the story of us 》sungtaro

34

Pulling up the street, it was obvious which house the party was being held at. Sungchan held my hand as I watched the cars lining the road in front of a house, disoriented teenagers littered on the lawn.

Finding a spot, Sungchan parked the car, a sense of anticipation in his persona. I could smell his cologne, the scent near and dear to me. I used to bury my head in his neck, breathing him in.

"I just love these things." A sarcastic comment from me, he knew I was lying. We watched as a kid emptied their stomach onto the lawn, having too much to drink.

"We'll just stay for an hour or two." Sungchan squoze my hand, hesitantly reaching for a door handle. "Play nice, just for me."

As much as I wanted to humor him, I didn't want to leave the car, knowing that as soon as we did, we'd resume our cover of 'good friends'.

It was painful every time, and that time when he let go of my hand and put on his bachelor status was no different.

Dodging the enebriated kids on the front lawn, we entered the house, foreign smells filling my senses. I had no doubt that at least half of them were illegal and frowned upon by my classmate's parents.

Since Sungchan was a social giant, I followed closely in his footsteps, letting him lead me around the crowded building. The music hurt my ears and the colored lights they put up to set the mood only strengthened my headache. Still, I said nothing. This was Sungchan's celebratory night from his hard work, and I didn't want to ruin that.

If you've found this diary and have been reading my scrawled words carefully, you may already be able to guess that this page is somewhat of a dumpster fire. I will neither confirm nor deny this prediction, but a few factors of this story will help you determine that yourself.

The first came when Sungchan entered the kitchen. Some kid, (we had biology together, his name started with a vowel, and that was all I could remember.) ushered Sungchan over, a large bowl in the middle of the counter.

"Want a drink?" I didn't like the leering,  the temptuousness in his voice. His eyes were dark. I didn't know what was in the bowl, but his slurred speech, slowed movements, and strong smell tipped me off.

He wasn't talking to me, but I shook my head anyway. I had never been fond of the idea of losing all sense of reality paired with a splitting headache in the morning.

Sungchan on the other hand, took the drink willingly. As if challenging the punk, he took a large swig, his plastic cup filled to the brim.

I watched as my undercover love drank away, before I became increasingly aware that someone was watching me. Turning, the goblin at the bowl held a cup out to me, a sneer on his lips. "Take it."

I shook my head, regretting ever coming here in the first place. Was it too late to turn back to the car? Still, I knew how disappointed Sungchan would be, and he was my ride home. He wanted to be there for some unknown reason, and I couldn't stop that.

My dreaded classmate thrust the sloshing drink further at me, becoming increasingly annoyed. "What? You too scared?"

Yes. But I wouldn't say that. Instead I just crossed my arms, putting on my most intimidating look. "I don't want any."