There was just something different about Patrick. I just couldnât quite place it. All of a sudden he just seemed to be so lucky in everything that he did. Somehow he kept getting Aâs on tests he never studied for. Or winning giveaways that he didnât even know he participated in. Or when we went to the casino and were asked to leave because he was winning too often. Nor when the bouncer gave him his phone number as we were escorted out. And just to make matters worse, he called it out each time. He would just say, âIâm going to get his phone number when we leave,â and then it happened. I couldnât believe it.
âYouâve got to tell me how youâre doing this,â I finally snapped as he won another giveaway online. He just saw it on the last day you could participate, pulled out his phone, and in two days got the email to verify his winnings.
âDoing what?â he smiled innocently.
âYou know what,â I frowned. âHow do you keep winning at everything? I mean itâs just insane! You barely even try and you still come out on top.â
âJust natural talent,â he flipped onto his back, still playing with his phone. I just rolled my eyes. âWhat? Not a good enough answer? What if I said I was Irish? Got the ole luck of de Irish down in me.â Patâs accent was terrible but it was still able to pull a bit of a smile out of me.
âWell, whatever it is you got to let me in on the secret sometime,â I pressured the conversation.
âOh?â he turned to his side taunting me. I couldnât him like this. âYou wanna know? How about if you out drink me then Iâll let you know.â
âOut drink youâŠâ my face flat lined. âIâm not exactly a drinkerâŠâ Iâd never even gone to one of the parties on campus. It just didnât feel right. Iâd be so far out of my element and then Iâd have to make friends with people I didnât know. It sounded like an awful time.
âCâmonâŠâ Patrick goaded. âCelebrate that Irish ancestry.â I paused for a second. There was a bit of a discrepancy in my head as he said it. For some reason I thought I was German, Polish and French but that didnât make any sense all of a sudden. There was clearly a bit of British and mostly Irish. âThatâs why you got that flaming red hair; ainât it?â
I ran my fingers through my hair. âI guess⊠But still I donât drink all that often.â
âWell⊠Holidayâs a great time to start,â he pulled out a couple of shot glasses with a giant bottle of flavored vodka next to him. I couldnât believe the size of the thing.
âWhereâd you get that!?â
âThe store?â he said casually pouring us each a shot. âGo on. Youâll like it. I know you like beer more but letâs start with this.â
âRightâŠâ I muttered, not sure if thatâs what I meant. Alcohol wasnât meant to be stored in the dorms but I guess that didnât really matter. Itâs not like I was about to rat him out just cause he had some. I looked at the small glass.
âBottomâs up,â he smiled as he handed me the small cup. I took the shot. It burned all the way down. I could feel my face scrunch as it went into my belly. Patrick gave me a quick slap to the back. âGood job,â he complemented. âThat probably wonât be the only time you hear that tonight.â His eyebrow cocked as if to taunt me. I ignored it. âCâmon big guy. Donât be like thatâŠâ
Suddenly my entire body felt warm. It was an odd feeling. For just a second I felt like none of my clothes fit right. Like they were a few sizes too small. I stretch my heavy arms to the sky and felt my shirt fit more snuggly over my round belly. Even if that usually did show it off, it was better than being uncomfortable. I gave him a grunt. Patrick knew I didnât like it when he called me big guy. I gained a lot more weight over my first couple of semesters than I thought I would have. For all the cafeteriaâs âhealthy choicesâ most of them were still loaded with salt and fat.
âNot what I meantâŠâ he muttered to himself. He poured us each another drink. âYouâve been working out a lot since you started here.â
âHuh..?â I questioned as I downed it. The sudden warm feeling washed over me again. Of course Iâd been working out for a while. If I was going to gain weight I wanted it to mostly be muscle. I flexed my arm almost out of impulse at what I assumed was a complement. He always mentioned when I was looking good. I may not be gay but that didnât mean I didnât enjoy the complement every now and then.
âI mean youâve always been such a jock. So I guess it makes sense,â we took another shot.
âDude, why you bein so weird all of a sudden?â
âIâm not being weird,â he laughed. Not weird for him maybe. âWhy donât you flex for me? Itâll make you feel better.â
I held up my right arm and gave it a nice flex. It bulged under my sleeve. In the other hand I took another shot. He wasnât wrong. It did make me feel a bit better. I wasnât sure why though. Â âWhat are we still doing here?â I asked, realizing we were in our dorm by ourselves.
âJust a little pregame. But it seems like youâre going pretty hard,â he laughed. âYou feeling alright? You look pretty wasted already.â
âI ainât swasted,â I slurred. My balance was off. I could feel myself stagger even just standing there. âWell⊠Maybe a littleâŠâ
âI donât think youâll be going anywhere tonight. But then again you did challenge me to a drinking contestâŠâ
âCâmon dummy,â he mocked. âYou donât remember. Do you..?â
âUhh⊠Guess not⊠Slipped my mindâŠâ
âYouâre lucky youâre so handsome. And have a friend like me who helps you out. I know youâre grades really started to improve since you told me you were failing,â it felt like he was mocking me.
âIâm not that dumbâŠâ I retorted. For some reason I could feel like he was right. School was difficult. Iâd much rather just be partying with the guys at the frat house than studying the night away. It was far more freeing and liberating that being stuffed behind some computer.
âI know⊠I knowâŠâ Patrick smiled. He drew himself closer to my body running his hands up and down my arm. âYou try your best. Thatâs all anyone can ask for.â I suddenly felt the urge to pull away but Patrick just tightened his grip. âWhatâs wrong? You like it when I touch you.â
âHuh?â I realized what Iâd done. âDunnoâŠâ I muttered. I could feel myself getting hard all of a sudden. He put more of his weight on me. It felt nice. I fell down onto my bed. He squirmed his way up my body, groping each muscle as he did so.
âThatâs more like it,â he smiled as he kissed my neck. I figured he wasnât the only lucky one tonight.