The Rules of Attraction

SEAN I get another note in my box today from Lauren Hynde. It says “I will meet you tonite — once the sun sets — E-L-O-V will no longer be spelled this way….” I can’t wait until the party, until “the sun sets” so I try to talk to Lauren at lunch. She’s standing, smoking a cigarette, by the desserts, with Judy Holleran (who I screwed last term and who I occasionally score for; she’s also really fucked-up, she’s been in psychological counseling forever) and I come up behind them slowly, and suddenly I want to touch Lauren, I’m about to touch her, gently, on the neck, but the Frog roommate, who I haven’t seen in days, excuses himself and reaches for a croissant or something and lingers. He notices me and says “Ca va.” I say “Ca va.” Lauren says “Hi” to him and she blushes and looks at Judy and Judy smiles too. He keeps looking at Lauren and then goes away. Lauren’s telling Judy how she lost her I.D.

“What’s going on?” I ask Judy, picking up a plate of melon.

“Hi, Sean. Nothing,” she says.

Lauren’s looking over the cookies, playing hard to get. It’s so obvious I’m embarrassed.

“Going to the party tonight?” I ask. “Once the sun sets?”

“Totally psyched,” Judy says, sarcastic as hell.

Lauren laughs, like she agrees. I bet, I’m thinking.

The geek from L.A. grabs an orange from the fruit tray and Lauren looks down, at what? His legs? They’re really tan and I’ve never seen him with his sunglasses off, big deal. He lifts his eyebrows in recognition. I do the same. I look back at Lauren and I’m struck by how great-looking she is. And standing here, even if it’s only for something like a millisecond, I overload on how great-looking this girl is. I’m amazed at how her legs affect me, the breasts, braless, beneath a “We Are the World” T-shirt, thighs. She looks over at me in what seems like slow motion. I can’t meet her blue-eyed gaze back. She’s too gorgeous. Her perfect, full lips locked in on this sexy uncaring smile. She’s constructed perfectly. She smiles when she notices me staring and I smile back. I’m thinking, I want to know this girl.

“I think it’s supposed to be a toga party too,” I say.

“Toga? Jesus,” she says. “What does this place think it is? Williams?”

“Where’s the party?” Judy asks.

“Wooley,” I tell her. She can’t even fucking look at me.

“I thought we already had one,” she says, and inspects a cookie. Her fingers are long and delicate. The nails have clear polish on them. Her hand, small and clean, scratches at her perfect, small nose, while the other hand runs through her blond, short hair and then back over her neck. I try to smell her.

“We did,” I say.

“A toga party,” she says. “You’ve got to be kidding. Who’s on Rec Committee anyway?”

“I am,” I say, looking directly at her.

Judy pockets an oatmeal cookie and takes a drag off her, Lauren’s, cigarette.

“Well, Getch and Tony are gonna steal some sheets. There’s a keg. I don’t know,” I say, laughing a little. “It’s not really a toga party,”

“Well, it sounds really happening,” she says.

She leaves abruptly, taking a cookie, and asks Judy, “I’m going into town with Beanhead, wanna come?”

Judy says, “Plath paper. Can’t.”

Lauren leaves without saying anything to me. Obviously embarrassed, flustered, by my presence.

Tonight, I think. I go back to the table.

“The weight room opened today,” Tony says.

“Rock’n’roll,” I say.

“You’re an idiot,” he says.

Once the sun sets, I’m thinking.