eleven

Dylan's life settled into a routine over the next few weeks. Lectures, seminars and lab sessions filled the days and he spent the evenings studying or enjoying a late night pint in one of the campus bars. The excess of the first week appeared to be over until he woke one morning to find posters plastered all over the hall.

"A Paper Cup party?" Dylan had no idea what it meant.

"Yep," said Chris.

"Are you going to explain, or do we have to guess?" asked Frank.

"It's simple really. You've been here a few weeks now, and most of you have settled in. The hardest part of our job as committee is pretty much over. So we decided to have a party to celebrate."

"Where do the paper cups come in?" Dylan asked.

"We can't keep giving away free beer can we? We'll have no money left in the hall coffers, so you lot will have to buy the booze. But we don't have a licence to sell beer."

"I can see where this is going," said Dave.

Chris smiled and continued, "Instead, we sell you a paper cup. Actually it'll be a plastic cup but that doesn't sound as good does it. You get the beer free when you buy the cup. We've done a deal with Ozzies, the big wine merchants in town. They supply us with a shit load of booze on sale or return. So even if everyone turns up, there's no way we will run out."

"Sounds like it might be fun," said Dylan.

The remainder of the week flew by. Dylan was looking forward to the party, and like everyone else, he saved the pennies by not going to the bar in the evenings. Following lectures on Friday, he was eager to get the party started.

"Don't go overboard tonight, Dylan," Mark said as they queued for dinner.

"As if I would, Mark. You really don't know me at all."

"Yes, I do. I saw you at the after match party last week. I thought I could drink, until I met those guys and you did a good job of keeping up with them"

"Cheers, mate."

"Just remember that we've got our first proper game tomorrow. Lampter isn't that far, but we'll still have to be up early. A hangover on the bus won't put you in the right mood to play."

Toni watched Dylan as he paid for his food and nudged Julie's arm.

"Do you think it's okay to call him over to sit with us?"

"Too late," said Julie. She gestured with her fork towards Dylan and Mark. who were already heading towards the table that Natalie, Joanne and Andrea were sitting at.

"That bitch."

"Who?"

"Joanne. She wants to stay away from my man."

"I don't think she's interested in him Toni. It's more that Mark is sweet on Andrea."

"Hey boys," Joanne said with a smile.

Dylan returned the greeting. Mark nodded in her direction and gave Andrea a sly wink. She winked back. Natalie seemed agitated.

"Will you boys please tell this pair that they simply have to be there tonight."

"I don't see how we can, Nat," said Joanne. She addressed Dylan and Mark. "I as was telling her before you got here, we are not part of your hall. I don't think they'll want us there."

"Who're They?" Dylan said. "You two are a permanent fixture whenever we go out. It wouldn't seem right if you weren't there."

"And besides," said Mark, "you spend enough time in Nat's room to be almost resident. I don't see anyone from the committee complaining even if you haven't paid any hall dues."

"But then Nat nearly didn't either."

Dylan and Mark started to laugh. Natalie scowled at them.

"Is there something you haven't told us, Nat?" Joanne asked.

"No," replied Nat. "We should hurry up and finish, others will be wanting the table."

"Come on, Mark," said Andrea. "Spill the beans. What's the dozy cow done this time?"

"Hey." Nat was getting flustered.

"Oh, nothing much," said Mark. He and Dylan started laughing again.

"Look, it was nothing. No big deal really," said Nat. "I was tricked, that's all. That Jez is quite clever."

"Nat, it's the oldest trick in the book," said Mark.

"And you fell for it," added Dylan.

"What did she do?"

Dylan told the story. "Jez and Phil came around last night for the hall dues. They'd left it until now to make sure everyone had a cheque book 'cause they said cheques are safer than cash."

Mark continued, "Nat did exactly the right thing and asked who to make the cheque payable to."

"Jez told her Ceridigion and Aberystwyth Student Homes."

"And Natalie said that her writing was far too big to fit all that on the cheque and was it okay to abbreviate it."

"It was only after she had written and signed the cheque and was about to hand it over that she realised what the abbreviation was."

"Jez said that he had tried that on everyone in the hall she was the only one to fall for it."

Nat looked even angrier now. "Just shut up."

"Oh, come Nat," said Dylan, "It's all the little things like that that make us all love you to death."

Her demeanour softened after that comment. They group ate and conversed until all their plates were cleared. As they got up to leave, Mark asked Joanne and Andrea if they were going to attend the party after all.

"I still don't know," said Joanne.

"Tell you what," said Dylan. "If anyone asks, you are my date, and Andrea is Mark's. That way no-one will be able to argue."

"What about me," asked Nat. "Whose date do I get to be?"

"Probably anybody who buys you a drink," replied Joanne.

The posters advertising the party had proclaimed that it would be from Eight till Late. By the time that Dylan and the other lads descended on the TV room at 8:15, it was already packed. Phil and Jez had pushed the television into a corner, and puches the chairs against walls. Music blasted coming from a portable stereo that was on a table in front of the TV. Several crates of beer were stacked up underneath and around the table. Jez and Phil were at each end, acting as barmen. The boys walked straight over to Phil

"It's okay everyone," Phil shouted above the music. "The party can officially start now that the ground floor posse are here."

