Out of Time

Chapter 1

Eugene had never been one for TV, but he suddenly felt like a character had jumped off the screen and into his body. Like someone who knew what they were doing here. Though he didn't feel fictional; in fact, this was the most alive he had felt in a while.

'Alive' meaning that all of his senses were on fire, but Eugene hadn't decided yet if he liked it. He could feel the blood pounding through his veins, his heart thumping and threatening to jump into his throat, the too-loud music reverberating through his bones and shaking his legs. His sight was temporarily blinded as the neon lights flashed over him in random, swinging patterns. He felt hyper-aware of his body, tingles sparking along his skin when he accidentally, yet inevitably, brushed against someone else. His cheeks grew tired from giving people a tight-lipped smile as he slid past them, his eyes roving the crowd in search of Max, a familiar face.

He had already made his way through the front yard when he first arrived, but he quickly realized entering the frat house itself was inescapable if he was going to conveniently, coincidentally, and convincingly run into Max and his friends. He had avoided the TV room where a mosh pit had formed – everyone in it was throbbing like the headache that he was developing, their solo cups thrust to the sky as they jumped as one and fought over a spot to stand and dance on the table. The neighboring kitchen only held students refilling drinks and students pressed against the kitchen counter and each other. So here he was, winding his way through another room of the cramped, fire hazard frat house in search of a splash of recognizable dark hair among the sea of students.

Finally, he spotted him. Max was leaning against the back of a sofa in a room lined with red LED lights, one hand motioning animatedly while the other held a cup. He and four other boys had formed a rudimentary circle, their heads tilted towards each other to be heard over the chaos. A pool of relief flooded into Eugene when he recognized one of the others – the one with the mop of sandy blond hair sticking in every direction who was so tall that he probably had to duck through doorways. Cooper always walked with Max towards the chemical science building before he veered left to his own class, though that's the only time Eugene has ever seen him. But Eugene considered themselves to be on a first-name basis solely through the scant details Max revealed when they made the necessary small talk as chemistry lab partners.

It was through this class that he had found them. A group that was intelligent and ambitious, yet cool and fun. They studied and seemed to get good grades, yet played basketball, went to parties, and had enviable weekend adventures according to their instagrams. Within only the first semester of college, they had figured out the perfect balance and made a new friend group that already seemed as comfortable as if they had known each other for ages.

Eugene wanted in.

How to get in, that was the question. How to be casual and cool, yet catch Max's eye to be invited in.

No. That was not why he was here.

He was not going to go home tomorrow without a single new solid friendship to report. He was not going to go home to his siblings and parents with no fun stories to share. He was done being passive. He didn't need Max's invitation. This was a frat party and based on what he had seen so far, there were no rules.

The real question was: how to approach them? Should he pretend he came here with a group and that they had just gotten separated? That was better than the truth: behind a random group of girls where the bouncers were so focused on "greeting." Nonetheless, he could simply ask to hang out with them. Or should he remind Max that he had vaguely suggested that Eugene meet his friends some time? That he had extended that loose, yet open invitation just a week ago in class? No, that would seem far too desperate.

With a plunging shot of horror, Eugene realized he had not moved while filtering through his thoughts. His feet had been rooted to the sticky ground the entire time and if he did not move soon, any one of them could look over and see some weird stranger staring at them. Hopefully they would think he was drunk.