The Homecoming Agenda

step nine; don't spend your saturday with the guys

step nine; don't spend your saturdays with the guys

I usually spend my Saturdays holed up in my room on my laptop with my open calc book a staple to my side, but on this particular weekend afternoon I found myself instead stuck in the basement of Andrew Quincy’s larger than life mansion with him, Matt, and Jason.

Since Matt was my only way of getting here – unless I wanted to tell my parents I was hanging with two stoners and a prep and be grounded for eternity – two hours ago he had picked me up a block away from my house like I had told him to last night. He didn’t question it, so I didn’t explain. Not like I would have told him the truth anyway. I told my parents I was still over at Vena’s, as I was always there because we lived in the same neighborhood.

His car turned out to be what I was expecting, a beat up pick up truck that looked like it was stuck in the 90’s. Matt must have had a theme going, because his dull, wrinkled flannel fit the vintage look. The ride there was silent except for the radio, which had been turned onto some rock anthem station. I didn’t know what I was expecting when it came to Matt and music, but classic rock wouldn’t have been my first guess. But then again, I didn’t exactly know what the typical stoner music was.

When we arrived, Andrew wasted no time in hustling us down to the basement where Jason was already waiting. This seemed to be a usual for Matt, so I just went along without a word. Jason was already down there, sprawled out on half a couch. I took in my surroundings as Andrew rushed to the other couch and Matt took a seat next to Jason’s feet.

The Quincy’s basement was modeled to look like another living room, with two couches opposite a large television. On the other side of the room stood a pool table, with cues thrown haphazardly on top seemingly in the middle of a game. And any typical rich household wouldn’t be complete without a fully stocked bar to the right. To be honest, by the way Andrew dressed I assumed he lived in a cardboard box. Who wears hoodie with holes in them to school and comes home to the Kardashians house?

The only place left for me to sit was squeezed in between Matt and the armrest of the couch. I stood around for a while, before the awkward stares led me to take the seat. Matt casually put his arm over my shoulder, so I took it as he didn’t mind us being forced to sit next to each other in what should have been one average persons space by themself.

They played video games for a little, making me join in sometimes to get a good laugh. They enjoyed making fun of me when I couldn’t figure out which button did what, or how to kill somebody. I think I died like twenty times in twenty minutes.

Then Andrew and Matt started to catch Jason up more thoroughly on what he had missed while out of school for the first two weeks. It was like since he didn’t come to school, he lived in some different dimension. They hadn’t told him anything yet apparently. Andrew told him all about some – okay, several – girls he had his eye on, and Jason asked about a few different students. No one brought up the subject of Matt and I for a good hour and an half into my time there. But when they did, I surely had no answers to the questions they were asking.

“When did you guys even start dating, or whatever, anyway?” Jason questioned, shifting his body around on the couch, his legs hanging off the side. He sort of whispered the word ‘dating’ like he was shocked at this new development. Or maybe he had a flashback to last nights’ most awkward moment award winner. I shivered internally. Repress the memory Alaina, just like we learned not to do in pysch.

            I refused to say anything. Matt looked down at the palms of his hands and shrugged. “You know, some time ago.” He answered vaguely.

            I figured he didn’t want to tell him it happened to be only a few days ago. I couldn’t blame him. Andrew, on the other hand, did seem to want to. He scoffed before saying, “Yeah right dude, it was like four days ago. If that.”