Chapter 1: The Party

Nina

It was the night of my coming-of-age party. I was most of all excited for one thing: tonight, Justin would finally announce that he was my boyfriend.

Justin and I had been seeing each other for a couple of months now, but we had kept things under wraps so far. Frankly, I would have preferred to make our relationship public right away -- he was one of the most handsome and popular guys on campus, and was on the hockey team -- but he insisted that we wait until the right time.

“I want to save announcing our relationship for a special night, baby,” he had told me. I had been asking when he would make our relationship public for a while, but maybe he was right; it was best to wait until a special time. That meant that he really loved me, right?

As I stood in front of the mirror and admired myself, I felt confident that Justin would announce our relationship tonight. I picked out special lingerie, which I wore under my outfit now, because I was certain that we would finally have sex for the first time. I was ready to lose my virginity.

Aside from the lingerie, which was a sexy red set that I picked out at the mall a couple days before the party, I was wearing a short, tight skirt that showed off my thighs, a pink crop top, and heels. I wore red lipstick and black eyeliner, too. I felt a bit awkward wearing an outfit like this, as I usually dressed in jeans and hoodies; but my roommates, Jessica and Lori, insisted that I dress up for the party.

The only thing that I kept the same about myself tonight was my hair, which was black with bangs and two long braids. I always wore my hair like this and never liked it any other way. Some people said it was childish, but I thought it was cute and practical.

“You look so hot, Nina!” Jessica said as I came out of the room. “The guys are gonna be all over you!”

I didn’t say anything about Justin. Even my own roommates didn’t know about our relationship.

Lori looked at her phone and took another swig of her beer. “Everyone should be here any minute,” she said in her low, sultry voice. Lori was the quintessential “goth girl” on campus, which was a stark contrast from Jessica’s bubbly nature and my studious attitude. Somehow, though, we were all best friends.

Just then, the door burst open with the first guests arriving. The group of guys and girls flooded in carrying cases of beers and whooping and hollering, excited for the party. With a grin, Jessica cranked up the music and started greeting people while I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Lori walked over to the couch and sat down, scrolling on her phone; she really only ever came to parties for the alcohol and the weed.

Soon enough, the suite was full of people. The LED lights flashed red, green, and blue while the music played loudly, and the guests started getting drunk and playing games. The main attraction seemed to be the beer pong table, where the boys competed like their lives depended on it, but people also hung out around the seating area, played drinking games, and smoked on the balcony.

A while into the party, Justin finally arrived. I got excited, but instead of coming over to me and greeting me, he simply made a beeline for the beer pong table and joined the game.

During a lull in the game, I sent Justin a text: “Well? Are we gonna announce it?”

I watched from the corner as he pulled out his phone, read the text, then pocketed his phone again. He looked at me and subtly shrugged, then returned to his game as though he didn’t even know me.

“Are you okay?” Jessica said, coming over to me with an extra beer in her hand for me.

I shrugged and finished off the last of my beer. “I’m just not much of a partier, that’s all,” I said.

Jessica pursed her lips and handed me the other beer. “You just need a little liquid courage, that’s all!” she said, clinking her bottle with mine and taking a big swig.

I looked down at my beer and frowned. Jessica was right, but beer wasn’t going to cut it -- not with how Justin was treating me tonight.

“How about vodka?” I said. Jessica’s eyes lit up and she turned around to face the group, cupping her hands around her mouth to shout.

“Hey everyone!” she shouted. “The birthday girl wants shots!”

By my seventh shot, however, I started to feel woozy and felt like I was going to throw up. I stumbled down the hall to the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time.

When I was done throwing up, I stood up and made my way over to the sink, where I splashed some cold water on my face and took some deep breaths to sober myself up. I looked at my smudged makeup and my messy hair in the mirror, trying not to cry as I thought about Justin. Why was he treating me like this? Just a few days ago, we were making out behind the hockey arena and now he was acting like he didn’t even know me. Was he just nervous about announcing our relationship, or was it something else?

Taking another deep breath and wiping the tears off of my face, I straightened up and decided to go talk to Justin.

