Don't Stop Now

I threw on a baggy tank top and my favorite denim shorts. This outfit was my ‘I don’t really give a fuck’ outfit and the guys never questioned it. My hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and the only makeup I had on was eyeliner and mascara. I turned to the clock which read 8:30 pm and heard the guys shouting out my window. It was John, Garrett, Jared, Kenny, Pat, Gary, Peter, Halvo, and Tim. They were all sitting back, talking, like old times. I grabbed my phone and left to the backyard.

“Whoa, looking a bit easy, Nor.” John said, in a low voice as he passed by me. I punched him hard on his bicep and heard him cry out afterward. As I walked over to the guys, I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and went to go sit on Tim’s lap.

“When are we leaving to Max’s?” I asked. I looked across the circle and smiled at Garrett. He winked and sunk low in his chair. Tim looked at me and before he said something, I heard Max’s voice. “I’m right here Norah!”

I turned my head to look behind Tim’s and saw Max facing the fence, taking a piss. He stuck his hand out and waved at me. I laughed and pulled out my phone to take a picture.

“That’s so going on Twitpic.” As soon as I sent it, the guys pulled out their own phones and checked for my tweet. Three, two, one… and the guys started laughing hysterically.

Tim turned his head and shouted, “Bro, you’ve been doing that for at least 3 minutes already. Get your ass to the bathroom!”

Pat and Garrett were leaning towards each other and everyone else was looking at Max.

“So… we’re not going back to his house?” I asked, curiously.

They all shook their heads. “We’re just staying in.”

“But you guys take off tomorrow afternoon. You guys always go to Max’s house before setting off to whatever.” I said. I heard myself make no sense in that last sentence. The guys looked at me weirdly, except Garrett.

Garrett said, “Norah just wants us to have fun. And she wants to join us.”

Tim laughed and patted my back. “Norah is not drinking tonight. She needs to work on the display because Vito fucked it up.”

“Yo guys, Grandma Kirch is here.” John said as he walked out way. Everyone got up because whenever she was around, we all had to go greet here. Every one of our friends loved Grandma Kirch. She loves the company and they loved her pumpkin pie. As Max ran inside, I was left outside with Garrett, who was still sunk down in his chair. I was now standing up since Tim wanted to go say hello. I walked over to Garrett and sat on his lap.

“Hey beautiful,” he whispered into my ear. I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled. “What do you want to do for the rest of the night?” I asked him, placing my hand over his.

”We can stay here and chill with your grandma.”

I picked up my head and laughed. “Whatever,” I laced our fingers together, before resting my head on his shoulder again, “I thought you wanted to do other stuff.”

“What?”

“You’re such a dumbass.”

Garrett laughed and kissed the side of my face. “I love you.”

Afterward, we walked inside the house to greet my grandma. I saw her sitting on the sofa with all the guys surrounding her. She was smiling her toothy smile and laughing as she told them stories. I felt myself smile as I walked towards her from behind and draping my arms over her shoulders. She picked up her head and instantly, her face beamed.

“Oh, my beautiful granddaughter, I missed you.” She said, placing both of her hands on the sides of my face and kissing them repeatedly.

I laughed. “Grandma, I saw you last Thursday.” She rolled her eyes and flashed me a smile before turning back to the guys to continue her story.

Garrett hung his arm over my shoulder as we walked to my room. “You’re grandma is so badass.” I chuckled softly as I shook my head, locking my fingers with his.

As we entered my room, he locked the door behind him and fell onto my bed with me. His hands held me tight at my waist and our faces were merely, and always, centimeters apart. My lips brushed against his and then placed kisses alongside his jaw line. Garrett shut his eyes and smiled as I let my love kiss upon his skin.

I felt Garrett’s hands run all over my back and I didn’t mind it at all, even though it gave me the chills. I giggled and then he picked up his head and asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” I said, laughing and pulling one of my blankets and covering our bodies with it. He grinned and just lied back down, resting his arm underneath my neck and his other lying across my stomach. I shifted my body to the side and cradled my head into the side of his neck. It was times like these that made me feel infinite.

Garrett whispered, “Norah?”

“Yeah?” I replied, staring up at the ceiling. My recessed lights were dimmed and since it was nearly 9 o’clock, there wasn’t much light coming from outside. But I didn’t care.

“I love you.”

Simple as that, I thought. Garrett was definitely a keeper.

