💫ANGEL💫

THE DAY FOLLOWING OUR HALLOWEEN OUTING, the last weekend of the month, we were preparing for the second beach party of the year. Once again, it was the number one topic in every conversation. You could hear the room whispering of the festivities in class, outside on campus, in the café, even at Hanigan's.

"Going to the beach party?" Zoe placed my lemonade down in front of me, waiting on my response.

"Yeah." A dry tone with no eye-contact, you can say I was embarrassed to look her in the eye. I had been avoiding her ever since I violated her at Loki's party.

"You can stop with all of that and just say sorry, Angel."

"What?" My head jerked back quickly as I snarled at the thought of apologizing to her.

"Or not." Before I could say anything else, she quickly disappeared behind the door that all of the waitresses came in and out of.

"Well, she's pissed." V laughed, having a seat in the chair across from me.

"She'll live."

"What did you do, steal her virtue?"

"Her virtue?"

"Oh...ok." V grabbed my lemonade and took a sip. "Guess you haven't gotten that far." Just as quickly as she came to intrude on my solitude, she was making her grand escape.

"Wait." I grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving. "What time do you get off?"

"An hour." She grinned.

"Hmph." A smirk was all I needed to display for her to know where my head was.

"I'm on a fifteen-minute break." She grinned. "I've got five minutes left."

"I can work with that."

"Bathroom, lover boy." V picked up my lemonade and the plate and napkins from my table, tossing them in the back, while I made my way to the restroom.

She and I came quickly, in under five minutes. Breathlessly dressing, we both cleaned up and made our exit from the restroom. When I opened the door, wanting to leave first, I as greeted by a displeased gaze.

"Oh!" Her eyes fell to V then back to me. "Am I interrupting—"

"Nope. We're done." Vanessa grinned, shouldering past Zoe as if she had some kind of vendetta against her.

"Tuh!" Zoe eyed me once more. Then, she turned to walk in the opposite direction.

What the hell was that about?

LATER THAT NIGHT AT THE BEACH PARTY, I noticed the crowd was three times as large as it was the last time. Instead of glow in the dark volleyball, they had a blacklight put-put setup along the sand. I remembered thinking how on earth you play put-put in sand? I knew I'd be terrible at it just by watching everyone else struggle. There were several drinking games spread throughout the perimeter. All the partygoers made it their job to try each one. I managed to avoid the games to avoid the alcohol. Loki and the others were completely intoxicated two hours in.

"Okay. You have to play this game with us. We're not taking no for an answer!" Loki shouted over the loud music.

"Beer pong." V barged in, pulling on my wrist as she dragged me from the spot on the bench that I was keeping warm.

We had to have played four full rounds, with me and Loki losing to V and Sevyn. The sky looked more and more like the "Starry Night" painting, by Van Gogh. The feeling of floating and twirling in space, providing a lucid high that sent me soaring into my own mind. I could hardly focus on the game, stumbling over my own two feet.

"Gosh, you're trashed. Such a light weight." V teased, pulling me from the table I was leaning on.

"When will this shit end?" I laughed.

"The game?" Loki asked, grabbing the other side of my body as he aided V in sitting me down somewhere.

"It's over now, for sure." Seyvn was laughing as if she was sitting front and center at a comedy show, witnessing the best punchline she'd ever heard.

"I'm guessing Giselle isn't coming tonight." Zack sighed, sitting down next to me.

"So what?" I cringed at the sound of her name coming from his mouth.

"So—It would've been nice if she came. That's what?"

"Fuck off, Zack. She doesn't want you dude." I hissed.

"Seems she doesn't want you either, dude." Zack stood back up, looking down at me as if he wanted to try his luck.

"This isn't a battle that would ever work in your favor Zack. Sit the fuck down!"

"Hey! Wait a minute. We're supposed to be friends, guys. Calm down. Don't take your frustrations out on each other. We're better than that." Loki loved playing the mediator. Little did he know, he saved Zack from a well-intended ass whooping.

