nineteen
CLAIRE
Wanna know what’s anxiety inducing? Being thrown into a party at a house where you only know six people and you can’t find a single one.
We got to the football guys house about an hour ago, and for the first little bit it was fun, but I turned around for like five seconds to grab another drink and everyone just fucked off.
I don’t know anyone, I don’t know what to do with myself, and I’m like ninety-nine percent sure that every single person here is staring at me.
I can feel tears beginning to form, my heart rate rises and that awful butterfly feeling fills my stomach. I want to puke right now, but I think that would bring evenmoreattention to me.
Someone bumps into me from behind and my drink spills all down the front of me. Heat crawls its way onto my cheeks and I feel the first tear fall down my face.
“Fuck, my bad” the guy says.
I can’t do this right now. I drop my cup on the nearest table and run outside for some fresh air. I try calling Steph a couple times, then August, but neither of them answer. I’m too embarrassed to call any of the others so I call Chris, I really hope he isn’t sleeping right now.
“My little Angel” he greets me.
“Hi,” I say meekly.
“Who do I have to beat up?” he growls.
I laugh at his protectiveness, “no one, unless you want to kick my friends ass’s for leaving me alone in a house of strangers.”
“They all just ditched you like that?”
“I don’t think they meant to, but I can’t find any of them. It doesn’t help that some guy bumped into me and I spilled my drink everywhere, I’m all sticky now.”
I hear him sigh on the other end of the line, we both know he wants to say something motivational or whatever to make me feel better, but he stays silent.
Those stupid speeches almost never work, so I’m thankful he’s spared both of us.
Just as I’m about to say something to change the topic, I hear the door open. I move to the side to let whoever it is by, but I feel a set of arms wrap around me instead.
“There you are,” Steph slurs.
“Is that mini shitface?” Chris asks.
He started calling her that whenever she drinks cause the second time they met, she was drunk off her ass and Chris had to come pick us up.
“Put me on speaker please” he asks nicely.
“You’re on.”
“Stephanie Saunders I swear to god if you ever leave Claire alone again I will personally come to your apartment and beat your ass.”
Steph salutes to the phone, “Aye aye captain.”
“Thanks for talking to me Chris, I’ll text you when I get home.”
“Okay, I love you angel. Go have some fun.” I hang-up, turning to my drunk friend. She gives me this lazy smile and lays her head on my shoulder.
“Why are you so sticky?” she whines.
“Cause I got left alone and some guy bumped into me.”
“No more leaving you unattended, I promise… but I do have a good reason.”
