I really enjoyed thinking back on these true events and I hope you enjoy it as well. This story is a bit more gentle than some of my other ones.
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I nodded my head and pretended to be interested as Lyndsey explained why this weekend's party was going to be better than last weekend's, and the weekend's before that, and the one before that. It's not that they weren't fun, they were, but it was hard to get excited from week to week as whoever's parents weren't going to be home got a chance to play host and pretend their ability to get a keg and play music was so much more awesome than the last person's ability to complete those tasks.
After Lyndsey stopped her rambling I stood at my locker a moment longer letting her move along, I didn't want to walk with her to my next class.
"Sounds fun"
I almost dropped my Chemistry book. Simon hadn't spoken to me in months, and maybe only once or twice all year. It was so awkward, we had grown up down the street from each other, we had played together on playgrounds, learned to ride bikes together, and pushed each other on the swings. Once we got to high school we went different directions, I was athlete, soccer and track, he got involved in drama (the school play, not teenage kid drama) and debate club. Some of my friends didn't really get along with his, and we eventually stopped talking. The fact that our last names were so similar kept our lockers next to each other. That meant we could never escape that awkwardness.
"Ummm ya, it'll be OK" I responded. He kept looking at me like he expected me to say more.
"Well ummmm, do you have plans for the weekend?" I asked to fill the silence.
"Well, actually ya, I do. It's my birthday, a couple of friends are coming over Friday night." He replied.
"Oh wow, ummm your birthday is Friday, Happy Birthday." I said with a bit less enthusiasm than I probably should have.
"No, people are coming over to my house Friday, today is actually my birthday."
Fuck, this was getting really uncomfortable. "Oh well happy birthday." I reply, at this point I would have been happy if an asteroid had struck me to end this conversation.
"Well I should get to class." He then paused, "but if you wanted to come over that would be great. Bring anyone you want." With that he gave me a genuine smile and walked away. He really was a nice guy, I wished I had made more of an effort to stay friends with him.
His house was six down and across the street from mine still. I could have walked through it in the pitch black and found my way easily despite not having been inside in years. I closed my locker and headed to class.
Thursday evening Lyndsey sent me some texts, she was so excited. It took me a few minutes to realize that this meant that she had a thing for this weekends host, a baseball player named Clint. Clint was a bit of a prick. He liked to grab my ass in the hall and act like it was hysterical. I wasn't flattering myself, he did it to a lot of other girls too.
It wasn't long after when I got my first text from Clint. It was to myself and about 15 other girls from school. It read:
"Rules for Friday:
1- No beer for girls in one pieces, BIKINIS ONLY
2- House rules for beer pong, You get shut out you streak, no exceptions!
3- Don't come if you're gonna pretend to have a boyfriend"
He was so gross, even worse than most of the guys.
The next day at school I was at my locker again when Clint appeared.
"I sent you a text, you got any questions?"
I looked at this prick and couldn't believe the balls on this guy. Did I have any questions about his requirements for his shit party? When I glanced away from him I noticed Simon looking at us from a distance. He didn't even want to come over to his locker when this moron was around. Then Clint actually snapped his fingers at me.
"You hear me? You got it? I want this party to be epic!"
I look him in the eye, and said "Hey Simon, that invitation for tonight still stand? I'd love to come."
I heard Simon clear his throat, clearly surprised to be addressed. "Umm ya of course."
Clint looked baffled, "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Sorry Clinty boy, I made other plans." I then turned and walked away. I wish I had come up with something better then "Clinty boy".
The rest of the day I debated if I really wanted to go to Simon's, maybe I should just not do anything. I knew who his friend's were, but I didn't actually know them, I felt like it would be an entire evening just like conversation we had the other day.
At the end of the day Kelly was waiting from me outside of my last class. Kelly was on the track team with me, she threw the shot put and discuss. She was very cute, but her large frame didn't attract much attention from the guys at school.
"I heard you're not going to Clint's tonight." She said.
"Ya just not in the mood, I think I'm gonna just stay in."
She stopped, "Oh I thought you were going to go to Simon's."
"Ummmm I thought about it, wait, do you know Simon?"
"Well I kind of know him but I do know his friend Sam." She trailed off.
I had never really considered who Kelly might have a thing for, but this made sense, Sam and Kelly had a few classes together. I had noticed they had become Facebook friends last week.
"Do you want to go to Simon's?" I asked while while nudging her side with my elbow, teasing her a little bit.
"I kind of do, but I can't go by myself, it would be weird."