"You know what—"I laughed, not ready to give in to the "lets all be friends" bullshit Loki was so desperate for. "You remind me of her beach blond bitch ass boyfriend. Is that why you think you have a shot? Want to take her pretty little Aaron's place? Want to tangle your fingers in her pretty blond hair and fuck her slow?" The devil was surfacing. I could feel the heat of the rejection and abandonment,I suffered from the last few days, brewing up a stew of trouble. I knew I had to check myself before I lost all control.

"Fuck you!" Zack shoved me to the ground, standing over me as he dared me to get up.

So, I didn't. I never intended to fight Zack. I was just fucking around, masking my own issues to feel better about myself. Besides, it felt better to lay on the ground, where I was shoved, anyway. As I lay there, laughing hysterically at myself., everyone else probably thought I was laughing at Zack or losing my mind. In reality, I felt like a joke.

"Get up, weirdo." Zack reached out, extending his hand to me to get me from the ground. I reached back up to him, grabbing onto his hand tightly. I winked his way, before pulling down in the sand with me. Then we both started wrestling, trying to pin each other down.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A voice shouted over a loudspeaker. "May we have your attention, please?" It continued.

As the woman was speaking, a ring of fire lit up in the sand. All of the music stopped, causing every spectator in a mile radius to transfer their attention over to where this mystery woman was standing. She was covered in red drapes or something. She was even rocking a weird looking vale, hiding her face. The heat from the fire slowly swam outward, heating up the night.

Finally, Zack and I rose from the sand, dusting ourselves as we all stood confused yet intrigued.

"What the hell is going on?" I frowned, looking to everyone for answers.

"Who knows." Loki answered without looking my way, attention occupied by this little ring of fire that magically appeared out of nowhere.

"We are here for the initiation of our new Pi Phi Theta sisters. These new Sorors have accepted the ideals and principals of this society. And we would like to publicly welcome them into sisterhood. 

Everyone began to cheer. A sorority initiation ceremony. Great. Rolling my eyes, the last thing I wanted to do was see some uppity bitches participate in uppity shit. 

"Victoria Sanchez!" The announcer chirped. A woman came from the dark shadows of the shoreline, stepping into the ring of fire, walking a full circle around it's perimeter. She too, was wearing a full red cloaking looking outfit, with a vale that covered her face. "Hayden Greer." Everyone cheered louder for her. Made me wonder who the hell she was and why she was so popular.

"Ooh...here she comes." I heard Sevyn whisper to Max. They both got extra giddy and antsy.

"Giselle Mone."

Seyvn and Max started screaming, causing Loki and Zack to join in. I was stunned. Shocked, even, forgetting all about the fact that she was pledging to begin with. As a matter of fact, the first time I brought it up in a conversation was at the first beach party of year. Ironic. I placed two fingers between my lips, whistling loud and proud for her. I wish I could've seen her face. What was up with this damn vale?

The went through all the things with the ceremony, talking about each girl, commending them all of their separate accomplishments, quizzing them on their knowledge of their sorority. Giselle was phenomenal. Standing there, like a proud parent at kindergarten graduation, watching their child in awe and pure satisfaction, I smiled from ear to ear witnessing her accomplish what she'd hidden from us all for months. It completely explained the days she'd disappear out of nowhere, miss out on our cafe meet up, not show up to Loki's house as we all planned. For the first time, I realized everything she did that bothered me, wasn't about me. It was about her. She was living her life and moving forward with her plans.  Once the ceremony was over, she disappeared into the crowd without uttering one word to us.

"I can't believe she went through with it." Sevyn shrugged.

"What do you mean?" I was interested in knowing more, even if it wasn't coming from Giselle herself.

"I mean, she had this little vision board in her room full of all the things she wished to accomplish in the next four years. The sorority had a huge section when she first got to school, but like a month ago she covered it up with—well, with something else."

