Emily looked at her two new friends, excited and a little angry about the mixer. The short haired girl was Cheryl. The more voluptuous girl was Mimi. They were both pretty. And when they stood next to Emily, the prettiest of all, they grew prettier. Mimi claimed that was one reason why the three had to be friends.
"The handsome literary boy is supposedly attending too," Cheryl said. She was a third generation student of Capital University. Starting from her grandfather's generation, all of her family had attended Capital University. Her family even sat on the university's board. She had brothers and sisters and cousins all over the university, which was why she was wired into the gossip. "We must go."
Mimi nodded. She loved all things beautiful. And having the prettiest girl by her side, she had to see for herself the handsomest boy. "We must," she insisted.
Emily offered no resistance. Wasn't as if she was any less curious. "We must."
Suddenly, the mixer exploded in popularity. A third of the class was going before. With the three beautiful girls going, everyone was going too.
The organisers of the mixer couldn't be happier. This was going to be one of the biggest mixers in recent history.
The venue was the courtyard of the nearest five star hotel, Yellow Petals. The courtyard was a popular venue was the more colourful parties of the university. It had been the fixed venue for the mixer ever since the hotel opened doors. It was decorated with flowers, real and of paper. The make-shift bar was fully decked with non alcoholic drinks. The fanciest food was being prepared. And, most importantly, the entire courtyard, every student attending, was under the strictest surveillance. There had never been an untoward incident, a scandal, at any mixer ever, and this time would be no different.
When the three girls strolled in, dressed casually as they had come to class, the courtyard wasn't yet filled. There was no strict time to be kept. And everyone was still slowly turning up. There were as many dressed up formally as there were those in casuals. The asymmetry had its own beauty. Eyes turned toward the three girls. Three pretty girls together did that. Even more so when one of them was the prettiest among all.
Cheryl dragged her two new friends toward old friends. The introductions were done. And conversation flowed freely. They were a group of nine, huddled together. Not the largest group. Not the smallest either. Not even the loudest. But right at the top in terms of eye catching. The nine of them were only talking about the university. Things they had heard. Things they knew for certain. Experiences of the first few days. Expectations. And, of course, girls and boys.
And then, a hush fell. All eyes slowly turned toward the entrance, one following the other, where the handsomest boy from the literature department walked in.
Emily's eyes glowed. She wasn't disappointed. It wasn't a lie. There was no exaggeration. The boy was as handsome as rumoured. And yet, there was something about him, that held her back. Not yet, a voice spoke in her head. She looked at her friends. And they were all staying put too. Though, it was because they were all struck with disbelief. And feeling a little threatened. He was almost unreal, after all. She was different, Emily thought. She didn't know yet what it was that held her back from going over and making friends with the handsome boy. She would, one day. And on that day, nothing, no one, would stop her.
She smiled, as eyes returned to as they were before. Conversations continued after the short intermission. A little strained and awkward at first, but quickly settling in.
"Do you want to go over, and say hello?" Cheryl asked.
"No," Mimi answered.
The rest had gone over to say hello to new friends and acquaintances. It was just the three girls again.
"No," Emily said, when the other two looked at her. "Not yet. Some day," she added.
"Yeah," Cheryl said. "Some day."
Mimi dragged them to the bar. The three grabbed drinks. Clinked glasses. Said cheers. And downed the drinks. Then, they mixed in. The point of a mixer was meeting people. And they were going to make sure they met a lot of people. The mixer was going to be a big success for them.