I watch as Kaitlyn moves toward the two bedrooms down the hall before deciding on the left one.
“This one’s bigger,” she announces as she places the boxes inside. I follow her and put the boxes I’ve been carrying on top of hers.
“Anybody home?” we hear Julianna’s voice downstairs. “Where are my best bitches?”
Kaitlyn and I both grin and run downstairs engulfing Julianna in a three-way hug. She is dark, exotic and gorgeous. Men are drawn to her like moths to a flame and literally drool when she walks by.
“You both look gorgeous! We are going to have so much fun this year!” she announces. “I can’t wait to get started!”
It takes us most of the day to get everything moved in. The duplex was partly furnished and Kaitlyn’s parents bought IKEA furniture to round out the rest of what we needed. We each brought our own bedroom furniture. By the time we were finished it was seven. I was exhausted, ready for a shower and some food.
“Great!” Julianna exclaimed looking at the finished product. “We’ve got plenty of time to take showers and get ready.”
“Get ready for what?” Kaitlyn and I say in unison.
“I thought I told you! We’re invited to a party on Fraternity Row tonight! It should be a lot of fun! Think of all the cute guys that will be there just waiting to meet us.”
Kaitlyn frowned, but managed a smile at the same time.
“You know I’ve already got a boyfriend. I’m not looking to meet anyone.”
“Fine,” she acquiesced. “You can be Sarah’s and my wingman … wingwoman. Whatever. You can hang with us and help us get more good-looking guys and shoo away the douchebags.”
“I’m kind of tired,” I whine. “I just want to take a shower, put on some comfy pjs and eat delivery pizza.”
“What have I gotten myself into?” Julianna threw up her hands. “I thought I was going to be roommates with two exciting young women in the prime of their lives. Instead, I’m saddled with two homebodies who don’t want to do anything.”
“We’re just tired,” I smile. “I’m tired. Remember, I drove all the way from Kentucky early this morning and we’ve been moving stuff all day. I promise it won’t be like this all year. But tonight, I’m just too tired to party at a frat house.”
“Fine,” she gave an exaggerated sigh. “I guess I’ll just go by myself. And since the two of you are staying home, I’ve got first dibs on the hot shower. I don’t want it running out while I’m shampooing my hair.”
“No worries about that,” Kaitlyn chimes in. “One of the perks about getting a renovated duplex is that the people who renovated it put in a tankless hot water heater. I noticed it earlier. We can take as many showers and baths as we want and we’ll never run out of hot water!”
A hot bath sounded like heaven to me right now. If I could just get myself off the couch, up the stairs and into my bathroom.
“So, you’re not coming? Seriously?”
Kaitlyn and I both look at each other collapsed on the chairs, then look at Julianna.
“No!”
“Fine,” she announces and heads up the stairs. “I’ll just keep all those gorgeous men to myself then!”
I watch her go up the stairs, her long, black hair swinging as she mounts each step. She reminds me of the photos I’ve seen of a young Kim Kardashian. Dark, beautiful and full of life. She is the type of person who grabs life by the horns and hangs on for the ride no matter how wild it might be.
“I wish I was more like Julianna,” I sigh as flop over to the side and stare up at the ceiling.
“Maybe Julianna wishes she were more like you,” Kaitlyn leans back and closes her eyes.
I give a snort of laughter at that comment.
“As if.”
“Why wouldn’t she want to be more like you? You’re smart, kind, generous and pretty. Everyone loves you!”
“All the guys love Julianna!” I blurt out.
“Look,” Kaitlyn sits up and leans toward me. “Julianna wants attention and she gets it. I’m not sure either of us wants the kind attention Julianna gets.”
I open my eyes and look at her.
“What do you mean?”
Kaitlyn gets up and moves toward the staircase listening to make sure the shower is still going.
“Julianna sleeps with a lot of guys,” she whispers. “A LOT of guys.”
“I know. But that’s her choice.”
“I agree. But that being said, Julianna’s got a kind of reputation at school and I don’t think that’s the kind of reputation either of us want.”
“Kaitlyn?”
“I’m not ragging on her. Honest. I love her to death. I love her party-girl vibe and her unabashed joy of life. She treats sex like most guys and there is nothing wrong with that if that’s the kind of person you are, which Julianna is.”
“But?”
“But you and I are not Julianna and to be honest I think a lot of her appeal with men is that they know if they go out with her she’ll let them have sex with her. There’s no mystery. No maybe she will or maybe she won’t. She lets them know right off the bat that she’s up for anything. I hear she did a foursome the final night of school last year.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. All I keep thinking is that I hope she doesn’t bring that back here anytime this year and keeps it at someone else’s apartment. She couldn’t do that in the dorm, but we’re not in the dorm anymore.”
I sit thinking on Kaitlyn’s words for a while. “A foursome? Really? What exactly does that entail?”
Kaitlyn shrugged her shoulders. “Two guys. Two girls. A lot of alcohol from what I heard.”
“Wow,” I sigh. “No. I’m definitely not into that kind of partying.”
“You’ll find the right guy for you one day,” Kaitlyn promises.
“I hope so.” I stand and get ready to go upstairs remembering the handsome stranger named Daniel who helped me earlier today.
“Is Julianna up yet?” I ask as I pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Is she up yet?” Kaitlyn asks. “You should be asking if she’s home yet.”
“She didn’t come home?”
Kaitlyn shrugged her shoulders.
“You remember how she is, especially if she doesn’t have to go to school the next day.”
I shake my head.
“I don’t get it.”
“What don’t you get? Julianna’s always been a bit on the wild side. We saw that last year.”
“I know, but …”
“But?”
“I know this is going to sound odd, but I worry about her. It’s not safe doing what she’s doing. You don’t know what kind of person she’ll end up with. What if she hooks up with the wrong guy one night?”
“You’re a good person, Sarah. I worry about her too. She’s just enjoying herself while she’s at college.”
I nod, but I still can’t help the gnawing of worry in the pit of my stomach. Or was that hunger?
“We need to get groceries,” I mention, grabbing a banana and peeling it. “Like real groceries and not just overripe fruit from the corner gas station.”
“I agree,” Kaitlyn said. “Let’s sit down and figure out what we need and make a list.”
The kitchen door slowly opens and I stare at a flushed, half-dressed Julianna standing in our doorway.
“Why didn’t you use the front door?” Kaitlyn asked, helping her inside and closing the door behind her.
“I need some water,” Julianna said, plopping herself down in one of the chairs.
“Are you just now getting home?” I ask, grabbing a bottled water and bringing it to her.
She smiles at me.
“Yes. And I had a wonderful time with the most amazing man. Not boy,” she sighed. “A man. He was soooo handsome.”