There’s a party at Cole Tabb’s house tonight. After playing some madden and hitting the gym with Chris Boddie I have dinner with Jason Brivenysky, Brock Stout and Nick Simmons and we hop into the car Brock ubered and take it to Tabb’s party. I’m wearing a plain white t-shirt from uniqlo, white air force ones, and a black sweater from nike. A black leather wallet from bosca nappa carries thirty dollars cash in the side pocket of my carhartt jeans. Instead of my usual apple watch, I’ve borrowed my father’s seiko diver for the night.
Nine o’clock. I wander aimlessly around the hallways of Tabb’s house, bored, sipping a mixture of red bull and vodka from a red solo cup, chewing on some gum, vaguely searching for Chris Boddie. Instead of finding him I bump into Kelly by the kitchen. She’s wearing black flare leggings, a tight long sleeve orange crop top, and white air force ones. She looks really good. The speakers in the living room play Transportin’ by Kodak Black.
“Don’t talk to Katy Demers. She wants you.” She says, smiling at Alexis Cuchran’s phone, which is most likely videotaping.
“Okay. You look good.” I say, touching her neck. I run my finger up over her chin until it reaches her bottom lip.
“I’m not joking.” She looks across the room and waves to Katy Demers, who’s talking to Kendall Murray in the hall. I follow her gaze. Katy’s wearing jeans and an oversized sweater. She waves back to us. I flash her a thumbs up.
“I’m leaving.” I say, finishing my drink. I place the cup on the kitchen counter.
“Where are you going?” She asks, grabbing onto me as I push through the crowd.
“I’m just going.” I respond, lifting her hand off my arm.
“But where?” She pleads. “Details please.”
“Why are you so concerned?”
“I’m concerned because I want to know.” She says. “You aren’t going to talk to Katy, are you?”
“No, of course not. I’m just going.” I lie, pushing her away from me. She finally stops following me and I ditch her by the stairs.
The speakers go silent for a moment and again resume their barrage of noise, this time taking the form of Pinata by City Girls. I find myself outside, on the back porch. I start scanning the area for girls. Instead, Josh Lauderback daps me up and tells me to be at his party next week. I pat him on the shoulder and reassure him that I’ll be there. He smiles and leans against the railing.
I’m in the process of sharing a beer with Josh when Katy Demer approaches us. She says something about having gotten me a drink and I smile at her. Katy sets my cup on the railing and stands beside me. Josh Lauderback finishes the beer, throwing the empty glass bottle into the pitch black yard. He reminds me of his party, daps me up, and leaves me and Katy alone on the porch. She smiles and leans in for a kiss.
Midnight. Chris Boddie and I are sharing a backseat with two blonde girls, both cheerleaders for our rival high school. Melissa is wearing a pair of black nike pros and a revealing white halter top. The other girl is wearing black leggings and a blue crop top. The stereo plays at an absurd volume, making all conversation impossible.
“You can drop me off at York and 7th.” I shout at Grant Boehm, who’s driving. He nods at me in the rearview mirror.
I step out of the car after Melissa. She’s hotter than the cheerleader Boddie got but her tits are a little smaller. We walk down 7th. It’s only three blocks to her place and she unlocks the back door for me to sneak in with her. Up in her room, I begin undressing, starting with my shoes. She sits on her bed and watches me.
“My ex, from the game last week, he couldn’t figure out what I was doing talking to you at the party tonight.”
I’m not really listening but while pulling my shirt off I manage a response. “Oh, really? How come?”
“He said…” She laughs. “He said you gave him bad vibes.”
I sigh and flex my right arm in her mirror. “That’s… too bad.”
I feel her eyes on me so I glance over at her for a moment. She shrugs, not moving her eyes from my body, and casually admits. “He used to beat me up.”
I strike a different pose, flexing my chest.
“You think I’m dumb, don’t you?” She asks, still staring at my body. She must be really really drunk.
“No,” I say, trying to stop a smirk from forming on my face. “I really don’t.”
“You do. I can tell.”
“I think you are…” She looks at me with anticipation as my voice trails off. “ I think you are totally brilliant and smart and charming.”
“That’s nice.” She says, kicking her shoes off. “You’re nice. I like you.”
“Thanks.” I take my pants off and fold them neatly, placing them on the floor near the foot of her bed. I pause and look at her as she pulls her shoes off.
She looks up at me standing there, in just my Calvin Klein boxer briefs.
I’m at a loss. The air is thickening around me and I start to asphyxiate. Choking, I manage to say something. “Does my hair look okay?”
“Yeah.” She shrugs. “Sure.”
Half past one. Melissa and I are lying on opposite sides of the bed. A condom lies on her nightstand, tied and freshly used. I text my mother, notifying her that I’m spending the night at Katy’s house. I place my phone down beside the condom. I stagger out of the bed and start to dress. Once my pants are on, I reach across the bed and touch her shoulder.
“I think I should go.”
She opens her eyes and scratches her neck. “Okay, sure. I didn’t want to get too involved anyways.”
“I think something bad is about to happen.” I find my shirt on the floor and pull it over my head.
“I understand.”
“I don’t think you do.” I say, picking up my shoes. I stare at her eyes and quietly creep out into the hall.