The step-show ended to thunderous applause. Derrick Knight, Randall Jarrett, Charlie Masters, Hylan Dawson, Taariq Bryson and Stanley Patterson all took a deep bow before blending into the crowd for drinks and a few excited ladies.
Stanley Patterson spotted Anna and made a beeline straight for her. She smiled. Stanley was sweet, but was pretty much a tall, goofy redhead. In her opinion he sort of tried too hard to fit in, which she sort of understood, since he stuck out as the only white member of the Kappa Psi Kappa fraternity that she knew of. Anna cut him a little slack because she knew what it was like to be a bit awkward.
“Hey, Anna,” Stanley cheesed, sliding his hands into the front of his jeans and shifting his weight from side to side. He had a curious look, especially for a white boy. Sagging pants, gold chains and a box fade haircut that had been out of style for at least three years. “It’s good seeing you here tonight.”
“Well, you know … I was just passing through,” she lied and glanced around. Charlie had disappeared. She stood up on the tips of her toes and scanned the crowd.
“Would you like for me to get you something to drink?” Stanley asked eagerly. “What’s your pleasure?”
As usual, Anna didn’t have the heart to hurt Stanley’s feelings, especially when he looked at her with those large, blue puppy-dog eyes. “Sure, um … I’ll just have a rum and coke.”
“I’m on it!” He tossed her a wink and then took off like a shot.
“You know that he has the hots for you, don’t you?” Charlie said, from behind her.
Anna’s smile broadened as she turned on her heels. It was a miracle that she didn’t melt under his green-eyed stare. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
Charlie’s expression twisted while he pressed a hand against his chest. “Me? Jealous?”
Now he’s going to act all innocent.
“Hey, if you like Breadstick we can hook it up.”
“Breadstick? Why do you call him Breadstick?”
Charlie chuckled. “Because that’s what he looks like—a long, skinny breadstick. That and an older Howdy Doody.”
“Minus the freckles,” she added.
“So you’ve noticed. Maybe you do like him.” Charlie turned up his bottle of beer and drained the rest of it.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You haven’t denied it either.” He winked.
Anna folded her arms. The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to think that she had a thing for Stanley. “Then let me officially deny it. Stanley is sweet and all, but—”
“Hey, he’s cool.” Charlie shrugged. “I know I give him a hard time, but that’s my dog. For real. He has a good heart. You’d probably be a good match for him.”
Suddenly, she was confused by the mixed signals. Is he really trying to push me off on his boy?
Just then a girl with a whole lot of junk in her trunk sauntered by and Charlie did a quick rubberneck for a second look. Miffed, Anna glanced down at her enhanced breasts and tried to push them out a little more.
“I, uh, noticed that you came with your roommate tonight,” Charlie added casually. “I thought you two didn’t get along? ”
Anna’s hackles rose. Why was it that lately every time she talked to Charlie, he always brought up Roxanne? Had she totally misread his intentions? Had he been hanging around her in order to get closer to her roommate? “We get along all right,” she said, shrugging even though she was slowly starting to feel like a desperate idiot. “We went out to celebrate my acing my calculus test.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” He smiled, causing his dimples to wink at her. “Of course I wasn’t worried. You’re like the smartest woman I know.”
Anna blushed. “I am?”
“I know I wouldn’t have been able to get through that French class last quarter without you.” He held up his beer bottle in a silent toast.
She shrugged again. “Ah. That was easy. I have family that lives in France. I go there every summer.”
“Mmm.” He nodded his head while his eyes roamed over her slim figure. Sucking in her flat stomach, Anna pulled her shoulders back so that he could get a good look at all she had to offer. She hoped she measured up. Sure, she was trying to look like some video-ho, but it was only because that was usually the kind of chick that the Kappa men went for. Charlie was no different. He dated the hottest girls on campus. It stood to reason that if she wanted to break out of the friend zone, then she needed to take drastic measures. He never stayed with them for long, but she was sure that she had what it would take to keep his interest.
For a few seconds, they held each other’s gaze. Anna wished that she could read his mind, but it was an amazingly hard thing to do. Did he just like her as a friend or was there truly a chance for something more?
“I’m back,” Stanley announced, smiling.
Anna quashed the urge to shoo him away and accepted the rum and coke. “Thanks, Stanley.”
“Not a problem.” He stretched his arm and attempted to brace it against the door frame directly behind her. But instead he missed it completely and went sailing to the floor, taking the coat rack down with him.
Anna and a slew of party-goers jumped out of the way. Stanley landed hard, but surprisingly bounced right back up like a jack-in-the-box. “I’m all right. I’m all right,” he announced holding up his hands so that everyone could see for themselves.
A few people snickered and laughed.
“Real smooth, Slick,” Charlie said, giving Stanley a playful elbow to the ribs.
“Yo, Charlie.” Taariq Bryson threaded his way through the crowd. “Randall and I are about to make a beer run. You want to ride shotgun?” His eyes swung toward Anna. He lifted a curious brow and smiled. “Well, well. I didn’t know that you were … busy.” His gaze caressed Anna’s tall frame as if she was standing there naked. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks while Anna’s gaze shifted from Charlie’s twinkling green eyes to Taariq’s smoldering dark ones. There was no need to try and guess what was on his mind since pure carnal lust was written over every inch of his handsome face.
The heat Charlie generated was reduced to a candlelit flame compared to the inferno Taariq generated. He was also at least two inches taller than Charlie with a smooth milk chocolate complexion, compared to Charlie’s caramel. She loved milk chocolate. Absently, she licked her bottom lip and noticed how his eyes lit up when she did so.
Stanley cleared his throat and put his arm around Anna’s shoulder possessively. “Actually, I was hollering at li’l shawty.”
Anna’s neck swiveled. Li’l shawty?
Taariq chuckled. “Oh. Is that right?”
Stanley’s chest grew bigger. “Yeah, that’s right.”
Anna opened her mouth to respond, but Charlie quickly cut her off. “Yo, T. C’mon, man. Let’s head out and let Red here handle his business.” He winked.
This was getting out of hand.
Stanley held up his fist. “Good looking out, dog.”
Charlie exchanged dabs with Stanley while Anna looked on with horror. Say something. But what? Stanley looked so proud of himself that she was afraid hurting his undersized ego in front of his boys would be tantamount to kicking a box full of puppies.