Can't Imagine
06.
It was 7 o’clock at night when Lucy’s phone started ringing. She had fallen asleep shortly after finishing her homework and eating dinner with her mom. She awoke from her nap when she heard the second call and sleepily answered her phone. “Hello?” she asked. In the background of the call she could hear many voices having several different conversations.
“Hey! It’s Mike. I was wondering if you wanted to stop by for a bit. We’re having a couple of people over tonight.” He asked her, hopefully. In fear that Lucy might feel weird by his forwardness, since he had only just met her and he was already asking her to hang out again, he made sure to add, “We don’t want this being a sausage fest, you know?”
Lucy suddenly got a tight feeling in her chest. Being around people, especially a bunch of people she doesn’t know tends to be a little rigorous for her. Just as she was about to turn down his offer she thought about it a second more. What did she have to lose? Even if she embarrassed herself at his party, it would still be a better story than the fact she napped all night. “Yeah, sure. But I have to be home at 11:30.” She had quickly realized after last night that Mike and Vic did not have curfews. In fact, Lucy was not even sure if they had any rules at all, or if they even had parents.
“Lame! Okay, I’ll see you soon then.” He answered. Without waiting for a response he quickly hung up the phone.
Mike knew Cassie was not going to like the fact that he invited a random girl over to his house for a get together. Cassie used to always be with him at their hangouts. However, today was the third time this week that Cassie had told Mike she couldn’t hang out with him. He wasn’t going to sit around and wait for her anymore. It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong anyway, he really was just inviting over a new friend. His intentions were honestly nothing but innocent. She was just a good person and that’s something Mike could use more of in his life.
When Lucy pulled up to Mike’s house her stomach instantly dropped. What Mike had made seem like a small get together turned out to be a driveway full of cars. There were so many there that Lucy had to park her car on the street along with several others. Lucy walked up to his door timidly and knocked. She could hear on the other side of the door that music was blaring. After the third knock she just decided her best bet was to open the door.
On the other side of the door there stood about thirty people in Mike and Vic’s tiny house. It was safe to say they were already at capacity. Lucy took one look around the room and saw no familiar faces. Her cheeks instantly flushed, but her embarrassment went unnoticed. The music was loud and most people had already been drinking, she wasn’t even sure if anyone had seen her walk through the door. Lucy decided that she would do a quick scope around the party and look for Mike. If she didn’t find him it was her best bet to go home. Surely that the cops were going to come for a noise complaint soon, anyway.
Lucy went throughout the entire house looking for Mike to no avail. She finally found their backdoor where people were entering in and out of. This was the last place she was going to check before she gave up. “You look lost.” Someone suddenly interrupted her search. A tall boy stood beside her, yelling over the music to get her attention.
Lucy gave an awkward laugh. “I’m not lost, I’m just looking for someone.”
The guy smiled, “Who are ya looking for? I know almost everyone here.”
“Mike?” she asked.
He thought for a moment and then answered, “I think he’s on the roof. Do you want me to take you up there?”
Lucy look at him incredulously. “On the roof?”
The guy laughed at her. “Yes, Mike and his brother like to smoke up there.”
“Oh, okay.” She chuckled, lightheartedly. Lucy definitely felt out of place here. The random dude she just met, now started walking in front of her. He led her to the side of the house where there was a tree.
“You don’t mind climbing a tree to get up there, do you?” he asked.
“I guess not.” She said.
Lucy followed up the tree after him, pulling herself up onto the branch and then carefully stepping off onto the roof. Honestly, she had never been on a roof before. She never realized how high up it actually was.
As soon as she stepped onto the roof she spotted Mike and Vic and two other people sitting up there. Vic looked over and gave the boy who had led Lucy to the roof a dark glare. “Dude! Did you just give away our super-secret hideout?”
The boy laughed, “Hey, don’t blame me, she said she was looking for Mike. Anyway, she doesn’t look like a narc, so I think your secret is still safe.” The boy smiled. Mike turned around and when he saw Lucy he stood up.
“Hey! I wasn’t sure if you’d actually come! You can come sit with us.” He made room for her and then sat back down. The boy who had led Lucy up to the roof turned gave a salute to Vic and made his way down the tree and back into the house.
“Do you smoke?” Vic asked. Lucy hesitated before she answered and Vic shook his head, “It’s alright if you don’t. Do you mind if we do, though?”
“No, that’s fine.” She said with a slight smile. She looked around the circle as Vic passed a pipe to Mike. Lucy had never seen anyone get high before. There were two more people sitting with them. One was a girl who laid down flat against the shingles and looked up to the sky, the other was a boy with a Pikachu shirt and glasses who she recognized from school.
The circle she sat in was pretty quiet while they passed the pipe around to each other. After the pipe had made a few circles, the boy with glasses finally announced that they had cashed their last bowl. Lucy quickly looked up to Mike. His eye were glazed over, but he smiled down at her. “You don’t drink, right?” he questioned.
“I never have,” she giggled, already feeling like this was the wrong answer.
