As A Friend

25: Thanks, Arnold

We arrive to the party and it's already bustling. I say a silent prayer that it gets shut down soon. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can get back to my dorm and finish studying. We enter the large abode and immediately, I spot Jack and West. Luckily enough, Kat and I manage to slip by them unnoticed. She drags me to the basement where everyone's dancing. I join her for a couple songs before excusing myself for a drink. I head upstairs and open the fridge. My eyes scan the counters for anything nonalcoholic and unopened. The only thing that isn't hard liquor is the case of unopened wine coolers at the bottom of the fridge. I figure one won't hurt. Dehydration, on the other hand, will.

"Those are gross," an unfamiliar voice warns from behind me.

I turn around and see a short, tan kid propped up on the counter. He looks vaguely familiar. I shrug, open it, and hesitantly taste it. "Not too bad." It's not water but it'll do.

"They won't do anything for you. If you want to get drunk, that's where it's at." His finger points in the direction of the horde of liquor on the counter across from us.

"That's not the goal," I clear up.

"I figured I'd let you know," he explains with a small grin before nodding at me. "What's your name?"

"Nova," I tell him as I take another sip from the glass bottle. It's slightly fruity, which allows me to drink it at a faster pace. "And you?"

"Arnold."

"Are you on the baseball team?" I take note of the shirt he's wearing. Kat didn't tell me there was a sports theme to this event. Everyone else got the memo though, especially the girls flaunting around in just jerseys.

"Yeah. You know anyone on the team?" Fortunately not.

"No, only people from my high school team." I don't know why I bothered to mention it. It's not like it makes a difference.

"Where'd you go?" he wonders.

"LHS." As soon as the acronym leaves my mouth, his head falls to a tilt.

"Really? Me, too." That's why he looks familiar.

"You were on the team?" I've never heard of anyone named Arnold.

"Yeah, only sophomore and junior year. Then I transferred," he explains. "Who do you know?"

"West, Jack, and Dominic." I don't bother saying the other boys; I barely know them.

"Really? No way." His jaw drops a little and I give him a concerned look. Did I say something wrong? "Wait, you said your name was Nova, right?"

"Yeah..." Should I not have told this kid my name?

"Is that a nickname?" I nod. "Is your full name November?"

"Yes... " How does he know all of this?

He lets out a loud laugh. "Dude, no way... I knew you looked familiar. I didn't put two and two together."

"What?" I can only stare in confusion.

"Are you and Dominic dating now?" he  rambles, which confuses me even more.

"Woah, woah, woah, what? You're going to have to be way more specific." When were we ever on track to start dating?

He jumps off the counter and approaches the fridge for another drink. He glances at the glass in my hand. "Want another one?" I shake the bottle absentmindedly. I hadn't even realized I finished it. I nod quickly and he hands me one before grabbing a red cup and making himself a drink. "If I remember correctly, the guys used to tease Dominic about you." My shoulders slump and I want to sigh. This isn't new information. "I'm pretty sure he had a crush on you."