I smiled to myself and then picked up my head to look at him. Softly, I pressed my lips against his and kissed him until I felt his lips curve upward into a smile. We both parted our mouths slightly and then pulled away quickly when the guys were pounding on my door.

“LET US IN NORAH, LET US IN!”

I shook my head and jumped off my head, unlocking my door and opening it. The guys, Kennedy, Jared, John, and Halvo, were leaning against the door post and just standing right in front of it in general. They all walked into my room and sat down on my best next to Garrett.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked, grinning.

Kennedy rested his back on a pile of pillows and said, “We’re gonna go buy some drinks. And since Tim doesn’t let you drink much, we wanted to know if you wanted us to buy you something.”

My face lit up. These boys definitely knew me. All those years of yelling and getting annoying of them paid off in the end; they’re amazing best friends.

“What are you guys going to get?

John looked up from his phone and answered, “Jack Daniels, Corona’s, and Jameson for Jared.”

“I hate all of those.” I shook my head and stuck my tongue out at the guys. “Just get me some Skyy Raspberry, please.”

The guys groaned after I said that. They hated going to the store and buying girly drinks for me, but it was also really fun to do. Ever since they turned 21, they would always ask me what I’d want and I would always tell them something girly.

“Are you serious? We always buy you girly ass drinks, Norah. Come on and drink like the big dogs!” John said, getting up lifting his arms in the air.

“NOOO! I’m not going to get drunk with you guys!” I replied, pulling off my scared little girl voice. I jumped on my bed and cuddled next to Kenny and Garrett. Jared who was sitting at the foot of my bed said, “I’m not pressuring you into drinking hard liquor Nor. If John ends up making you, I’ll kick his ass. Promise.”

I smiled and nodded my head. “I’m not giving in to peer fucking pressure, John Ohh!”

“Fine!” He said, in his girl voice. “We’re just going to get our liquor and then get your raspberry iced tea and have a bonfire outside, alright?”

“Raspberry vodka, you ass.” I said.

John nodded his head and walked towards the door. Kennedy and Jared followed him out and left Garrett and I by ourselves. I laughed after what had just happened. John loved acting like a badass with his hard liquor; he loved getting drunk. And it was always fun to watch him run around the backyard with no clothes on.

Garrett whispered, “I thought you quit drinking?”

“Nah, that was only when Tim was around and whenever we were on the bus. I always got headaches after one drink while we were on the road.” I replied, kissing his cheek.

“I bet we’re all going to have major hangovers in the morning,” he laughed.

“Mhm, but trust me, it’s all going to be worth it. This is life; we get drunk, we head out and you guys do your thing… just know that I’m always right there; your guys’ number one fan.”

Garrett smiled and kissed my lips once again. Then we headed outside to the backyard to get everything set up. We carried out the portable fire place from the storage area and put it in the middle of the yard. We grabbed the chairs that were left out from earlier and placed them around the fire pit. Pat came out and helped us; he lit a match and threw it in to start the fire. The three of us sat in the chairs and waited for the guys.

“Are you guys together?” Pat asked us, out of the blue.

I looked over to Garrett who looked back at me and then to Pat.

“Dude, you’re my best friend, practically my brother… I’d tell you if that was really happening or not.”

“And Pat, you ARE my brother! Of course I’d tell you if I was dating Garrett.” I said.

Pat nodded his head and smiled. “It’s okay. I approve of this. I knew you two always liked each other. And besides, I’ll never forget the night you told me you loved him, Norah.”

“Thank you. I love you Pat.” I replied and before we knew it, the guys were back with bags full of alcohol. They had huge smiles on their faces and as they came closer to the fire, they pulled themselves a seat and pulled out the bottles.

“This is going to be a fun night, right guys!?” John said excitedly.
And that was exactly how it turned out. It was a great night. We got so drunk to the point where we didn’t remember our names. The night sky was star-filled and all I remember was lying on the grass, staring up at them with Garrett by my side. John’s laughter and Halvo’s amusing comments kept us all laughing until we fell asleep. We all finished the bottles of liquor and thanks to my mom who brought out blankets and sleeping bags for us to sleep in. It was fun night consisting of John, Garrett, Kennedy, Jared, Pat, Halvo, Tim, and I. One of the nights I’ll always remember.

“I love you guys,” John kept repeating that line until we fell asleep for real.

One of the nights I’ll always remember…