“I think you’re insane.” He shook his head, “But since that’s the case, do you wanna chill in my room? I’m way to high right now for this party.” He laughed.
“Hey! It’s Mike. I was wondering if you wanted to stop by for a bit. We’re having a couple of people over tonight.” He asked her, hopefully. In fear that Lucy might feel weird by his forwardness, since he had only just met her and he was already asking her to hang out again, he made sure to add, “We don’t want this being a sausage fest, you know?”
Lucy suddenly got a tight feeling in her chest. Being around people, especially a bunch of people she doesn’t know tends to be a little rigorous for her. Just as she was about to turn down his offer she thought about it a second more. What did she have to lose? Even if she embarrassed herself at his party, it would still be a better story than the fact she napped all night. “Yeah, sure. But I have to be home at 11:30.” She had quickly realized after last night that Mike and Vic did not have curfews. In fact, Lucy was not even sure if they had any rules at all, or if they even had parents.
“Lame! Okay, I’ll see you soon then.” He answered. Without waiting for a response he quickly hung up the phone.
Mike knew Cassie was not going to like the fact that he invited a random girl over to his house for a get together. Cassie used to always be with him at their hangouts. However, today was the third time this week that Cassie had told Mike she couldn’t hang out with him. He wasn’t going to sit around and wait for her anymore. It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong anyway, he really was just inviting over a new friend. His intentions were honestly nothing but innocent. She was just a good person and that’s something Mike could use more of in his life.
When Lucy pulled up to Mike’s house her stomach instantly dropped. What Mike had made seem like a small get together turned out to be a driveway full of cars. There were so many there that Lucy had to park her car on the street along with several others. Lucy walked up to his door timidly and knocked. She could hear on the other side of the door that music was blaring. After the third knock she just decided her best bet was to open the door.
On the other side of the door there stood about thirty people in Mike and Vic’s tiny house. It was safe to say they were already at capacity. Lucy took one look around the room and saw no familiar faces. Her cheeks instantly flushed, but her embarrassment went unnoticed. The music was loud and most people had already been drinking, she wasn’t even sure if anyone had seen her walk through the door. Lucy decided that she would do a quick scope around the party and look for Mike. If she didn’t find him it was her best bet to go home. Surely that the cops were going to come for a noise complaint soon, anyway.
Lucy went throughout the entire house looking for Mike to no avail. She finally found their backdoor where people were entering in and out of. This was the last place she was going to check before she gave up. “You look lost.” Someone suddenly interrupted her search. A tall boy stood beside her, yelling over the music to get her attention.
Lucy gave an awkward laugh. “I’m not lost, I’m just looking for someone.”
The guy smiled, “Who are ya looking for? I know almost everyone here.”
“Mike?” she asked.
He thought for a moment and then answered, “I think he’s on the roof. Do you want me to take you up there?”
Lucy look at him incredulously. “On the roof?”
The guy laughed at her. “Yes, Mike and his brother like to smoke up there.”
“Oh, okay.” She chuckled, lightheartedly. Lucy definitely felt out of place here. The random dude she just met, now started walking in front of her. He led her to the side of the house where there was a tree.
“You don’t mind climbing a tree to get up there, do you?” he asked.
“I guess not.” She said.
Lucy followed up the tree after him, pulling herself up onto the branch and then carefully stepping off onto the roof. Honestly, she had never been on a roof before. She never realized how high up it actually was.
As soon as she stepped onto the roof she spotted Mike and Vic and two other people sitting up there. Vic looked over and gave the boy who had led Lucy to the roof a dark glare. “Dude! Did you just give away our super-secret hideout?”
The boy laughed, “Hey, don’t blame me, she said she was looking for Mike. Anyway, she doesn’t look like a narc, so I think your secret is still safe.” The boy smiled. Mike turned around and when he saw Lucy he stood up.
“Hey! I wasn’t sure if you’d actually come! You can come sit with us.” He made room for her and then sat back down. The boy who had led Lucy up to the roof turned gave a salute to Vic and made his way down the tree and back into the house.
“Do you smoke?” Vic asked. Lucy hesitated before she answered and Vic shook his head, “It’s alright if you don’t. Do you mind if we do, though?”
“No, that’s fine.” She said with a slight smile. She looked around the circle as Vic passed a pipe to Mike. Lucy had never seen anyone get high before. There were two more people sitting with them. One was a girl who laid down flat against the shingles and looked up to the sky, the other was a boy with a Pikachu shirt and glasses who she recognized from school.
The circle she sat in was pretty quiet while they passed the pipe around to each other. After the pipe had made a few circles, the boy with glasses finally announced that they had cashed their last bowl. Lucy quickly looked up to Mike. His eye were glazed over, but he smiled down at her. “You don’t drink, right?” he questioned.
“I never have,” she giggled, already feeling like this was the wrong answer.
“I think you’re insane.” He shook his head, “But since that’s the case, do you wanna chill in my room? I’m way to high right now for this party.” He laughed.