A Celebration

Bethany

She'd enjoyed the time with her mother, the older woman a beautiful reminder that hope and love could actually exist.

Bethany climbed into her small, beat-up Honda after kissing her mom goodbye and getting excited about her upcoming graduation. She still hadn't let the fact that she would be graduating with her bachelor’s in accounting sink in. It was a huge accomplishment in itself—and even more so since she was the first in her family to do so.

The rest of the afternoon was to be spent with a few friends, her roommate, Krista, and the closest thing she had to a boyfriend, Jake. It would be comfortable and mostly uneventful, but she'd grown accustomed to moving through life as quickly as possible, her focus only on the future.

Bethany pulled up to their small apartment as Krista and Jake walked from the door toward Krista's car, smiles on their faces as Bethany got out.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Just getting some snacks and sodas from Krista's car. Come help us." Jake motioned for her to come over. "You get to see your mom?"

"Yeah, she's doing good. Looking at marrying that rich guy, finally." Bethany laughed, leaving out the parts she felt were less than appropriate to draw attention to.

"Oh, nice. I wish my parents were rich. I mean, they're middle class and all." Krista shrugged, pulling her keys from her pocket and popping the trunk.

Krista’s short blonde hair and blue eyes were the exact opposite of Bethany's dark features. Where Bethany was fit and ran most days of the week, Krista was a couch potato and struggled with her weight horribly. Bethany had tried time and time again to get her friend to join her on her runs, but the extra eighty or so pounds on Krista made it hard for her to do anything.

Her roommate was one of the nicest people she knew. Krista always bought lunch for the homeless guy down the street and tutored at school. Bethany wondered how fate seemed to shine down on the wrong people all the time. Her mother had mentioned Damon, one of Kent's sons, at lunch, and it was the perfect example of fate's inequitable responses. The guy was probably good looking and rich but a complete ass.

"What are you thinking about?" Jake's voice brought her from her senses, the lanky boy before her extending a few plastic grocery bags. "Are you already dreaming of your master’s? Brainiac."

Bethany smiled and took the bags, the sun starting to set as the afternoon drew to a close. She couldn't wait until Saturday, the week having lasted far too long.

"No. I was thinking about how unfair it is that some people have looks and money. One or the other is enough, don't you think?" Bethany turned to walk with her friends back toward the apartment.

"I'm guessing you're broke, then?" Krista laughed and moved back to let Jake open the door.

"I've always been poor, but I'm just making reference to my soon-to-be stepbrother. Mom says he's an ass, and I'm sure he's good looking and all. Just seems unfair." Bethany shrugged, walking into the coolness of the house and putting the bags on the kitchen counter.

"His good looks would be no concern of yours, then." Jake wagged his eyebrow.

"Jealous, Jake?" Bethany moved to stand in front of him, looking up as he took a tentative step back, his smile dropping.

"No, why would I be? He's your stepbrother. Not like you guys would get together." He laughed and turned to busy himself with putting things up. Bethany turned to Krista and rolled her eyes. She and Jake had known each other for the last year, but they were nothing more than glorified friends.

She'd kissed him a few times, but even drunk he would shake like a leaf when she tried. She’d heard plenty of stories of other girls on campus enjoying long weekends filled with liquor and sex. Somehow she never seemed to get close to the second half of the fun. She wasn't willing to go out with a player, their sexually transmitted diseases of no interest to her. She had been asked out on more than a few occasions, but after so many rejections, the alpha males on campus moved to more susceptible victims.

Bethany walked to her room and closed the door before undressing. She wanted to push Jake a little that night, to see if he’d be willing to go further. She had slept around a little in high school and had a few random one-night stands during her freshman year, but human anatomy class had killed all of that for her. Dying with crotch rot was out.

She smirked at the thought, reaching for her brush and pulling her hair down to try and tame it. She pulled it into a high ponytail and slipped into a small, cream-colored cotton dress; her waist was thin, and her breasts were big enough to draw attention, hopefully from Jake.

A little bit of makeup and lip gloss, and she was ready to make her move. She walked back down the hall, the sound of a few familiar voices reaching out to greet her. They would have enough friends to spill out into the lawn of the apartment by the time nightfall arrived, but for now, a small group gathered in the kitchen.

Bethany walked in and headed for the chips, taking a few and munching on them as she greeted her friends. Jake turned and smiled at her, motioning that she looked pretty.