28 DAYS [MakoHaru]

twenty five → 12/23

Chapter Twenty-Five: December 23rd

"Are you ready, Mako-chan?"

Makoto sighs in the backseat of Nagisa's old Prius, every part of his mind screaming no.

"Yeah," He whispers, zipping up his coat, mentally preparing himself for what's to come. "Let's do this."

They hop out of Nagisa's car and Makoto immediately straightens his outfit. Instead of the red flannel he wore last weekend - he could never find it - this time it's a dark blue one, left unbuttoned, with a black t-shirt underneath and a leather jacket on top.

Makoto takes in the scene that surrounds Sousuke's house; if it's possible, the partier is looking even crazier than last weekend. He hears the music blaring from the inside of the house dozens of yards away, and the screams and splashing sounds tells him that people are jumping in the fountain again.

They walk up the stone path and enter the mansion through the front entrance, seeing the chaos of a party in full swing. Makoto becomes immediately overwhelmed at the sights of the party - clusters of people talking and drinking, some dancing to the rap song blasting out of the speakers, a few couples making out in the dark corners - typical.

Nagisa ushers to Rei and Makoto to follow him to the kitchen, and Makoto resists the urge to laugh at an unhooked bra hanging off a lamp as he passes by the living room. How classy, he thinks with a roll of his eyes as he allows Nagisa to drag him through the house.

Seemingly knowing exactly what he's doing - how many parties has Nagisa been to? - Nagisa goes to the counter, where various bottles of alcohol sit on the counter. He grabs three red cups and fills them with concoctions of liquid, so quickly Makoto can't keep up. He tops them off with a few ice cubes from a cooler and hands them to Rei and Nagisa with a pleased smile on his face.

"No way!" Makoto tries to deny, shouting over the music, wrinkling his nose at the cup Nagisa's prying into his hand. "I'm not having a repeat of last week!"

"That's the point, Mako-chan!" Nagisa insists, shoving the drink into his hand. "Now come on, drink up!"

Makoto hesitates for a moment, staring at the light pink beverage, before he cautiously takes a sip of the drink. It tastes sweet at first, like strawberries and corn syrup, but as he swallows it burns his throat.

"Alright, Mako-chan, take your liquid confidence and go have fun!" Nagisa pushes him toward the crowd. "Mingle! Enjoy yourself! Cut loose!"

As Nagisa shoves him closer to the bustling chaos of the crowd, Makoto's face pales. The music is so loud, it seems to shake the walls. The techno beat of the bass and his wildly thumping heartbeat are in sync, beating as one. It's too loud for Makoto to cry out in protest; he feels like he is drowning in a sea of glistening bodies and sharp elbows, and all he wants is to get out of this claustrophobia-inducing abyss Over the roar of the music, wild, vivacious laughter and amiable chatter seem to bounce and echo around Sousuke's living room.

Word must've gotten out about the lacrosse celebration party - they won by a landslide - because it is so tightly packed and confined Makoto can hardly breathe without inhaling the bitter scent of peach coolers or the sweat of dancing college kids. Makoto busies himself by hugging the wall and counting the number of people in the room. After he hits fifty, he gets bored and looks for a place to sit down.

His eyes drift to the couch. Two couples are already occupying the seat and giving each other shifty eyes. Makoto turns away quickly, not wanting to know what's coming next.

Why am I here? He thinks to himself uncomfortably. There's no point. He finds himself wandering around the house, weaving through the different rooms and watching people have fun - or embarrass themselves, depending on who's watching. He sits on the sidelines in a den-like room next to the foyer, watching a group of people playing a video game, shouting at each other and laughing.