3

        It didn't take long for Violet to feel that lightness, the carelessness that was brought on by alcohol, the warm feeling that started in the pit of your stomach and radiated throughout your body when the liquor hit your core.  After all a weight had just been lifted off her shoulders for the next couple of months and was guaranteed to return later in the year so why not let loose while she could.  To say that school was stressful may have been an exaggerated understatement.  She supposed it was because she knew these next couple of years were the years that would decide the rest of her life and any descisions made at this time were basically life descisions.  Maybe it was the weight of the rest of her life that seemed to drop on her shoulders the day she started college.

        She decided to quickly down two drinks, a little liquid courage was exactly what she needed, tonight she would tell Brandon that she'd had her eye on him all semester.  She had spotted him almost immediately after she walked through the door, there was a clear shot of the kitchen in the back of the house from the entryway.  He was playing beer pong, it was no surprise his beer pong partner happened to be Macy, a tall blonde super moel type, the cheerleader to his footballer self, the thougth of how perfect they were for each other made her want to vomit.  Your worse nightmare basically, her legs seemed to go on and on and her hair never looked dull, and worse of all she was Brandon's ex girlfriend.  Violet stared for a moment in utter despair as she realized what she was up against.  Violet had always thought herself rather plain looking, her black hair stretched only past her shoulders and never seemed to go beyond that.  Her skin was pale, boring porcelain colored, not much color to it and tanning was not her thing, as a child her mother had always referred to her complexion as strawberries and cream, milky skin and a rosy red mouth and permanent rosy blush.  And, to top it off she only measured in at 5'2 inches.  She was, however, fond of her hazel eyes, she thought most of the time it was her only saving grace in the looks department.

        She rolled her eyes at the beer pong partners and made her way through the house, Suzie at her side loudly greeting everyone she'd ever talked to it seemed.  Violet made her presence known on the low key with basic hand waves and subtle heads nods here and there to the few people she cared to greet as she searched out the alcohol.  The first keg was in the corner of the living room to the left of the entryway.  She quickly chugged a red solo cup of beer, light beer she was sure of it, and immediately went for another cup, she would need her liqiud courage if she had any real intention of making herself known to Brandon.  She was very happy at the moment for having wore her crop top, it displayed perfectly her tirm belly, she'd never a day in her life had to work for, she was blessed in some departments more than others.

        "Wow your really putting it away tonight huh?  Going all out."  The chuckling guy who had come up to the left of her was none other than Trevor, the only other serious friend she'd met and made here at university.  

        "Shut up, I'm nervous!"  She playfully told him with an eye roll.  "Besides I've only had a few drinks and I intend to imbibe much more!  I have a mission tonight."  She said her last sentence with her eyes intentionally on Brandon.  

        Trevor followed her line of vision, "So tonight's the night you finally grow some balls?"  That one earned him a slap to the forearm, making the man laugh even harder than he already was.

        "Let's mingle, see who all's here.  We're busy tonight Trevor!"  Suzie grabber her arm yanking her alongside as they made their way through the house, leaving the still laughing Trevor standing by the keg.  "There's Brandon, Vi, eww and he's with Macy, ugh didn't they break up like three months ago.  You have a way prettier face than her Vi."  She giggled, at that Suzie was doing her duty as bestie well, disparaging her possible rival in matters of the heart.  

"So any word if Darren's coming tonight?" Suzie and Darren had this weird thing going for the last month, they were together but officially they weren't together. Everyone knew that if it wasn't official on social media it wasn't really a thing yet. It seemed that was all that was missing for these two, F******k official, Darren seemed to be dragging his feet, the big debate of a guy his age, to actually commit to a committed relatioship or continue the casual flirtation that usually turned to friends with benefits.

        The girls had made one complete turn of the downstairs as Violet finished up the last sips of her second cup of beer, she felt the felt the tingles of the liquid starting the beginning process of what they did best, intoxicate.

        Violet took no notice of the stranger in the corner that had his eyes on her even before she walked through the doors.  He had noticed her presence even before she made a physical appearance in front of him.  He held onto his cup casually sipping, the blonde beside him all business not even trying to blend in, standing rigidly next to him.  She had passed in front of them twice, her head turning to meet his eyes and yet, he knew she really hadn't seen him standing there, as only he could know.  

        "Stop it!  I can feel the direction of your thoughts, we're not her to socialize Ezra."

        Ezra chuckles, "I'm just looking, the little human caught my eye is all."

        The blonde beside him, Castor, is unmoved.  "We are here for one reason Ezra, don't make me remind you of that again."

        Ezra chuckles again, he had almost forgotten how tightly wound Castor could be.  As if he would ever give any kind of serious thought to any one human for any other reason than sustenance he required from them.

        "I want to play beer pong, let's go take a number Suze!"  Violet was ready to party in every sense of the word and beer pong was one of her favorite ways to get down.  She dragged Suzie along towards the keg for a third refill, Suzie was busy searching for Darren, though she would never admit how much she really liked him, or the fact that she put on those stilettos cause she knew he loved them on her.  Violet knew just how much he really meant to her though, what kind of friend would she be if she didn't know Suzie's true feelings.

        Ezra's eyes remaind on her, as she was only a few feet from him now, and for reasons he could not explain he felt a compulsion that seemed to want to pull him towards her until their flesh touched.  He scanned her intently, taking in the way her perky chest spilled over, ever so slightly, the rounded crop top that seemed to hug her torso perfectly.  The manner in which her blue jeans seemed to clutch at her tirm legs for dear life and then tighten furiously at her butt.  His jaw may well have been dropped, the way he was metaphorically drooling over her.  He watch as she laughed in earnest, her eyes narrowed,  jaw open, teeth barred as she laughed loudly, atrracting more eyes than his.  Her laughter was contagious.  She moved in a way that was purely animalistic in his eyes, she oozed life and youth, he was sure this was why he could not take his eyes off of her.  Her eyes met his and for a moment, there was a bubble that no doubt both parties felt, their eyes were drawn to one another, like manets unable to fight atrraction to one another.

        Violet poured their drinks, unable to fight her laughter at the joke Suzie had just made about Macy.  She glanced up from the keg, feeling someone's eyes on her, she finds the pair of dark eyes that seem to fixate on her.  She sees him standing off to the side, his eyes staring back at her, in the brief second their eyes meet she sees him, her eyes drop as her attention is grabbed by Brandon at her side, his hand on the small of her back.  Suzie's giving her the 'omg i did not him' look.