Stone Creek by Davis, Lainey (reading diary .TXT) 📕

I swallow and look at him, open the door a few inches, and say, "Neal. It was amazing, ok. I didn't even know my body could feel that way. But it. Can't. Happen. Again."

I start to walk away, and he yells after me, "Whatever you say, Dahlia."

I'm so shaken up by this encounter that I storm home and tell Linda we're definitely going to join the guys on Frat Row. "I'm going to get stinking drunk and forget myself," I say in a huff.

"Sure you are, friend." I start to tell her about what happened, but I stop. I still don't understand it. On the one hand, I'm desperately attracted to Neal. On the other hand, I cannot allow myself to be and Linda would just chastise me if she knew I crossed the line with him. On another hand, there's no way someone like Neal sees what we did as anything other than a one-time thing. But yet…there was that kiss goodbye. And the way he touched my hand in the office today. Most likely he's just looking for another fuck session. He's probably slept with 5 or 10 different women since we had sex.

I sigh and tell Linda I have a headache. It's not even really a lie.

I'm still in a foul mood the next evening when we start to get ready for the party. True to my word, I wear jeans and my pi shirt, with a paper pumpkin pinned above the pi symbol. Linda rolls her eyes at me and yanks out her old Catholic school uniform. It's way too small for her, which she says is the point.

We meet the guys in their apartment before walking to the row of frat houses a few blocks away. They're dressed like the guys from Breaking Bad. They confess they nabbed hazard suits from one of the science labs. We laugh for awhile and talk about how much we all loved that show. I decline a shot, but I do let Jeremy hand me a beer. The two of us look at each other knowingly in the kitchen. It's obvious Tim and Linda are going to hook up. I hope Jeremy doesn't think I'm going to sleep with him…

The guys are actually really nice. It's good to talk with them as we make our way through the crisp air to the row of old mansions. I can't even begin to imagine how these houses have been befouled over the years of housing fraternities. We can smell the old cigarette smoke and spilled beer from a block away. "God, what must it be like to be in one of those houses during the daytime," Jeremy asks. We all shudder at the thought.

"You guys sure you wouldn't rather just get a table and hang out at the Tap Room?" I give one final attempt, but Jeremy pulls on my hand as Linda and Tim skip through the front door of the Kappa house. It's not too bad inside the party. It's still pretty early, so it's not terribly loud or crowded. The four of us claim a corner in one of the rooms. Linda and Tim bring us some beers and she reminds me of my promise to get wasted.

Jeremy smiles and says, "I didn't know Dahlia got wasted."

I shake my head. "I don't. Maybe tonight I'll have three drinks instead of two."

We all laugh and a few minutes later, I actually find myself having fun on the dance floor. Linda and Tim are really dirty dancing by this point, and I get swept up in the mood when Jeremy slips an arm around my waist. I let him pull me against his body and dance, swinging my hips with his and letting my head drop back.

I'm not even drunk, just for once letting myself get caught up in the mood. Jeremy's hands are splayed across my hips now and I let myself enjoy his touch. He's nice, I decide, even if the lack of spark compared to what I felt with Neal is a palpable absence. I can tell Jeremy wants me. He's a guy who is great on paper, and I've just about convinced myself to give him a shot.

I open my eyes then and see something that takes my breath away. Standing across the room, I see four hulking guys in hockey jerseys and helmets. Glaring through the face mask, I see the piercing blue eyes of a very angry Neal Sweeney.

He lifts off the helmet and tucks it under his arm but continues to glare at me. I have no idea what makes me do it, but I smile at him and grab hold of Jeremy's hand. I pull him closer to me, really letting him grind up on me as we dance. He's jealous of Jeremy, I realize. The thrill of this power, the ability to make Neal feel jealous, is exhilarating. It all starts to feel overwhelming, though, when I remember that Neal is a hotshot athlete with a reputation as a lady killer…and also my tutoring client who is totally off limits. It's probably better if I keep dancing with Jeremy, but suddenly the moment feels spoiled.

I step away from him and start to move toward Linda, but I look up again and see Tyler and the hockey guys walking over, pulling Neal along.

"Hey, math girl," Tyler shouts. "Cute shirt, Dahlia. Pumpkin pie."

Neal's nostrils are flaring. He stands there glowering and looking like he's about to get in a fight on the ice. I smile at Tyler and say, "I see you guys went all out on your costumes this year. Tyler, this is my roommate, Linda, and our friends Tim and Jeremy."

Jeremy is obviously very excited to meet the hockey players. He starts pumping Tyler's hand. "Good to meet