These Four Words

It was finally Friday, the day of the party. The two friends had been able to convince Jared to DD for them and they were ready to prove the other wrong.

Sarah spent some extra time getting ready to impress Evan, but it was really her best friend she wanted to impress the most. She found herself doing that more and more often.

John, as per usual, didn’t care what he looked like. He figured he would just wear what he usually did to parties: a loose fitting shirt and a pair of skinny jeans with a hole on the knee. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hook up with Caroline or not. Part of him did, and the other part knew that his best friend might think less highly of him. It wasn’t that he thought Sarah would judge him, necessarily. But he knew she didn’t like Caroline. John decided that the first part of him had the stronger feeling.

Jared picked the two up. Eric, Tim, Kennedy, and Max were already in the car. Sarah was going to be the only girl. Again. She really doesn’t have any girlfriends. She mainly just hung out with John and his friends. Part of her was worried that they got tired of always having her around.

“Hey everyone. It’s a bit crowded in here huh?” Sarah comments as she gets in. “Good thing Jared has a super rocking minvan! Minivans are sweet!” She says as she high fives her friend. They shared a bond over being the only two in their friend group to have a van.

In the back the Tim and Eric were arguing over who the hottest girl in school was. Names like Caroline Peters and Melanie Stevens were being thrown around. They were best friends and debatably the most popular girls at school.

“I think Sarah is the most beautiful girl at school.” John says. Sarah knew he was kidding, but she wished he wasn’t.

The whole car shut up and voiced their agreement.

“Yeah, Sarah is the best.”

“Sarah, I think I am in love with you.”

“Sarah, save me a dance?”

The support was obviously forced. None of them thought she was the best looking at school, but they all did care about her and that gave her a bit of confidence.

“Well, if I am not dancing with Evan Carpenter, then yes you may all have a dance.” Sarah says smugly.

The car erupted with laughter.

Sarah didn’t see why this was so funny to everyone. Why, did they think there was no way he would like her?

“Evan is a scum bag, Sar.” Max says from the back.

“Yeah, he’s bad news.” Jared states. Out of anyone having an opinion that she would take to heart it would be Jared. John was like her goofy brother, but Jared was her sensible brother.

“Well I like him!” Sarah said and then looked down. She knew he wasn’t the best person to have a crush on, but he was there. Sarah missed having a boyfriend. She wasn’t needy, but she liked having someone be there for her in a way John couldn’t be.

The subject changed to what everyone had planned for summer. Eric’s parents would be out of town for a weekend in July, so everyone would go over there and crash. Tim had a job at a local record store. The rest of the boys had summer jobs too. Sarah was going to work at the country club near by. She worked there last summer and hated it, but it paid well and it was an automatic job because the owner was a family friend.

When there was a lull in the talking, Sarah thanked Jared for driving. She knew he wasn’t a drinker, but he still took the time to drive them to and from a party.

They arrived at Greg’s place at 10. Sarah was able to convince her mom that she was spending the night at a girlfriend’s house. She wasn’t sure how she pulled it off since she didn’t have any girlfriends, but she didn’t question. So there was no curfew. Everyone was going to crash at John’s place afterwards since his parents didn’t care. They just had to be quiet as they entered the house, and stay in the basement.

The party was already in full swing. They walked in and could smell all of the alcohol and weed.

John hoped Caroline would be there.

The boys made their way to the keg. Sarah had brought a water bottle with straight vodka. It was the cheapest, and something she got from her cousin. She took a quick swig of it and made a face. It was truly awful, but she knew after a few more, she would be able to drink it like water. Sarah wanted to get drunk. She knew that it was bad to drink as much as she did, but she didn’t care. She liked what she was like drunk more than what she was like sober.

John gives her a look knowing that it was not full of water, but let it go, pulling it to his lips for a sip.

“Jesus Christ, Sarah! How do you drink this?” As he says that, she takes two giant gulps. She shrugs putting it back in her bag.

She grabs his arm to dance. The two dance goofily in the middle of a bunch of sexually frustrated teenagers. Sarah always thought that kind of dancing was degrading, so she could proudly say she has never “grinded” before.

John is an awful dancer. He doesn’t know how to move his incredibly lanky frame. Sarah had no rhythm so they were the best dancing pair.

Sarah reached back into her purse to take a few more swallows of the shitty alcohol. She had a good buzz going slightly to the point of being drunk. She and John had pregamed the party. Sarah could hold her alcohol pretty well, which impressed all of her guy friends. She knew though that she should stop herself after a few more sips.

John grabbed her hands and did a wiggle down dance move causing Sarah to laugh uncontrollably. He locked eyes with Evan Carpenter from across the room. John knew the boy had been looking for his friend, so in a bold move , he kissed her. He put his lips on hers and kissed her. Sarah at first shocked, didn’t know what to do, but she eventually was taken over by all the feelings inside of her and kissed him back.

She was so happy. She had no idea John had done it to keep Evan away from her.

He is the first to pull away. Sarah looks at him with longing eyes wondering if he had finally fallen for her. Was it her outfit? Something she said? Had he always felt that way?

“Come outside with me.” John says to her. She nods still dazed.

They pass through the crowded dance floor and go to where it is a bit quieter outside.

“So?” Sarah says elongating the word.

“I saw Evan. That’s why I kissed you. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I didn’t want him to think that he could talk to you. I know it wasn’t nice of me to do that without talking to you first, but.”

Sarah was shocked. She thought the kiss meant something to him. It was just to keep his teammate away.

“I mean I know neither of us felt anything with that kiss, so.” John says not knowing how much she had felt.

“Yeah totally.”

“Are you mad?” He asks using his thumb to point her face towards him.

“No of course not. Evan was a bad guy anyway.” Sarah says moving her head back down. She wasn’t upset over Evan, she was upset that he would never see her like she sees him.

“Good! I am going to go see if I can find Caroline.” He kisses her on the cheek, and leaves her in someone’s backyard drunk and confused. She pulls out the water bottle and all but chugs it down hoping to forget that anything had happened.