Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 03

"We're definitely going to need a selfie," she said, leading them into the bathroom. Standing to the side, Cassie let Reema use her iPhone to take a picture in the mirror. Liking the result, Reema asked what she should write as a caption. Cassie took over, tapping out a quick message:

Bathroom #selfie before #karaoke! How does I look? #LadyGaga

Reema chuckled, and was actually excited to have it published!

They arrived late to the bar, meaning there was a substantial line up waiting for them. It was twice as long as the last time.

"We're going to be here a while," Reema worried, noting that the queue extended around the corner. "Maybe we should..."

Before she could suggest coming back another night, Cassie was off talking to a couple of guys near the front. While Cassie worked her social magic, Reema stayed behind and looked at her phone. She sent a message to Miguel, who had been texting her about his first big exam. She told about the gym earlier in the week. He joked that she would be 'buff' the next time he saw her. Reema typed in 'LOL' and reassured him that it would only be a casual thing. She didn't think she could balance a rigorous workout schedule with her other school activities.

Sweet-talking the guys further ahead in line, Cassie glanced back at Reema. The brown girl wore a genuine smile as she studied her iPhone. A few minutes later, Cassie swooped in to gently link elbows and escort Reema up to where her other friends were standing. A few minutes after that, they were surprisingly at the door.

The doorman took Reema's ID first. His vision travelled between the photo and the eclectically dressed girl, then back again, offering her no expression. His face lit up when he noticed her friend. "Oh, hey Cassie!" he enthused, returning Reema's ID and picking up Cassie's. He barely gave it a glance before handing it back. "You girls have a fun night, OK?"

Once inside, Cassie led the way while checking her phone. "Are those guys coming with us?" Reema asked of the now lost pair of boys Cassie was talking to before.

"Oh, them? I don't really know them, to be honest," Cassie nonchalantly said. She looked up after having the location of the party that they would be joining. "They have a table at the back." she said.

Before they reached them, Reema pulled her aside to speak to her candidly. "Only one drink tonight, OK? Two - max," she said, both as a reminder that she didn't drink and as a delegation of the partial responsibility of keeping her in check.

Cassie nodded. "Tonight's about fun - that's all we're here for, Reem." She offered a sympathetic smile - or, at least, one Reema interpreted as such. "Crazy, good-natured crazy fun," she energetically explained.

The pair of classmates was greeted with a chorus of salutations from their party. It was a group of a half dozen people - some of which Reema recognized from their last outing - scattered around three adjoined rounded tables.

They shifted around in order to free up two adjacent spaces on the bench. Cassie and Reema found themselves squeezing through and around bodies to make it to their place. "Looks like we're getting intimate and interactive already," Cassie gleefully commented. Reema laughed while parking her tights-clad butt in the crowded booth.

The Indian girl immediately drew comments about her appearance. "Awesome outfit, Reema," one of them complemented.

"Is it 80s night?" another humourously added.

"Nooooo..." the future journalist playfully whined, "I'm Lady Gagaaa!!"

Cassie interjected to promote Reema's big moment later on. "Is everyone excited for Reema's big return to the stage?!"

Reema was peppered with cheers and questions about what she was going to do. The girl was overwhelmed and even flattered, but not enough to allow her to shy away. She was peppered with questions and jokes, making her to be the centre of attention - at least for a bit.

"Alright, lady," Cassie announced when the conversation entered full swing. She slapped Reema's round florescent thigh, "Gonna go get us some fruity goodness, OK?"

"Oh, do you want me to come with?" Reema asked, although her attentions were more on the group.

"No, no, stay," the blonde girl insisted. Cassie saw how social she was becoming so early in the night. That was a good thing. She was getting a taste of what it was it was like to be the centre of attention - one she would eventually crave. "You should totally tell everyone about that girl's cell going off in class Wednesday."

"Oh, gosh, that was funny..." Reema began as Cassie rose from her seat.

At the bar, Cassie swiped a couple of readymade pink cocktails. She offered the bartender a wink and dropped her money on the rail. The socialite swung her slender body around and strutted back through the establishment, hearing but not addressing the drunken comments towards her about double-fisting it.

Cassie returned to a scene where all eyes and ears were fixed on Reema, laughing at her story. "So, that girl thought because it was a text and not a call that she was OK," one of them inquired.

