They got to the party a little late. Since alcohol was legal for 18-year-olds, they usually went a little crazy when consuming it for the first few months. In previous years, Will had heard of more than a few former classmates going too far with it. He had never really been all that interested in alcohol, but Samson and Irish were proving to be bad influences.
“So you’ve never had a drink?” Samson asked. “Not even tempted?”
“I mean, I’ve been tempted…” Will said as they strolled down the street.
“I knew you were a virgin,” Irish said. Will blushed furiously, stammering as he tried to deny that fact as well.
“Leave him alone,” Katy said, jumping up to throw her arm over his shoulder. “Light is adorable and innocent. Stick close to Mama, and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“Don’t let her fool you; she doesn’t know how to drink either,” Ryu said.
“What?! Yes, I do,” Katy said, aghast.
"Miss: gets tipsy after a wine cooler?" Ryu inquired with a grin.
“Wine coolers are surprisingly strong,” she said as she blushed slightly.
“Don’t drink too much,” Samson said. “I don’t know what it is, but I was drunk after a beer the other day when we had our break.”
"I'm guessing it has something to do with how physically fit we are. Less weight makes it hit harder,” Ryu said.
“That sounds like an old mam’s tale,” Irish said.
“I want to hit you every time you say that word,” Samson said.
“Pretty sure you want to hit him when he says any word,” Santos said.
“That too!” Samson laughed. “Now where is this…” As he trailed off, they turned a corner at the end of the block to find the party going full swing. The house that was hosting was littered with young adults openly drinking, even though the sun was still out. One of many homes lining the streets, it appeared to be an average rural area, except for the dozen kids holding red cups as they drank, chatted, and acted like it was normal to do so.
Will immediately felt a little self-conscious. He was about to go to a party. He had shunned parties in high school. The reason wasn't alcohol, but rather his dislike for large gatherings. A part of Will wanted to say his hate for crowds was a holdover from the Anarchist War. Crowds meant problems back then. Deep down, he probably knew he was simply not used to so many people, but it was hard to break out of that mindset.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Samson said, clapping his shoulder. Will looked up at the big man. Though Will was taller, Samson felt like the bigger person right then. “Don’t forget that we are strong, alright? If anyone gives you trouble, just beat them up.”
“No!” Katy said emphatically. “We are not fighting. This is a fight-free night.”
“What? But-but that’s who we are,” Irish said. “So many cocky college kids. We have to show them that we picked the better path.”
“No,” Katy ordered. “I want you all to be civil. I understand it's a challenging task among all these people, but I refuse to get kicked out because you can’t play nice for a while.” No one had a retort to that. They slowly began to walk toward the large home as other groups in the street walked toward it.
Across town from their school/base, this was a nicer neighborhood than they were used to as of late. Will had lived in an apartment with his uncle after the war. A lot of people did. With fewer people around, the housing bubble had popped, and there was plenty of real estate in the area. Will knew they were close to one of the colleges, but he couldn't pinpoint their exact location. Since Katy had convinced them not to buy a car, they took the city bus to the more expensive part of town.
“Willard invited you to this?” Will asked Irish. Will always thought Zach was a little nerdy. Maybe becoming a tattoo artist had made him more popular.
“He did,” Irish said. “But who cares about him? Let’s drink. I’ve always wanted to drink from one of these American red cups.”
“You’ve never drank from a plastic cup?” Samson asked.
“You see, in Ireland we invented a fancy thing called glass,” Irish said.
“Glass cups at a party? That’s just asking for a hospital visit,” Samson said. “This better not be one of those tales about you still having outhouses over there.”
“I’m serious. We don’t have indoor plumbing,” Irish said. “Why use toilet paper when you have bushes?”
“I’m going to kill you, Irish. Mark my freakin words,” Samson growled. They had fought about Irish’s lies for hours. Irish simply liked to see what tall tale he could get Samson to believe. The more wild it was, the more angry and heated Samson got. It was usually entertaining to watch. But the group spent their time getting pummeled by Maven, so they were always hurting for entertainment.
The group walked up to the large, 2-story home. Bushes lining the perimeter of the yard, neatly cut grass, and some sort of sports team flag hanging from the window made Will think of a bachelor pad. People were streaming toward it at a steady pace. Will noticed some with Greek letters printed on their clothes.
“Is this a college party?” He looked around and asked.
“School starts this week, I think,” Katy said. “So probably.” That was when Will remembered Lindsey. He had seen her in the heat of battle with Mav a few days ago and promised to contact her. The following beating Will received had made everything hazy, but he did vaguely remember talking to her.
