Justin and his sister, Amber, always got along really well. Justin never really thought about it when they were young kids, but he really appreciated Amber - and their close relationship - when he got to high school. Amber was two years older and was VERY popular. Justin was quiet and spent more time studying than he did socializing. Some of his friends had older sisters who refused to even acknowledge their brothers' presence if they saw them at high school, but Amber wasn't like that. She'd talk to Justin if she saw him in the hallway - even if she was with some of her popular girlfriends.
When Amber had friends over at their house, she sometimes even invited Justin to join them if they were watching a movie. If her friends were going out for ice cream, she'd sometimes ask Justin if he wanted to go with them. The summer before Amber went off to college, he made sure to tell her how much he loved her, and he thanked her for being such a good big sister. They told each other how much they were going to miss each other.
Two years later, Amber and her parents were dropping Justin off at college. He was not going to the same school as Amber - he got into the more selective State university. When his parents were getting ready to leave to drive home, Amber gave her brother a really tight hug.
"I'm really proud of you, Justin. I love you, and I'm going to miss you. You are a really nice guy. Try not to be so shy. Let yourself go. Have fun at school!"
"Thanks, Amber. I love you, too. Have a good year at school," Justin said.
Amber kissed Justin on his cheek and sniffled a little, trying not to cry. Justin's mom hugged him and kissed him, and his dad shook his hand. Then they left.
Justin enjoyed his first month of college. He liked all his classes, and he had made some friends in the dorm. A couple of guys liked the same video games he did, so they'd often play them together. They also introduced Justin to some of the girls from their high school who lived in the same dorm. Usually, he could find someone he knew in the cafeteria to sit with at meals.
Tonight, as he got out of the shower and headed back to his room, he was smiling and thinking about Amber. Even though she wasn't there, she was still helping him. One of her best friends, Alexis, had texted Justin and invited him to a party at her house. He knew his sister had asked her to invite him, and he was excited to go.
Truth was, of all of Amber's friends, he liked Alexis the most. She was always friendly to him, just like Amber was. Some of Amber's other friends would never talk to him if they saw him in high school. Even when they were at his house, they kind of ignored him. But Alexis always asked how he was doing, and she really listened to his answers.
Even though Alexis was part of the "popular" group with Amber, she was different. Most of Amber's friends had blond hair, wore lots of makeup, and often wore clothes to accentuate their big boobs. Alexis was pretty, but in a much more subtle way. She wore makeup, but not a lot. She had small boobs, but they were perfect for her thin body. Her dark brown hair fell a little below her shoulders. Even though it was not the most common opinion, Justin thought Alexis was the hottest of the group.
Justin walked down the street to the address Alexis gave him. It was a big house - maybe five or six bedrooms. Justin knew Alexis lived with a bunch of girls from her sorority. Apparently, the house gets "passed down" every two years to a new group of girls from the sorority. It was a prime location since it was only a couple of blocks off campus.
He didn't really need the exact address. As soon as he got within 300 feet of the house, he could hear the music and see people on the balconies of the house. There were two balconies in the front, and it looked like there was a large second-level, wrap-around deck in the back. The house was probably built as a fancy single-family home many years ago, but somewhere along the way, it turned into student housing. There were a few apartment buildings on the block and a few individual houses which had also become student housing.
He slowed up a bit as he got closer to the house. As much as he was looking forward to seeing Alexis, he wasn't exactly a huge party person. He took a deep breath, turned onto the front walk, and strode up to the door.
When he walked in, he was immediately hit with the volume of the music, the loud sound of people talking, yelling, and laughing, and the smell of marijuana. There was a large living room with couches all around. The dining room, off to one side, was set up as a do-it-yourself bar. In the back room and out on the patio, people were talking and dancing.
Justin felt a little intimidated and out of place until he looked across the room and saw Alexis. When she saw him, a huge smile appeared on her face, and she walked away from the people she was talking to, making a beeline for Justin. As usual, she looked fantastic. Her dark hair had a perfectly straight part down the middle. She had just a little makeup around her blue eyes, and they really looked beautiful. She was wearing a stretchy grey top with spaghetti straps that crossed behind her neck.
Justin was smiling by the time Alexis approached him and held out her arms. She gave him a tight hug and a quick kiss on the lips - the latter surprising him.
"Hi, Justin, glad you could make it," she said as she held both of his hands and looked at him. "How has school been going?"
"It's pretty good so far," he replied. "I'm still learning my way around everywhere, but my classes are great and I'm having a good time."
"Excellent! You know, you can always call me if you have any questions. I mean I can't help you with classes - I'm not as smart as you," she said with a giggle, "but I can help you find the best restaurants or best places to study."
Truth was, Alexis WAS as smart as Justin. She was getting her degree in Bioengineering and, in some ways, could be as big a geek as Justin.
"C'mon, let's get some drinks," she said, as she pulled Justin by the hand over to "the bar". As she walked in front of him, Justin couldn't help but notice how nice Alexis' butt looked in the black leggings she was wearing.
Justin made himself a very weak rum and coke, and Alexis grabbed a beer. She brought him over to a group of friends and introduced him. Everyone seemed friendly, and Alexis stayed right next to him, often bumping her hips into him. Topics ranged all over the place, from classes to movies to music to best bars in town. Justin didn't say much, but he was having a good time just listening - and being next to Alexis. Every so often she'd look at him and smile, making him feel good.
"C'mon," she said, "let's go outside. It might be a LITTLE quieter."
She grabbed his hand, which made him smile, and they walked out. They went to a corner of the patio, and the two of them continued talking. Just like when she'd be at his house visiting Amber, Alexis really listened to him when he spoke and made him feel like she cared about what he said.
After a little while, another girl came running over to Alexis.
"Tommy and Bobby just got here. C'mon!" she said excitedly, as she grabbed Alexis' hand and pulled her back toward the house.
"Excuse me," Alexis managed to say as she literally got pulled away.
After about ten minutes of hanging out by himself, Justin decided to head home. He wasn't exactly the type to start up a conversation with people he didn't know, and since Alexis wasn't around, he didn't see any reason to stay. He walked inside and looked around for Alexis to say goodbye, but he didn't see her. So he left. It was a warm night, and he enjoyed the walk back to his dorm.
He was playing video games on his computer when he was surprised by a rather loud knock on his door. He opened the door and was surprised to see Alexis. Surprised because he certainly didn't expect to see her again tonight, and surprised because she wasn't wearing her usual friendly smile. In fact, she looked pissed off. She didn't wait for an invitation and just walked in. When Justin closed the door, Alexis turned and just stared at him for a few seconds.
"Was I mean to you?" she asked accusingly.
"Huh? No, of course not," he said.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked, again in the same tone.
"Of course not," he said again.
"Do you think I'm a jerk?" she asked.
Justin laughed.
"Of course I don't think you're a jerk. I think you're terrific."
"Then why the fuck did you leave. You didn't even say goodbye!"
"Gee, Alexis, I'm sorry. I thought you wanted to spend time with those other guys that showed up. I looked for you to say goodbye, but I didn't see you."
"What other guys?" she asked.
