eight

Word always spread quickly among the students in Aberystwyth, and the grapevine said that the annual fresher's toga party was one of the best events of the year. The tickets for the party that hadn't been snapped up by canny freshers as part of their welcome pack, had sold out as soon as they went on sale to the rest of the students. Rumour had it that at one point, they were changing hands for up to three times their face value. Almost everyone knew someone who knew someone who claimed to have paid over the odds.

The toga party, as the name suggested, had an unusual dress code; everyone had to wear a Roman style toga. One of the older girls on the top floor advised Toni and the others to make a toga from one of their bed-sheets.

"The great thing about doing that," she told Toni, "is that you don't have to wash it yourself. You can spill as much beer on it as you like, then take it down the laundry on Wednesday and they give you a fresh one."

Stacey was the first one ready. She had folded the sheet lengthways twice, wrapped it around her torso and flung it over one shoulder. The result was barely long enough to cover her rear.

"Won't you be cold?" Toni asked.

"Dur! We'll be inside all night. Besides, I'm sure I can find ways to keep warm, especially in this outfit. Is the cold the only reason you three are wearing a t-shirt under your togas?"

"No," said Julie. "I'm doing my best not to scare away every man in sight by putting my blubber on show."

"What about you two?" Stacey nodded towards Toni and Kerry.

"I just think I'd be more comfortable with an undershirt on," Kerry replied.

"Bull!" Stacey said. "Both of you have great figures and good skin. You'll look better without. Come on, I'll help you dress properly."

Dylan was talking with Jo and Mark when Toni, Stacey, Kerry and Julie walked into the TV room, where the hall had once again gathered to receive some free cans of beer. He watched them as they pushed past the crowd, and admitted to himself that Toni did look like Claire. He stared openly in her direction.

Jo gently his face slapped to get his attention. "Hey, I thought you weren't interested."

Dylan snapped out of his trance, and he returned to his conversation with Mark and Jo.

Toni and Stacey collected a drink from Jez and then joined Rich and Andy. Unlike many of the other boys in the hall, both Rich and Andy had chosen not to wear a t-shirt under their toga. Toni thought they were being very laddish, and seemed more interested in impressing each other than talking to her or Stacey.

"Won't you be cold?" Stacey asked the boys. She looked at Toni and winked.

"No," said Andy.

"Oh. I forgot." she replied, "You're all dead 'ard, right?"

"You need talk about being cold," said Andy. "You ain't got much on neither."

"Yeah, but I'm a girl," she said in a distinctly sarcastic tone. "We get used to the cold, what with wearing skimpy clothes all the time."

"No need to be like that," said Rich.

"Yeah," said Andy. "And you started it anyway."

They all laughed. Toni glanced over to the other side of the room at Dylan, Mark and Joanne. They were laughing and Dylan placed a hand on Jo's shoulder. Toni felt a twinge of jealously. She watched as Jo looked up at Dylan. It wasn't an accusing look. Jo smiled and they held Dylan's gaze for a second longer than Toni thought was necessary. She was sure Dylan's checks reddened before he casually moved his hand. Then he looked around the room.

Toni looked down. She hoped he hadn't caught her watching him, but she was sure he had. Forget it, she told herself. She rejoined the conversation with her friends.

More than fifty people left Davies Bryan Hall dressed in bed-sheets. Jo had thought she would feel foolish, but she didn't because everyone else on campus that night wore a bed-sheet too.

The group walked along the same route that Dylan, Dave and Julie had taken earlier in the day. When they got to the Union there was a long queue to get in. It took Jo and the others almost half an hour. They went straight up the left-hand set of stairs and into the bar. It was packed, and it took them another half an hour to get a drink.

Jo finally made it to the bar and waited for service. She waved a ten-pound note in her hand in an attempt to catch a barman's attention.

"Hey, Jo, get me one too," said Natalie from behind her.

"Sure." Jo ordered and the barman scurried away to make up the drinks.

Natalie poked Jo gently in the ribs. "Dylan still seems to be under the impression you have a boyfriend. How is he gonna feel when he finds out you've lied to him?"

"It's more of an omission than a lie, Nat. I just forgot to tell him that John dumped me."

"And you are so much better off without him."

"So you keep saying. Besides, how's Dylan gonna find out?"

Nat ignored Jo's threatening tone. "How John could have made that threat in the first place I don't know, but you should consider yourself lucky that he carried it through. Otherwise, you would never have been rid of him. As for Dylan, just be careful, Jo. I love you, but I know what you're like. You like this boy, I can tell, and I can see you getting hurt. I don't know Dylan well enough to know if he's anything like John..."

"He's not," Jo said.

"But," Nat continued, "it's likely that until you've got John out of your system completely, and I mean completely, then you'll be vulnerable."

"Don't be silly, Nat." Jo laughed. "Dylan and I are just friends, and that's how it's going to stay."

The barman brought the drinks and Jo handed him the tenner. After he brought her the change, the two girls went in search of the dance floor.

Dylan was sitting at a table in the bar that Andy and Rich had found. The lads were on their second round of drinks. Kerry got back from fetching her second drink and squeezed herself down between Dave and Dylan.

"Move over boys. Let a lady sit down."

"My pleasure," said Dave beaming.

He put his arm around her and planted a kiss on her cheek. Stacey forced herself into a seat in between Andy and Rich. Julie sat on Dylan's other side.

"Hi, Dylan."

"Hi, Jules. Good toga."