When I left the bathroom, however, he wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“Hey, have you seen Justin?” I asked a guest. She just shrugged her shoulders and pointed toward my bedroom. Maybe he just went inside to be alone for a minute, which would give us some time to talk.

I made my way over to my room, weaving drunkenly through the crowd.

When I opened the door, however, I wished that I had just stayed away.

Justin was in my bed, but he wasn’t alone. He was with another girl. I recognized her immediately from her platinum blonde hair and thin body -- it was Lisa, the cheerleading captain. They were tangled together in my bed, Justin’s pants pulled down and Lisa’s panties on the floor as they had sex in my bed.

“What the fuck!” I screamed.

The party went silent, aside from the music, which someone quickly shut off.

Justin and Lisa sat up in my bed; Justin looked even more drunk and high than before, but immediately jumped up when he saw me and yanked his pants up.

“Nina, it’s not what it looks like,” he said, stumbling toward me while Lisa simply stood up with a smirk and pulled her panties on, smoothing down her skirt. She strutted out of the room and bumped me with her shoulder on the way out as I continued to stare at Justin in shock and disbelief.

Justin stammered as he tried to explain himself. “I’m so sorry, I-”

“Justin…” I interrupted, my voice shaking. “We. Are. Done.”

Without another word, I turned away and stormed out of the suite with Jessica and Lori calling after me.

I walked out of the dorms into the cool spring air, turning this way and that for a bit before deciding to make my way toward town. I walked for a while, fuming the entire time and muttering to myself, until I finally made it to a local bar.

I nodded gratefully as the bartender poured me a glass of rum and coke, and I sipped it miserably while he disappeared into the kitchen.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see that I had several missed calls and “Where are you?!?” texts from Jessica and Lori, but I ignored them and tossed my phone down on the bar, taking a big swig of my drink and cursing to myself.

“Yeah, I hate my phone, too,” a male voice said from beside me. I looked over to see a guy pulling up a barstool a couple seats down. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and had curly brown hair, and a sharp jawline. He was muscular, too.

“I hate everything right now,” I said, swirling my drink around in my glass with my straw.

“How come?”

The boy looked at me, and just then, I came to a shocking realization: this was Enzo, Justin’s hockey captain, the star of the school, every girl’s dream boy.

And he was sitting next to me, in this quiet dive bar, talking to me. 

Chapter 2: The Hockey Captain

Nina

Enzo must have noticed the expression on my face when I finally recognized him, because he smirked and held out a napkin for me.

“Your makeup is smudged.”

I blushed and grabbed the napkin from his hand, using it to wipe away my makeup while Enzo continued to stare at me.

“Rough night?” he said once I finished cleaning up my makeup.

“I guess you could say that,” I replied.

“You know,” he said, his deep brown eyes studying my face, “you look better without makeup.” His words made me blush even more. What were the odds that the hockey captain would be hitting on me on the night of my birthday, right after my boyfriend had cheated on me?

“Do you treat all the girls like this?” I said suddenly, surprised and embarrassed at my own question. It must have been the alcohol.

Enzo simply smirked again and finished the last of his drink.

He reached forward and brushed a bit of hair out of my face. “If you’re so intrigued by how I treat girls, why don’t you come see it for yourself? I live in Dorm B, fourth floor. Room 409.” His voice was low and sultry, and as we leaned closer together, I felt my breathing become slower and more aroused.

I frowned then and pulled away. I needed comfort tonight, but not that sort of comfort.

“No way,” I said, crossing my arms. “I know your reputation. You’re a player.”

“So what if I am?” Enzo murmured. “It’s your decision, but my room is open to you all night. You can just walk right in. No need to knock.”

With that, Enzo sat back up and tossed some money down on the bar. “I’ll pay for the lady’s drink,” he said to the bartender, then threw his jacket over his shoulder and sauntered out of the bar.