"What an idiot!" said another.

"Total idiot," Cassie agreed as she squeezed past everybody and sat down, placing a drink in front of Reema. "Hey! Did everyone know that Reema was picked to be the editor-in-chief for our program's newspaper?!"

Reema ducked her head, but maintained a sheepish smile. "It's not that big a deal...and it's assistant editor..."

"Are you kidding?? That's still a huge deal!" Cassie maintained. She raised her glass and led the group in a toast. "To Reema, everyone!" A chorus of clinking drinks and impassioned voices sounded over the table. Cassie and her friends seemed to toast to everything. They were a fun group and Reema liked being around them... but how many times did they seriously have to cheers to things? In any case, Reema drank some of her cocktail - accidentally consuming a bit more than she intended. It went straight to her head, making her lightheaded and woozy in the moments to follow.

If she concentrated enough, Reema could feel her face redden and warm up. The heat affecting her whole body, Reema removed her jacket and hung it on her chair.

"Hey Reema!" she then heard.

"Huh?" Still disoriented, she had to take a moment to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

"Reema!" the guy beside her called again, tapping her arm. "You're smart, right?"

Reema looked at him with intrigue, not know where he was going with this. "Wanna try a brain teaser?" She loved those.

"Tell me: why doesn't tickling work when you do it on yourself?"

Reema thought about the question. After genuine pensive consideration, she didn't have an answer. "Hmm. I guess I never thought about it. I don't really know," she conceded.

He pointed to her arm. "Try it out."

Reema looked down at her forearm and began to dance her fingers over the elastic purple material. Aside from it feeling nice, she didn't feel ticklish in the least. "Try all over - your legs," he instructed.

The brown girl attempted that too, but it didn't work any better. "I don't feel anythinggg!" she whined.

"Wanna hear my theory?" he said as she continued to tickle herself, this time facing him. "I think you can only get tickled by someone else because you're used to your own touch. Wanna see?"

He reached his hands out and Reema backed away in her chair. "Oh no, please, I'm totally tick-LISH!"

His fingers were dancing on her stomach before she could finish her protest. "Even better!"

Reema emitted a high-pitched shriek and began laughing. His touch wandered from her midsection, up the side of her body, and then under her arms. Her body attempted to cower defensively, but he continued his playful attack. "Please...Ah! Stop!!" she laughed.

The table laughed along with the antics, too. Unknown to the laughing girl, they were also noting how Reema's chest jiggled in its spandex-y confines. Her breasts bounced up and down as she laughed hysterically and wiggled her body around to escape the tickling.

"See - it's working!"

Reema shook her head adamantly and begged for mercy. "OK, OK, stop...stop...I..c-can't..." Her voluminous breasts continued to shake, much to delight of a few male eyes.

She then let out a snort. A loud, unavoidable snort.

Reema followed that by twisting out of his playful advances, swinging her arm slightly and knocking over her glass in the process.

"Oh crap!!" The guy stopped teasing her and tugged his chair away to avoid the overflowing liquid. The laughter at the table subsided as a few people rushed to put paper towels over the mess.

Staring blankly at the disarray, Reema didn't know what happened. A second ago, she was laughing her butt off. Now, she wasn't. Without attaching any meaning to it, she watched the paper towels go from a clean white to a damp pink.

Cassie leaned in and directed her attention away. "Isn't this fun?"

Reema shook her head and snapped out of it. "Umm, Yeah!" With the mess under control, she looked around to see everyone having a good time. Despite not being her normal crowd, Cassie's friends were good people. They were loud, yes, and seemed to like alcohol - well, really like alcohol - but they were good-natured and fun, as this experience just proved.

"Oh," Reema felt her purse rumble between her feet. She discreetly reached down and pulled out her phone. Setting it on her lap and grinning widely, she began a text to Miguel. In all her excitement, she had forgotten to respond to him.

Only a few characters into her response, she felt a nudge and heard a voice - Cassie's. "Is that Miguel?" Reema looked up and nodded. She appeared at bit thrown off. "You can text him when we get back, no?" Cassie said.

Reema knew about Cassie's rule. She panned across their table and saw that no one had their phone in front of them. Or, if they did, they weren't using it. "Oh, it's just...he had this thing today and he was telling me how it went." Reema thought - possibly naively - that she was justified in sending one little message. Cassie would understand that, wouldn't she?