"Thanks. Toni helped me."

"Where is she?"

"Still at the bar. She'll be over in a bit."

Dylan looked over to where Toni was chatting to a couple of boys he didn't recognise, and then looked away quickly. He knew he would have to talk to her at some point during the evening, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"You are going to have that word with her later, aren't you?" Julie asked.

"Sure," said Dylan. "I just need to pick the right moment."

Stacey was watching people entering the bar. "I don't believe how many girlie types there are here."

"And just how do you tell a girlie type?" Andy asked.

"Normally by the clothes they wear."

"But they are all wearing the same thing. Togas!" Rich laughed and high-fived Andy.

"I hadn't finished," said Stacey. "I was going to say that there are other ways to tell too."

"Such as?" Andy asked.

"What they drink for a start. Girlie types tend to drink shorts but from long glasses, mixed with so much lemonade or Coke you can't tell what it was to start with. Either that or they'll have half pints of lager or sweet cider, and mix it with lime or blackcurrant."

"Lager and Black!" Rich high-fived Andy again.

"Lager and Black is a very girlie drink, but cider and black is even more girlie," Stacey said.

"You seem to be something of an expert on the subject," said Andy. "What have you got against girlie types?"

"They piss me off. They try so hard to impress every guy around, and end up looking stupid. What's worse is that most guys can't see it; they're like moths to a flame or flies around shit. Girlie types make the rest of us look bad. They get all the publicity, then all women get tarred with the same brush."

"I'm glad I'm not a girlie type," said Rich. He and Andy laughed.

"So what are you if you're not a girlie?" Andy asked.

"I don't know, just a girl, I suppose."

"And there's a difference?"

"Sure. We don't go around acting like it's the end of the world if we beak a nail. We're just better than them."

"How so?" Andy said.

"For a start, we can drink," said Stacey emphatically.

Andy laughed. "I've never met a girl that can drink. Not like a bloke anyway."

"Wanna bet," said Stacey. "You've got nearly a full pint there, I'll race ya."

"This should be good," said Rich. "Everyone, watch this."

Stacey and Andy adjusted how they were sitting, and then prepared for the race.

"On three," said Rich.

"Loser buys the next round?" Stacey said.

"You're on."

"Okay," said Rich. "Glasses on the table, hands by your sides. Winner is the first to put their empty glass upside down on the table."

Everyone around the table was watching now.

"Come on, Stace," said Julie.

"Don't let us down, Andy," said Frank.

It was girls against boys all of a sudden.

"One," said Rich.

Andy and Stacey reached down for their respective glasses.

"Two."

Dylan joined in by shouting encouragement at Andy. Jez came over to the group to see what was happening. Dylan quickly explained the situation.

"Three!"

Stacey and Andy whipped the glasses up to their lips. There was nothing to choose between them as they gulped down the golden liquid. The level in the glasses went down swiftly, and within seconds, they were almost empty. Suddenly, Andy spit some lager back into his glass and started choking. Stacey finished off her drink, slammed the empty glass on the table and threw her hands in the air. The girls around the table cheered. The boys were protesting.

"Hey, no fair," said Frank

"Rematch, rematch," said Dave.

Andy had recovered and put his glass down on the table. "No way, girl. No fucking way."

"What's up? Can't take losing?" Stacey taunted.

"This fucking git," he pointed to Jez who was behind him. "Jabbed me in the fucking back. It put me off."

"Hey," said Jez, his arms raised in innocence. "I didn't do nothing."

"Yeah, right," said Andy.

"I swear man. Besides, even if I had, which I didn't, it shouldn't have fucking stopped ya."

"Well someone fucking jabbed me," said Andy.

"Face it, you lost," said Stacey. "It's your round, pay up."

"That's over ten drinks, I reckon," said Julie.

"No fucking way," said Andy.

"A bet's a bet." said Jez. "You gotta pay up. What does everyone want?"

"No, wait!" Andy turned to Stacey. "How about, I buy all your drinks for the rest of the night instead."

Everyone around the table protested, but Stacey agreed to the revised terms.

"So what d'you want?" Andy asked.

"Whatever you're buying."

"How about a Depth Charge?" Andy stood up and pushed his way to the bar.

Frank sucked in a deep breath when he heard this. Julie asked him what was wrong.

"A Depth Charge," said Frank. "It's a killer."

"What is it?" asked Julie.

"It's a sure fire way to get ratted quick," said Dave.

Frank explained. "You buy a pint of lager and a double vodka. Then drink just enough of the lager to allow you to pour the vodka in with out overflowing the glass."

"Why not just ask them to put vodka in the lager at the bar?" asked Kerry.

"'Cause they won't. Simple as that. You generally can't taste vodka when it's mixed with beer. That's why it's so good for spiking drinks," Dave said.

Frank continued. "Anyway, you leave it for a bit, and the vodka sinks to the bottom."

"But doesn't separate out," said Dave.

"Then you down it. Quick as you can. The vodka hits your blood stream, and before you realise it, you can't stand up."

"I would guess," said Dave. "That that won't be the last of the novelty drinks Andy buys tonight. By the time this is finished, we'll see who can drink and who can't."

The evening wore on and everyone migrated to the dance hall. Andy was still buying drinks for Stacey, each one different from the last. She matched him drink for drink. Most of the friends danced, but Andy and Stacey sat at a table by the large windows with Phil, Chris and Jez.

"I've nearly finished this," Stacey said. "Whatever the hell it is."