Page 54 of Ruthless Chaos

“Please,” I croak, pleading with her. “Just leave me alone.”

My cries fall on deaf ears.

With a herculean yank, Tara pulls the sheets free from my grip, ripping them off me.

She’s on all fours over me like a rabid monster of happiness. How does she rationalize being so aggressive while trying to be nice? She’s strange.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Allie,” she says, grabbing my chin and turning me to face her. “We’re going to the Devils’ first game of the season three towns over. After the game, we’re going to go clubbing and get drunk.” She smiles triumphantly. “We’ll spend the night at a hotel in the city, then wake up with a killer hangover and get brunch,get drunk again, then go shopping.”

Then Tara does the unthinkable. She pushes me off the bed.

I land on the pile of sheets she ripped off me earlier. They don’t do much to break my fall. Clearly, Tara is intent on giving me hell unless I do what she asks.

I go along with it. I guess everyone here likes to be controlling.

Maybe I can take a nap on the ride over.

* * *

Tara picksmy clothes for the occasion—a black and gold Saint Frederic jersey with a pair of ripped booty shorts—and does my hair in a high puff. I wear tights under the shorts for comfort and to cover the fresh marks on my thighs.

She doesn’t seem to mind.

The campus is abuzz with activity.

Almost everyone we see is dressed in some variation of black and gold, some carrying vuvuzelas and pompoms, while others have handmade banners. They shout chants, and it’s clear that the drinking has already started.

Excitement is thick in the air.

In the sea of students, even the professors are decked out in school colors. It’s my first time in a crowd of this size, so I hold on to Tara’s wrist to keep from getting overstimulated. She seems to welcome it, for she twists her hand to take mine.

The crowd, for the most part, is moving in one direction.

As we go deeper, I realize what they’re all moving towards—the general parking lot is filled with motorcoaches. There’s a marching band playing lively music on the edge. Students are shouting and singing, dancing with each other. Some are even hanging out of the windows of the buses.

“Everyone’s going to watch the game?” I shout to Tara as we weave through the throng of people.

There must be thousands of people here.

“Yes!” she says over the din. “The Devils went undefeated last season. Everyone’s hoping for a repeat!”

This isn’t a crazed crowd, it’s a gathering of passionate fans.

The closest I’ve come to something like this happened during a football game at that high school I went to for a few months. I didn’t understand a lick of what was happening on the field, but the energy in the stands was infectious and I enjoyed every second.

It’s a cherished memory of mine.

I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to enjoy it more.

When we’ve crossed the parking lot, we take a footpath that leads us past the administrative buildings and up an incline. I’m unfamiliar with this part of campus as I’ve never had to come this far, but Tara’s steps are confident, so I follow her.

There are overgrown shrubs on either side of the walkway, and it seems to lead to somewhere secluded.

It feels like we shouldn’t be here.

“Where are we going?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound too nervous.

My mind races. Why does Tara need to take me here to attend the game?