Blue Neighborhood (Phan)

EASE

"Yeah Mom," Phil said into the payphone receiver, "Yeah, I'll be safe. Don't worry, I won't wake the dog. What does it matter if I'm late? Tomorrows Saturday! Okay Mom. Mom—Mom! I only put in a dime I—yeah, Mom I need to go! Love you too."

"Ready?" PJ asked as Phil returned the receiver to the phone box.

"Yeah," Phil smiled, "Sorry 'bout that. Mom's a bit crazy."

"Understandable," Sophie said, "You're the baby of the family."

"I guess," Phil shrugged.

"My car's over here," PJ said, pointing across the parking lot. He led the way to a beat-up white pickup truck. The three of them piled into the seat, Phil squished in the middle again, and Sophie pulled the squeaky door closed.

"Sorry it's kinda crammed," PJ laughed, revving the engine before taking off out of the gravel parking lot at an alarming speed.

"Don't worry, Peej's a good driver," Sophie smiled, noticing Phil's horrified look as the other boy sped through the streets.

"The best!" PJ agreed, "Who wants some jams?" he asked, turning the dial on the car radio. The sound of Roxette's "Joyride" blared through the small cab and Phil could barely contain his laughter as Sophie screamed the lyrics out the open window.

"That's such a great song!" Sophie shouted as it ended.

"It's pretty good," Phil agreed as they pulled up to a large, dimly lit white house.

"Well, here we are," PJ grinned as the three of them hauled themselves out of the truck.

"It's freezing!" Sophie exclaimed as they trudged up the small knoll to the front door of the house, "Since when does it get this cold in September?"

"Since you became a complainer," PJ teased, opening the front door without knocking and heading inside.

Upon entering the house the three were greeted by the sight of scantily clad couples making out on top of various furniture and the smell of alcohol and body odor.

"Sophie!" a blonde girl in a cheerleading uniform squealed from the stairs.

"Hi!" Sophie called back, "You got him?" she asked PJ who nodded her cue to head up to where the cheerleader was waiting for her.

"That's Grace," PJ explained to Phil, "She and Sophie have been—um, complicated for a while."

"Complicated?" Phil asked, following PJ into the kitchen.

"Hey Peej!" a red-headed boy in a football jersey greeted, offering them both beers as they entered the kitchen, "Whose this?"

"This is Martyn's little brother, Phil," PJ explained.

"Hi," Phil smiled.

"Martyn's brother, huh?" the red-headed boy laughed, "I miss that fucker. How's college treating him?"

"Uh, good," Phil said with a friendly smile.

"That's good," he checkled, "Well, the cheerleaders just got here, so I'm gonna go find Stace. You two stay out of trouble, now!"

"Don't count on it!" PJ called after him. "That's Ethan," he explained to Phil, "He's an ass."

"I can tell," Phil agreed.

"Be nice to him though," PJ said with a chuckle, "This is his house."

"Oh," Phil said, awkwardly taking a sip of his beer. It burned his throat a little, but he didn't flinch. He'd snuck alcohol from his parents before with Martyn so, while he'd never been drunk before, he knew what to expect at least.