I kept sipping my drink while I thought about the unexpected proposition of sex. Enzo was well-known as an adonis, a handsome player. Ever since Enzo and Lisa -- the cheerleader who stole my boyfriend -- broke up last semester, Enzo’s dorm had a constant stream of gorgeous girls going in at night and walking out the next morning, their lipstick smeared and their hair a mess. No girls ever went back; Enzo only participated in one night stands.

I had never been interested in one night stands. In high school, I was nerdy and never had a chance with any of the boys. The one time I thought I had a chance, when the football quarterback asked me to prom, it turned out to be a prank. The whole school had laughed at me as I showed up in my blue dress, excited to dance with the quarterback, only for him to trip me and make me fall on the dance floor.

“Why would I want you?” he had said, pointing and laughing. “Ugly Nina will never have a boyfriend!”

After that, I swore that I would just focus on my studies. I eventually grew out of my ugly duckling phase once I started college, and lots of boys tried to get me to hook up with them, but I just wasn’t interested. If I was going to let a boy interrupt my studies, he would have to be perfect -- someone who I would be willing to share my body with.

I had thought that Justin would be the one. He seemed so sweet and kind, but I guess that wasn’t the case. After this, I felt like never falling in love again.

“Sorry to say this, young lady, but the bar’s closing soon,” the bartender said, breaking me out of my deep thought. I nodded and finished off the last of my drink, then stood and left the bar. The thought of going home right now almost made me sick.

Maybe I didn’t have to go home tonight.

I showed up at Enzo’s place a little while later. Before I entered, I hesitated for a little while as I considered just keeping my dignity and going home. But I was all dressed up tonight with expensive lingerie, and besides… with Justin and Lisa’s double betrayal, what would be a better way to get back at them both?

Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and entered Enzo’s dorm.

He was sitting on the couch when I entered, as though he had been waiting for me.

“Changed your mind, eh?” he said, standing and crossing the room toward me. He was much taller than me, and muscular to boot. This close, I could smell his cologne. It made my panties wet, almost like a pheromone.

“So,” he said, “what changed your mind? I thought my reputation scared you.”

“I just… Could use a little comfort,” I said.

Without saying anything, he leaned down and cupped my chin with his hand. He kissed me deeply, his tongue exploring my mouth in a way that Justin’s never had.

After we kissed, he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me to the bedroom. Our lips smacked together the whole way there. I bit his lower lip, which caused him to groan, and when we entered his dimly lit bedroom he slammed the door behind us and laid me down on the bed.

I was trembling, but there was something surprisingly gentle about Enzo’s touch. I had expected a careless brute who only cared about getting himself off, but as he leaned over me and slid his fingers down my panties, I realized that my assumptions were wrong.

Enzo kissed and licked my neck as he rubbed my clit, letting his fingers get wet with my juices as I moaned into his mouth. He pulled away briefly to remove his hand from my panties and let me taste myself off his fingers, then returned to touching me. Before he entered me with his fingers, however, I grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“I should tell you that I’m a virgin,” I whispered.

Enzo was silent for a few moments. I was worried he wouldn’t want to continue after learning this about me, but then he merely smirked.

“I figured,” he replied, leaning down to nibble my ear. “I’ll be gentle with you.”

I let out a loud moan, arching my back as he let his long, thick fingers slide into me. He slid them back and forth, going faster and faster, until I was soaking wet and moaning loudly. I kissed and bit his neck as he fingered me, and moaned into his skin.

When he was finished pleasuring me, he removed his hand from my panties and looked me deeply in the eyes while he unbuttoned my skirt. I was still trembling, partially from nerves and partially from the tingling in my body.

“Lingerie, huh?” he whispered, sounding somewhat amused when he saw my lacy panties. I blushed. “Since you went to all that trouble, why don’t you give me a show?”

Still blushing, I stood and began to nervously remove my clothes. I removed my top first to reveal my breasts, which practically spilled out of the top of my bra, then slipped off my skirt to reveal my waist and thighs. I could see Enzo’s erection straining in his gray sweatpants as he bit his lip.

When I saw his huge erection, I knew that I wanted him. Saunter over to the bed, I pushed on his chest and pushed him down onto the mattress. I reached down and stroked his cock over his pants before sliding my hand inside and gripping it, feeling its warmth and girth in my small hand.