"So, she didn't want to pledge anymore?" Zack asked, seemingly as lost as me.

"I don't know. She must've just been upset. Then, changed her mind?"

"Guess we'll never know." I shrugged it off, taking it a little personal that Giselle and I weren't close enough anymore to talk about shit.

Lately, that's all I wanted to do; lay up and whisper my secrets to a woman. To my woman. Desiring soft touches in the night, smooth skin entangled in my sheets, feminine hands running their fingers through my hair, pointless kisses. Lately, my body and heart craved things I hadn't experienced in a long time. Things I only truly wanted from one person, but the desperation surging my mind was almost ready to settle for anyone. It was a feeling that filled me with loneliness. It was feeling I needed to tend to before it got out of control.

"Yo! Loki, what's up?" A tall dark-skinned dude approached our circle. The girls were immediately affected by his presence.

"Roman! All is well, dude. How have you been?" Loki greeted him with a side hug and smile. We all watched silently as they caught up. After we realized they weren't going to stop talking anytime soon, we engaged in our own conversations.

"What are you doing after the party, Angel?" V smiled a conniving smile.

"Not tonight, V." I hissed.

"Well, damn. Okay."

"I don't have any plans, V. What did you have in mind?" Of course Zack would aim for another one of my accomplishments. He must've had a thing for sloppy seconds?

"Hey!" Out of nowhere, Giselle came running from behind me, collapsing with Sevyn and Max as they quickly embraced each other in a group hug.

"Oh my God, Giselle! We all saw you and cheered for you. Did you hear us?" Sevyn screamed. Max screamed. They all screamed like children.

"I saw you guys. I can't believe I made it through. I'm so excited."

"We're so proud of you!" Zack shouted, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "We have to celebrate."

"Yes! This definitely calls for a celebration." Loki jumped up and down. "My place? After party?"

"Loki?" I questioned, knowing how parties at his place turned out.

"Come on! A few hours of fun won't hurt." His grin told me he was up to no good.

"Nah. Not tonight." I declined, knowing what I truly wanted. Turning my attention to Giselle, I wanted to say something to her. I wanted to congratulate her and tell her how proud of her I was. Deep down inside, there was an urge boiling within me to wrap my hands around her tiny waist and make her feel the way I felt. But I did nothing. I said nothing. I just stood there and—.

"Its—Rude—To—Stare." She mouthed, finishing it off with a playful wink. She got me back, again.

I huffed quietly to myself, breaking eye contact and nodding in the opposite direction of the crew, gesturing for her to join me in a private conversation. It looked as if she'd take me up on my offer until she was distracted.

"Hey. You just pledge Pi Phi Theta, right?" Loki's friend called out to her.

"Yes." The moment she looked up into his chestnut eyes; the eyes that probably bated and hooked a dozen girls a week; she was hooked. It pained me to watch her curl up and fall for his shit the way every girl probably did. "Hi. Yes. I'm Giselle."

"Well, Giselle...I'm Roman." He extended his hand to her. We all watched in silence as the chemistry between them began to sizzle. "I'm Ro Phi Delta."

"Oh my gosh. Really?"

Unable to stomach the batting of her lashes, cute little giggles, and adjusting of her hair, I made a careful effort to excuse myself. Knowing I had no chance in hell of getting her alone for the rest of the night, I gave up. If she wasn't entertaining Roman, she was being all girly and giddy with Sevyn, Max, and V. Watching from afar, I couldn't help but feel a bit of happiness for her, even though the bitterness from our lack of interactions was eating away at me. Then finally, I couldn't take the distance. I couldn't take the cold shoulder or the attention she received from other guys. So, I left.

***Author's Words****

Our lonely boy is feeling awfully lonely these days.

And who is this "Roman" character Giselle was just introduced to?

Read on to see how things play out.

Please leave comments/critiques/suggestions

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