I Volunteer | Jack Schlossberg | Friends to lovers

A friendly game

For the next hour, all three friends stood in the corner of the bar and mingled with Jack's friends from college: Jared, a tall blonde with a Harvard Basketball hat on backwards; Eric, a solid 5'10 stocky brunette with a thick mustache; and Aarav, an athletic man with thick dark curls, similar to Jack's.

Alex twirled her hair around her finger while Jared talked to her about his incredible record on the basketball team five years prior, and the intense fitness regime he follows to make sure he stays in the same shape as his glory days. Jack and Michael were talking about their mutual love of paddle-boarding and which bodies of water they preferred. They both agreed the Charles was not high on their lists.

Annie took inventory of her friends, and turned her head back toward the conversation she was having with Aarav, who was describing his day to day as a tech bro in downtown Boston. His high-rise apartment in the Seaport, his daily lunch outings, his car and parking spot (unheard of) were all wildly impressive to her. Despite all of these things, though, he seemed extremely down to earth, and she liked listening to him talk about himself.

"So what about you? Where do you live?"

"Oh, I'm pretty far away in Allston. It's not glitz and glam, but I really love my little neighborhood. And the people are phenomenal."

"I love Allston!" he said, to Annie's surprise. She couldn't picture this man with his pressed khakis and tucked in collared shirt (with a belt that matched his shoes) stomping around Allston with the hipsters and college kids. "I used to go hunting during Allston Christmas when I was in college."

Annie choked on her beer. "You participated in Allston Christmas?! I am so impressed. It's not for the weak." Annie remembered her summer days browsing through curb trash to find pieces to help furnish her apartment. There was something about the camaraderie of her entire neighborhood trying to find gems in the piles of furniture left behind by previous tenants that just made her feel at home. She'd found a table and some chairs one year, and a massive stack of books last summer.

Just as she was about to tell him her wishlist for this year, Jack walked up to them and put his hands on the table. "Anyone up for a game of darts?" he asked, staring straight at Annie, like a dare.

"Who, me? Noooo."

"And why's that? Scared you'll lose?" he asked tauntingly as he tilted his chin down and flashed her a mocking smile.

"Alright, give me that dart," Annie said flatly, swiping the dart from his hand with gusto. She lined her feet up, loosened her arm a bit, then took her first shot. The dart left her hand and made contact with the board... just not anywhere near the middle.

"Oh come on, you can do better than that," Jack said, raising his eyebrows so high that a stack of creases formed on his forehead. He walked over to the board, plucked the dart from the side, and handed it back to Annie.

She looked around at Alex and Michael who were both giving her wide smiles and thumbs up, took a deep breath, and let the dart fly while staring at the center. Bingo, bullseye. She turned to face Jack, and flashed him her middle finger. He laughed.

"I knew you had it in you!" Jack said, walking toward her with his hands raised for a double high five.

After the intense game of darts in which Jack won by a hair, the group reconvened together at a table. Stories of college days and Boston bars began to fly through the air, and before she could process what was happening, Annie started to feel overstimulated.

"I'm going to get some air," she whispered to Alex, who was deep in conversation with Jared, but gave her a nod and a smile.