He let out a groan as I stroked up and down his cock with my hand. I pulled my hand out and slid down his sweatpants so that I could see.

Enzo must have seen the surprise on my face when I saw how big he was, because he chuckled and propped himself up on his elbows.

“Scared?” he said.

I shook my head, licking my lips. “Can I taste it?” I whispered, to which he nodded, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

I opened my mouth and took his cock inside, slowly working my lips and tongue up and down the shaft. It was awkward at first -- I had never done this before -- but the sounds that Enzo was making told me that I was doing a good job.

We laid naked together beneath the sheets, our limbs tangled together. Enzo spit on his hand and rubbed it along his shaft, pressing the head against me to go inside.

I flinched at first, but Enzo reassured me that it was okay. “I’ll be gentle. I promise,” he whispered into my ear, his breath hot on my neck.

……

When it was over, Enzo and I laid in bed for a minute before he got up and put on his underwear. I sat up, feeling both heavenly and ashamed of myself, and pulled my panties on.

There was something different about Enzo now that we had had sex; his body language seemed more wild and dominant, and when he looked at me, his pupils were dilated. His eyes almost seemed like a different color.

He smiled at me then and his teeth were sharp and glistening. My heart started to race as I felt like he was a wolf and I was his prey.

Swallowing, I stood and put the rest of my clothes on.

“See you around.” Before Enzo could reply, I rushed out of the bedroom and left the dorm.

What was that look he gave me? Why did he look so… feral?  

Chapter 3: One Night Stand

Nina

It was almost four o’clock in the morning by the time I finally returned to my dorm. Jessica and Lori were already asleep in their rooms judging from how dark and quiet everything was. The suite was a mess from the party and we would no doubt be spending the next day cleaning, but I was too hungover and tired to care at the moment. It appeared as though Lori and Jessica must have changed my sheets for me though, which I would have to thank them for in the morning. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep on the same sheets that Justin and Lisa had sex on.

As I laid in bed trying to sleep, I was kept awake by my regrets. Had I just given my virginity to a near-stranger? A playboy? All to get revenge against Justin and Lisa? I had never been so impulsive like this, especially when it came to love. Right now, I felt embarrassed and ashamed of this blunder. Enzo was incredibly attractive and the sex was wonderful, but right now, I just wanted to forget about it.

When I woke the next morning, my head pounded and my stomach hurt from all of the alcohol from the night before. I groaned and rolled out of bed, ignoring my appearance as I stumbled into the kitchen in my oversized t-shirt and shorts. I just needed some coffee.

“You know, you could’ve at least told us where you went last night,” Lori said from her usual spot at the kitchen island. She had a cup of coffee in front of her and was reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

“I’m sorry,” I replied, my face turning red as I remembered what happened after the party. “I just needed to get out.”

“Why didn’t you tell us that you and Justin were a thing?” Jessica suddenly said, emerging from her room with a towel around her hair while she wore a fluffy pink robe and bunny slippers. She folded her arms and glared at me, pushing out her lower lip in a pout.

I hung my head low as I poured myself a cup of coffee. I tried to hide it as the tears started to well up, but it was no use. Jessica rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around me while Lori watched with a sorry expression on her face.

“I’m sorry,” I said between sobs. “H-He told me he just wanted to wait until the right time to make our relationship public. I t-thought he was just being a gentleman.”

“Men are trash,” Lori replied. “Most of them, anyway. Don’t beat yourself up over it. You can do way better than Justin Thurlow.”

Jessica nodded and rubbed my back, agreeing with Lori. “Yeah,” she said. “Screw boys. You’re smart and hot and you’re gonna be a doctor! Who needs boys? C’mon, let’s go get some breakfast.”

Jessica and Lori were right. Boys were just a waste of time, and I had more important things to think about. I changed into my usual jeans and hoodie, brushed and braided my hair, and went with my roommates to the dining hall.

“Oh my god!” Jessica exclaimed as we approached the dining hall. She squealed and pointed at none other than Enzo coming out the door.

