The Taunting (College Life #1)

College is for the wild and untamed

I look over to see a minibar with drinks, chips, and candies. I weave my way through the crowd, elbows knee me in my ribs and hips. I can feel their sweat on me, the lingering smell of alcohol fills the air around me.

Once I arrive at the mini bar, I ask for a sprite, in the can of course. Bridget's words seared into my brain, "don't take drinks from strangers, or opened drinks at that."

I thank the man, pop open the can, and chug it down. Damn, didn't realize how thirsty I was. I pull down my dress and lean up against the wall watching everyone dance. I guess Daniel had his way since Wusyaname by Tyler the Creator and NBA YoungBoy plays. It was fitting since there's someone here dressed like Tyler, blonde wig and all. Daniel smiles at me across the room, I flick him the bird, he just rolls his eyes and turns to whomever he was talking to.

"Hey, Eliza!" I hear someone scream my name over the music, looking off into the crowd I see that it's Jill. I laugh once I see who she's dressed as. "I've been looking for you, when did you get here?"

"Like, 5 minutes ago. What in the hell are you wearing?" I ask, baffled that she put this on.

"I'm Jennifer Check from Jennifer's Body." Realization floods my mind.

"I-I thought you were going to dress up as the cute Jennifer Check, you know, with the pink-hearted jacket and low ride jeans."

"Well, I was going to do that at first, but this was way cooler." She's dressed as the Jennifer Check towards the end of the movie when she goes stark shit crazy on everyone. Blood trickles down the corner of her lip, she has on a white dress that's soaked with fake blood and her dark, raven hair is wet and slicked back from her tan skin. She's beautiful but also looks like the chick from The Ring.

"Whatever, you look hot Jill, truly. At least you're not dressed like every basic chick here." My hand pans the room of girls. One girl dressed as Tinkerbell is making out with a girl dressed like Captain Jack Sparrow. College, the only place you'll see stuff like this. "You want something to drink?"

She shakes her head, "No, I'm trying to stay sober tonight. A few days ago, I watched the Chanel Miller documentary, and I'm scared someone is going to sexually assault me." Right. "Oh my god, is that Daniel? He makes a sexy Sailor Moon. Oh! Eliza, go ask him to dance with me."

"Jill, I'm Eliza, not a matchmaker you go ask him to dance." I push her towards his direction, but she cowers back.

"I can't, he makes me nervous. Do it for me, please? I'll do your math homework."

My brow quips, who am I to stand in the way of love, "Fine, wait here." I give her my soda and weave myself back through the rowdy crowd over to Daniel. "Hey! Sailor moon!" He sticks his tongue out at me when hears the name.

"Did you come all the way over here to badger me on my changing the music!" He screams over the music, plus, we are right next to the speakers. I hope I have my hearing after this.

"No! My friend, Jill, over here." I point to the bloody raven-haired girl across the floor, she waves. "She wants to dance with you."

"Uhhh, she looks kind of scary."

"Look past that, she's a good girl, be a man and dance with her. Do it for me." I pout my lips and bat my lashes.

He groans, "Fine, but I'm not sleeping with her." I never even asked that. He follows behind me to the now nervous girl whose smile is grown from ear to ear.

"Go dance with him." I grab the soda, usher her towards Daniel, who grabs her hand and leads her to the floor.

She slides her hand over his shoulder, while he moves to her hips, trying to maneuver them to his liking. Once they get in the rhythm, he leans in and whispers something to her, she blushes profusely.

I'm starting to really like Jill.

The music changes to Pocket Rocket by Cochise.

'Pocket watchin' heard that boy, he pocket

watchin' (yo, Cochise, a weh dem a seh?)'

'I pull up with the pocket rocket'

'Heard that boy talkin' 'bout robbin', stop it'

'I be gettin' mil' like rocket, rocket...'

Since I'm on the dancefloor, I'm an easy target. I try to get out of the crowd before the bumping and grinding starts (no pun to R. Kelly), but miss my chance once I feel hands grip my waist. I would have smacked the shit out of the guy, but when I turn around my heart stops.

This guy is so beautiful, like so handsome it should be illegal. He's got dark skin, a sharp jaw, flat nose, black eyes, and the body of a Wakanda man. I swear, he could pass for Michael B. Jordan. "You want to dance?" His voice is deep and hearty.

"S-sure." I let him pull me against him, my ass is right up against his pelvic, he doesn't have a hard-on, thank God. My back leans into his chest, my arm circles to the back of his head, tugging lightly on his hair. "I've never danced with a guy like this before," I confess.

His laugh rumbles through me like a ripple. "It's fine, I'll guide you, just follow my lead." We start to get more deeper in the song, the lyrics where you roll your hips come up.

'Come and get your girl (girl)'

'She be tryna flirt (flirt)'

'So, I told her wait (wait), woah (woah)'

"Now, roll your hips against me, like this." He moves my hips around seductively; they poke out a bit and then they come back to him. "Just like that." He whispers it in my ear, the words roll off his tongue.

'Wait (wait), woah (woah)'

Again, I roll my hips just the way he wants. "Good."

'Wait (wait), woah (woah)'

'And she like, "It don't matter'

"Am I doing ok?" I ask him.

He laughs, "You're doing amazing, you sure you've never danced with a guy before like this?" I move to his beat, grinding my hips more. This is wild, but yet exhilarating. Blue and red strobe lights flicker. At one point, the music drains from around us.

I can feel his hands snake around me, pulling me flush against him. He keeps whispering in my ear that I'm doing good because I keep asking. At one point, I feel his fingers slipping up my thigh, and I don't even stop him.

"Never. What's your name?" I asked.

"Dalton, but my friends call me Cross."

I turn around to him, my arms curves around his neck. "Why Cross?"

He smirks, "People know not to cross me around here. I don't play around." His eyes become hooded, and I began to get a little scared. Not like he's-going-to-hurt-me, but just in the way of that if I got hurt, he would kill for me.

"Oh!" I say dumbly.

"I would never hurt you if that's what you think. I don't hurt girls." I trust his words.

"That is what a serial killer would say." He grips my waist.

"What's your name?" Tyler's song immediately pops up in my head.

"Eliza Pratt."

His brow lifts, "You, by any chance, happen to be related to Bridget Pratt?"

"I am, she's my older sister."

"I like Bridget, she's a cool ass girl." He comments. "You want to get out of here, go someplace quiet."

Bridget's words yet again ring in my ear, "don't go anywhere with strangers". I don't know this Cross guy well, but he knows Bridget, so he wouldn't think of hurting me. Plus, I won't go too far with him, stay in the vicinity to where people could see us.

"Ok." He drags me through the crowd down a hallway packed with people, the music drowns away and so does the smell of booze.