“Crap!” Will said.
“What?” Katy asked.
“I was supposed to meet up with my friend,” he said.
“You have friends other than us?” Santos inquired as they entered the home.
The interior was as Will expected. There were some photos hanging up on the wall, but they weren’t of a family. They appeared to be a group of friends. The guys in the photos were sitting around a fire outside the house, lined up at a sports stadium, and doing similar group activities. Will guessed they rented the house together.
With music playing loudly inside, there were more people in than out. Everyone was holding red cups. Samson asked where to get a drink, and he was directed to a table by the kitchen. Someone was charging $10 for a red cup, so you could drink as much as you wanted from the kegs. Irish gladly handed over his new Citizen ID, and the young entrepreneur at the table used a portable charger to withdraw money from the card.
“Drinks are on me,” Irish said as he passed cups back.
“See, I knew you were lying. You know how to use the cups,” Samson said as if pulling them apart was some great feat.
“Beginner's luck,” Irish said with a laugh as he made a B-line for a keg.
“Something tells me this friend of yours is a girl,” Katy said as someone inside the home turned up the music again.
“Maybe…” Will yelled over the music.
“Ha! Knew it,” Katy said. “You always looked like a lovesick puppy.”
“I’m not lovesick,” Will said, offended.
“Trust me,” Ryu said. “Whatever you do, don’t talk to Katy about girls.”
“What? Why not?” She asked, offended.
“You give terrible advice,” he said.
“Name one time,” she said with a scoff.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Uh, that one girl senior year,” Ryu said.
“Pigtail girl, or soccer girl?” She asked.
“Both,” Ryu said. He locked eyes with Will. “Trust me, she’s awful. She hasn’t had a boyfriend since what? Freshman year?”
“Psh, this isn’t about me,” she said.
“I knew it; Katy’s a lesbo,” Irish said. “Samson, you owe me money.”
“I told you, I wasn’t accepting that bet,” Samson said. “Because I agreed with you.”
“How dare you!” Katy spat, “I happen to be quite the catch. I just haven’t found the right person.”
“What is the right person?” Santos asked with a laugh.
“I don’t know, tall, handsome…”
“Dark?” Samson asked with a toothy grin.
“I would date you if I wanted to piss off my dad,” she said.
“Ouch…but fair,” Samson said. “It’s not like you’re my type. I like my women with…”
“With what?” She asked, as if she were daring him.
“Womanly qualities,” Samson said. “You don’t really check any boxes.”
“Oh god, please don’t talk about this,” Santos said. “That’s what destroys friendships. Inter-dating.”
“He’s not wrong,” Ryu said. “Katy and I made a pact to never pursue each other a long time ago.”
“We did?” Katy asked.
"Well, no, but your personality sealed the deal for me when we were younger,” he said. The group burst out laughing.
Katy frowned as someone poured a beer for her. “Stop it; you’re going to make me cry. I will have you know that I am a catch. I just haven’t located the right combination of…”
“Crazy?” Samson asked.
“Reasonable,” she said. “I need…” She sighed. “I have no idea.”
“There’s your type,” Irish said, pointing at a very butch woman. Katy slapped his chest.
“No, I’m pretty sure I’m not into that.”
“Don’t know until you try,” Irish said.
“Then you go after her,” she said.
“Could be fun,” Irish said, eyeing the woman across the room. “I like all types. Gotta repopulate the world somehow.”
“Ha, please no,” Katy said. “I couldn’t live in a world with more of you.”
“Good,” Irish said. “I like being one of a kind.”
“Samson patted Irish's shoulder and remarked, "Because they made a mistake when they created you and resolved the issue after you. Now, Katy, come help me find the drunkest girl to hit on.”
“I feel like you have a natural radar for that sort of thing,” she said, back in the swing of getting out her own jabs. The group continued poking fun at one another as they waded through the crowd of people.
Will smiled wide, accepted his beer, and followed after. After trying a sip, he shook his head, not understanding the draw to alcohol, but continued enjoying himself. As Samson, Katy, and Ryu traded insults, he couldn’t help but marvel at how far they had come. They had grown not just physically but also as a cohesive unit. Comfortable with one another, Will never really had friends like any of them. Making fun of one another incessantly sounded counterproductive to friendships, but they never focused on one person.