Jessica’s excitement garnered the attention of other nearby girls, who also squealed and waved as Enzo approached. I grabbed my hair and used it to shield my face. I just wanted to shrink down into myself. Why did I have to run into Enzo right now, the morning after we had a one night stand?

To make matters worse, he approached us and stood in front of us. Even Lori seemed a bit excited at his presence.

Did he even remember our night together, or was he confused by how strangely I was acting?

“Hi, Enzo!” Jessica said, twirling a bit of her blonde hair around her finger. “Are you excited for the homecoming game today?”

I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, letting my bangs fall into my face, but I could feel Enzo’s stern gaze on me.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Although, it’s not as exciting when we always know we’re gonna crush the other team. I hope they put up a good fight.”

Jessica giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. I took a chance and glanced up, hoping to see Enzo walking away, but was met instead by his strong gaze fixed on me. He looked far less animalistic now; maybe his appearance last night was just a trick of the light, or a result of the alcohol.

Enzo had his arms folded across his muscular chest as he looked at me. He looked almost disapproving. Was he upset that I walked out on him last night? It hardly seemed likely, given his reputation, but my heart still ached a bit.

“You ready for practice, Enzo?” another guy said, striding up to us. He looked Jessica up and down hungrily, then glanced at me before looking at Enzo.

Enzo nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets, his brown eyes still on me.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Later that afternoon, after we had cleaned up the dorm, I was in my room studying for an upcoming biology exam when Jessica came into my room. She was wearing a pleated pink mini skirt, a fuzzy white sweater, and white sneakers with leg warmers. She had a full face of makeup on and her hair was curled perfectly.

“Oh my god, you’re not ready yet?” she said, storming over to me and snapping my book shut unceremoniously.

“Hey!” I said, throwing my pen down on my desk. “I was studying.”

“Studying can wait,” Jessica replied. “Come on, let’s go to the hockey game! I heard some rumors that Enzo is planning on using some new moves.”

My heart leapt up into my throat. “I’m not going,” I said, opening my book up to the page I was on. Jessica clearly didn’t like my response, because she stamped her foot on the ground angrily.

“Aw, come on!” she whined. “You’re not really gonna make me go alone, are you?”

I didn’t have the heart to tell my friend the truth about where I was last night. If she knew that I slept with Enzo, she would be heartbroken. Jessica had been pining away for Enzo since our first semester. He had never given her too much attention, but still she went to all of his games, cheered him on, and even watched all the livestreams of his tournaments online. She always talked about how he was a genius, how his physical abilities were godlike, how he easily won every game he competed in.

“Come on,” Jessica whined again. “Please? For me?” She batted her eyelashes and stuck her lower lip out.

I sighed and closed my book again, rubbing my tired eyes. “Alright,” I replied, although I really just wanted to hide in my room and never see the star hockey player again. “I’ll go. But you owe me.”

Jessica grinned and pranced out of the room while I got ready. I wanted to blend in, so I just wore a hoodie with the university logo on it and jeans. Jessica seemed a bit disappointed in my outfit choice, but didn’t say anything as we made our way to the hockey arena. The whole way there, Jessica prattled on about Enzo.

“His body is just so perfect,” she said. “All of those muscles just make me wanna bite him!”

I hated to admit it, but hearing Jessica talk about Enzo made the memories of last night come flooding back; his muscular body, the way he touched and kissed me, how he felt inside of me… It made my body tingle.

I tried to shake the thoughts out of my mind the best I could as we got in line to enter the arena, but I just couldn’t. The feeling of Enzo’s strong eyes on me as we laid in bed together, our limbs intertwined, was burned into my memory.

I only hoped that I could leave this game without being seen by Enzo or Justin. 

Chapter 4: The Hockey Game

Nina

We entered the arena, which was already packed full with excited students. Half of the arena was reserved for our university, while the other half was reserved for the other university. Our school colors were burgundy and gold -- the other university was blue and black.

