The Deep End

Chapter 1

-I been here for much too long, I don't really want to dance...- "I Don't Wanna Dance" by Elle Varner

"You tryna' come through or naw?" Wyatt asked, whispering to the girl snuggled against his chest, trying his best to ignore the blasting music being played. The beat dropped as more people came in, red solo cups in hand, tipsy, blank looks in some of their eyes. The smell of cannabis and black and mild's wafted through the air. The girl hugged up against him was a fine shawty from Florida. She was tall and had a round face adorned with perfectly done makeup, and sporting a body hugging pink dress that show cased her curves. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, a knowing grin on her face, before she raised her cup to her soft red lips and took a sip.

"You want me to come through, Wyatt?" She asked flirtatiously, blinking her lashes at him.

He licked his lips, finding her obvious game of flirting attractive for the moment. This was normal. A party every other weekend was the perfect distraction from a busy week passed. Liquor in his cup, honeys on his wrist...he smiled down at her, raising his hand to take the cup from her. She grinned at him, tilting her head in a way that caused her hair to spill over her shoulder and across her chest.

He sat her cup down on the nearest flat surface before wrapping an arm around her waist and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She giggled, her breath hitched, her body softened in his hold.

Wyatt was a smooth seducer, quick with words and right with suggestions. He was all player, all poet, though he refused to admit the latter. He was five eleven with a lean, muscled body from constant hours and years of running up and down the foot field. He had soft brown skin, blemish free and scar less. He had straight white teeth, his cheeks adorned with deep dimples that sunk inward with every smile or frown. He sported a neat, even goatee that framed his face just right.

He was handsome in his own right and conceited enough to flaunt his looks without hesitation.

"Yeah, baby, I'm trying to see you." He mumbled as he caressed her cheek, his fingers running over her mocha colored skin. She was, in his mind, easy enough to get. That was his mentality. It was all fun and games, quick seduction, one night stands. He was young and the youthful had a right to be wild, didn't they?

He knew what it was like to be confined to overbearing oppression, no openness, only rules and stuffiness. College was his getaway, his opportunity to be free in the sense that he could flaunt his ability to test the limits, to be crazy, to be adventurous without anyone telling him that he couldn't.

He adorned in his newfound freedom, basking in it like a child in a candy store. The growing chatter of voices became a crescendo of noise mixed into the music blasting through the speakers. Laughter rung out, shrieks of excitement fueled pits of dancers as they showed their moves.

"Why should I hang with you?" She asked, her lips brushing his ear in a soft caress that insinuated so much more. In the dim lights of the frat house, their silhouettes danced in the shadows of the ongoing crowd.

"Because you want to," he said, stroking her cheek. His words were perfectly planned, well thought out. Seduction was a game that he excelled at, if it were a class he would, hands down, have the best grade. His answer seemed to please her and she giggled, the sound low pitched and yet animated.

"Alright...let's get out of here." She said on a wide smile, running her hands down his chest, slightly nibbling on her lower lip.

He licked his lips in a slow, deliberate motion that held her attention. He wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand lightly massaging her hip as they walked side by side, headed for the door. As they moved through the gyrating bodies and groups of people stepping with procession. They walked out into the night air, cool wind blowing over their sensitized skin. They ventured past groups of people heading to and fro, many of them animated with excitement of the night to come.

Wyatt led his one night stand to his car, a used two-thousand two Scion TC. It wasn't the best car around but it was spacious and fairly new looking. He opened the door for her and she hopped inside, sliding in with an easy grace that made him chuckle before closing the door behind her. He was too busy lost in thought to realize that he wasn't looking where he was going. He moved to round the car, headed to the driver's side, only to knock into a soft feminine frame. A soft groan seemed to echo against his chest as he bumped into someone. The girl recoiled, stepping back, clutching her forehead, a scowl on her face.

"Ow! Damn!" She snapped with obvious irritation. Her eyes snapped up to his and he reached a hand out, out of pure reflex, trying to make sure she was steady.

"You ai'ight?" He asked as he grabbed her wrist, examining her forehead.

She snatched her wrist back, her scowl growing. "Watch where you're going." She snapped once more, completely ignoring his question before walking past him with a pep in her step, as if trying to escape him. He watched her go, unable to stop himself. Remembering the way she had pulled away from him as if he were a disease or something. That was a first. But as he watched her basically run away, his eyes shifted to the sway in her hips, the juggle of her backside, the way tendrils of her natural hair moved in the night breeze.

She was short, the top of her head barely reached his chin and yet she had seemed so pent up with emotion. He watched her continue to walk off until she seemingly disappeared into the night. He bit the inside of his cheek, amused.

The girl in his car whose name he didn't quite remember caught his attention once more and he finished his journey, rounding the car and hopping in.

He stuck his key in the ignition, started the car, turned the radio up and pulled out onto the street.

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Tia stomped down the side walk. She was as irritated as it got. She hadn't even wanted to come to the party. Her friends had begged and pleaded with her for days and when she had finally gotten tired of it, she had agreed. Now she knew that had been a mistake. The party had been a waste of her time. The heels on her feet had eventually began to irk at her nerves and the thought of dancing had instantly become a turn off. The space for dancing had been too packed to even try to squeeze onto it. The drinks had been too strong, the smoke in the air too thick. The crowd too large and the sweat and perfume wafting through the air had been almost suffocating. In simple terms, it just hadn't been her scene. She wasn't really a party girl and never truly had been.

She didn't mind indulging in the occasional event but certain things just weren't her cup of tea.

She carried her shoes in her hand, her bare feet hitting the pavement with quiet thuds. The night had only gotten worse by the hour. Several drinks had been spilled on her, the front of her top was damp and not to mention that her hair had gotten wet. It had gone from being straight to a shrunken puff ball on her head. That had been her final straw. She had announced that she was leaving to her friends. They had tried to stop her, tried to encourage her to stay. But she had refused. She walked out, already irritated beyond belief, only to be bumped into.

She had walked into a wall of straight muscle and the memory all in itself weighed on her mind. She had honestly been too upset to take a good look at him. His voice had been smooth and deep, playing on the wind. His scent, despite the subtle reminiscences of cannabis, had smelled of soap and a masculine cologne that she didn't recognize. For the life of her she couldn't quite figure out why the guy was still on her mind. The last thing she was worried about was the male species. She was in college for a reason. To be educated, not to fall prey to false love stories and sweet nothings that inevitably amounted to just that...nothing.

She rounded the corner, making her way to her dorm. She pulled out her key as she made her way inside, sighing in relief as she got closer and closer to her bed. She unlocked the door, letting it slam behind her. She tossed her shoes underneath her bed, pulled off her earrings, tugged her pants off and climbed onto her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow all thoughts of the night dissolved into darkness.