Her Savage Mountain Daddy

But again, I had to stop overthinking everything. For one night, I just had to let go and see if finally going wild for once would push the memories of that night out of my head. I pushed a loose tendril of my blonde hair back behind my ear, smiling at my roommate and her friends.

“Cheers!”

They laughed, again, probably at me, but I ignored it as I knocked the third drink back. A hand slid across my hip, and I startled, choking a little on the last of the drink before I turned. The guy was probably a year or two older than my eighteen, with brown hair cut into a very jock-looking style and a thin little line of a beard drawn across his jaw. He was cute, sort of, in a way. Even if that facial hair was all sorts of creepy.

“Hey sexy.”

“Uh, hi.”

Carrie snickered behind me. “Go for it!” She giggled into my ear, pushing me into the guy.

All I’d told Carrie was that I don’t have “a lot of experience.” I hadn’t told her that, specifically, I had zero experience, because I was too embarrassed. I’d felt like a loser bringing up my total lack of any sort of sexual history after she let loose on day one of being roommates about the multitude of guys she’d done all sorts of things with.

“Looking for a good time tonight?” The guy said coolly, his eyes hooded and his hand lingering on my hip.

“I—”

Not really? Not with you? This isn’t like me at all and I just want to go home and watch a movie on my laptop?

But something stopped me from saying any of those things. Maybe it was the horrible memories of the man getting shot. Maybe it was the alcohol. Or maybe it was just me being tired of being the good girl. Maybe it was time to be a Carrie, or a Lauren, or a Kendra for once. After all, this was college. And, wasn’t all this exactly what I was supposed to be doing? Getting drunk? Going out dancing? Getting wild with strange, somewhat cute boys?

And so, I didn’t say no.

“Maybe?”

He grinned. “Maybe you and I should have a drink then.”

It was a blur of my roommate and her friends giggling behind us, and the guy high-fiving the guy who’d been all over Kendra for the last few minutes. Apparently, they were buddies. The guy with his hand still on my hip turned and yelled an order over the noise at the bartender and turned back a minute later with two clear drinks over ice.

“Vodka soda your drink?”

“Uh—”

No? I have no idea?

“Yep!”

I drank it quickly, feeling the music and the neon blue lights wash over me. The guy moved closer, and suddenly, he pulled the drink from my hands.

“How about we go somewhere?”

I felt my cheeks burn, and a little knot of worry burning in my stomach.

“Uh, where?”

He grinned. “Knew you were down for a good time. Men’s room is this way baby.”

He took my hand and started to drag me away. Panic jolted through me, and my eyes darted to Carrie. But she just smiled and gave me a quick hug.

“Hey, just have fun, okay? Girls night out, Nina!” She whooped, hoisting her drink up in the air and cheering with her friends as the guy with the weird facial hair pulled me away through the dark club.

Part of me wanted to just pull away and run away. But then, the other part of me didn’t do a thing. After all, maybe this was what I needed, right? To forget everything I saw? After all, why not? People are always saying that virgins make sex a bigger deal than it really is. I mean, it’s just sex. Again, this was what I was supposed to be doing as a college freshman, right? Getting wild? Getting drunk?

…Losing my v-card in a club bathroom to a stranger?

Suddenly, it was like the real me inside finally broke free of the little cage I’d stuck her in all night, and I stopped short. The guy glanced back when I stopped letting him drag me along.

“What’s up?”

“I—I’m sorry,” I shook my head. “I can’t do this.”

He frowned. “Huh?”

“This,” I mumbled, the alcohol blurring through me. “I don’t want to do this.”

His frown turned into a scowl, which almost looked comical with his boyish features and his stupid little strip of facial hair.

“Oh, so just leading me on for a free drink, huh bitch?”

“No, that’s not it—”

“Let’s go.”

He started to drag me down the dark hallway, away from the thumping music and blue lights towards what must have been the men’s room. Panic lanced through me, and I tried yank my hand back from his grip.

“I’m serious, okay! Look I’ll pay you back for the stupid drink, just—”

“Oh, you better believe you will.”