Reservoir Days

"Back in my day we used to party in the fields," said Joe's mentor.
"What?" said Joe.
"Yeah, they used to be a lot more strict with the alcohol on campus so we used to take our cars and go to the fields a few miles away. Those were the best times. We used to fill up garbage cans with jungle juice and drink it out there."
"That's crazy, that sounds like so much fun. I don't think those fields are there anymore."
"No, that whole area is now very developed. But there should still be a reservoir 2 miles away from campus. We partied there too."
"Where is it?"
"You take a left off of campus and drive up about a mile. Take the first right turn and then drive another half a mile and it should be there on you're left."
"You think it's still there?"
"I know it is, I was just there."

Joe was ecstatic. He was a sophomore in college and was always looking for new places to party. He was a full time partier and a part time student even though his grades were pretty good. His school was less than ideal for partying though. Yes, it did have a campus and dorms but it was a junior college. Which meant only freshmen and sophomores lived on campus. Everyone was under 21, making it a sober campus. Not ideal for partying. This did not deter the students but it did make them have to be very careful when it came to partying. No loud music. No dancing. Which was lame. So when Joe's mentor, a former student of the very same campus, suggested the reservoir as a prime partying spot, Joe ran with it.

He went to his best friend Ronnie and told him all about the idea. Neither of them had a car, Joe did not even have a license. Ronnie did, however, have access to a Zipcar. They rented a Zipcar for an hour and drove off in search of the reservoir. They took the left off the campus, drove a mile and took the first right. They drove a bit further and, low and behold, there it was. It was glorious. It looked like a small lake but the water was fenced off. Smart, it was drinking water. But right next to the water was large patch of grass, ideal for partying.

"Dude, this place is glorious," said Ronnie.
"Look yonder Simba. Everything the light touches is ours," said Joe as he threw his hands up at the reservoir.
"We are going to get so fucked up here, I think I might cry," said Ronnie.
"Its time to assemble the troops," said Joe.

The "troops" were the members of their social club. Since they were at a junior college, they did not have full blown fraternities and sororities. They had social clubs. Joe and Ronnie were a part of the best social club on campus. They were campus legends. The first person Joe told was his other best friend, Nina.

"I don't believe you," said Nina.
"It's true! Me and Ronnie saw it with our own eyes, it was glorious," said Joe.
"And there were no guards or anything?"
"No, the water was fenced off though. So you can't go for a swim but we are free to be as loud as we want there. No RAs no nothing. It's going to be my masterpiece."
"Easy da Vinci, how do you know no one will call the cops on us?"
"There is nothing else there for miles. Its nuts.""
Oh my god!"
"I know."
"This a horrific development."
"It will be glorious."
"How did you hear about this?"
"My mentor."
"You mean that old white man? Isn't he like a financial advisor or something?"
"He was an absolute dawg back in the day, I was shocked."
"This is a horrific development. My grades might never recover."
"It will be glorious."

The first reservoir party was set for the following Friday. Everyone in their social club was to attend. Joe, Ronnie, and Nina made sure they had all the necessities. Plenty of alcohol, plenty of weed, and plenty of Taco Bell. Luckily for them Taco Bell was doing a promotion on their tacos. 12 tacos for $10. They bought four taco boxes before heading to the reservoir. Their social club had 5 cars and each one was filled to capacity as they made their way to the reservoir. When they got there the cars parked in a semicircle and started blasting music. The drinking began. Followed by the smoking. Then the dancing started. Before you knew it people were hooking up. No cops were called. Not a single car even drove by them. It truly was glorious. No one was ready for this level of awesomeness. Everyone was glad they came. It was a legendary night.

From there the legend of the reservoir grew. It became the go to party destination every weekend. The parties only got bigger and bigger. At first is was just Joe's social club. Then the basketball team started coming. Then the soccer team. Then other social clubs. Before long there would be a hundred people at the reservoir every Friday and Saturday. Students would have their friends visit from other colleges just to bring them to reservoir parties, they were that electric. The legend of Joe, Ronnie, and Nina grew to epic proportions.

Luckily, there was never really a mess to clean up. Everyone cleaned up after themselves. They knew it was in their best interest to keep the grounds clean. The less suspicion that they arose the longer the reservoir would be a viable party destination. But then the weather got cold and midterms started. As a result the parties became less and less epic. The reservoir transformed from a party destination to more of a low key chill spot for stressed students needing peace. Something about water always seems to inspire peace and mental clarity. One night Joe, Ronnie, and Nina rented a Zipcar to drive out there to smoke some weed.