Cassie smiled, "Trust me, you can leave it alone...it's no fun burying yourself in a screen when you're out with good people. Aren't you having fun?"

"I...ugh..." Before Reema came up with an answer, the girls' attention was forced to the stage, where some poor soul was screeching out the musical climax of an Adam Lambert song. "Yeah, not sure about him, though," Reema laughed, holding her fingers to her ears.

"Hey, you just got go for it sometimes," Cassie offered.

Reema supposed she agreed. "I'll try not to be as bad, alright?" she laughed. That was something they could both clink their glasses to. And they did. Again.

After Reema hid her phone, the book of karaoke songs made its way around to her. Reema picked out her selection and wrote it on a piece of paper. When she finished, she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Man, I'm a mess right now," she laughed.

Cassie only smiled back. She amusingly watched as Reema attempted to cool herself with the suddenly-refilled vodka cocktail before her. Cassie smiled to herself that Reema probably didn't even notice how it got there after she spilled her first drink. "You are not a mess, girl. You're looking as awesome and quirky as ever," she championed. "C'mon, let's go hand that in!"

As they brushed past bodies and navigated the bar, looks shot in their direction. Reema may not have noticed them, but Cassie sensed the attention. The Blomshell couldn't claim all the admirers for herself tonight, though. No longer shielded by a jean jacket, Reema's bright tube top hugged her breasts tightly enough to garner more than a few double takes.

Mounting the stairs that led up to the DJ (or at least the ball cap-wearing student that ran the karaoke player), Cassie noted the jiggle in Reema's bright, stretchy pants. She also saw how her hand hugged the rail to steady her slightly off-balance strides.

As he watched Reema approach with Cassie following behind, the DJ removed a headphone from one of his ears to hear her words. "Hey, I've got a song for you," Reema smiled, passing her selection to him.

He took a look at the paper and then at Reema's colorful and, most importantly, voluminous chest. Nodding coolly, he said, "I'll put you on after the next song, Gaga."

Reema curiously watched as he stuck her slip under the top sheet of a considerably tall pile. "Oh...that's great," she commented. "That's so nice of you!" Before she could make any more observations about the guy's kindness, Cassie guided her back down the stairs.

"Wow, looks like you have another fan, huh? What'd he say, next song?" Cassie inquired.

"YEAH!! People are so nice!!"

The bar was buzzing now. People were on their feet, others at their tables - everyone having a lively, exuberant time! Reema thought this must be what university 'fun' truly looked like - even though she just began to formulate that definition a few hours ago. She wore the biggest smile. In all the excitement and chatter surrounding her, she accidentally missed the announcement of her name.

"Reem! That's you! Go!" Cassie beckoned.

"Oh shit!" the panicked girl exclaimed, unfocused on what she was saying. Ordinarily, Reema was hyper-vigilant about swearing in public. She never did it unless the profanity was so ironic or obviously quoted from a movie that no one could take offense. Cassie had to smile at the notion of Reema loudly cursing around other people, without even stopping to think whether it was appropriate.

Reema rushed through the bar towards the stage, making everyone in her path take note - especially the guys nearest the stage. There were four of them, rowdily going through pitchers of beer and watching all the performances. They tracked Reema's brightly coloured legs moving up the stage. In their minds, they were each taking stock of Reema, trying to decide if she was hot.

The next three minutes and thirty-six seconds were a blur to her. She let the music take over and guide her movements - much to the delight of the boys up front. A subtle twist of her hips became unintentionally provocative. She turned her body, revealing her clothed but still heavy and jiggling breasts. Although Reema didn't know it, she was probably inspiring certain members of the audience with masturbatory thoughts for later that night. The singing itself was mediocre. All the guys in the front, however, as well as anyone else paying attention, were focused on watching an uncoordinated drunk girl parade around in a tight, brightly coloured getup. They cheered and hollered - sounds that Reema interpreted as moral support.

Reema hadn't experienced so much positive attention since her public speaking days in grade school. Back then, she would get loud rounds of applause for her witty speeches on topics like camping, the history of science, and growing up with traditional ethnic parents. Tonight, she was getting the same amount of cheers for randomly belting out her favorite Gaga song, pacing around in a disoriented manner, and just trying to be as passionate and spontaneous as possible. The surge of confidence it gave her felt familiar, but also surreal and puzzling at the same time.

