It’s cute.”
    Liz’s eyebrows rise in dismay. “Who hugs during sex?”
    “Everyone,” Hannah says. “It’s called missionary style.”
    Emma nods. “I’m for hug buddy. What do you think, Cassie?”
    “I’m for whatever will get this conversation over the fastest.”
    Hannah raises two fists as if she’s just made a goal. “Hug buddy it is!”
    I eye the door longingly, wondering if I’m fast enough to escape. Doubtful, given the two and a half glasses of wine I just drank.
    Liz erases FUCK and replaces it with HUG. “Peter.” She writes down his name.
    “Josh!” Hannah adds.
    “Stephen,” Emma says.
    “Who’s that?” Liz asks.
    “Mica’s brother,” Emma says. “He’s in New York modeling this summer, but he starts school in the fall.”
    Liz shudders as though she’s recalling a delicious memory. “Oh yeah, definitely putting him down.”
    “Greg, from the Beta Tau house.”
    “Oh! He’s gorgeous.”
    “He’s got a girlfriend.”
    “So? Cassie’s cuter. Put him down anyway.”
    “Mr. Westbrook,” Hannah says.
    “She’d get him fired,” Liz says.
    Emma chuckles. “Cassie’s worth it.”
    I tune them out, praying this conversation will be over soon. A fuck buddy is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of. I’m not a slut, and if anything could make me feel like a two-bit skank, it’s having no-strings-attached sex. I’ve never had sex with a man I don’t