In the beginning, he had been made fun of for having a weak ability that only made him glow. That quickly changed to clapping to make him turn on when they wanted light or randomly tapping him around his body to find the switch. While the others concentrated on this, they also teased Katy about breaking wind, cooling down their food, or simply being a girl in general. Samson, in turn, was made fun of for his shaved head or many other stupid things he did. Ryu was usually made fun of for his animal forms or for being Asian. Santos, as the healer, was mostly left alone. Since he was their only line of defense against constant pain, people tried their best not to irritate him.
None of these things were said out of hate, but more out of familiarity. There was a growing sense of camaraderie between them as they learned how the other person ticked. Pissing them off was a great way to see the real them; at least that was how Will saw it. He had known Samson and Santos before, though not overly well. But he felt the same draw to them as he did to Irish, Katy, and Ryu. He wanted to be with them. They embarked on this peculiar journey together.
As they stepped out to the back, they found the backyard filled with people playing games. From throwing bags into cornholes to flipping cups, it appeared as if the all-American grill out had broken out. Another entrepreneur was selling brats and other food, while groups cheered for this or that person.
"If it's not Katy Graham," someone exclaimed, capturing the attention of everyone present. Like deer caught in headlights, the group turned as one when they saw a girl from another group walk over. She was a little taller than Katy. Dark hair was cut in Karen-fashion. She was wearing a yellow sundress that made Irish perk up.
“Helen,” Katy said in strained joy. “I didn’t expect to see you.”
“I didn’t expect you? Girl, I haven’t seen you in months,” Helen said.
“Yeah, I’ve been a little preoccupied,” Katy said nervously.
“I bet. Look at you. You’re like…” Helen looked her up and down. “I don’t know; different somehow. And Ryan,” she looked Ryu up and down. “You’re looking good too.” Will had heard that he went by Ryan in high school because most people pronounced his real name incorrectly.
“Thanks,” Ryu said. “I've been working out. Anyway, wonderful seeing you.” Ryu turned around and grabbed Samson and Irish’s shoulders, dragging them away. “Sorry, we were going to go play cornholes…or something.”
Will's eyes widen, trying to figure out who to follow, but Katy grabs him in a death grip. “Don’t you dare run,” she hissed. Will tried to fight her, but she dragged him along to follow Helen back to her group.
“Where have you been?” Another girl in the group asked.
“Around,” Katy said. "Just, uh, considering my options.”
“So you’re not going to be back at school this semester?”
“Probably not,” Katy said with a strained smile. She looked to Will. “This is my friend, Light, by the way.”
“Light? That’s not a real name,” a girl said.
“Sorry, that’s his nickname,” Katy said.
“How’d you get a nickname like that?” Another girl asked.
“Well my name is Will,” he said. “And there was this…big fat Will, so they called me Light Will, and him Heavy Will.” The girls laughed and forgot him as they talked to Katy. Will stood awkwardly, listening to their drama as he took tiny sips of his beer. Katy feigned questions about what she had been up to until a new person joined the group, and the questioning went to her.
“Sorry,” Katy mumbled. “Just hate this sort of thing.”
“No problem,” Will said. “Are parties always like this?”
“Pretty much,” she said. “You have to socialize enough until you hate it. Then swear to never go to a party again. Then after a few months you forget how much you hate parties, so you end up at one again.”
“Perfect,” Will said. "You, um, grow up around here?”
“I did,” she said with a nod. “A few suburbs over, so I thought I was safe from…” she hinted at the group. “This. But it happens.”
“So you quit school?” He asked, trying to learn more about her.
Katy, who was significantly shorter than the other girls, stood out from the crowd. With defined muscles and a sense of strength he couldn’t explain, Will was starting to think the other girls next to her were a different breed of woman.
“I did,” she said. “It wasn't really for me. I took off last semester in hopes of finding myself.”
“And did you?” Will asked curiously.
She met his eye and gave a small smile. “I think so,” she admitted. “I found a part of myself I didn’t know was there.”
Will smiled wider. “I understand that completely.” They shared a moment, smiling at one another for a while, simply enjoying the one-on-one time. Then it was broken by one of the girls asking Katy a question. They got into a heated argument about an event at their old school, and Will used that moment to slink away.
As he waded through the crowd, he found Irish and Samson easy enough. They challenged a couple of frat boys to a game of beer pong, which inexplicably evolved into an Irish version of the game. Instead of beer, they had poured hard liquor inside. Irish said it was the only way he played. After observing them, Will found himself drawn into a discussion with Ryu and other friends from his former high school.
He was able to drag himself away by saying he needed a beer. Katy was actually animatedly talking to people; he assumed she was good, so he headed inside. This was when he almost walked headfirst into Lindsey.