Free Moving in Reverse by Katy Atlas Page B

Come on, Casey,” Jeff
said, sliding another cup of pink punch into my hand, setting it
inside my already-empty cup. “It’s Halloween. Loosen up a little.
Don’t you know this is the only night of the year you can be
someone else?”
    I took a big gulp.
    “ You have to be someone in
the first place before you can be someone else,” I
muttered.
    Jeff grinned, as if I’d actually said
something funny. I was starting to wonder if he could even hear
me.
    “ Bottoms up,” he said,
finishing the last of his beer. “Let’s go get us another
one.”
    I started to protest, but what was
really the point? Freshman year was supposed to be all about
getting drunk at dumb frat parties, so why not?
    As if reading my thoughts, Jeff
grabbed my hand and led me in the direction of the keg. I glanced
back once to try to find Darby, but all I could see were dozens of
strangers, not a single person I recognized.
    Maybe I should have paid more
attention at Rush, I thought to myself, and followed Jeff deeper
into the party. I bet Darby knew all the girl’s birthdays by
now.
     
     
    I knew when Blake got to the party,
because everyone started lowering their voices.
    I was used to it, sort of. When we’d
walk down the street over the summer, most of the time people would
do this double take, as if his face was so familiar that they
thought he’d gone to high school with them, or was that
friend-of-a-friend whose name you couldn’t place.
    Then they’d realize who he was, and
their faces would change. I could see it happen every time. First
they’d go all wide-eyed, looking him up and down as if it was funny
that he suddenly existed in real life. Then they’d kind of barely
conceal this smile, like, hey, I recognize you, but I’m not even
going to say anything. I’ll just nod like we’re friends, and you’ll
appreciate the privacy, so you’ll nod back.
    That was if it wasn’t a teenage girl,
at least. Teen girls didn’t really care about Blake’s privacy, but
they sure were excited to see him.
    Columbia students were a slightly more
jaded group, I figured, because it was more or less the first
reaction. I heard the whispers first, the girls nudging each other
to look over at him. It wasn’t like the party quieted down — the
music was still blaring in my ears, some awful pop remix that
sounded like someone had had one too many Red Bulls before
recording it. But everyone’s conversations got quieter, more
distracted, as people half paid attention to each other and half
watched Blake.
    “ Hey,” I waved, figuring
it would do more good than calling out his name. I was sitting on
someone’s desk, two empty cups on the ledge next to me. I’d spent
most of the party talking to Jeff, hoping that Darby or one of the
other girls would reappear. He didn’t seem to mind.
    “ Hey,” Blake walked up to
us, giving Jeff a curt nod and leaning over to kiss me. “So this is
a frat party, huh?”
    When Blake went out in L.A., he’d had
roped-off VIP rooms, bodyguards provided by the clubs. To say that
a crowded dorm party wasn’t really his scene was a major
understatement.
    “ Well, well,” Jeff said.
“Blake Parker.”
    Blake caught the edge in Jeff’s voice
and I watched him tense up. I tried to diffuse it, forcing a
smile.
    “ Blake, this is Jeff.
Jeff, this is my boyfriend, Blake.” I emphasized the word
boyfriend, trying to remind everybody where they stood.
    “ Well, thanks for coming,
Blake,” Jeff said, clamping his hand onto Blake’s shoulder. “No
costume?”
    Blake was wearing jeans and a
long-sleeved tee shirt, his hair scruffy like always.
    “ He’s going as a rock
star,” I smiled, jumping down from the desk.
    Jeff muttered something I couldn’t
hear, and I saw Blake’s body tense.
    “ What was that?” He raised
an eyebrow, taking a step towards Jeff.
    Jeff smirked. “A washed up rock star,
maybe.”
    I saw Blake’s hand form a fist. I
didn’t know what to do, but I had to get everyone to calm