“Let’s find a good seat,” Jessica said. I followed her up the stairs, then we shimmied between rows of seats toward a couple of empty spots. Once we had our seats, I could hear the conversation between other girls around me; their talking points mostly centered around Enzo.

“Do you think he’ll make us win again?”

“Of course! Enzo always plays perfectly.”

“I feel so lucky just to be attending the same university as him!”

I cringed a bit at the conversation and scrolled on my phone while I waited for the game to start. Beside me, Jessica pulled out a pair of binoculars and started scouring the ice rink. I can see the cheerleaders performing an energetic opening dance on ice skates before the game, with Lisa in the lead. She looked dazzling in her skimpy uniform, with her perfectly tanned legs and platinum blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail with a bow. She waved her pom poms around to hype the crowd up. Looking at the girl who stole my boyfriend made me sick.

I had never been much of a sports fan, but the way the crowd was getting excited made me excited, too. As the hockey players skated out onto the rink, some of them skated up to certain cheerleaders who were their girlfriends and kissed them publicly. I could see Justin and Lisa exchange glances.

Justin had never brought me to his games, even though we had been dating for a couple of months. When I did go to his games, he never paid any attention to me until after. I thought that he was just shy at the time, but now I knew that he just didn’t want Lisa seeing us together.

“Don’t pay any attention to Justin,” Jessica said, handing me the binoculars so I could see better. “He’s not worth your time.”

I took the binoculars and peered through them. For some reason, I searched for Enzo. I didn’t know why I wanted to see him so badly, but I did.

And he saw me.

Somehow, despite the thousands of students in this massive arena, Enzo looked directly at me. It was as though he had a sixth sense, like he knew exactly where I was without even having to think. Even from here, I could see the hint of wildness in his eyes from the night before; like I was his prey.

I quickly gave the binoculars back to Jessica as my face turned red. Enzo turned away and skated out to the middle of the rink, skating around in circles and pumping his hockey stick in the air while the crowd cheered. All around me, girls screamed and swooned while guys whooped and hollered.

The game started. I lost sight of the puck quickly, but was able to follow the game by watching Enzo, who skated as fast as lightning and moved nimbly around the rink as though he was born with ice skates on his feet. He would perform quick moves with his hockey stick to fake out the opponents, hitting the puck between their legs to one of his teammates before zooming away. He moved so quickly that he was almost like a flash. For some reason, it seemed almost supernatural to me… but no one else seemed to notice, so I figured that it was just in my head.

Soon, the opponents became frustrated and aggressive. One player in particular -- I think he was the captain of the other team -- started following Enzo closely and trying to trip him up.

“C’mon, Enzo!” Jessica shouted.

“I hope he doesn’t get hurt,” another girl said from beside me, sitting up in her seat to see over someone in front of us.

Enzo scored a goal, and suddenly, the other team’s captain threw his stick and his helmet down on the ice and tackled Enzo. The crowd gasped as they tussled on the ice. The other player threw punches at Enzo while Enzo only blocked and dodged, clearly not wanting to hurt the other player.

It was now that I finally realized how much pressure was on Enzo as the star hockey player. I held my breath as I watched the fight, images of us in bed flashing in my mind. For some reason, I cared enough about Enzo to not want him to get hurt. I didn’t care to look at Justin for even a second.

The referee blew his whistle and broke up the fight. The crowd cheered as Enzo stood and put his helmet back on, covering his curly brown hair. The other player was put on the bench for his behavior and the game continued with a penalty for the other team.

During halftime, the cheerleaders returned to the rink and began their halftime show.

“You hungry?” I said to Jessica. She looked at me and shrugged, too involved in her conversation with another girl about how hot Enzo looked dodging the unsportsmanlike competitor during the fight. As long as I had known her, Jessica always had an easy time making friends. I didn’t mind it, because I was more introverted and appreciated the fact that she usually took control of all of the socializing at things like this.

I stood and shimmied out of our row, then went down the bleachers toward the food stands. My stomach was growling and the smell of soft pretzels was making me even more hungry.

“One soft pretzel, please,” I said to the vendor. “And a water, too.”

