Downstairs, the entire brotherhood gathered in the living room. Each brother had a bottle of beer in hand, as they were calmly talking to one another. When one brother looked over and saw me, he screamed, “The Queen is ready! Let the Pregame Olympics begin.”

The entire group went into an uproar. Another brother walked up to me and gave me a beer so I could start the evening off on the right foot. The Theta Gamma Zeta Kai’s Pregame Olympics were a set of beer games before any significant event. It always kicked off with beer ball, then a round of flip cup, where players lined both sides of the long table, hands trembling with excitement. Beer Pong wrapped up the games, with the big brothers faced off against the little brothers. At the start of the game, each side would carefully pick their champions for to represent them, like generals selecting their best warriors.

It was a fierce battle this year, but, as usual, my team pulled through, winning the Olympics for the third year in a row. Once the winners were announced, everyone in the frat promptly headed towards the door. Instead of going in the winners’ Uber, I drove myself. Depending on if things work out with either Bella or Sarah, we’ll go to my favorite place in the city. 

This year, the formal was held at Ambassador’s Hall; thanks to the increased popularity of the dance, we could rent out a luxury ballroom. One by one, cars lined up in front of the hall, and from each car, multiple brothers came out in waves, each pouring into the hall. When I finally got inside, I noticed there was a crowd at the door of the ballroom. I pushed my way to the front of the group to see what all the commotion was about.

The party in front of me looked like a house party instead of a fancy venue. The room was decorated in an under-the-sea vibe. There were fish of all kinds on the walls and different seashells and seaweed hanging from the ceiling. The DJ even dressed in scuba gear. Amid the chaos of the crowd, there was a girl crowd-surfing on top of a surfboard, cackling as she moved around the room. 

One of the strobe lights hit her, revealing every to everyone the girl on top of the surfboard was Bella. She eventually rode the wave of hands to the stage, then she took one mic and sang with the song. It was almost as if she made the formal her own live concert. The crowd went insane and bounced around like animals, hitting and knocking each other over; it was probably the first mosh pit this ballroom had ever seen. 

Bella finished the song by dropping the mic. She walked over to the DJ, kicked him off his seat, taking over his set. Seeing how the crowd was reacting to her performance, the DJ reached into his bookbag, grabbed a pen and paper, then took notes.  

“Guys, she looked in his direction. She definitely wants me,” a brother shouted. 

“No shot. Me and her are wearing matching outfits. That’s a sign she’s going to be my girl,” another brother retorted. 

I turned to my brothers and screamed over the music blasting throughout the ballroom, "Foolish brothers, I have already planted my seed. Now I shall give it water to grow the perfect tree." Making my way to the stage, I heard shouts of ‘no fair’, mixed with cheers of encouragement.

From the corner of my eye, there was something swimming in my direction. When I turned, I saw it was Sarah weaving through the crowd, making her way towards me. The tropical fish on her dress swirled with colorful fish swimming in a chaotic pattern, while golden starfish that dangled from her earlobes.

Now standing in front of me, Sarah had a smile that only the Cheshire cat could rival. “So, you came. I'm glad. Let's make this right tonight. Take me out of here and show me around the world of land dwellers,” she joyfully commanded.

“Nah, I'm good. You still need to find yourself a merman.” I said kindly, pushing past her and making my way to the stage. I couldn't help but wonder how she'd handle being turned down, I glanced back. Unsurprisingly, there was Sarah sprawled on the dance floor, arms and legs spread wide like a starfish, tears streaming down her face. The sight caught everyone's attention, and a group of guys noticed her there and hoisted her up. She stayed frozen in her starfish pose as she rode the sea of hands.

Reaching the stage, I waved to Bella to get her attention. It caught her attention; she pressing a few buttons on the DJ stand; she whispered something to the DJ that caused to him write more notes. After shaking his hand, she made her way to me. Her beauty intensified as she got closer, and the lights were shining above her. She had an all-black split thigh dress that was cut on one side with an X design going up her thigh. 

Little alpacas replaced every other stud on her bracelets. While she walked, her black hair went wild, flying and waving through the air almost as if she had a tsunami on top of her head; she had her usual piercings in her lips and ears. It was almost as if I had landed a date with a punk rock Barbie. 

Bella stood over me and extended her hand to help me onto the stage. On the stage, she whispered in my ear, "Let's blow this lame dance and go somewhere exciting. Any suggestions?". Smiling, I took one last look at the crowd below us and I could see Megan near the front of the crowd giving me a thumbs up, then without a word I took her hand, and we left the stage. 

“So, where are we going?” Bella asked. 

“That’s a secret, but it's my favorite part of the city.” I said, “But I’ve gotta say that was an awesome performance. Were you a performer in the past?” 

“I’m close with my cousin. That’s a DJ, and he showed me a few tricks and let me perform at one of his shows.” Bella said, “But I was so scared of being up there on that surfboard. I couldn't stop thinking if I fall off that's it for me.” She chuckled.

“Were you always this brave as a kid?” 

“No, I was actually a very shy and timid little girl. Other kids bullied me a lot when I was in middle school and high school.” Those girls were just so vile they would tease and be mean to me just because I was into punk and alternative rock. So, when I talked to my dad about it, he told me to fight back and give them a taste of their own medicine.” Bella said. “And that’s what I did. From that day on, if they messed with me, I gave it back to them tenfold. It didn’t work at first, but as I kept dishing the vileness back at them, they eventually stopped messing with me.” Pulling off the highway, we drove into the city. 

