Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 08

Chapter VIII

"Another day," Reema sighed as she rolled out of bed. "At least it's Friday," she thought further. With that happy idea, a little bounce entered her step. After a shower, she selected her attire for the day, starting by retrieving some minimalist underwear from her delicates drawer, as well as an accompanying brassiere, followed by snug-fitting jeans and an equally snug top.

For a moment, Reema reconsidered the clothes she was putting on. Not so much the jeans and top (although she was still getting used to sacrificing comfort for looks). A few months ago, though, it would have seemed crazy to be wearing a thong that weighed less than an ounce and covered no more than a sliver of pubic area.

Her doubts didn't last long. Cassie's sage advice soon kicked in, reminding her that no other style of panties could adequately complete her outfit. Unless she was going to wear baggy 'mom jeans', the dangers of unsightly panty lines pretty much dictated this choice.

Switching gears, Reema checked the mirror to confirm that the underwear she picked out actually did look flattering, then proceeded to arm her great breasts with the silky black bra. Reema was never good at the whole bra-shopping thing. This became clearer when she started touring the mall with Cassie. Although she might have thought she was doing fine for her 'above average size' bosom. Cassie quickly disproved her. Reema was shocked to learn that she was wearing one size too big! She was impressed by her currently bra perfectly framed and contained her breasts. She looked good -- and felt good, too!

Next came the task of trying to slide her pants up her shapely lower body. She had to draw in a breath to get them on. As she shifted her legs, she realized her movements were much more limited. But the jeans did look amazing, she had to admit. They were intentionally ripped and slightly faded. Reema accessorized them with a little faux-silver belt. At last, she wrapped a white blouse over her coffee-colored torso, leaving one more button open than she would have a few months ago. Grabbing her purse and slipping on some flats, Reema was off to tackle her academic commitments for the day.

When she returned to her dorm after lunch, she deposited her bag next to the couch and sank her generous butt into the seat. Folding one thigh over the other, she reached for her phone and began browsing through Twitter.

"Hmm, there's a way to go braless...?" Reema mused to herself as she skimmed the Twitter feed. She clicked on the article in hopes of enlightenment when Cassie abruptly pranced in. Even though they technically lived in separate quarters, Cassie felt like her roommate. The way their friendship was going, they might as well have lived together. That would be an interesting arrangement, for sure.

"Heeeyyy, who's ready for a house party?!" the wispy socialite asked aloud. "I've got a playlist of feel good party tunes and some strawberry goodness with our names on it!!!"

As Reema shut down her phone, Cassie marched into the room, set her iPod on the dock, started up some Chris Brown music, and danced down onto the couch next to her Indian friend. She twisted the caps off the vodka coolers and extended one to Reema.

Reema looked at the glass bottle uncertainly, then back at her friend, who was already wearing a signature blue mini-dress. "I thought we were going to the 416 with Stacy and Lexa tonight..."

"I never committed to anything..." Cassie sang, motioning the cooler forward again. Reema continued to give her a confused look.

The socialite sat both drinks on the table and put her hand on her floor mate's shoulder. "Ree..." she started, sliding it further down Reema's arm, "Relax. I know it's your first college party and all, but trust me -- It's no big deal."

Rubbing her arm, she reassured her about the plan. "We're just going to go there and meet some people. Some we'll know, others we won't, but that's cool, too. Just hang out a bit, and -- oh yeah -- have fun," she cheerfully orated. "And maybe, just maybe, if the stars align right, it's possible we may have a totally wicked time."

The silliness made Reema giggle in spite of herself.

"So we're good?"

Reema nodded.

Cassie wrapped her arms around her curvier, dark-complected friend. "Awww. You're like the best friend I've ever had!"

Releasing the hug, she picked up the coolers again. The girls clinked them together as Cassie raised a toast to their bond.

They filled the next hour with lots of libations, gossip and random laughter. The musical stylings of Gwen, Katy, and Beyoncé accompanied their antics -- so much so that Reema's place became an impromptu mini-dance party. Cassie put on a few YouTube clips and hollered at Reema to both try emulating the moves on screen. As Reema attempted to do so, she occasionally spilled her drink and her body while rushing around the room. Her insides hurt from laughter after losing her footing and clumsily crashing onto the couch. At that point, she might have even let out a snort.