I handed my money to the vendor and waited for my pretzel. Just then, I felt someone watching me and turned around to see none other than Enzo.

He was standing with his teammates by the side of the rink as they rested and drank water, but he was staring right at me. His brown eyes almost glowed. My heart started to race as I found myself unable to break away from his strong gaze.

Something about him made me want to walk over to him as if I was in a trance…

“Miss? Hello?”

The vendor broke me out of my trance. He was holding out my pretzel and my water.

“Oh… Sorry,” I said. “Thank you.”

I took my pretzel. When I turned back, Enzo was no longer looking at me and was instead entrenched in a conversation with a teammate as though he hadn’t just been staring into my soul.

I considered going back to Jessica, but after the encounter with Enzo finding me in the massive crowd and staring at me just now, I only wanted to leave. I decided to make up an excuse later and just go home; Jessica had made some friends already and probably wouldn’t even notice my absence. She could fill me in on the results of the game later.

I left the arena, tossing my uneaten pretzel in the trash on the way out as my stomach suddenly felt too sick to eat. The cool autumn air was a bit of a relief as I walked back to the dorms, although I still felt stifled like I was being watched… or hunted.

How was Enzo able to spot me in the crowd like that? And why did he always look so animalistic and hungry when he looked at me? I had never heard any of his many other flings complain of such a thing, so maybe it was all in my head. It had to be.

Why else would Enzo seem like such a predator? 

Chapter 5: Homecoming

Nina

Just as I thought, Jessica came home an hour later with a frown on her face.

“Where did you go?” she said.

I looked up from my book as I sat on the couch. Thankfully, I had prepared an excuse beforehand.

“My stomach started to hurt,” I replied. “Probably from all the alcohol last night. I couldn’t get through the crowd to make it back to you, so I just decided to come home.”

Jessica let out a sigh and walked over to her door.

“I hope you’re feeling better now at least, because there’s a party at the fire pit later since we won the game. And don’t even think about saying no! You have to put on a sexy outfit and show Justin what he’s missing.”

With that, Jessica disappeared into her room -- presumably to get ready for the party. I sent Lori a quick text.

“Where u at? U going to that party later?”

A few minutes later, Lori replied: “Yeah. I promised Jess.”

I put my phone away with a sigh and closed my book. It was already seven o’clock, so the party would probably start in an hour or two. I decided to shower and change.

For some reason, as I got ready, I found myself actually caring about looking good… But not to make Justin jealous.

I wanted to look good for Enzo.

Jessica, Lori and I made our way to the party around nine o’clock. It was located outside, about a mile into the woods behind the school. It was an old campground from the 1970s with several little cabins, which had been cleaned up and repurposed by the students here for generations to use for… Well, you know.

At the center of the circle of cabins, there was a large fire pit, where a huge bonfire was already burning and loud music was playing. As we approached, I could see rambunctious boys whooping and throwing beer cans into the fire and flirting with girls. Alongside the fire, guys and girls danced and grinded on each other to the music.

“Like a bunch of monkeys,” Lori grumbled. She had her hands stuffed into her pockets and had her hood pulled up. Almost as soon as we arrived, she pulled out a joint and wandered off to go sit and smoke by herself. Jessica and I had become used to this by now, and didn’t mind our strange friend’s loner nature.

“You look good, by the way,” Jessica said, nudging me with her elbow. I had picked out a short black dress with tights and boots, and wore a leather jacket on top. I still had my hair in braids, but I put on a little eyeliner and lipstick. Hopefully I wouldn’t cry tonight.

“Thanks,” I replied. “You too.”

I walked over to a cooler nearby and grabbed a beer while Jessica stopped to flirt with a drunk guy. I took a sip and looked around as I tried to decide whether I wanted to join the dancing or sit by myself.

As I stood there, trying to decide what to do, I overheard what sounded like angry voices coming from inside one of the cabins. I was nothing if not a bit nosy, and nonchalantly walked over to the cabin, pretending to look at my phone while I eavesdropped.

“Listen, I think I made it pretty fucking clear that I was just having fun!”

