All around the world

2. Parties are a social casualty

Charles sighed and looked down.
"Dad hit me. That's it. He saw the missing pot and immediately assumed that I stole it. What kind of father is he?"

"I mean- you did steal his drugs."
"Shut up, that's not what I want to hear."

"I don't care what you want to hear, that is the reality. You stole from him, you get penalization, that's how it is."

"What's penalization?"
"Punishment, you idiot."

Silence.

"Did the peas package help?"
Charles just shrugged his shoulders.

"Not too much. It feels a bit chilled down though."

"Let me see", Ezekiel said and sat before him.

"You don't seem to need stitches but you should definitely cool it. Your jaw seems alright as well", he said as he pulled his chin around.

"That's the doctor dna talking", Charles chuckled lightly.

"Shut up", Zeke just said.

"Where even is your father? We've never really talked about him. And stop it now- I'm fine", Charles pulled Ezekiel's hands off his face.

"There's not much to tell. He studied medicine while he was dating my mom, after his college graduation, they got married, she got pregnant with me, I was born, two or three years later, he met a man, fell in love with him, came out, my parents got a divorce and he left town. End of story."

"I wish my dad had left town", Charles mumbled.

"Growing up without one wasn't easy", Zeke said.

"Growing up with mine wasn't either", Charles replied and looked at him.

"Dinner's ready!", Miranda called from downstairs.

Without saying another word Charles hopped off Zeke's bed and went to the door.
"Coming!"

"So you got into another fight at school, Charles?", Miranda asked.
"Yeah, well, it's no big deal. I was just fighting for my girl, that's all."

Zeke rolled his eyes.

"Aw that is so sweet! I wish Zeke would fight for a girl sometimes. But he seems to not be interested, fighting for his girls whatsoever. He rather lets them go."

It was just ironic that his best friend and his mother were talking about the girls that Ezekiel didn't fight for. Or the girl that Charles didn't fight for either.

He stopped listening to their conversations after a while and just drifted off with his thoughts as he usually did.

"Miranda, I've got an idea", Charles suddenly said.

"Me and Zeke will go to a party tonight and we'll find him a girl he can fight for."

Ezekiel groaned on the inside.
Those days when he just wished to lay in bed or play guitar, they had to go to parties.

"I'm not in the mood", he said for the millionth time while Charles was dragging him into a club.

"It'll be fun, come on!"

Charles was rushing the third sip down his throat and handed the bottle over to Ezekiel.
"Drink", he said.

"More!" Charles said as he wanted to give the bottle back after one tiny sip.

Zeke felt as if the loud bass was drowning him in an ocean of noise and sweat and people.

He didn't necessarily hate parties, he just never knew how to behave at them.
When Charles was there, they were usually fun but Zeke would never go alone.
He wasn't shy in the outside world, but clubs sometimes freaked him out.

As they entered the center of the room, Charles already picked up a girl and introduced her to his best friend Zeke.
Then he winked at Ezekiel, turned around and walked off to somewhere.

Just great. What now?

"Hi, I'm Zeke", he said and instantly regretted saying anything at all. Not as if Charles had just introduced him to her.

But the girl didn't seem to mind.
"My name is Sheila", she said and smiled.
"Okay. I mean- great! That is a nice name!", Zeke lied.

"Shall we dance?", Sheila asked and went through her shoulder-long fox-brown hair.
"Sure", his numb tongue replied.

Ten minutes they had been slow dancing now.
Ten minutes of time, Ezekiel could have spend doing something important. Or at least fun.

Also: why slow dancing? The songs were definitely in a pace you'd rather jump to, why would she wanna slow dance?

"Do you want to go to the back?"
What's at the back, Ezekiel thought but he let her pull him around the corner.

Then instantly she grabbed him by his neck and pressed her lips on his, closing the gap, almost forcing.

She slipped one of her cold hands in his pants and roamed her mouth all over Zeke's face.

Then she looked down to her hand.

"Why aren't you working?", she asked, obviously confused.
"I'm just tired-"
"No! You don't find me attractive! You're a douchebag, you know that? I can't believe I danced with you in the first place!" she said loudly and turned around to walk away.

"Likewise", Zeke mumbled and got confronted with her hand that slapped across his face.
"You don't talk to me like that! Why are men always so rude?"
Then she left.

So.
That was something different.
Poor girl got her hopes up way too fast.

He walked outside to catch some air and saw Charles again, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in one and a beer in the other hand.

"You're welcome man. So how was it?"
"How was what?", Ezekiel asked back.
"The sex dummy."
"Yikes. We didn't do anything."

"How could you let such an opportunity go?"

Ezekiel shrugged with his shoulders
"Sex isn't that important."

Charles looked at him, weirded out.
"Your loss. Are you at least in the mood to party now?"
"To be honest, I'm going home, I'm just not feeling it tonight."

Charles hesitated.
"You really wanna go home?"
"Yup."
He sighed.
"Alright, I'll get my stuff."