The Long Game (Joshaya)

Party & Drinks

* Josh's POV *

The night was a blur.

All I could remember was heading over to Andre's apartment for a party to celebrate the end of junior year and the fact that we would be college seniors in a few months.

I remember giving myself a limit on how many beers I could drink, since I had to tutor a couple freshmen for an Intro to Biochemistry exam. At first I was reluctant on tutoring underclassmen, but my professor said he was impressed with my grades and wanted me to tutor the students struggling in his freshmen class. I thought it would make me look like a teacher's pet, but he offered extra credit and homework passes if I did it. Who would turn down homework passes?

I remember Andre picking me up in his car and driving me and my roommate Peyton to his apartment. Andre and Peyton wouldn't stop talking about how awesome the party would be and how they were planning to hook up with some of the girls from Gamma Gamma Nu. I stared out of the passenger's window, watching the great skyscrapers of New York pass us by. We reached a stoplight which was right in front of a dance studio that was near the Matthews' place. I see a girl inside with blonde hair that does an unbelievable amount of turns without falling.

"Wow," I whisper to myself. The light turns green and Andre speeds away, the girl still doing her turns without the slightest sign of doubt on her face.

When we arrive at Andre's apartment, there were already people waiting outside. They cheered as we stepped out of the elevator and Andre pumped his fist in the air.

"Who's ready to party?" he asks the crowd, smiling at all of the girls. The girls giggle and swoon as he walks to the apartment door, eyes following him as if he were some god. 

I don't understand how quickly people can fall in and out of love. I've hooked up with some girls, but none of them ever meant anything to me. You can't force love. More importantly, you can't plan it.

Andre finally unlocks his apartment and people stampede in, leaving me in the hallway alone. Andre comes back out of his apartment to tape a few balloons to his door. "You coming or not, Josh?"

"Yeah," I say as I walk into his apartment, which already feels like a night club.

Someone was blasting music from Andre's surround sound speakers and a girl who looked like school girl Brittany Spears was pouring tequila into red solo cups and handing them to people. Peyton comes from behind and slaps me on the back laughing.

"Here, you look bored," he says handing me a cup. "You look boring, too."

I take the cup from his hand and smell it. "What's in it?"

"It's...a surprise!" Peyton whispers in my ear and walks away laughing. I always thought he was a freak, and I think he was only acting drunk in order to hook up with more than one girl tonight. I take a sip of the "surprise drink" and feel it run down my throat, burning everything in its path. I cough uncontrollably for a few seconds when a girl walks up to me.

She laughs and asks me,"You ok?" I continue to cough and I cover my mouth to make sure nothing from there lands on her. "Too strong for ya," she states as if I was new to drinking.

"Please," I reply, my coughing calms. "I've had more. And stronger." It was a lie, but I didn't want to seem like a loser in front of her, and she seemed like a nice girl. To prove myself, I chug the rest of Peyton's mystery drink and bite my lip as I feel it burn on the way to my stomach. I look around for the girl, who I spot running back from the Brittany Spears girl with another red solo cup in her hand. She smirks at me and holds out the cup.

"Try this," she says.

"No I shouldn't. I..."

"C'mon, don't chicken out now. I was starting to think you were cute," she says interrupting me.