The song ended, and Reema rushed off the stage at some point into Cassie's arms. "OH MY GOD!! THAT WAS SO AMAZING!!" she gushed as they excitedly swayed from side to side in their embrace. "WHY AM I TALKING SO LOUD?!?!"

Cassie joined in the laughter and encouraged Reema to be even more energized. In her periphery, she detected somebody standing nearby. Cassie turned her head to examine the dude, before returning to their conversation. "You absolutely killed it, Reema!"

A taller, fit member of the front row athletes was holding two drinks. As he approached, Reema noticed him too. "Hey, just wanted to say that you were awesome up there," he said.

"Thanks!!" Reema said, smiling widely and deeply appreciating his words.

The guy extended the shot glass toward her. "Got this for you."

As if seeking advice, Reema looked over to Cassie, who gave her the wordless go ahead. Cassie saw how the jock delayed a moment before taking his shot, opting to study Reema as her chest jutted out while she swallowed the whiskey. Before Reema could notice, he downed his and then watched as she coughed and grimaced, awkwardly extending her arm to hand him back the glass.

"Let's hit the little girls' room, kay Reem?" Cassie led her friend away, glancing behind them to acknowledge the guy with a smile. She held Reema's arm as they walked out of the bar, passing the huge line that prevailed outside. Cassie enjoyed how her friend's unbalanced strides and bold appearance attracted more than a few looks.

Noting the way Reema's appearance was being so well received, Cassie couldn't help thinking about the future. She would have so much fun with this girl. The outfits would just keep getting bolder, shorter, and more revealing. But that would have to come with time. Although Cassie was ambitious, she was also patient.

"Here, wash your face," the Blomshell instructed, conveniently positioning Reema in front of a sink where some rowdy patrons had removed the mirror. Cassie couldn't have her friend notice that she was on the verge of looking like a tramp - that would derail the plan significantly! As the brown girl leaned forward to splash water on herself, Cassie could only picture Reema's breasts hovering above the sink in a low-cut top, struggling to contain her natural, mocha colored assets.

"OK baby, you're good now," Cassie said, tapping Reema's back. "Let's get back in there, K? There's gotta be some poor sucker trying to follow your act!"

Reema giggled. "They can try," she drunkenly boasted.

Cassie grinned and put her arm around her approvingly. Beneath Reema's increasingly drunk lack of coordination, she detected the beginnings of a confident swagger. It was sweet music for Cassie to watch. Reema was unconsciously straightening her posture and swaying her hips wider and more loosely. Some kind of instinct must have been kicking in, telling her how a luscious, desirable body actually needed to move. Together, the girls marched down the hallway for another round of libations and fun.

The next Reema saw of Cassie - while not intoxicated and in goofy 80s clothing - was back at the dorm, standing on the other side of her room. It was the next day and the blonde proudly held up a party-sized bag of Cheetos. "How's chips for breakfast sound?"

Reema groaned and tried to muster out something, but it came out hoarse and incoherent, much to Cassie's internal amusement and pride. Instead, she just held the door open for her BFF to pass. Reema yanked a blanket over her pyjama-clad body as she settled onto the couch.

"Ugh, what did I do to deserve this?" Reema whined. Her voice was muffled by the couch as she slunk onto it.

"Nothing," Casey emerged beside her. She clenched one fist and held a glass of water in the other. "Last night was fun. That's all," she assured, then prompted Reema up to a sitting position. She gave her the glass and then dropped two tablets of Aspirin into her palm.

Reema downed them, setting them onto the table. It hurt even to reach forward. "Ugh, thanks." In her ill state, she liked having Cassie by her side. She was grateful that she had a friend to help her through this less than desirable moment.

They didn't discuss the previous night in detail, but Reema did admit that she liked karaoke. Actually, she really liked it. If she could figure out how to manage the hangovers and the circumstances that led to acquiring one, she would be all set. Reema wanted to ask Cassie how she could remain so smiley and bubbly after so much drinking, but decided against it, not wanting to talk about her hangover any more. Instead, she just let Cassie guide her through her recovery and take care of her, which was very generous.