"Yeah, you?"
"Of course, but I got to show you something."
"Now?"
"Yup, get up!" She pulled on Sera's arm, spilling more of her drink onto her hand and down her arm. "Come on, Sera!"
"Can't it wait?" Sera protested, not ready to go plunging back into the house.
"No way! Come on!"
She jerked one more time, and Sera reluctantly climbed to her feet. "This had better be good," she mumbled, wiping absently at the back of her skirt.
"Oh, it is." Kathleen hurried back toward the house, tugging Sera behind her. "They're having fun!" she cried as they passed the couple by the wall. "Get a room!"
Sera laughed and climbed the stairs to the door. She plunged back into the house, allowing Kathleen to drag her toward the dance floor. The music pounded around her, vibrating the floor of the house, and hammering into her head. She instantly wished she were back outside where it was peaceful and refreshing.
"Look!" Kathleen yelled.
Sera looked around the crowded mass. "Where!" she yelled back.
"Over there!" Kathleen pointed.
Sera looked at the group of girls gathered in the back, but she saw nothing unusual about them. She was about to give up, thinking Kathleen was losing it, when she spotted Michelle. She stood amongst the group, a sweet smile on her usually composed face.
Sera was briefly perplexed by Michelle's actions. She was never so openly flirtatious, or seemingly carefree. Then the group parted to reveal a young man in their midst. He was leaning casually against the wall; his arms crossed over his chest as he smiled at the girls surrounding him. He was by far the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest as everything around her seemed to freeze. The noise was gone; the room seemed to cease moving. He became the only thing she could see and feel.
She had the overwhelming urge to cross the room to him, but she couldn't get her legs to move. They were riveted to the floor where she stood in shock. Gradually, the girls surrounding him came back into focus. The music filtered back into her startled mind, and the room once again swarmed with people.
She watched the girls in amazement as they flirted outrageously, and overtly grazed against him with their bodies. He could have his pick of any of them, even Michelle, who was usually too condescending to even think about picking a guy up at a party. Sera glanced back at Kathleen, who wore the same starry-eyed expression she was certain had been on her own face seconds before.
She looked back to find the strange guy staring raptly at her. She was unable to break free of his intense gaze as his eyes locked on hers. The room seemed to disappear again as he smiled and bowed his head to her. She swallowed heavily and managed a small smile in return before the group enveloped him once again. Sera felt as if she had just broken free of a trance. She took a startled step back, bumping roughly into the doorjamb. Kathleen turned to her and grasped her arm in a bruising grip.
"Isn't he hot?" she cried.
"Who is he?" Sera managed around the lump in her throat.
"I don't know. He just transferred here this semester. I can't get close enough to talk to him and find out anything."
Sera looked back at the group surrounding him, blocking him from view. She felt a startling sense of loss that completely confused her. She didn't know anything about him, not even his name. She was acting like a silly fool. She was acting like one of the girls crowding around him.
She wasn't acting like herself.
"Come on," Kathleen said, her voice filled with determination.
"What, where?" Sera gasped as Kathleen dragged her toward the dance floor.
She didn't have time to offer more of a protest as Kathleen plunged into the crowd. "Dance!" Kathleen called happily above the noise.
Sera stared dazedly at her before realizing she looked like a foolish, wooden statue among the swaying bodies. She began to move to the music, but her mind remained on the group in the corner. And the man. She was so focused on her thoughts and pondering over the strange sense of loss she’d experienced, that she didn't realize Kathleen was angling them toward the group until they were only feet away.
When she did realize it, she edged away, ignoring Kathleen's agitated glances. She moved to the center of the floor, mingling back in with the larger group. She'd be damned if she was going to turn into some groupie, and latch onto some guy she didn't even know. Kathleen stared up at her. "I'll be back!" she yelled above the music.
Sera nodded and mingled in with a group of girls from her dorm. They smiled warmly at her, and Danielle, another good friend of hers, playfully bumped her hip as she laughed happily. "Did you see the new guy?" she asked eagerly.
Sera rolled her eyes. Was every girl in this room infatuated with him? He was good-looking, yes, but they were all making fools of themselves. There were other guys at this party.
"Yeah," she mumbled.
Danielle grinned as she tossed back her long brunette hair. Her hazel eyes twinkled as she bumped Sera again. "Are you going to talk to him?"
Sera took a step back. "No."
Danielle shook her head before spinning in a circle. Her brown hair twirled around her as she stopped before Sera, beaming from ear to ear. She was a pretty girl with a small, pointy nose, high cheekbones, and a dimpled chin. Built like a dancer, Danielle was small, lithe, and graceful.
The fast-paced dance music cut off, and a slow song came on. Sera saw her opportunity to exit as couples started to fill the floor. She moved with Danielle toward the door but found herself unexpectedly blocked off. Frowning in aggravation, she tilted her head up to see who belonged to the body she’d walked into and who was
