I'm sitting in front of the mirror of Remi's dorm bathroom when my phone buzzes on the counter with a text.

"Now I should be asking you who you're busy hanging out with aside from your best friend," Remi smirks as she swipes choral blush along my cheekbones.

"Shut up, it's probably my mom or something." I say and click open the screen.

Jeon Jungkook (Advanced Shakespearean Literature)

Hey, Lola. Can you tell Professor Ahn I'll be gone on Monday for the Act III analysis quiz? If you could send any notes and pick up those character handouts for me, that'd be great. I owe you! (:

What am I, his mother? I toss my phone onto the pile of clothes I had changed out of.

"Who is it?" she asks.

"Jeon Jungkook. He's asking if I can cover for him in English. Again."

"Oooh, maybe he liiiiikes you."

"Or maybe he's asking ahead of time so he has an excuse to get blackout drunk with his friends this weekend."

She snickers. "Ouch. Look up." I do as I'm told, more brushes and hues feathering my face.

"Forget business, you should consider cosmetology," I hum with closed eyes.

"Yeah, and graduate as a starving college student." Remi says and turns me around to face the mirror.

My hair is secured back to frame my face in lush curls, lips blood red. Artful dark eyeshadow sweeps across my eyelids in a smoky gradient and the bathroom lighting bounces off my skin like I'm glowing. I'm dressed in a silver cocktail dress layered with chunky necklaces, a feathered boa across my shoulders.

"I look like a flapper," I snort.

"A hot flapper." Remi finishes and produces a black invitation with gold, flashy lettering.

I make out Great Gatsby in the reflection.

"No way," I can't help but squeal as excitement bubbles in my chest. She mimics my enthusiasm.

"That's Ivy's dress, by the way, so don't puke on it or anything tonight, got it?" I nod and practically yank her down into the chair.

"Your turn, Daisy Buchanan."

--

I can feel the music thumping through my chest before we even arrive on the block. The night air is cold, breath puffing in white steam, our tight dresses and heels doing little to help against the late autumn chill.

That all changes the instant we step inside and I'm engulfed in immense body heat, a pumping bass, and the smell of liquor. I recognize a few faces here and there, though the ornate costumes and low light makes it hard to place names. Everyone around me looks like they've stepped out of the 1920s, complete with feather headbands and crisp suits. A gorgeous couple staggers past me clutching bottles bagged in brown paper bags.

So much for Prohibition.

In spite of the aura of sophistication, we're all doing what college students do best; losing our ing minds. The bass pumps louder and the black lights burn brighter and everything's getting so intense that for a second, I forget all about the deadlines and stress and my midterm paper due next week and let the crashing house music wash over me, exhilaration diffusing through my bones.

I feel Remi leave my side and notice someone I've never seen before approach her. A tall, lean frame and broad shoulders, his hair a striking dyed blue that's styled perfectly despite the sweltering atmosphere of swaying bodies. He leans down, an intimate hand on her shoulder as he says something into her ear, the music too loud to hear anything clearly. I see him pull back with a smile and she grins up at him, a look in her eyes that tells me they're more than acquainted.

I can't help but feel a flutter of nerves in the pit of my stomach as I see my best friend take this man's hand and disappear further into the crowd. I'm pushing past a group of frat guys dressed as mobsters when I feel someone grab my wrist.

"Hey, beautiful," I hear someone say from behind me and I turn to see a partygoer with dilated pupils and sweaty blonde bangs. "I got half a tab of MDMA, you want to split it?"

I instinctively tug my hand away and he doesn't even flinch, high as a kite.

"I'm good, thanks."

He shrugs and waddles off to find someone else to share his ecstasy with. The overwhelming roar of sound and lights and suffocating heat is starting to get to me and I make a beeline for a table of red solo cups, wrinkling my nose when I see that everything is spiked, hard.

The Jungle Juice scorches my throat as I tip back the cup, the mix of vodka and fruit buzzing my senses. I'm trying to catch my breath when I spot Remi and nearly drop my drink.

She's dancing with him, her head leaned back onto his shoulder and I can see that his lips are brushing her neck. Not even a breath would fit between them and his hands are playing with the fabric of her short dress, fingers sliding against the bare skin of her thighs. She's smiling, I realize, almost stupidly, and she turns around in his arms to kiss him full on the mouth. He responds with equal enthusiasm and cups her face in his hands, all the while still moving to the music.

I probably look like some jealous ex-girlfriend with how I'm gawking at the two of them, but I can't help it with how they're nearly ing on the dance floor.

"You came here to party or stand around?" asks a low, fluted voice to my right. Someone shoves into my back and I'm nearly thrown against his chest, the alcohol in my system making me stumble before he catches me with a hand circling my waist.

Achingly handsome features and a height that makes me feel deliciously vulnerable. Rosy-caramel hair falls over his eyes, plush lips parting to draw in a breath to probably ask me if I'm alright, but I can't hear him over the deafening pulse in my ears. Too loud for words and I see his mouth move again. I just shake my head. He smirks and tilts his head in the direction of the open space behind him. And then it clicks.

Dance with me?

It's easy moving against him when I remember no one here came for smalltalk, the bass guiding our movements. Fleeting touches against my hips, the small of my back and the fact that I don't even know his name makes everything that much more stimulating. He presses me back against his chest, all smooth, toned muscle and I've forgotten how good it feels to live a little and let go.

I'm a hypocrite, sue me.

"Wish I could take you home with me, but I gotta run, sweetheart." he rasps into my ear and then takes a step back and I lose him in the sea of bodies. My heart is battering against my rib cage and I'm completely flushed and breathless. His touches linger like fire against my skin.

"Oh my god, Lola! You and Jaehwan?"

How I'm able to pick out Remi's distinctive squeal is beyond me. She's leading her date by the hand until she reaches me, that grin on her face that just spells trouble.

Huh. Jaehwan.

Remi catches me staring at the person behind her and moves back to introduce him. "This is Wonshik, we have Econ together. He's actually really close with Jaehwan." Wonshik flashes me a smile and I nod in greeting, a little dazed at seeing another equally attractive man.

"You Econ kids sure know how to cut loose," I say and an eyebrow at her. They both laugh, Remi giggling breathlessly and curling into his arm and she honestly looks so giddy, so happy.

"You should have seen the DECA party last year, god that was insane,"