Cassie suggested repeating the same move all over again, in hopes of getting it right the second time. Reema got low and maintained her balance better the second time, having the confidence to ironically 'twerk' her ass.

"Ahhhh yeaahhhh...there ya go!!!" Cassie enthused.

While Reema continued to sing lyrics and sashay around to the music, Cassie brought out attire choices. First, holding out a pair of snug white shorts and a plunging sweater, she nixed the combination even before Reema offered an opinion.

"A cute dress perhaps?" the Blomshell proposed, showing off a sexy teal mini-dress.

Reema was in favor, although she probably would have agreed to anything she was shown at the moment. "Oooo, it's -- cute!!"

"Um, cute is good, but we need something better..." Cassie reasoned, looking for something a little more eye-catching. The outfit had to be just right. They weren't going to a dance club, they weren't going to a pub night, and -- even though they usually overdressed for school -- they weren't going to class. There was supposed to be casual feel to a house party, but people still wanted to make themselves noticed at such a big event.

To get started on the right foot, Cassie chose a pair of lacy pattern black tights and a short red skirt that clung especially tightly to her butt. She added a flimsy black top that didn't extend far enough down to cover Reem'as midriff, along with a cut-out at the neck revealed generous amounts of cleavage

Cassie squeezed Reema to into a push-up bra from Victoria Secret, making sure that her boobs looked every inch as sizeable and jiggly as they could under the stretchy, open-neck top.

"I was reading that some styles look better without bras this season..." Reema chimed in, reminded of the article from Twitter.

Cassie raised her eyebrow. She was impressed that Reema would be curious about the idea, even if it didn't factor into her plans right at the moment. "Yeah, some people do... just not here. Believe me, you'll have plenty of chances for that, Ree," she mused.

As Reema giggled, Cassie revealed her final accessories for the night: a tiny black purse, ankle boots with 4" heels, and a quirky red hairband.

A lot of time was also spent coiffing Reema's tresses. The result was a tightly wound, expertly-braided, and almost scorpion-like ponytail that hung past her shoulders, resting on her upper back. Reema spun around while admiring Cassie's handiwork.

"This is like fine art," she said.

"We should put you in a gallery or something," the Blomshell agreed. "But admire yourself later, okay? We've got a party to crash!!" With that, she ushered Reema out of the dorm.

They opted to stroll by foot over to the student village, laughing along the way in the brisk, cool evening. Even though she didn't show it, Reema could also feel some uneasiness building. She had never been to a house party. There were a few of them during her final year of high school including one following the prom, but Reema and Miguel didn't go. Instead, they went out to grab a late bite with friends. No alcohol and no shenanigans involved.

Finally making it to the rowdy neighbourhood, the house was easily spotted. First, it was the first one in a row of townhouses. Second, there were smokers on the lawn and people on the front steps. Third, the house was loud.

Their heels clacked on the front steps as they shifted past the loitering bodies. Reema smiled shyly as she heard, "Looking good ladies."

A wave passed through Reema's body as her senses were immediately shot by the intensity and exuberance of the house. She had to shout to talk to Cassie. "This is NUTS!!"

The blonde girl laughed, "Yup! C'mon, let's find some people!"

Reema remained close to Cassie as they slinked between the tightly packed hallway. There were boys and there were girls, both laughing and holding red cups and bottles.

They didn't get very far before Cassie bumped into a seemingly familiar face. "Oh my godd, YOU'RE here?!" Cassie hugged the girl and the two shook in place in a way that she and Reema themselves engaged.

"Ree, this is Tamara," Cassie presented. Tamara batted her eye lashes with the introduction. The girl apparently lived in their building too.

Ree didn't know her. "Nice to meet you," she said, perhaps in a more subdued tone than she intended.

Tamara went in for a hug. "Hey Ree!!!" She was with her boyfriend and their circle of friends who generously got them started with drinks as well.

"Love the tights, by the way..." Cassie's friend genuinely winked, pointing to her legs. Ree smiled and thanked her. Tamara continued the compliments. "And that hair! Wow! Can I like...touch it?"

Reema demurred, "Go ahead."

"Wow," she marvelled, feeling the impressive hairstyle and accompanying hairband.

She turned to the stylist, "Did you do this, Cass? You're a like a warlock with hair or something. Is that even a word?"

