Free Let Me In by Michelle Lynn

not like he asked me or anything,” she reveals. “Not that I would have kept him from the opportunity.” She turns up the volume, signaling to me that she doesn’t want to talk about it. The rest of the car ride is quiet except for the radio.
    I cringe when we get to my fraternity house. It’s obvious that an impromptu party has formed, probably because the bars are starting to close for the night. Cars line the streets and people are milling around the front. Jessa shifts uncomfortably in her seat when she notices it.
    “Let’s go,” I tell her, getting out of the car. I grab her hand, weaving her through the groups of people. Numerous ‘Grant’, ‘What’s up, Grant?’ get called our way, but I just give a wave, not stopping to talk. When we finally arrive at my door, I ask her if she wants to come in, but she says she’ll wait outside.
    “Okay, it won’t take long,” I say, walking into my room. I pull a t-shirt out of the drawer and then scramble into the bathroom to put more deodorant on before dressing in the cleanly laundered shirt. While I’m in there, I decide to quickly brush my teeth and run water through my hair before throwing a ball cap on backwards.
    I’m about to open my bedroom door when I hear a prissy voice say, “ You’re waiting on Grant?”
    “Yes,” Jessa says, sounding unconcerned.
    “Why would he bring you here?” she continues, and I know I should open the door and reveal myself, but I’m curious how Jessa will handle it.
    “Maybe because I suck his dick.” Jessa’s voice is devoid of emotion, and I have to hold in my laughter.
    “I’m sorry, what did you say?” the girl’s voice asks. There’s only one reason someone asks to have something repeated during a confrontation, when they can’t think of a comeback.
    “I know, sometimes all that hairspray just fogs the brain, right?” Jessa sarcastically responds. “Come a little closer then.” There’s a pause and I assume she’s waiting for the girl to walk toward her. “I said, ‘I suck his dick’,” Jessa repeats herself.
    “You’re disgusting.” I hear the clicking of heels across the old wooden floors of the hallway.
    “Oh yeah, one more thing princess,” Jessa starts talking again. “I swallow too,” she calls out to her.
    I don’t hear the girl respond so I open the door. Jessa looks at me and I can’t hide my humored expression. She knows immediately that I overheard her.
    “Don’t get any ideas, Bishop. I just had to get my point across,” she jokes.
    “Aw man. Here I was going to pull you into my room and make you prove it. Just like every other girl, you’re just a tease. Saying you like to suck dick, when in reality you say that to get us to go down on you,” I tease her.
    She leans toward me, so close that our lips are only millimeters apart and whispers, “Believe me, Grant, I’m far from a tease.” She turns around and walks down the hallway.
    I casually adjust myself and stare at her sweet ass, while I follow her down the hall.
    We get out of the house without any more confrontations. Not that there weren’t looks and appraisals from many of my ‘friends’, but at least no one opened their mouth. If they had, I’m not sure I would have had much self-control.
     
    By the time we make it to the diner, Jacks is sitting down in a booth with Sadie and Brady. Jessa leads the way to them and I notice an older gentleman at the counter, eating a slice of pie and drinking coffee. I disregard him at first, but then I notice the dagger tattoo on his forearm and I abruptly stop. Standing in the middle of the diner, I glare at the back of his head. It’s him.
    “You coming, man?” Brady calls out from the booth.
    My feet feel like they are trapped in quicksand. All those feelings from five years ago wash over me and I sink further into the ground. I hear them calling my name, but I can’t move. Then the jackass turns around and stares at me. I’m sure I look different, older and