Back in the Saddle

Party Rhymes With Anxiety

Karl's POV:

"Karl, it's gonna be okay, alright? It's just a party. Didn't you literally go to one less than a month ago?"

I'm sitting on my bed, knee bouncing up and down from my nerves. For the past half hour, since I've been home from work, George has been trying to assure me that I'll be alright at the party and I have to go. Of course I want to go--I don't want to hurt Alex's feelings and I don't want to explain why I can't bring myself to attend--but I'm not sure if I could handle it.

"I did, and that was very difficult. I don't know if I'm ready to do it again so soon."

"Didn't you also drive at that party?" George comments and I shrug. "Look, I don't want to push you if you truly aren't ready, but I think you will be alright. Please don't hate me for saying this, but I think this comes from more of a place of being scared. And trust me, there is nothing to be scared of."

"You're probably right, but that doesn't make it any easier."

He sighs, unable to argue with me. I can tell he feels bad, but he doesn't know what to tell me to get me to feel better about the situation. We both know I'll end up going, but I'll be super anxious the whole time and will most likely leave early.

Suddenly, the door to our room opens, revealing Wilbur and Toby. George and I look at each other, confused, and the two of them come in, each sitting on one of our beds.

"Mum and dad are going out to dinner tonight," Wilbur says. "So we are going out too."

===

The four of us are in Wilbur's car, George and Toby in the back and me in the passenger seat because I called shotgun first. I forget how childish George can act sometimes, especially when he's in the presence of his youngest brother. Wilbur and I just watch the scene unfold from the comfort of our own half of the car.

"So where do we want to go?" Wil asks.

"I want--TOBY STOP POKING ME--I want Mexican," George says. "I swear to god you are eighteen: stop acting like a five year old."

"I want chicken tenders," Toby responds, sticking his tongue out at George.

I'm sure he'd be fine with whatever, he just really enjoys getting under George's skin. It is very funny. George flicks him on the forehead, to which the other gasps and they start wrestling. Well, wrestling as much as you can with the constraints of a car.

Wil rolls his eyes and scoffs and turns to me. "Since you are the only person in this car that isn't acting like a literal toddler, you get to decide what we get. What would you like, Karl?"

"Sushi sounds good to me."

"Sushi it is, then."

Toby groans and George laughs as Wilbur pulls into the lane that will take us to the closest and best tasting sushi restaurant they have here. The ride there is about ten minutes, giving me the perfect opportunity to play some music, so I grab the aux cord and plug my phone in. Automatically Dayglow starts to play, specifically their song 'Close to You', and all of us start jamming out.

"Wish I would've told you but you just don't seem to wonder what I'm doin' when you're close to me. Oh, yeah. There's something on my chest I wish I would've said. I think it over and it might be true. I'm only overthinking when I'm close to you," we all shout at the top of our lungs.

We all have a similar taste in music, passed down and adapted from Wilbur's music. Our variations are all still incredibly similar, yet they are our own stemming from the music Wil introduced us to when we were growing up.