My First and Last College Party
A night to forget
“Come on, come on! We’re going to be late,” I urged my friend Justin, who took his sweet time dressing up.
He emerged from the bathroom moments later wearing a pair of jeans and a dress shirt with floral designs. He puffed his chest and folded his sleeves. “Relax, will you? Nobody cares if you’re late to a party.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t get it, Just. I like this girl, and I want to make a good impression. Besides, if I came early, a certain someone might not be there yet, giving me a chance to talk to her alone.”
“You mean her boyfriend?” Justin replied, spraying his neck with cologne. He shot me a serious look. “Ryan, please don’t tell me she’s the main reason we’re even going to this party . . .”
I lowered my gaze and fiddled with the zipper of my leather jacket. “. . . What’s so wrong about that?”
Justin groaned and pulled on my collar with the tips of his fingers like it was the grossest thing he had ever touched. “Then you could’ve at least picked better clothes, friend. You look like you’re on a mission to find John Connor.”
I flexed my arm and felt the fabric tighten around my bicep. “Well, here’s hoping all those dumbbell curls in the gym paid off.”
The party was in a house just a short drive from campus, so we took Justin’s new sedan, which he got for graduation. Considering I practically forced him to accompany me that evening, the least I could do was let him use his car so he could leave anytime. That, and endure his interrogation during the drive. “So, what’s this party anyway? Are you sure we’re really invited?”
“Of course!” I replied, nudging his arm. “Would I have forced you to go if we weren’t?”
Justin gave me a side glance. “What did she say exactly?”
I brought out my phone and read aloud her text. “The party is open-invite. Lots of people are going to be there. It’s going to be fun!”
Justin slammed on the brakes, causing me to jerk forward in my seat. “Seriously!? That’s it? You told me she invited you personally!”
I pointed to my phone. “Uhm, yeah! That’s what I just read out loud. ‘Open-invite’, ‘It’s going to be fun’, Jen was clearly hinting that she wanted me there.”
Justin pressed his temples and asked, “Ryan, how did you even get to the topic in the first place?”
I looked ahead. In the distance, I saw a small crowd gathering by a two-story house with lasers and bright lights shooting out its windows. We were nearing our destination. “I asked her about it.”
“Oh my god,” Justin replied, the annoyance in his voice becoming evident. “Let’s examine this for a bit, shall we? Let’s pretend that you and I are hosting a party. If a random person approached and asked you about it, how would you respond?”
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew what Justin was getting at. But he didn’t know about the relationship Jen and I had. He didn’t know about the countless texts we exchanged or the study dates we would go on. He didn’t know that out of all the intelligent people in our accounting class, she would choose me as her exercise partner. Our chemistry was unmatched, and we never had a dull moment together. The only problem was she was already with someone else.
I started to grumble, the sound matching the purr of the car’s engine. “Probably the same way,” I replied, crossing my arms.
“You see my point?” Justin replied. Despite being focused on the road ahead, I could sense him staring at me with a smug look on his face. “But, whatever, we’re here now. So what’s the plan?”
I sighed. “It’s not much of a plan, but rather a series of events that I hope will happen tonight.”
Justin stepped on the gas, drawing us closer to our destination. “Alright, spill it.”
“Well, first off,” I said. “I’ll probably say hi and meet her friends.”
Justin nodded. “Okaayy. And then?”
“Theeen, I get us drinks and invite her to dance.”
Justin glanced at me and raised his eyebrow. “Are we going to prom or something? You don’t invite someone to dance at a house party. You just do! Were you expecting a dance floor to appear in the living room?”
I averted my gaze as my cheeks grew warm. “N-No! Of course not. This may be my first time, but I know my stuff!”
In the corner of my eye, I could see Justin snickering. Despite knowing how much he would tease me that night, I still asked him to be my wingman because he was experienced. Out of all my friends, he was the only one who had been to parties before. “And then what?” he asked, stifling a laugh. “Will you pull her aside and tell her to leave her boyfriend and date you instead?”
I looked at him and shrugged. “I just might.”
Justin’s expression turned serious. He pulled up along the sidewalk just a few meters away from the house and said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, friend. You’re just going to get hurt.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt. “You don’t know that. Anything can happen.”
“Oh, I do, Ryan,” he replied, still holding onto the steering wheel. “I’ve seen this scenario play out many times before. It never ends well. You don’t want to be the guy who will break up a couple or the person who gets rejected at a party in front of everyone.”
I stared silently at our destination—the house just a stone’s throw away from where we parked. Sitting inside the car, I could hear the muffled sounds of people cheering and music blasting. What stood between me and my goal was a crowd of drunken college students and a confidence that was starting to wane as my friend’s words began to latch on to my thoughts.
Is he right? Am I making a mistake by going to this party? Was I just being delusional about Jen?
I was deep in thought when Justin sighed and said, “Listen. I know we got dressed up and drove all the way here, but say the word, and we can go back home. We can order some pizza and buy a case of beer. As your friend, I want to spare you from the coming pain.”
“You’re talking as if it’s guaranteed that I will get hurt,” I replied, turning to him. “How can you be so sure? Has this happened to you before?”
Justin pressed his lips. “The choice is yours, Ryan. I’ll stick with you no matter what.”
I brought out my phone and saw Jen’s message still on the screen. Her words egged me on to continue with my plan despite my friend’s caution. I was torn, but the voice in my heart grew louder and louder. “Screw it!” it said. “Take a risk and live with the consequences. That’s what college is all about.”
I looked at Justin in the eye and said, “Let’s head inside.”
I thought he would argue, but he simply nodded. “Okay. Let’s go, lover boy.”
As college parties would go, this had everything you would expect—drunk college students, a DJ blasting EDM over the speakers, and rows upon rows of booze. Justin and I weaved through the crowd until we reached the poolside at the back of the house. Everyone who was anyone was there, from star athletes to micro-influencers. If it weren’t for Justin, I would’ve immediately felt out of place.
I searched the crowd for Jen and spotted her hanging with her friends by a table of drinks just across the pool. Even from a distance, she looked as magnetic as the moment I met her. That evening, she wore jeans and a black tube top that showed off her elegant neckline. Her brown, wavy hair fell gracefully down her shoulders, perfectly framing her heart-shaped face. Her smile was brighter than any of the stars that came out that night, and she carried herself with such confidence that it was clear that she was in her element.
“There she is!” I said, pointing at Jen.
Justin whistled. “Man, she looks fine tonight.”
I grinned and said, “I know. She’s always been that beautiful.”
Like a moth to a flame, I carefully headed where Jen was. With each step, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I got within ten yards of her when I tried to wave to get her attention. But just as I was about to call her, someone bumped me from behind. I turned and saw a tall, broad-shouldered guy walk past me and wave in Jen’s direction. “Jen, sorry I’m late!” the man shouted in a deep voice.
Upon seeing the man, Jen’s face lit up. “Babe! It’s about time you showed up!” she said in a high-pitched voice, gesturing for the man to come over. He did so, and it wasn’t long until she jumped into his arms and kissed him.
I froze. My heart was in shambles, and my body had gone completely numb. Justin had to shake me out of my daze to keep me from falling into the pool. “Hey, let’s get out of here,” he said, stepping into my field of vision. “This party is dead anyway.” All I could do was nod as he pulled me away from the scene. I never thought my first college party would end with me holding back my tears as I rushed toward the exit.
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