Yael | Ongoing

Chapter 3: Someone's Late

Tinuade.
8:30 PM

"Sharon, you sly bitch," I half yelled as I walked into the house and immediately spotted her seated in a straight diagonal from where I stood. The whole house was too damn noisy, and at that time about 90% of the people invited had arrived.

"Hey, you left me," she replied, coming over and punching me lightly on the shoulder. "Don't blame me for your actions."

"I guess I won't blame myself either after I knee you in the shin enough times."

"We both know I'll take you on any day in a fight," she stated, motioning with her fists in front of her face like she was about to box.

I looked around her just to confirm that she was standing alone.

"Where's Mr. Right?" I asked.

"Oh, Sam? He's-"

"He didn't show. I knew it. I knew he was a scumbag."

"He's upstairs getting prepared."

"Oh."

"And where's your date?" she retorted, folding her arms around her chest.

"He's on his way. Ooooh, there's booze." I trekked past a few people and over empty bottles and trodden plastic cups to the kitchen island and grabbed a bottle.

"This is a big house," Sharon said as soon as she was beside me.

"You have no idea. There's a lower level beneath this one. You won't know it but you're standing directly above a gymnasium."

"What the-"

"I know, right? It's just crazy. There's even a swimming pool around back. It's big enough to fit my entire house into."

"This place is crazy. Just how rich are his parents?"

"I don't know, but I'd take a wild guess and say stinking!"

"And does he have a girlfriend?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Jesus. Sash? You're literally about to go on a date."

"I know. I'm just asking. People are allowed to ask questions, right?"

"Yeah," I responded with a chuckle, "But not people who are about to go on a date."

I didn't tell Sharon and I'd never told anyone actually, but I hadn't been to any party before that. My parents weren't very forthcoming on the idea of going out to parties with friends. Clubs and bars were totally out of the discussion and parties remained something my parents simply didn't like. Not that I couldn't attend one, but it was frowned upon. And I remained an inside child.

It was a lifestyle I got used to very easily because, as an only child, I had no one to talk to or share stuff with or even have fights and arguments with. It was just me and my Mom and Dad. So, they'd go out once in a while and buy different types of board games: Chess, Scrabble, Monopoly; anything they could get their hands on that seemed fun. And so I played, sometimes against them and sometimes by myself. I didn't have friends over and I didn't go anywhere either.

As I grew older, my parents became concerned that I was introverted. I didn't have friends, I barely talked to people. Immediately after school, I would walk back home by myself, a period when kids would stay back and hang around with friends or go to the zoo or ice cream stand to buy creamy doughnuts with sodas.

I met Sharon in my fifth year of high school. Well, I knew about her and that she was a colleague but we never talked. Our Literature teacher, Mr. George Faraday, punished a few of us for being late to the school assembly. She stood right beside me that day and all she said was "Hey, there."

We were practically inseparable ever since.

"You look beautiful," I said to her, hugging her before she could say anything.

"Hey," she said, calmly, "Thanks. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." But I didn't let go.

She held me too. And although I knew no one else in the vast room I was in, I was okay. I was at peace. I was with a friend.