"Ha, bloody Ha," said Frank.

Phil lowered his voice and addressed just the newcomers. "And I see that you've brought some freeloading Rendell girlies with you."

"I told you we shouldn't have come," Jo said.

"Don't be silly," said Jez. "The more the fucking merrier. Here..." He handed Jo and Andrea a can of cider each. "On the house. You may as well be real fucking freeloaders if you're gonna get abuse from the likes of this prick."

"Thanks," said the girls together.

"What about me?" asked Nat.

Jez ignored her.

For the next hour, the party showed few signs of getting going. Most people sat drinking their cheap beer and talking, or stood up drinking their cheap beer and talking. Phil strode into the centre of the room.

"RIGHT YOU LOT! SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN!"

Everyone went quiet.

"Thank you," said Phil at a lower volume. "Now you know why they voted me President last year. Biggest fucking gob on campus. Anyway, no hall party would be complete without a few party games. So first off, I need two volunteers, one male, one not."

No one moved.

"Oh, come on. Somebody must be up for it. Dave? If you can bear to tear yourself away from Kerry for a while, you'll do it won't you?"

Dave shook his head.

"Would you change your mind if I said the prize for the winner was a bottle of Jackie D's?"

Dave hesitated, but still shook a negative.

"Come on. Dave! Dave! Dave!"

Jez joined in and soon the whole room was chanting Dave's name. Finally, he resigned to his fate. He handed his half empty can to his girlfriend, kissed her on the cheek and walked towards Phil. Everyone in the room cheered. Phil shook Dave's hand as he reached him.

"Good on ya. Now, a girl." Phil looked in Joanne's direction, and then at Jez and Chris by the bar. They nodded at him.

"I think," said Phil. "That if these freeloaders from Rendell are going to come and drink our beer and eat our toast, they should at least take part in a little game"

"Alright," said Jo, getting up out of her seat. "Alright, I'll play along." She trudged into the centre of the room to join Phil and Dave.

Phil left the room for a moment, and returned with two chairs, a tablespoon and two tea towels. He placed the chairs a few feet apart, facing each other, and gestured for his volunteers to sit down.

"Right," he began. "Very easy game this. We blindfold our contestants and then each one has to try and hit the other on the head with the spoon. All very easy. Except that you also have to hold your hands behind your back, and the spoon in your mouth."

Dave and Jo looked shocked but the room erupted in laughter. Phil continued, "The first to give up loses, and the winner gets a bottle of JD."

Phil handed a towel to Jez, who blindfolded Dave. Phil did the same to Jo. Once he had made sure that neither could see, he started the game.

"Normally, it would be ladies first." Phil moved towards Jo. Quickly he pulled the blindfold down off her face and put his finger to his lips to indicate that she should stay silent. "However, since I'm always being told that I'm a chauvinist pig, I'll let Dave go first."

He walked up to Dave and helped him out of his chair. He guided him over to Jo, and put the spoon in his mouth.

"Whenever you're ready, Dave. Fire away."

Dave held his hands behind his back and bent forward to where he hoped Jo. He flapped his head in a vain attempt to hit her. Jo, her blindfold removed, avoided him with ease. Eventually, Phil stopped Dave and guided him back to his chair.

"Okay, Jo," Phil said. "Your turn."

He motioned for Jo to get up, and spoke to her as if she couldn't see. He wanted Dave to believe that she was still blindfolded. Phil handed Jo the spoon. She took it in her hand and gently tapped Dave on the top of the head.

"Ow!" Dave brought his hands up to his head.

Phil carried with the deception. After Dave's fifth failed attempt, instead of handing the spoon to Jo, Phil gave Dave a hefty whack with it himself. Dave fell off his chair and clutched his head in pain. He pulled down his blindfold and realised he had been duped.

Phil thanked both of them for being good sports and handed Dave his prize. Jez turned the music back up, louder than before. Some of the girls actually got up and started to dance. Dave rejoined Kerry, clutching his prize to his chest. Jo took her drink back from Natalie.

Phil and Chris moved some chairs to the centre of the room and tried to avoid the girls who were dancing. They positioned nine chairs in a straight line, each alternate chair facing opposite walls. At Phil's signal, Jez lowered the volume of the music until it was barely audible, and once again Phil addressed the crowd.

"Right then folks, can anyone guess what we're playing next."

"Musical chairs," shouted several people at once.

"Musical fucking chairs! But, it's musical chairs with a twist. We'll start with ten boys, and ten girls, the boys we'll go around the chairs in this direction." Phil moved around the chairs clockwise. "But the girls will move around the boys the opposite way." He turned and trotted anti-clockwise. "When the music stops, the boys sit on a chair, and the girls sit on a boy. Each round we will lose one boy and one girl. Dead easy, so who's up for it?"

A whole host of hands thrust into the air. Only those with the sense to jump up and stand by the chairs were successful. This included most of the ground floor boys and the top floor girls.