Red Cups

Bright colored lights flashed through the room from smart bulbs, controlled by someone’s phone. Music boomed through Bluetooth speakers set up around the house. A phone was passed from person to person, as they each added songs to the Spotify queue. A folding table covered in a dollar store plastic tablecloth was pushed against the wall. Plastic bowls of chips, plastic cups, and a box of cheap wine sat upon it. A cooler sat next to it, filled with beer and Whiteclaws. Drunken damsels slumped onto armchairs and couches, only to be picked up by ‘kind’ guys. Tipsy teenagers danced through the house, spilling their drinks on the carpet. College students my age played beer-pong in the basement, shouting. Someone found the liquor cabinet and had started messily pouring shots into mouthwash cups they found in the bathroom. Couples stumbled upstairs, making out as they went. A girl ran to the bathroom to rid her stomach of the alcohol that had been consumed. 

It was my first real party. I had been to some parties previously, but they were nothing compared to this. They were all just high school students, maybe a bit of beer, and a terrible playlist that someone put together blasting from their parent’s speaker. We were so young and innocent then. But as people left hand in hand with others they had never met before, I still felt like a baby. I honestly had no idea whose house this was, but it seemed to be empty now. 

I jumped up as I heard a crash from another room, followed by someone swearing loudly. A girl walked into the living room carrying a large trash bag and muttering something to herself. 

“Uh, hi there.” I tried, unsure what to say, as I didn’t think she had noticed me. She looked up at me.

“Hey!” I blushed profusely. I knew her from my Intro to Phycology class. The class was held in a big lecture room, and she sat a few seats to my right. I hadn’t talked to her all that much, probably because I get flustered around cute girls. And she definitely fell into that category. 

She had dark curly hair that she wore tied back, leaving the front pieces hanging, framing her face. She wore big round glasses with red frames and had some of the best earrings I had ever seen. Her brown eyes had flecks of gold, and her mahogany skin shone in the light. Her style was everything I wished mine could be, with her floral tucked into her jeans, and how she walked with such confidence, the heels of her boots clicking quietly on the floor. 

“Oh, I know you!” She exclaimed. “You’re Jasmine, right? I think you’re in my Intro Psych class.” I blushed even harder and hoped that she couldn’t tell. 

“Yep, that would be me. You’re Adah, right?” She nodded her head in response. “Do you want some help with that?” I asked, pointing to the trash bag in her hand.

“Oh, yeah, that would be great.” She smiled at me and my heart fluttered. “I regret inviting Zach and the guys. They made a mess.” She said, gesturing around with her free hand. She set down the trash bag, leaning it against the wall. “Let me get a new one.” I watched as she walked around the island to the sink, and pulled out another trash bag from underneath it. It made a ‘fwumph’ noise as she shook it open, and I started to pick up the red solo cups that littered the floor. I grabbed a crushed cup off the floor and tossed it into the trash bag, which Adah held open. As I threw it she yelled, 

“She shoots…” The cup landed in the bag. “She scores!” I laughed, and she flashed me another smile. We continued like this for a while. We would clean up the mess that party-goers had made, and joke around as we went. We picked up cups from the floor, wiped up spills all over, and put the furniture back in their original positions. After pushing the couch across the room, we flopped down on it, finally finished. 

“Tell me about yourself,” Adah said, leaning back onto the arm of the couch.

“Okay, let’s see. My name is Jasmine, I’m 18, I’m a phycology major, and I have a fixation with mythology.” I fidgeted with the seam of my shirt. “Now your turn.” 

“Okay, well. My name is Adah, this is my nineteenth birthday, I’m a graphic design major, and I have a fixation with phycology.” 

“Oh! Happy birthday!” I said, feeling bad I hadn’t realized before.

“Thanks,” She replied. An awkward silence ensued and the only thing that filled it was the low humming of the air conditioning. She stood up and open the fridge, pulling out a brown can. “Want one?” she asked, holding it up. 

“Oh, I don’t drink-” 

“It’s cream soda. I don’t either.” She tossed me a can and came to sit back down. We popped them open, and mine fizzed up and over the edge. 

“I didn’t plan on having alcohol at the party. Zach brought it. This is my parents’ house, so the other stuff was theirs. I don’t know how people got into the liquor cabinet though. I thought it was locked.” I shrugged and took another drink of my soda. 

“Your parents sure live close to the school.” I pointed out. 

“Yeah, well. My mom teaches here, and hates commuting.” I nodded, unsure how to continue the conversation. I looked up and held her gaze for a moment. My cheeks were on fire, and I looked back away quickly. She smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. 

“You’re cute when you’re nervous.” She said quietly.

“I- what?” I stuttered, caught off guard. 

“Oh, uh sorry?” She looked apologetic. “I didn’t mean to-” 

“No, no. It’s fine.” I said quickly. “I think you’re cute too.” I covered my mouth, baffled that I had said that out loud. I was never this bold, and especially not with someone who I hardly knew. But something about her. The way her soft eyes looked at me, the kindness that radiated off of her, just made me feel safe. She leaned forward and brushed her thumb against my cheek.

“Eyelash.” She said, smiling. I looked down at my lap, and she tilted my chin up so she could look me in the eye. “Hey.” She said quietly.

“Hey,” I responded. I was no longer looking her in the eye, as my gaze had drifted down to her lips. 

“My eyes are up here,” She teased. I looked back up again, a bit sheepish. But before I could say anything, she leaned forward. Her soft hair brushed my neck as she kissed me, and I leaned in, savoring the taste of her lips on mine.