Reema held up a finger and began to sound off on topic that actually was her expertise. "Actually, she's more like a sorceress. Warlocks are guys, mostly. And sorceresses are more powerful."

"Yeah, I like that," Cassie said, adding a slight eye roll that brought extra chuckles to the group of friends.

Before long, they were standing around talking very excitedly about nothing in particular. People walked by on either side of them. Reema felt someone bump against her from behind, and she could sense them looking at her quite intently while they did so. Time passed quickly and effortlessly.

Reema was in the middle of finishing a story with a punch line that she knew would be hilarious, "So I was like... 'why would you watch Voyager, when you have Next Gen', OK?!" She finished the anecdote with a hearty chuckle of her own.

As Reema looked around the circle of partygoers, she could tell they liked her. They were all laughing, too. Without realizing it, she was beaming. Reema lifted the red plastic cup to her lips and let the fruity vodka enter her throat. Something else was starting to stimulate her senses, too -- something more aromatic.

The next thing she knew, one of the guys in the group was holding out a white paper object toward her. Her spider senses twitched as she analyzed the joint.

"Hey Ree, you having some?" he said.

"Oh, no, I'm good, thanks," she held up her hand. She lifted her drink and pointed to it with a smile, "Well covered with what I got here."

Cassie watched the interaction take place. She saw a glimmer of a scared, goody-goody Reema twinkle in her pupils as the blunt was offered to her. Reema still handled it well, though. They were now laughing and joking around. Reema was doing quite well overall. As much as Cassie planned for it, she wasn't completely sure her little project was going to be as enthralled by the spectacle of social interaction as she was now. She watched as she freely conversed with guys, lighting up at every compliment to her outfit.

The only time Reema felt uncomfortable was when a little chubby guy tried to comment on one of her earlier stories. "I actually bought a bunch of Lego recently. I'm trying to put together the Death Star," he volunteered.

The guy was shorter than Reema, and not part of the circle of people who'd been talking. Reema hadn't noticed him, at least. He was probably just hovering around the room, looking for interaction.

"That's Star Wars..." she pointed out.

His eyes flitted as he danced around for an answer. "Oh, I know. I thought you'd appreciate Star Wars, since you knew Star Trek..."

In a bigger sense, Reema did recognize this guy. She didn't know him personally, but could understand his type. He would have fit in with her high school friends. They would have gotten along well.

Here and now, though, it didn't feel right to entertain him.

"Yeah, I guess..." she loosely agreed.

Fortunately, Cassie preferred not to spend too much time standing in any one place. She took Reema by the elbow and walked away. "See you around," she told her friend Tamara. "We're going to go see what's happening over in the kitchen."

Tamara gave a cheery reply, "Kayy...see ya later, maybe. Nice meeting you, Ree!!""

Cassie held Reema's hand high in the air above them as they navigated through the party. Their excited, tipsy movements drew no shortage of eyeballs along the way.

In the kitchen, a few people were leaning against the granite counter (or sitting on it), with others at the dining table, and even more hanging around the screen door that led to the backyard. A guy in a dress shirt and blue jeans was swinging the fridge door open and nearly hit them as the girls entered the room.

"Cass! Hey," he exclaimed, putting on the breaks just in time.

Cassie smiled, "Hey, Rob, what's up?"

She and Rob chatted for a while as Reema stood idly by. He nodded along, holding Heineken bottles in each hand. He kept looking between the two girls, flashing a smile at Reema whenever their eyes met. She judged him to be a pleasant fellow, but without much to offer other than saying "yeah" every time Cassie made a comment.

Reema didn't completely pay attention to their conversation, since they were engaged with each other more than with her. She surveyed the room, noticing other groups of chatting people. Doing so, she received more than a few glances and smiles from admiring faces. Showing silent graciousness, she smiled back a couple of times.

The scene in the kitchen shifted every time someone new entered the room. When an admittedly gorgeous white girl in tiny white shorts came over, she was made very welcome.

Reema studied the girl for a moment. It didn't take much investigating to see how well liked she was. As she went around the room giving hugs, people brushed against her, held her by the waist, and received her with considerable affection and laughter.

