Social Experiment

08 | Beefy and Meaty

My dream was finally coming true. Ever since the beginning of the week, I had dreamt of the moment I was finally in the comfort of my pajamas, logging on my couch, watching potentially too many romantic comedies. And for the past hour and a half I've been watching The Notebook with tears in my eyes, texting Stephanie to ditch studying and come hang out with me. 

Blankets were draped all over the couch, keeping me bundled and comfortable. I had the house to myself: my mom was out with Dianne and Luke was out with his friends at some party, so I took full advantage. I was unexplainably comfortable and ecstatic with my position, completely content- until my phone started ringing. I expected it to be Stephanie, so I grabbed it with my eyes still glued to the screen and clicked answer.

"This better be good," I mumble into the phone. "You're interrupting my time with Ryan Gosling."

Instead of the quiet I expected to hear from Stephanie's dorm room, loud noises came from the other end, and a deep voice that is definitely not Stephanie answered. "My sincerest apologies, I'll be more considerate next time."

I froze when I realized that Nathan had called me, and a blush rises to my cheeks immediately in embarrassment. I grab the remote and turn the volume down a few notches before asking in confusion, "Nathan? Why are you calling me?"

"Well," He starts, and from the sound of his voice, I can tell that I'm not going to like what he has to say. "Your brother is in a bit of a predicament, and he needs you to drive him home. I'd do it myself, but I've been drinking."

My brow furrows in confusion as I ask, "Where are you two?"

"A party. I can text you the address," Nathan's voice sounded even deeper over the phone. "Are you coming, Collins?"

I thought of the pajamas I had on right now, and threw the abundance of blankets off of my body before scrambling toward the staircase. "Yeah, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

I ran into my closet and traded my yoga pants in for a pair of jeans, my slippers for tall lace up brown boots, and my oversized tee shirt for a tight maroon v-neck with crosses against the chest. As I tugged on the uncomfortable clothes, I silently cursed Stephanie for insisting that I looked good whenever I stepped foot outside of the house, because otherwise I'd be wearing my pajamas.

I pulled my hair out of my ponytail and barely grabbed my bag before I raced back downstairs, both curious as to what Luke's predicament was and the fact that Nathan was looking out for him. Sure enough, I had a new text message from an unknown number that was presumably Nathan, merely containing an address. 428 Chancellor Street. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I ignored the fact and hurried to my car.

I drove the entire way with The Beatles blasting in the background, so loud that I couldn't even think about what trouble Luke had managed to get himself into. Chancellor street was in the outskirts of the city, where the nicer, larger houses were. The tree lined streets and Victorian houses seemed familiar from my childhood, but still, I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

When I got to the 438th duplicate of the large Victorian houses, I saw teenagers loitering outside, some with cups in their hands, and some trying to help their friends into a car. I pulled over and got out of my Jeep, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over me as I walk up a brick pathway to the large, light blue front door. I push my curiosity aside and let myself into the house, unsure what to expect.