Nerds Are Lovable

14: Nerds Are Gamers

After sitting in bed for a couple of hours, all the memories of last night seemed to order themselves. It wasn't a jumbled haze of sweaty bodies and weird faces, I actually had a decent timeline of events.

I'd gotten there with Jayden. Found Emma about ten minutes in, or maybe it was closer to thirty. I don't know, time works differently at parties. Then she gave me a drink and the wild child in me broke loose. There was booty shaking, shot taking, and beer pong winning. I remember being a well deserved bitch to Chad. Pat on the back, drunk me. And then I made it home thanks to Jayden that, from what I recall, appeared just when needed. But thinking logically, he was probably already at his car when I got there.

The headache from the morning had diminished to only a faint reminder of the activities that took place last night. I'd taken another Ibuprofen to make sure I could function outside of my house and in front of people other than my father. He's the only one I can bare when I'm hungover. And the only one I'd want seeing me hungover anyway.

"Haley! Shirt's dry!" I hear my dad yell.

I make my way to the laundry room where my dad is. After finishing up lunch, well it was more breakfast for me, I'd taken off Jayden's shirt to wash. It already had a faint smell of alcohol and sweat stuck to it and a graceful blob of dried up drool from the night. I didn't feel good giving him this mess of a shirt back. Then there'd be physical evidence that I'm a bad influence.

"How attached are you to the pumpkin spice loaf?" I ask when I make it to the laundry room.

He shrugs, "Depends why you're asking."

"I was gonna take it to the Monroe's as a peace offering."

"Haley, why do you need a peace offering?" My dad, who had been distractedly folding clothes as we talked, stops to look at me.

Now he probably thinks I pranked them, which wouldn't be too far fetched.

"I just think they don't really like me," I shrug, trying to show that I don't care what Jayden's parents think of me, "I think they think I'm a bad influence."

"You are a bad influence," He bluntly tells me.

I give him a blank stare, "Wow, thanks dad."

"Haley," He says sincerely, "I've known the Monroe's since you were in Kindergarten. It's pretty obvious they want their son to be the best physically, academically, emotionally, socially. Hell, his mom is a successful psychologist and his dad built a mall chain from the ground up. How do you think they want their son to turn out?"

I shrug, taking in everything my dad is saying. If they were that strict and expected so much out of a public school system, there's no telling the expectations they have for their son. I could never live up to a single one of those if I were their child. But Jayden must be used to it by now, that's his normal.

"So, I don't fit in with the Monroe ideal," I finally say.

"That's just my two cents as a wise old man."

"You're not wise," I laugh, "Just old."

He chuckles, giving me a side hug before walking out of the laundry room, "Go ahead and take the loaf," He says back to me.

This is not a good idea. Walking over here I doubted every step. And that's a lot of doubting seeing as it's a thirty minute walk. I look at the pristine white door that separates me from my inevitable death. Sorry, not so dark. The door is as white as can be and I already feel underdressed. Adjusting the bag I'd brought everything in I work up the courage to ring the doorbell.