A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter 10: Parties were for Nerds, Maybe

Okay, I could get used to this. Maybe. Parties weren't so bad? That was a question because I was still trying to figure it out.

Finn's party was low-key as he said. It wasn't like the parties you see in movies where hundreds of kids gather in one house to drink, make out, and have sex. Well, the punch had gin, and I did see a couple making out on the back porch, but other than that, it was pretty chill.

After Finn left me in the kitchen, I went looking for Lotty. I found her with Cathy in a sunroom. Both of them had red plastic cups filled with punch.

"Hey," Lotty called me over by waving a hand.

I stepped into the room—darkly lit in the early evening. Despite being called a sunroom, the chilly autumn cold seeped in through the closed windows.

I walked to where they sat on a couch made of woven organic material and sat on a matching chair, the soft cushion cradling me. I noted how perfect the seat was for reading.

"So, what do you think?" Lotty asked.

"What do I think of what?" I returned as I took a drink from the soda can Finn gave me.

"The party." She gestured at the surroundings.

"It's okay, I guess." I was still undecided. The party wasn't what I expected. Before we arrived, I prepared for the worst thing that could happen. If the police came to raid this event, I'd know which route to run down from this hill. I had imagined myself dragging Lotty away from Cathy.

"I think it's a banger," Cathy said, leaning close to Lotty as if she had read my mind about the running away part.

"Yeah. It's... lit, I guess," I answered, trying not to stare and be jelly at how near they were sitting on the sofa. I took another sip of my drink to avert my eyes.

"Lotty told me you don't party much," Cathy added.

I cringed and almost coughed out the soda in my mouth. Lotty didn't have to share that information with her. Though it wasn't a secret, I somehow wanted people here to think I was chill or something—a certain someone who was used to these events.

I didn't answer her.

"I remember the first high school party I went to in the first year. It was Dave's. It was pretty lame, but we all thought it was the most lit thing ever," Lotty said, breaking the awkwardness between Cathy and me.

I couldn't remember Dave's party, probably because I had never gone. I hadn't been invited. But if I had, maybe it would have been the coolest thing for me too.

"Oh, yeah. I went to that. I didn't see you there, though." Cathy turned to Lotty. They faced each other now, their feet up on the cushions.

"You didn't see me because you were with someone else," Lotty said, and they started to giggle as if the discussion was hilarious. It wasn't, and I didn't get it.

I noted the cups in their hands. The gin caused their laughter.

Again wishing I had taken Finn's offer, I took a large gulp of my soda to relax. The carbonated drink couldn't drain the cringiness in my throat.

I was a third wheel again. "Uhm—" I started. "I'm going to go get another drink," I said and got up from the chair despite my soda can still being half full.

Lotty turned to me. "Don't drink the punch!" Then she laughed, tipsy from the gin.

I walked out of the sunroom and placed the can on a console in the hallway. I wasn't really thirsty, and I had second thoughts about the punch.