It was the end of a very hectic syllabus week, as roommates Alia and Ariel prepared to go to a party with their suitemate Marina. It was their first weekend of freedom; no more parents (besides the occasional call) and the Orientation Leaders had finally stopped banging on their doors early in the morning, forcing them to wake up for yet another day of icebreakers. FInally, this weekend was all theirs – and for the most part the three girls plus Marina’s roommate, Jenny got along great with one another. But as Alia, Ariel and Marina prepared for their evening of excitement and college life, Jenny decided to stay home.
“Come on, Jenny. Paul is gonna be there, you know the really hot guy.” Marina chimed, as she sent the curler through her hair. It bounced like a spring when she released it from the rod.
“Paul is your crush, Marina. Not mine.” She giggled playfully, “Besides, I already have a reflection paper that’s due on Monday and I don’t know what to write about yet.”
The girls sighed but that wasn’t going to stop them from having a good time. Ariel drove Alia and Marina to where the party was taking place. She had made it very clear to everyone that she was going to be the designated driver in the event that everyone wanted to drink.
“I’m not much of a drinker anyway, so you guys can have fun,” Marina smiled but pointed up a stern finger before adding, “But don’t throw up in my car!” Having the rules laid out, the girls hopped out of the car and entered the house.
The stereo was blasting and it seemed as if the party had started hours ago. People were dancing and walking around with beers in hand. While passing by, a cute shirtless guy emerged from the basement and a huge wave of smoke hit the girls in the face. They laughed it off and proceeded to enter into the kitchen.
Marina grabbed a water bottle, already mingling with some friends she had seen from her First Year Seminar class. Ariel was by the beer pong table, and had teamed up with an attractive guy she met in algebra class this week. All the while, Alia was downstairs in the basement where she had previously seen the shirtless guy pass by.
It wasn’t long after where Marina had finally spotted Paul. He approached her with a smile on his face.
“Having a good time?” he asked, leaning across the counter. She could smell the liquor on his breath, but it didn’t sway her.
“A great time,” Marina answered enthusiastically.
“How bout you have an amazing time instead.” Sliding her a drink, Marina looked puzzled. Though she couldn’t bring herself to deny Paul so soon – how would she look to him if she punked out. One drink and I’ll still be ok to drive, she told herself.
Looking over at her friend, Ariel smiled seeing that her friend and Paul were having a good time, but she didn’t know that Marina was drinking. Soon enough, Ariel grabbed Rob, the boy she was playing beer pong with, and flung herself across his lap.
After a few hours and a couple drinks, Marina could feel the alcohol going right through her. She went to the bathroom, leaving her drink behind. Ariel was still on the couch with Rob though this time they were making out instead of talking. She could taste the sweet liquor on his breath, only intoxicating her more. Alia had then migrated back upstairs, taking Ariel’s spot at the beer pong table.
Little did they know, all of their actions would have consequences. Toward the end of the night, Marina started to feel a little fuzzy. She had met with Paul and they were hitting it off – she even hinted to her girlfriends that she might sleep with him that night. Ariel, who had had enough to drink decided to go home early with Rob. Gone out of her mind, Alia was zoning out, bumping into walls and using the furniture to support her.
“Let’s go upstairs, I want to show you something,” Paul grinned, as he placed her hand swiftly in his and escorted her out of the kitchen and down the hall to the staircase.
“S’ok.” Marina stuttered, trudging behind him. Her vision was disarrayed but she couldn’t bring herself to tell Paul – she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of him. Paul opened the door to a bedroom. “We can’t gos in here…” she tried to explain, “This is somebody’s house.” Paul placed a finger against Marina’s lips, telling her to hush.
“Right, but they aren’t here right now,” he smiled as he started pushing Marina toward the bed. Immediately her adrenaline peaked. Her eyes were wide and nervous as she looked at the grinning Paul in front of her, ready to pounce. As he kissed the nape of her neck and unbuckled her belt, Marina’s cries of protest were soon stifled.
-PAUSE-
Hopefully, you have recognized some of the mistakes during the course of this story and noticed that they could have been well avoided. Let’s first analyze Ariel’s situation – Ariel was having a good time, met a new friend and decided that she wanted to pursue him. Ariel and Rob had a great time, but little did Ariel’s friends know that shortly after the two had left the party, Rob had crashed into a tree. He died upon impact, but luckily for Ariel she was sent to a hospital fast enough and was taken care of.
Lesson: If there is a lesson to be learned with this, it is that even though you think you know someone, you really don’t (especially when you’re wasted). Never carpool with someone you don’t know, and definitely don’t carpool with someone who was drinking that night. Ariel’s situation could have been a lot worse.
The next situation would be Alia’s – Alia was having a good time. When she went down the basement she was getting high for the first time and wasn’t sure what the substance was. When she came upstairs to play beer pong she thought she was ok, until she stopped playing and then passed out on the couch. Marina was unaware of her friend’s bad condition and wasn’t able to help her.
Lesson: If you don’t know what it is don’t smoke it. And if you do decide to smoke – even though it is illegal – realize that smoking and drinking alcohol do not mix well and you could end up getting yourself hurt. It is best not to be the person who overdoses in the room because most likely no one is going to call the cops to aid you and get you hospitalized. Especially if they are all underage drinkers.
Lastly is Marina’s situation – Marina was having a good time and was responsible for the most part before she met Paul. When Marina had left to use the bathroom, she was unaware that Paul had slipped a drug into her drink. This made Marina more passive and was incapable of defending herself. Because of this, Paul was able to rape Marina that night.
Lesson: Never leave your drink unattended! If you do, pour yourself a new drink. Also, never take a drink from someone else; especially from someone you barely know or just met.
The overall message is, it is ok to be a Jenny who decides to stay in her room and work on a paper or study. College isn’t all about drinking and partying. There are responsibilities that need to be taken into account. Know your boundaries, stay close to your friends, and if you decide to go to a party make sure you know who your designated driver is and who the party host is as well. Keep these “party fouls” in mind and you will be sure to have fun and remember these nights forever.