I recognized that voice immediately: it was Lisa. And with her was none other than…

“I broke up with my girlfriend for you! You said we would get together!”

Justin.

I heard Lisa scoff. “I never said that,” she replied. “Besides, you knew what you were getting into. Why would I make things exclusive with you when I could pick any guy I wanted? Ugh, you’re pathetic.”

“Oh yeah? Any guy, huh?” Justin said. “How about Enzo, then? Everyone knows you’re still pissed that he broke up with you. So why don’t you go out there and ask him to dance, since you’ve apparently got the pick of the litter?”

I heard the sound of stomping across floorboards, and then the door swung open.

Lisa looked down at me from the top of the steps with a smirk.

“If you’re gonna eavesdrop, at least don’t make it so fucking obvious,” she said, then flipped her hair over her shoulder and jogged down the steps. I followed her with my gaze all the way to the fire pit, where Enzo was standing and drinking while a group of girls -- Jessica included -- fawned over him.

“Hey Enzo,” Lisa said in a sing-song voice, her ponytail bobbing as she sauntered up to him. Most of the other girls at this university wouldn’t dare walk up to Enzo so nonchalantly with so many girls around him, but seeing as Enzo and Lisa used to date, it wasn’t entirely unexpected of her.

“Hey,” Enzo replied. Much to my surprise, his eyes flickered to me briefly over Lisa’s shoulder. I felt like he was looking into my soul again, but it was over quickly when he looked back at Lisa.

Lisa folded her arms across her chest -- no doubt pushing her breasts together -- and rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes. “Wanna dance?” she said. “I haven’t had a dance partner yet tonight.”

Enzo frowned and took a swig of his beer, looking Lisa up and down. Around them, people began to watch the scene.

“We broke up ages ago, Lisa,” Enzo said.

Lisa dropped her hands to her sides and balled them up into fists. “Aw, come on!” she said. “You can’t tell me you don’t miss this.” She gestured to her body, which was still dressed in her tight cheerleader uniform.

Enzo simply shrugged and returned to his conversation with the other girls as though Lisa wasn’t even there. With a huff, Lisa stormed off. When she was gone, however, his gaze traveled over to me once more and fixed on me. His eyes almost seemed to glow again, and I felt afraid all of a sudden.

I involuntarily dropped my beer and quickly walked away, making for a spot behind one of the unoccupied cabins. I just needed a few minutes alone, and then I could return… Hopefully Enzo would have his eyes set on another girl by then.

“Hi, Nina.”

I practically jumped out of my skin at the sound of Enzo’s voice behind me. I whirled around to face him; blocking the light of the fire with his huge body, he looked somewhat menacing in the darkness.

Something else occurred to me, though… When we met at the bar, we had never exchanged names. How did he know my name?

Wordlessly, I tried to step around him to go back to the fire as this whole interaction made me feel uneasy. However, Enzo blocked my path and folded his arms.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he said, sounding a little hurt.

I stopped and bit my lip, peering around him to see Jessica dancing by the fire with a new boy.

“I’m not avoiding you,” I said.

Enzo sighed and unfolded his arms. “It sure seems like it,” he replied. “You left so abruptly last night.”

“What do you want me to say?” I whispered so that no one could hear if they were eavesdropping. “You had your one night stand with me. You never see girls more than once. You should be thanking me, because I’m just making it easy for you.”

“Is that what you really think of me?” Enzo asked. He didn’t try to hide his voice at all.

For some reason, I felt more confident confronting him now. “Everyone knows you’re a playboy who only sleeps with girls once before moving on to the next,” I said, stepping around him. He didn’t block me this time, but turned and frowned.

“Well, you’re different,” he replied.

Was this some sort of prank? The hockey captain, the star of the school and a playboy, thought I was “different” enough to keep talking to me after we slept together? I wondered if Lisa or Justin put him up to this to rub it in that I would never find love.

Enzo stepped closer to me and brushed a bit of hair out of my eyes, finally lowering his voice to a whisper. “I want to have a second time with you.”