A few short steps across the street and they trio stood in front of Nazz's house. They could hear the music from the street and from the looks of it there were plenty of teens already inside. Eddy slicked his hair back one last time before ringing the doorbell. Nazz threw the door open and invited them inside. Of the three, only Edd paused to thank her; he prided himself on his impeccable manners. He removed his shoes and left them neatly by the door. Wandering into the living room, he pulled his hat down over his ears to muffle the deafening noise coming from the speakers. He quickly passed through to the kitchen where Kevin was helping Nazz pour pineapple juice and generic brand lemon-lime soda into a punch bowl.
"Greetings, Kevin! Do the two of you require any assistance?" Edd asked.
"Oh, uh...sure," Kevin replied. "Why don't you grab the cookies and put them on that plate there?"
"Certainly!" Edd moved to the sink to scrub his hands clean.
"Dude, you don't have to wash your hands. Just dump them on the plate!"
"Cleanliness is vital when handling food products, Kevin. I am merely following standard procedure."
Kevin scoffed. "Whatever, Dork."
Edd placed the cookies in a neat spiral on the plastic plate and set them on the counter. Despite his insistence on helping, Nazz assured him that they could handle it and sent him back into the living room to mingle. He obeyed unhappily, choosing a corner far away from the speakers to watch from. Jonny and Rolf stood near the stereo arguing over CDs. Eddy caught sight of himself in the mirror over the mantle and posed for himself. Ed simply ran around the room laughing and engaging in a motion that Edd decided must be his goofy friend's version of dancing. Jimmy and Sarah were nowhere to be seen; they were still in middle school.
Edd grimaced; he could feel a headache developing. Just when he thought he would have to leave the party prematurely, a ring of the doorbell had Kevin lowering the volume while Nazz answered the door and paid for the tower of pizza boxes. The teens descended on the food like rabid badgers, taking seats around the room to eat. Nazz, ever the gracious host, ensured that all of her guests had full cups of punch before grabbing a plate. She stood in the middle of the room and pretended to tap her plastic cup with her fork.
"May I have everyone's attention!" she shouted. "I would like to thank you guys for coming and wish everyone a great school year. Here's to us freshmen!"
The group lifted their cups and cheered. Edd grinned and looked around at his friends. How lucky I am! he thought. He nibbled at his food, trying not to seem rude, but the greasy pizza made his insides crawl. He was grateful when Rolf found a trash bag and rounded up the remains of the meal without a second thought. Nazz had Kevin push the coffee table up against the wall so the group could sit in a circle together. Once everyone had gathered round, she announced a game of Truth or Dare.
"I'll go first," she said. She rubbed her chin, looking around for a victim. Edd stared hard at his socks, praying it wouldn't be him. "Rolf!" she announced. "Truth or dare?"
Without hesitation, Rolf chose dare. This surprised no one; despite their years living in the cul-de-sac together, nobody seemed to know anything about him and he seemed intent on keeping it that way. Nazz dared him to fit as many cookies into his mouth as possible. He reached his limit at twelve, impressing the entire group. He chewed and swallowed with little difficulty before selecting Jonny. The standoffish boy chose truth.
"Have you ever kissed a girl?" Rolf asked.
Jonny blushed and ducked his head. "Yes..."
"You have! Who?"
