"Cheng?" a boy's voice called through the door. "Are you awake?"
The thick Korean girl didn't look up from her book.
"It's Lynn," he said. "She's, uh, ready for bed."
Cheng flipped a page.
The boy was quiet for a moment, then spoke up more politely. "So, can we come in?"
"Do you know what time it is?" Cheng growled.
"I, well—she's getting heavy. Please?"
The book slammed shut. Cheng grunted, adjusted her pajama bottoms, and smoothed out the short t-shirt. She opened the door a crack.
The shirtless boy outside smiled.
"It's a little late for a delivery," the irritated Korean girl mumbled. But the door opened and Marty stepped inside.
"Where should I put it?" he asked.
Cheng rolled her eyes at the pretty surfer. "Lynn is lucky to have you."
"So, her bed?"
"If it's not too much trouble."
The drunk girl stirred in his arms. "Chengy? Is that you? We went swimming!"
"Shh, just get some rest," she told her roommate.
The blonde boy pulled a blanket over her and kissed Lynn on the forehead.
"What did you feed her?" Cheng asked.
"I had shots!" Lynn answered enthusiastically. Then, she coughed.
Marty rubbed the back of his neck and flashed his smooth, tanned biceps. They weren't big, but they were there. He was more skinny than muscular. In Cheng's mind, they all looked alike, so she had trouble telling the cute boys apart. But this one she dealt with routinely. Cheng stood in the doorway, blocking it.
"Uh-uh," she said, shaking her head. "Not this time. You broke it, you fix it."
"What do you mean?"
"You always do this, you always go out and party. Then, you leave me to deal with her, uh, condition."
Lynn coughed again.
"So what do you want me to do—I didn't make her drink."
Cheng crossed her arms over her flimsy shirt.
"No! Really! It was her idea," he insisted. "Besides, she can make her own decisions."
She looked at the petite girl sprawled out on the bed, then at Marty.
He threw up his hands. "Fine! Whatever. What do you want me to do?"
She brushed by him, reached down to her bed, and jabbed a spare pillow into Marty's abdomen. "You are officially invited to your first girls' sleepover. Doesn't that sound fun? There's a trashcan in the corner." She paused. "Oh, I think Lynn has some spare shirts in her closet."
The boy looked down at his lean chest. "Shirt?"
"Good night, Marty."
"Where do I sleep?"
Cheng crawled onto her mattress. She paused and peered back over her shoulder at Lynn. "How about with your girlfriend? There's plenty of room on her bed," she said sarcastically.
Marty dropped the pillow onto the floor and muttered as he lay down between the beds.
"What's that?" Cheng asked.
"Nothing," the boy grumbled.
The Korean girl didn't push it any further.
Her homely, round face allowed a smug smile for the briefest of moments before the anxiety kicked in. It hit her like a truck. She cursed herself for being so confrontational with the small university's most charismatic and most attractive freshman. Now he was there, practically alone with her in her tiny dorm room wearing nothing but his ridiculous board shorts. She folded her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes.
"Cheng?" he whispered.
"What is it now?"
"I think she's asleep."
Cheng fussed with her shirt, but it clung stubbornly to her breasts.
He continued, "And uh, she's fine, which is great, but there's no room in her bed—I'm just uncomfortable is all."
She rolled onto her side away from him. The blonde boy sighed but dutifully remained right where he was.
Just as the prospect of sleep seemed like it was within her grasp, Cheng heard something. The pretty Korean girl strained her ears. There it was again. It sounded like a canvas flag snapping in the breeze. She lifted her head from the pillow and forced herself to sound angry.
"Go to sleep," she groaned.
The strange, subtle noise kept coming.
"Marty? What are you doing? What is that?"
The room went quiet. There was a long pause.
"Marty?" she peeped.
"It's... It's nothing, don't worry about it," he whispered. "Do you have a blanket or even a towel?"
Cheng furrowed her brow. She rolled over. "What? Why?"
Then, her heart stopped. She could feel it flutter in her chest. It was dark, sure, but there was enough light to see Marty and his green trunks folded neatly beside him.
"Marty!" she hissed. "What are you doing? You can't... You can't do that!"
He immediately covered himself with both hands. "Give me a blanket! Something! Why are you staring?"
"Shh!" she reminded him.
Marty lowered his voice. "This is how I sleep! And I wanted to go to my dorm but you wouldn't let me!"
Cheng's exotic, narrow eyes had ballooned out wide. Her jaw came apart. Tanned flesh began to slip through Marty's fingers.
"Cheng!" he shouted in a whisper.
"You can't do this—your girlfriend is right there! She's literally right there!"
His abs flexed as he fought to contain it. "It's not my fault! You're not wearing a bra—or panties!"
Cheng glanced down at her nipples poking through her top and immediately covered her chest. "Well, this is, you know—how I sleep! OK?"
He flashed his pretty smile.
"Oh my God! What!" she said.
"I just had no idea, that's all. I always thought you were a nun—no offense."
She scoffed.
"No, seriously. You never go out with us. You study all the time. And you wear sweaters in the summer. You just look good, that's all I'm saying."
"Shh! You have a girlfriend!"
"And you have a boyfriend!" he shot back.
Cheng huffed. She narrowed her eyes at his cocky, cute face. "That's different—and besides, we haven't spoken in like three days. I don't think James even likes me anymore. Was he at your dumb party?"