One Night in January

Chapter 2: Morning

I woke up to the sound of something moving around in my room. My first thought was, "Fuck, is that Drake's pig again?" My frat brother, Drake, had stolen a bunch of pigs from a local farm after homecoming since our school's mascot was, essentially, a large big. Porky, the biggest pig, had somehow found his way up to my room and I had woken up to him eating some of my books. I quickly sat up and wiped my eyes. Corrine faded into vision. She looked over at me and covered her chest with her shirt that she struggled to put on. I pulled back the covers to sit up and that's when I saw it. Blood. I rested my head in my hands as I sat on the corner of my bed. Shit. She was a virgin. I turned my head and looked over at her and noticed her puffy eyes. Major shit. She was crying.

I know some guys had a thing for virgins, but I didn't. It's too much...responsibility. Despite how many guys they sleep with girls will always remember their first. They will tell their friends about their first, their children, their grandchildren, and the candy stripers in the nursing home. I was going to be that guy that Corrine talked about for the rest of her life. She's was going to share how she was lonely and in a desperate act of loneliness followed a guy from her hometown back to his library-esq room and slept with him and never saw him again. Great legacy, Blake. But, at the same time, I didn't want it to be more. I didn't like Corrine, I didn't know her. I didn't want her to think that this meant something, because it didn't. But there was a recently deflowered girl in my room and she was crying. 

I let out a frustrated sigh as I stood up and walked towards her slowly. She looked at me hesitantly and I realized I was still naked. As awkward as it felt for the both of us I pulled her into a hug. Her arms were stiff, tense, but she soon relaxed and began to cry softly into my shoulder. I ran my fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm her and was reminded at how perfectly girls fit for hugs. After a few moments her crying lulled and I stepped away. Our eyes met and I smiled.

"Look, I know that was your first time," I gestured to the sheets and she looked away, embarrassed. "Don't be embarrassed. I just hope it was okay. Look, we were both vulnerable, and I hope to you it was something beautiful, two vulnerable people coming together like that for a moment." She nodded.

"I didn't realize it would be this emotional," she said. I was unsure how to respond. Her voice became stern. "Look, I just want you to know that I don't think we're anything now. You don't need to think that I'm going to be all clingy or weird or anything." Thank God. I needed to recover so she didn't think I was a total douche.

"I wasn't thinking that," I lied. We stood in awkwardness and I realized I was still naked. "Look, I still have some time before class, do you want to, I don't know, grab coffee or something. Good way to close this?" I hopped she thought close was a good word. She nodded.

"Yeah, that would be nice," she looked at me and smiled. "So, you taking my virginity entitles me to a free glass of juice, right?" There was sarcasm in her voice, and I was thankful she could just shrug it off like that. I smiled.

"Juice?"

"I don't drink coffee," she said. My face flushed, right, she had told me that yesterday. This was ridiculous, I just took this chic's virginity and I couldn't even remember her name." 

"Right, well when you put it that way," she smiled and I quickly threw together an outfit. As we headed out the door we passed through the kitchen where Drake in the kitchen. Shit. Drake immediately stepped away from the toaster and walked towards us.

"Hi, I'm Drake," he said as he held out his brawny hand for Corrine to shake. Drake was the epitome of a frat jerk. I couldn't stand him. His dad had some higher position in Wal-Mart, but I'm convinced his dad must have been a jerk, because no one turns out to be as big of a douche as Drake without having some serious daddy wound.

"I'm Corrine," she said embarrassed. Drake totally knew what we just did.

"Hmm...I don't remember Blake ever mentioning you." Our eyes met, and I looked fiercely in the other direction in an attempt to convey that he should leave her alone.

"We know each other from back home," I was surprised at how quickly she recovered from his intended insult. Drake raised his red eyebrows.

"Oh back home, are you in high school?"

"I think you and I both know Blake has more integrity than that," Ouch. I was impressed. "It was great to meet you, Drake, but I think your eggos need tending." She gestured over to the waffles that had recently popped up in the toaster. Drake sucked in a breath, and I could tell his blood was boiling. She smiled again before walking out the door.

"I am so sorry about that," I said when we got to the sidewalk. The January air was brisk and as I spoke my frozen breath danced in the air.

"He seems like the epitome of a frat douche," she said. I laughed.

"You literally read my mind." I was surprised at how unawkward our walk was. We found ourselves talking about home and she seemed genuinely interested in my law aspirations.

"Have you told your parents yet? About your LSAT?" She asked as we took a seat in Waffle House.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"I've been kind of busy," the borderline flirt made her blush.

"Yeah," she said with a laugh. "I guess it would have been kind of awkward to call them last night. But you should call them, I'm sure they'll be proud of you, especially there your dad."

Ugh, there it was again. Dad. Need to beat dad. And, just like that, I was brought back to reality.

"Yeah, well, I guess I finally beat him at something, maybe he'll be jealous." She rested her chin in her hand and smiled at my sympathetically.

"That must be really tough, always feeling like you have to beat out your dad." Wow. I felt physically taken back. I had never, ever had anyone attempt to empathize with what I was feeling. It felt strange. The only person I'd ever really told about it was Brittany, and she always told me to just get over it. Yeah, like I could just get over it. I nodded.

"Yeah, it is," the waitress interrupted my chance to be any more vulnerable. We continued our casual conversations throughout breakfast and what felt like too soon we were given our check, leaving the tip, and walking out the door. When we stepped back out in the cold we each rocked back and forth on our heels, unsure of how to go on.

"Well, this was fun," she said. "But, our time is up." What an awkward way to end this. But this whole thing had been awkward. She leaned in and gave me a hug. "Seriously though, best of luck with your dad." She smiled and waved and then walked off into the gray of January. I stood and watched her walk away. It had been so different with her. Not a hook up, not a relationship. But she listened. Maybe that's why the universe, or god, or whatever you want to call it, fate maybe, had us meet that day. My LSAT score, our vulnerable time together, maybe it was meant to be closure between me and my dad. Yeah, that was it. I quickly realized I had forgotten my book and I ran back to my house, Drake was sitting on the couch.

"She was a feisty one," he said antagonistically. I didn't respond and just headed for the stairs. "She was a virgin, wasn't she? And you, being the golden boy that you are, took her to breakfast, didn't you?" Still no response. "God, I love virgin pussy." That did it.

"What the fuck is your problem? She was a nice girl."

"So you deflowered a nice girl, good going, golden boy."

"I gotta get to class," I headed back towards the stairs as anger and adrenaline pumped through my veins.

"Of course you do, golden boy." I don't even know what the fuck his problem was. It had always been like that between us. Always. Ever since we rushed together, it was like my existence just pissed him off. He was bigger, a linebacker in high school, with an awkward gap between his teeth and outright unattractive. I've convinced the frat only took him hoping his dad would donate to the house.

The cold air brought me back to sanity as I stepped back outside. I took deep breaths, painful from the cold. I need to relax. I needed to focus. I needed to get to class. Because, I still had not gotten into Yale. I still had to work to do. I still, still had to beat my dad. And, I wasn't there yet. I was so close that I could taste it, and I couldn't lose it now.