The more that Reema watched, the more she noticed it wasn't just the group of people around the white girl who seemed to love her; nearly everyone in the room was eyeing her, too! Even worse, the same 'fans' who Reema had exchanged friendly glances earlier with were now admiring this new girl. Subtly, Reema began to notice a sense of unease -- even bitterness -- tainting the playful vibes she had enjoyed up until now. She couldn't quite make sense of the feeling, though.

Back in high school, Reema wouldn't have given this pretty, sociable girl a second thought. She would have just acknowledged that they were a part of mutually-exclusive cliques: Reema was in the group that valued genuine friendships, this other girl in a clique that valued popularity. Their paths wouldn't have crossed too much, and Reema was fine with that. A year ago, she would have been happy to let this girl pursue her own interests, while she pursued the interests that made her happy.

Reema had actually spent many years believing she was the most similar to her male friends, both at elementary school and in high school. The range of interests they shared -- including TV shows, games, political ideas, and an obsession with books and learning -- tended to overshadow any qualities that set her apart (like having to shop in the women's section when they went to JC Penney, or dealing with PMS once a month).

Now, though, it was becoming apparent that many characteristics set her apart. And they weren't just minor differences, either. They were pretty significant advantages. It was starting to register with Reema that she had certain qualities -- aspects of her physical being -- that put her in a different category than most of her old friends.

She was seeing that her naturally curvy body let her make an instant, positive impression on people -- her large breasts and globe-like butt doing the most to produce this effect. Her ability to walk into a room and immediately have people want to align with her, be friendly, or care about what she was doing... felt like having strong muscles, or a special talent. It was like having an inborn power that people like Miguel would never possess, and couldn't even begin to understand.

Reema could wake up with this innate power each day, though, and rely on it to make all kinds of situations more positive, effortless and enjoyable for herself. It was dawning on her that possessing such qualities -- bestowed on her so organically, straight from her DNA -- was going to give her a better quality of life than the male friends she grew up with, who she'd considered her true equals. It was a very heady and exhilarating idea.

Her thoughts were broken by a hand touching her elbow. "Actually, we wanted to see if there was free booze left," Cassie said, trying to wrap the conversation while pointing towards the drinks he was holding. It snapped Reema back into the conversation as well.

"Oh, I snagged what was left," he said looking down at his hands. "But here." Rob handed the bottles to them.

Cassie smiled, taking one and passing the other to Reema. "You're amazing. We'll see you around, OK?" A farewell from Rob later and their official 'business' was completed. The socialite met with a few more people she knew in the room and then they left.

They went from room to room and floor to floor saying 'hi' to people, chilling out for a little bit and depleting their drinks little by little before moving on. Reema was giddy. A sober version of her would've marvelled at how many people Cassie knew; but here, this buzzed incarnation of the Indian nerdess loved how popular they were. They just loved Reema and Reema, even if she didn't show it, loved that they loved her.

She and Cassie descended the stairs into the rec room. A few couches were arranged around the TV, lounge style. A pool table was set up in the back, with some preppy girls playing a game against their boyfriends.

"Oh look, there's our fearless yoga teacher, Ree! Looking good today," Cassie suddenly announced. The brown girl looked in the direction where Cassie was pointing. Sure enough, the blonde basketball star was resting against the wall, holding a red cup, surrounded by a group of friends. "Wow, he's really Mr. Popularity today, huh?"

Before Reema could say anything, another friend of Cassie's hopped off one of the couch and came over to nearly tackle them. "Heyyyy! You made it!!"

Cassie gave a little chuckle, hugging the girl . "Yeah, I guess we did." Disengaging from the hug, she introduced her mutual friends, "Saundra, this is Ree."

The girl turned to give Reema a subdued, yet not completely cold greeting. "I'm chilling over there," she pointed to a leather couch. "You should come join us! We can even take care of your alcohol deficiency," she winked.

"What do you think, Ree?" Cassie mischievously inquired.

"Sounds good," came the unfiltered reply. As the trio headed to the seating area, Reema glanced back in Josh's direction. He was wearing a pair of dark chinos and a crisp, checkered shirt with the sleeves rolled up. For a second, Reema thought he might be motioning to her. Instead, a guy beside her waved back at Josh. Then Josh resumed raconteuring with the pair of five-foot-nothing girls in front of him. "Should I give you a minute or something?" Cassie joked, noticing how distracted Reema seemed.