Golden Because We're Alive

Friday. It had finally arrived. I couldn’t think of any better day. Things weren’t crazy any more, and school had already let out for our Christmas break. Tyler had confirmed that he was going to be able to go to the Christmas party that was being thrown that night.

Tyler met me at my house prior to the party. He brought along one of the people considered to be his best friend, Brad Marchand. We had met only a few times before in the past few months as Tyler and I got closer to one another. The three of us left for Tony’s house after a short time in my living room.

“Aren’t high school parties boring?” asked Brad.

I laughed thinking of the images I had seen of the two in the car with me after they had won the Cup.

“Compared to what you’re used to, probably. How can we compare to guys who drop 600 Grand on bar tab?” I retorted.

The boys laughed as we parked. No more comments were made about how high school parties were boring. Tony had his house to himself as his parents were at some party being thrown by the Fitzgeralds at the Pub. The night was young, and only the party could make things even better.

“Emily, you came!” yelled Rachel from across the room.

The girl pushed her way to me to the three of us. Tyler snaked his arm around my waist as the three of us grew into four and then five as Tony approached.

Holiday music mixed with the dance and pop music that was being played. The drink selection ranged from egg nog to vodka. Brad got distracted by a girl that had graduated with the class ahead of mine, and he left Tyler and me alone after Rachel and Tony made their exit.

“Any bets on how long it will be before he isn’t wearing his shirt?” smirked Tyler. I shook my head as my date ended up walking away to go get something to drink. As the designated driver, though crashing at Tony’s was always on the table for things that I could do, I was restraining myself from drinking at the party.

Tony bumped me with his elbow as he walked past. I smiled at the boy and followed him as he motioned for me to join him. I questioned why he wasn’t with Rachel, but it could have been asked why I wasn’t with Tyler. I guessed that my boy was off with Brad elsewhere in the house. It wouldn’t have surprised me one bit.

“Have you seen Rachel?” asked Tony as he walked out to the back porch of his house.

“I haven’t seen her since I got here. Maybe she left?” I offered up.

She couldn’t have left. I had seen her coat on the banister when we left the living room. Perhaps my best friend had just locked herself in the bathroom like she did at last year’s Valentine’s Day party. No one would be surprised by this again. Though Tony had mentioned seeing someone walk out of the downstairs bathroom before getting me, and I thought I had seen someone walk into it as we passed it.

“I’m sure she’ll show up at some point. SO does your offer of crashing here still stand?” I asked to fill the silence.

Tony drew in a deep breath and nodded. He followed me back into the kitchen. We stood staring at each other and taking sips of the egg nog that had been left out on the counter. It wasn’t my preference but, I was willing to force it down just for the rum.

“Wanna help me look for Emily? Or Tyler?” inquired Tyler after a considerable amount of time without seeing either of them.

“Sure,” I replied putting down the half empty cup of spiked egg nog. Looking for them had to be more entertaining than just standing here staring at one another. It almost felt like what we had been like when he and Rachel started dating. We would look at each other and just size one another up before doing anything else.

There was no sign of them on the first floor, but we did manage to find Brad and his shirt in two separate spots. Tony and I shared nervous glances and made for the upper part of the house.

Only one rom had a closed door, and I could already feel the tears forming. Relationships were maybe not my thing. Tyler and Rachel could only be in one place now, and it didn’t bode well for me.

Tony gripped the doorknob and gave it a quick turn. A gasp came from the room. There they were. Barely clothed and in bed, but it was what I had been expecting. Getting cheated on just seemed to happen to me. I had expected better from Rachel. She never drank, and I figured that she would have had the decency not to cheat on her boyfriend with mine.

Tony slammed the door and pulled me into the room that was next to the one they were in. It was his room this time.

I sat on his bed numbed. The tears had stopped as quickly as they had started. Revenge was what I had done the last time I had been cheated on. I thought of it as Tony sat down on his bed next to me.

I turned and kissed him. Feeling him kiss back made me feel better. It was a better kiss than I had had with Tyler or Adam. I really did need this. I thought that things would be different. That was how things ended. A couple swap.

And that was that.