Second house party

We found ourselves standing in front of the frat house for the second time in a week. The party was already going strong as we approached, Tyler waiting for us by the door.

"So glad you could come dude!" He waved us in. "I'll get you something to drink and you can get situated in the sofa again if you want to. Brandon is running a little bit late, but he'll be here any minute." He looked directly at me. "So sorry about what happened last time, heard you stood up for yourself though!" He gave me a grin and a high five before he headed for the drinks.

We had been chilling in the sofa for about half an hour when Brandon finally showed up. He dropped into an armchair next to the sofa and flashed a smile at us. He was still as annoyingly handsome as last time. Already regretting coming, I waited for his performance.

"I believe I owe you an apology," he stated. "Without even noticing you where there, I carelessly spilled my beer on you. My bad."

I raised my eyebrows at him as I noticed he didn't actually apologize for anything he said that night.

"So while I take my share of the blame, you made some pretty outrageous accusations last week." He looked at the roof as if trying to remember something. "I attended one class and didn't understand anything, wasn't that it?" He grinned. "I think I have the right to defend myself, don't you?"

I stared at him, amazed at his gall. He wanted to debate me? This should be good.

"Go ahead then," I said smirking. "Present your arguments. Show me you understood at least something about feminist theory."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, then started reciting in a robotic voice.

"Women's studies looks at the role of women in a male-dominated society. It asks the question why are women not included or represented in leadership roles. It takes a look at the power structures that enables this oppression. Furthermore it looks at how gender is really a social construct designed to oppress women by said power structure."

As he finished he leaned forward and gave me a mocking smile.

"Sounds about right sweetheart?" he said in his normal voice.

"Wow, did you google that last night?" I countered, returning a mocking smile of my own.

"The main problem as I see it," he continued, "is that all this highfalutin theory doesn't take into account that the world is populated by flesh and blood people. Men and women who are biologically very different. Men compete with each other for resources and mates, while women select a partner that can provide for them and their offspring."

I rolled my eyes, same old argument as always. At least he presented it rather eloquently.

"That's the same line of thinking that lead to the existing power structure."

"Perhaps women would be happier if they were allowed to stay their proper place?"

I could feel the bile rising in my throat, but **** myself to answer calmly.

"Women should be allow to do whatever they want, their own choice. If someone wants to be a trad wife have a bunch of babies then no-one is stopping them."

"I disagree, women are actively pushed to make certain choices. Your trad wife will certainly face push back and ridicule for her choices."

"We all face consequences for our choices, that's not the same as not being allowed to make them. Adult women should be treated as such, not as children."

"Yet somehow none of the wrongs in the world is your fault. Evil men are the cause of everything."

"The patriarchy, not men."

"What's the difference?"

I sighed, as I started to wonder if he was misunderstanding on purpose.

"The patriarchy is a system of power, influencing everyone who lives under it. Men are hurt by the patriarchy as well, not just women."

"That's weird, I don't feel hurt."

"It shapes your thinking, and your morals."

"I accept myself who I am, do you?"

"You don't know me."

"No, but I have known a lot of girls like you."

At this point I realized that Jamie had stood up and was looking at us with a frustrated expression.

"I think I'll go find Tyler, want me to get you a drink?", he told me. I just nodded and turned back to the increasingly heated debate. I bit later I found a cup deposited next to me. We continued our discussion, but made little progress as we both refused to yield on our views. Finally Brandon decided to change tactics.

"In my experience most feminists are just repressed sluts," he said with a sleazy grin.

I rolled my eyes again. Keeping my calm was getting more and more difficult as he revealed his true colors.

"That's just your pathetic fantasy, not reality."

"I fucked half the girls in that class, some of the easiest lays I've had. Real whores most of them, once you break down their walls and make them face their true desires."

"Sure you did, like women come to that class just to sleep with guys like you."

"Now who's slut shaming, I though you believed in women's right to choose."

"I'm not slut shaming, women have the right to sleep with whoever they want, but your story just isn't believable. An arrogant macho misogynist like you would turn every pussy in that room completely dry."

"I got an A in that course, you know."

"And how the fuck did you supposedly pull that off?"

"I fucked professor Cartwright, huge slut. Great cocksucker." He jerked his hand in front of his face and poked his cheek with his tongue, mimicking a blowjob. My cheeks heated up as the mental image of professor Cartwright kneeling in front of Brandon flashed through my mind. I mentally swatted it away and focused on my growing rage.

"Fucking ridiculous!"

"I can show you the A if you want."

I took a deep breath, then slowly let the air out through my nose. Don't let him get to you I told myself, that was what he wanted.

"I believe you, just not the story of how you got it," I finally told him. He just smirked at me. I stared daggers at him, trying to find an argument that would shut him up.

"Okay, lets assume every woman in that class is a huge slut, it's their right to decide on whether they act on it or not. They can decide to be a slut, trad wife or a crazy cat lady if they want, women's choice is the point."

"Perhaps all this talk of choice prevent them from being happy?"

"Who the fuck are you to decide on if someone is happy?"

We continued like this with me furiously trying to rebut his points, while he continued to bring the discussion back to women's so-called true desires. At last he brought up his final point.

"There's one final thing you accused me last week," he said a serious expression on his face."

"What?"

"You implied I made up stories to make up for having a small manhood."

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks again, it was just because of my anger I told myself.

"Are you're going to whip it out right here to probe me wrong?"

"Do you want me to?" He mimed unzipping his jeans.

"You're disgusting!"

We were interrupted as Jamie appeared behind the couch. He smiled down at me.

"Hey, have you settled the worlds problems yet? It's getting late and I was thinking it was time for us to head out."

"Sure, let's go. We're done here anyway."

Giving Brandon one last penetrating stare, I got up and joined Jamie. Brandon merely raised his cup to me as we leave.

Again we walked back to campus in silence. Having realized that I had basically ignored my boyfriend all night, I felt rather embarrassed. Still my mind kept wandering back to the argument. With some distance I realized that Brandon's main strategy was to keep referring to anecdotes he supposedly experienced. As I went through the discussion in my mind I kept finding better counterarguments than I had managed in the heat of battle. I was silently fuming when Jamie broke the silence.

"Well, here we are again. Tyler is not home, so I have the place to myself tonight as well."

We had arrived at the fountain, and my boyfriend wanted me to come home with him. Right now my mind was elsewhere, but perhaps this was a good way to make it up to him for my behavior this evening. I also had a lot of adrenaline still in my body, perhaps I could find a better outlet for it?