Chapter 3 - Dorm

(Shane's pov)

It was Monday. I'd spent the weekend hanging out with the group id met at Friday's party. Though i'd known them such a short time, I felt really close to them all.

A few of my new friends were gathered in my dorm.

I sat on my bed, a beer in my hand that I had no intention of drinking.

Summer was sitting at my desk, she had an unfinished art project laid out in front of her, with frustrated hands in her hair and a worn out pencil in her teeth.

Tahj was on the couch with his girlfriend, Julissa, sitting in his lap.

Julissa was gorgeous, though, not my type. She was taller, curvier, and didn't have the muscle definition that Summer had. Her style was artsy. She wore a long skirt and a cropped tank top. She also had a very short pixie cut that suited her well.

"Bitch, you need to chill out." Tahj began with a hand gesturing towards Summer, "I finished that shit in class. It was easy as hell."

"Yeah? Well, maybe, I actually take pride in my work." She bantered back with a sarcastic impudence.

"My work trumps your little doodles any day."

"I could shit on a canvas and do better in peer review than you do."

"Don't make me smack the freckles off your face, bitch, I don't play."

"Ladies, please." Julissa interjected, "Youre both very pretty."

She snorted a laugh as Tahj pushed her off the couch.

"Youre lucky I love you." He rolled his eyes and stood up, "We gotta get going."

"Alright!" Summer called out to him without looking up from her paper.

"Love you guys!" He said as he closed the door behind Julissa.

A few seconds of silence passed before Summer got up and carried her drawing over to the bed.

"Alone at last..." She joked and sat next to me.

I was indescribably nervous. "Aha... We can go somewhere if you want to."

"Fuck no! We're gonna hang out. I never get to see you one-on-one." She shifted and laid on her stomach, knees bent so her feet were in the air, placing her boots directly in my face. "Lay with me." She said playfully.

My cheeks flushed as I got down onto my stomach.

"Comfortable?"

"U-um ... Yeah." I tried to smile.

Summer turned to me, "Shane...? You okay? You look so freaked out." She put a hand on my cheek.

The "freaked out" look was most likely from Summer sitting so close to me. Furthermore, the look was definitely magnified by her hand being on my face.

"I- I guess I am a little freaked out." I tried to laugh.

"What about?" She giggled back with a knowing smile.

"Oh..." I hesitated, "Ive never had a girl in my bed before..."

Her smile widened, "What? It's just me!"

"... I- I know that." Not even for an instant would I forget that it's "just" you. "Im just a really nervous person, I guess."

"Here." Summer reached in her bag and pulled out a jumbo sized honey bun. She sat it in front of me, "Eating something will help you calm down."

I looked at it longingly, "A-are you sure?"

"Of course. I always keep friend-designated snacks in my bag."

"Okay..." This preyed upon a new habit I'd picked up since moving here: stress eating.

I got lost in it and even moaned softly after some bites. I was still nervous eating in front of people. But, for some reason, I was more comfortable around Summer.

"Did you like it?" She asked eagerly.

"It was great." I said with a smile.

"Great!" My friend beamed, "I'll start offering you one more often."

For a reason I can't quite place, the idea of Summer giving me food really excited me.

My eyes tranced into hers, "You're... You're such a sweet person"

"Am I?" She breathed and inched her face closer to mine. "Youre pretty sweet yourself."

"O-oh..." I sighed in response.

"Do you... um." Summer thought for a moment, her lips pursed and her dark eyes danced over my face, "Do you feel that?"

"F-feel what?"

Just as she was about to speak, the door flew open.

She and I both sat up and stared, mortified at the figure walking in.

"Sorry!" Tahj called out, "Jules forgot her purse." He picked the small pink bag off the couch and turned to notice that Summer and I were now both on the bed, "Um... Am I interrupting something?"

"No!" I yelled nervously and slid further away from the girl.

"...He was just looking over my project." Summer said cooly and lifted the pencil drawing.

"Right!" I seconded.

Tahj's gaze lingered for a moment before he shrugged and walked back out the door.

"Uh..." My petrified attention directed back to Summer, "Do I feel...? Do I feel what?"

"Right! Um." She smiled with the same anxiousness i'd held this entire interaction, "A draft! I felt a draft!"

"Oh..." I sighed.

Summer rolled up her drawing and gathered her things, "Well! It's been fun, Shane!" Then, she ran out the door before I could even respond