As we searched for a parking garage, Bella continued, “I realized from the encounter with those girls that despite being scared about what might happen to me, I still needed to push forward. As a result, the experience made me a better person. If it wasn’t for my dad’s words of wisdom, I don’t think I would be as brave as I am today.” 

“That’s an incredible story.” I said as we pulled into a parking spot. “Now let’s have some fun. I think you’re going to love this spot.”

Walking on the street, we saw there were a ton of street performers; some were juggling swords, and other men covered in silver paint called tin men. We got in on the fun and pretended to be mimes. People walked over to clap and cheer at our performance. The furious actors stormed toward us for hijacking their audience, forcing us to sprint down the block and out of their territory.

Finally safe and out of their reach, we both exploded with wild laughter, clutching our sides as the thrill of escape washed over us. “I didn’t think they would chase us. Oh!" Bella screamed. "Did you see the one pretending to shoot us—and the others had imaginary bats and knives? Those mimes meant business!" she wiped tears from her eyes.

“They really deserve credit for their dedication to their craft,” I laughed. When we calmed down and I caught my breath, I looked at my surroundings. “It looks like we’re almost there. We just have to go down this alley.”

Taking Bella’s hand, I led her to a building that was tucked away in its own little section of the city. "This is the place, welcome to Penultimate Café" I took her hand and went inside. 

“Wait, I didn’t even know this place existed? How long has it been here?” Bella asked.

“This has been around about the same time as its sister café, the Ultimate Café.” I said, opening the door. “The best part about this café is that it's less heard of and not as mainstream, making it the perfect spot for dates.”

“On the main stage, there is always fresh music. More likely, if they do well here, then they become stars. Actually, the new upcoming artist, Goth Magic, got her start here.” 

“Really! I love her song ‘Decaying love’” Bella said as she walked over and grabbed a business card off the stage. “How do they know if the band does well here?” 

Leading Bella to the bar, “It might just be a myth, but they say if they leave with no business cards, then they have succeeded.” I said.

Standing at the bar, I gave Bella a menu. “The bar has some of the best cocktails and coffee that you'll ever taste. It’s so good, most people order a black coffee and don’t add sugar or cream to it.” I said, handing Bella a black coffee. 

Bella took a sip, and her eyes grew wide. “There is no way this is a black coffee! How do they make it like this?” she said. 

“Nobody really knows. Some say it's magic.” I said, taking a sip of my coffee and walking her over to one table. We watched a bit of the band and then I took her upstairs.

I opened the door for the rooftop. When Bella stepped onto the roof, her eyes grew wide as she looked around. There were some tables, chairs, and couches scattered across the roof. What took Bella’s breath away was the beautiful view of the city lights. With her jaw dropped, Bella turned slowly in place, amazed by the illuminated skyscrapers that stretched endlessly into the starlit sky.

Somehow, Bella's eyes grew even wider and her mouth opened further, watching in wonder as a plane soared above us, cutting through the night on its path to the airport. “I’ve never seen a plane fly so close!” Bella screamed. The couple at the nearby table turned their heads at the noise. The women paused, taking a drink from the coffee table. Bella offered an apologetic wave, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“I guess I did well on our first date?” I said with a smirk. 

“That’s an understatement. You did above and beyond.” Bella said, smiling back. 

I took Bella’s hand and led her to the couch. We talked for hours until we fell asleep in each other’s arms. If it wasn’t for the rising sun, we might have slept on that couch the whole day. I woke Bella up by rubbing her shoulder a little. “Hey, we have to head back. I have an exam in a few hours.” I said.

“Can we stay for like five more minutes?” Bella said, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of her eye.

I pushed myself up to stretch my tired limbs. "You can nap in the car," I said warmly, bending to leave a quick, affectionate kiss on her forehead. Bella blushed and gave a nice, warm smile as she stood up and wrapped herself around my arm.

When we were back on campus, we walked holding hands. “I had a great night last night; do you want to do this again sometime?” I asked. 

“I’d love to.” Bella said. Stopping, I stood in front of her. I inched up her chin, then gave her a proper kiss. 

On my way back to the frat house, the world just seemed brighter. Birds seemed to sing much louder as crisped leaves floated through the air. The bench beneath the leafy tree called to me, and I settled onto its sun-warmed surface, gazing upward. The sky stretched above like an artist's canvas, painted in the most brilliant shade of blue I'd ever seen, while clouds floated past in endless whimsical shapes. My heart felt as light as those clouds - this must be love. My watch showed two hours until test time, but right now, on this beautiful day, nothing could pull me from this spot.

A leaf fell into my mouth, causing me to gag. When did I fall asleep? Now fully awake, I looked at my watch. I only had 1 hour before I need to take my test. I ran from the bench and went straight to the frat house. 

Not even saying hi to the House Director, I ran straight upstairs. Changing out of my suit with whatever was on the floor. I bolted down the staircase and burst through the door, racing toward my test. I made it to class with 20 minutes to spare. Great, I have a few minutes to study.

There were a handful of students already inside, but I didn’t really notice the people sitting in the room because I was focused on getting to my seat to prepare for the exam before it started. Despite having free choice of seats, I always picked the desk in the back corner, right next to the window. However, today was different. A folded note waited on my usual desk.

“Make sure when you get to the essay portion you explain the importance of having cement in your balanced diet—from your friendly neighborhood punk rock barbie.” When I finished reading the letter, I heard footsteps approaching me; when I looked up, it was Bella in all her punk rock glory. 

At that moment, I realized it was possible for a frat boy to find love.