Bryan felt in his element for the first time since arriving in California. Party’s like this where common place for him back in Kansas. He felt a little bad abandoning his brother like that, but there was no way he was going to let him ruin a night of partying for him.

He’s 18, not a kid anymore, Jack will be fine, he told himself.

Standing up strait and inspecting his shirt again to make sure he didn’t look too much like a slob, he put on a confident grin and headed toward the keg next to the fraternity brothers.

The crowd was easy enough for him to sort through, twisting and edging his way past people. Back in college Bryan had joined {insert frat} his freshman year, so it was a common site around the keg for Bryan.

Looking at the group of guys next to the keg, he could easily pick out which brothers where pledges, they were the ones in diapers. The older brothers all were getting a huge kick out of their antics, making them dance around in circles singing nursery rhymes. Bryan remembered the hazing he had had to go through and gave a short shudder at the memories of the shame and degradation his Beta Alpha Kapa brothers had put him through.

After a few minutes spent reminiscing in his head, he was up to the keg.

Picking up a red party cup from the stack on the keg, he began to fill his cup.

“Oi” Someone shouted behind Bryan making him jump, making him spill all over himself. The laughter of the people around him had clued him in that a large amount of the people in the immediate area had turned their attention to his show of cowardice.

His face turning red, Bryan stood tall and spun on his heel to confront his scarer.

“What the hell is your...” Bryan started but stopped. In front of him where the two guys from earlier on the road.

In the green light, the huge one looked so much like the hulk, had he not been less than a foot from him staring him down with his arms crossed, like he killed his cat, Bryan would have busted out laughing. “O great, you again,” Bryan chided steeped in sarcasm.

He felt a bit foolish at taunting the meat head, but the laughing from the gathering group behind him had come to a halt.

“Leave the poor guy alone Jimmy,” Said Aaron, making his presence known from behind Jimmy. “You’ve scared him, and his brother now, just let the kid get a drink.”

Jimmy smiled at that and dropped his arms to his side. “Fine, doesn’t mean I gotta like the kid though.”

“Your insufferable sometimes you know that Jimmy?” Aaron exasperatedly questioned.

Jimmy just shrugged his shoulders and walked over to a group of brothers a good twenty feet away that where chatting it up with the sorority girls on the other side of their area.

“Don’t know what ya did to piss him off, but it seems you succeeded with flying colors” Aaron cracked.

“No fricken idea,” Bryan remarked with a laugh that still held a touch of nervousness he had been hiding.

“Thanks by the way, that could have been a mess.” He looked down at his front, now covered in beer. “Well, even more of a mess yea?”

“Yea, instead of just beer, you would be covered in your own blood as well” Aaron remarked as he crossed Bryan to grab a cup and fill it from the keg. Glancing at Bryan for his reaction to the comment, he could tell Bryan was conflicted on how to take it. “Oi, relax. He’d kick my ass in a fight as well. He’s a walking house.”

Chuckling at that Bryan agreed. Aaron wasn’t a small guy by any means, but he definitely wasn’t a mongoloid like Jimmy. He was definitely older, probably a senior he recognized. With short brown hair, the build of a lacrosse player and brown eyes gleamed in the green light of the night, Bryan was sure he had no problems with the ladies. But all it ment to Bryan was competition.

“So you from around here?” Aaron asked, sipping his beer and taking in the sites of the party around them.

“Nope I’m going to college in Kansas but grew up in New York,” replied Bryan. He always hated to party small talk like this. He knew exactly how it was going to go. O what part of New York? Have you ever been to New York City? I think I have family over there, do you know a so and so? Every time. Without fail. While answering Aaron’s questions and asking the usual of him in return almost on auto pilot, Bryan spotted what he had been looking for since they had parked the car, a beautiful, smoking hot sorority girl.

She caught his eye over Aarons shoulder as he kept talking, Bryan wasn’t even paying attention anymore. She was the perfect height, looking to be just a few inches shorter then Bryan with legs for days as some would say. She clearly wasn’t afraid to show them off either, wearing short black shorts that really didn’t leave much to the imagination, and a tight light colored tank top that was very generous in showing off her cleavage. Her dark brown hair was swaying with the breeze that was cut just at her shoulders, straitened, with her bangs pulled to the side. Her eyes where a bright stone blue, that rang clear even in the dark green twilight of the night. And he realized, those eyes were looking right at him.

“So I’m guessing you ski right?” Aaron asked. “You alright? You look like your about to drool dude.”

Bryan still in his reverie starring at the captivating girl over his shoulder, snapped out of it at that. He pounded his beer back, and looked to Aaron. “Refill time, I’ll catch you around,” and without another word or glance he went to the keg filling two cups to the top.

Taking a deep breath and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. He could still feel his heart beating like a drum at even the thought of this girl. “You can do this Bryan, just be cool,” he mumbled to himself. In his mind he committed to it and spun on his heel and step forward leading into what would have been a fast walk. He opened his eyes as his foot hit the ground... and someone’s toes.

“Ow! What the hell dude!” she yelled.

Before he could catch himself, his momentum carried him into her, leading with the drinks in each of his hands. Both quickly upended all over the girl and himself. Losing his balance he through his arms out to hold onto something to stabilize himself and to his and her surprise he managed to grab hold of this poor girl he knocked into and pulled her to the trampled dirt ground now muddied with the spilled beer.

When he opened his eyes, he realized, it was her. The girl he had been starring at and making eyes at with over Aarons shoulder. She was covered in beer and now mud made by the beer mixing with the dirt started clinging to her and she pushed herself up trying to get her baring’s.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH” she screamed

“AHHHHHHHHHH, you pervert! Jimmy help!” she cried out.

You have got to be kidding me, Bryan thought as he stood up surveying the mess he had now made, trying to shake off the dirt.

Then what she said sunk in.

“Aw shit” Bryan mumbled.

He couldn’t believe it, of course she means something to Jimmy of all people.

People where now staring and crowding the pair of them, two girls ran over to make sure the girl on the ground was ok, shooting Bryan looks that could kill a moose.

Realizing it was time to get the heck out of there Bryan looked around for a way to get away from the group as quick as he could. The girl still hadn’t quit screaming for Jimmy, thankfully for Bryan’s sake he apparently hadn’t been close but he was sure people had gone to get him by now.

He slowly started edging his way towards the huge group of people dancing, if he could make it to them he figured no one would be able to recognize him. Just as he started to dance to blend in jumping up and down, a large hand came down on his shoulder.

“You’re not going anywhere” said a deep voice from behind him.

Turning quickly to break the guys grasp, Bryan came face to face with what could have been the mongoloid Jimmies cousin.

He was just as tall and wide but a few inches shorter, wearing the same blue Greek lettered shirt and the same scowl that made it look like he was going to try to eat you. Deciding there was no way in winning any type of fight that was sure to follow if he stayed, Bryan did yhe only thing he could think of. He kicked the monster in the shin as hard as he could, turned away and sprinted off through the crowd as fast as he could.

With his legs straining to keep up his pace, he was bowling people over as he went, the complaints and yelling behind him got louder for a few seconds and then slowly went back to the cacophony of noise it had been to start with.

Knowing he was getting away, he decided it was time to go check on Jack.