Short Stories

Party Time

I turn to my friend as I continued on about a party I hosted years ago. He then asked something that pulled me out of my ecstatic state.

"But uh, where were your parents?" He asks, one eye brow raised and a hand scratching his head. I quickly blink away the tears that were forming, and I swallow hard, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. I look him in his blue eyes and smile.

"Long ago, my mom was going to go on a business trip. She said she'll be back tomorrow night, so when she left, we weren't do worried. My dad then told us he would be leaving to work, and once he left, my sister and I called and texted each of our friends, which was a lot. At least in my opinion," I chuckle, then I slowly avert my eyes someplace else from his eyes, ashamed he has to see me this way. "So my sister and I threw the party, and it was an amazing party. The best one that I'll be sure to tell you the story sometime. Well, the party was put on pause as my dad walked in through the door. He had tears streaming down his face, and he asked where his two daughters were. My sister and I walked up slowly, scared we were busted, but he looks us both in the eyes and says the words that changed my life."

Flashback moment

"Your mother, she-she was on her way to the airport, but there was a car accident. Everyone but one survived, your mom was found d-d-dead at the scen-" His words were cut off by his sobs, his hiding his face in his hands. I turn to look at my sister, who has a blank expression, though her eyes are widened, tears streaming down her cheeks. I felt my own tears, they were quickly flowing down my face, I bit my lip, trying to contain my sobs.

Flashback moment over

I grabbed onto his arm as tears streamed down my face. Once I finally managed to stop hyperventilating, I continued. "My dad started working more than ever. My sister and I threw parties every night he was gone, just to numb the pain. Each day we threw a party, slowly less and less people showed up. Once it was down to just one person who showed up, we ended the party throwing. Parties at our own house was so fun and great, that it numbed our pain that we felt for our mom. I hate that we did that though. Mom would have never wanted us to keep partying, I'm sure she wanted to see us cry, see us breakdown. Because that shows her that...that we care." He pulls me into a hug suddenly, wrapping his big arms around my small frame of a body. I hug back, and let the tears that were in my eyes, roll down my face and eventually fall into the back of my comforter.

"I'm sorry you've gone through that." He said, which no one had really said to me before. Everyone at the parties, I thought were friends, but they never seemed to show they cared about how I've felt. I make the embrace tighter as more tears fall.

"Thank you, so much, Alex."