"You remember the first time we came out here dude?" asked Ronnie.
"Yeah man. That was epic. The start of some great times," replied Joe.
"What happened to those parties?" asked Ronnie.
"It got cold, people got busy. It happens," interjected Nina.
"Yeah, nothing can be great forever. That's life," added Joe.
"Those really were some great times though," said Ronnie.
"Legendary," added Joe.
"The reservoir will rise again, mark my words," said Nina.
"Like a Phoenix," added Ronnie.
"Let's get out of here guys, I'm cold and the weed is done," said Joe.

They started their drive back to campus. Ronnie chose to drive out of the reservoir via a different route than they usually did.

"Why are you going this way?" asked Nina.
"It should be fine, it all grass anyway," replied Ronnie.

It was not fine, Ronnie drove straight into a ditch. He tried to reverse out of it but the car wouldn't move. They all got out of the car and tried to push it backwards but the car was too heavy and the ditch too steep. They were stuck.

"Dude, what do we do?" asked Joe.
"I don't know, I think I have to call AAA or something," replied Ronnie.
"I told you not to go out that way," added Nina.
"Ok well I thought there was a way out this way," said Ronnie.
"You think a lot of things," said Nina.

Ronnie called AAA and a pick up truck was on the way. It would take at least a half an hour for it to get there.

"I think you guys should go. I don't know how much trouble we are going to be in but there's no point in all of us getting in trouble," offered Ronnie.
"It's so dark, what if we get murdered on the walk back?" asked Nina.
"I wont let you get murdered Nina," offered Joe.
"Promise me you wont let me get murdered," said Nina.
"I promise I wont let you get murdered. Ronnie, you sure you'll be ok?" asked Joe.
"Yeah I'll be fine, you guys go ahead. This could take hours and its cold. I'll keep warm in the car," said Ronnie.
"Ok call us if anything goes wrong," said Joe as they started their walk back to campus.
"Will do bro," said Ronnie.

Nina and Joe started their walk back. It was pitch black so they used the flashlight on their phones for light. The road had trees on both sides but there were no driveways or turns. No houses, just a road.

"Dude I'm scared," said Nina.
"Me too," said Joe.
"I'm too young to die."
"We just have to get to the main road, it should be another 15 minutes or so."

Something made a noise in the trees.

"Did you hear that?" asked an alarmed Nina.
"Yeah, what do you think it was?" replied Joe.
"Hopefully not an axe murderer."
"I'd be more scared of a wolf or snake then I would be other people."
"Don't say that! I'm scared enough as it is."

They picked up the pace and started holding hands. They probably had nothing to worry about but they were terrified. Perhaps it had something to do with the weed they just smoked.

"It's all going to be ok, we're going to get back home safe and laugh about this in the morning," offered Joe.
"I never thought I'd miss the campus this much," said Nina.
"Yeah me neither. It really is a great campus."
"It's so warm and awesome. And we have so much fun there!"
"Yeah, I'm gonna kiss the ground when we get there."
"That's gross Joe."
"I don't care, when you love something you show it."
"Ok, I don't love it that much."

A little while later they saw the main road. They were so happy to see the road that they started running. It was still a mile till campus but once they were on the main road they were a lot calmer. This road was much better lit. The walk back from that point on went by quickly. The second they reached campus Joe got on his knees and kissed the pavement. Nina rolled her eyes. They went back to Joe's dorm room and waited for Ronnie to return. When Ronnie walked in the dorm building he was instantly met with a hug from Nina and Joe.

"We though you died!" said Nina as they were in the group hug.
"Nah, AAA got there like 40 minutes later and it was all good. They pulled the car out and there was no damage. It's actually all covered by Zipcar so I only had to pay the late deposit fee," said Ronnie.
"Wait, so you're telling me we got of scot-free?" asked Joe.
"Yeah, basically," said Ronnie.
"God is good," said Nina.

They were almost no ramifications for their exploits that night at the reservoir. Even though this was a very minor hurdle, they all felt as if they had cheated death. Ah the dramatics of youth. They went back to their regular college lives. The story of that night was known by everyone on campus within a few days. Ronnie even told his mentor.

"Wow you guys really ran with that reservoir," said his mentor during one of their sessions.
"Yeah, thank you so much for the tip. We had a lot of fun there," said Joe.
"Yes of course. That's what mentors are for," he said with a smile.
"That takes me back to my old partying days. You know, the field parties really were the best. The only thing better was a dorm crawl."
"What's a dorm crawl?" asked an intrigued Joe.