Odd One

Ch 12

The night of Zack's big mixer Jordan stayed home with Jason, making dinner and listening to tunes on the stereo. The plan was to have dinner, stop at the convenience store to buy Twizzlers and other candy, and sneak it into the movie theater like smugglers. It sounded like a good plan.

Garrett and Derik showed up at six and Jordan opened the door for them. "Hey, guys. I wasn't sure you were coming. Nobody called me back."

"I'm so sorry," Garrett apologised. "I was a little...distracted," he admitted with some blush across his face. Jordan noted his lips were red from making out. They must have spent some time at Derik's place before coming here.

"We wanted to surprise you anyway," Derik added, lifting a blue duffel-bag. "I brought half a bar with me. Who wants to get drunk?"

"But...But what about going to see a movie?" Jordan protested. Derik set the bag on the counter, unzipping it and pulling out Twizzlers, Fuzzy Peaches, and Wine Gummies. He had a bag of popping corn too.

"I was thinking we could stay in tonight. You can't drink and debate at the movies," he pointed out, pulling out a twelve pack of beer and a couple bottles of flavored spirits and mix. "Well, you could, but you'd get in trouble."

Garrett was searching her movie shelf for something good. "How does everyone feel about Silence of the Lambs? I've never seen it."

"Sounds good," Jason decided with a smile. "You guys, come eat some food before we all get right liquored. I don't want this going to waste."

"Thank god I bought some more dishes," Jordan sighed with relief, serving up chicken, pasta and zesty tomato sauce. She got plenty of good compliments on it from the guys, and cracked open a beer to have with dinner.

"So Garrett. How are things?" Jordan asked, looking from him to Derik.

"They're good. I feel...wanted," he admitted.

"I feel wanted too," Derik agreed. "I've had relationships before but they were always sort of...hollow. Garrett is new to this and that makes him vulnerable. It makes me want to be open and honest." He sipped his beer, taking Garrett's hand under the table.

Jason smiled faintly. "I guess we've all found a place to call our own. I was resigned to being miserable for the rest of my life, but Jordan walked into it. Now I can't help but be happy and see things more positively. It's nice when we leave the high school bullshit behind and live life how we want, huh?"

"Agreed," Jordan replied, holding up her bottle. "Cheers, you guys. May this be the first of many great hangouts for us. Let's forget about everything else."

The four of them clinked their glass bottles together and drank, finishing their good meal. Jordan got the dishes washed and put in the drying rack, while Derik popped corn kernels in some oil in her big pot on the stove.

She had a look at everything he'd brought. "You weren't kidding when you said you'd brought half a bar in your bag. We going to drink all of this?"

"Nah, but I'd like to practice my mixology. My second job of choice was bar-tending but word got passed around that I liked to drink, so nobody was going to hire me," he sighed.

"Why do you like to drink? I'm curious."

"Oh, just some foster parent issues that I'd rather not talk about right now," he decided quietly. "I'll try not to get too liquored tonight," Derik promised.

Foster parent issues? Jordan wondered with concern. I wonder if they did something awful to him.

Derik mixed up drinks for them and the four friends sat in the living room to watch a movie and enjoy the rest of the evening.