tragically beautiful | grayson dolan

four

grayson

"We don't have to stay long if you guys aren't into it. These parties can get pretty rowdy." Dexter says as he leads Ethan and I through a crowded living room.

It smells like sweat, weed, and desperation in here. I can already feel my heart pounding against my chest.

"We'll be fine." I shrug and glance back at Ethan.

He was always a lot more social than I am, so I'm sure he doesn't mind being in this atmosphere. Wild and crazy parties aren't my scene, but clearly Dexter loves this shit. Since he's one of the only friends I have in Newfield, I'll try to conceal my underlying fear and enjoy the night.

"Maybe tonight you'll find the perfect candidate to hook up with." He smirks while patting Ethan on the shoulder.

"The girls in this town kind of scare me, dude." My twin laughs as we look around the party.

"That's the best part. You want them to bite." Dexter's mission is to get us laid, I can tell. His eyes shift to me. "What about you, Gray? See any babes?"

"Uh, no." I say over the loud music.

My eyes roam around, glancing at the crowd of unfamiliar faces. A few girls are turning to stare at Ethan and I. They're whispering amongst themselves. Some of them are even pointing at us.

This is why I hate being the new guy, there's always going to be people judging you for pointless stuff you can't control.

"Come on." Dexter leads us through the room where the main party seems to be taking place.

The loud music is seeping through my brain. I catch myself bobbing my head to the song Antidote by Travis Scott. Mom would never let me live this down if she were here. She would tease me for listening to "loud, reckless music."

That's what she used to call rap songs. I usually don't listen to this genre, so it's surprising that I'm moving along to the beat. I can practically see Mom rolling her eyes at me. God, I miss her so much.

I shake off the sadness that tries to creep in at the thought of her. She wouldn't want that for me or Ethan. She was always encouraging us to have the ultimate college experience, which brings me to another reason I'm here.

I needed to go against my loner tendencies and attend a party. She wouldn't want me to sit in my apartment all the time. I need to put myself out there and take more risks, for her sake at least.

"So many girls for you to choose from." Dexter gives us an excited thumbs-up sign and I laugh, shaking my head.

"We don't know any of them. You have to introduce us to people." Ethan says while looking around the party.

I notice there's still people staring at us. A group of football players do a double take at the two of us with tattooed Dexter.

We scan the crowd of drunken sorority girls until Dexter sets his sights on a girl with pink streaks in her bleached blonde hair.

She's wearing a neon green crop top with black high waisted shorts and standing next to a keg.

"On it. Let's grab a drink." He states with a gleam in his eyes. Before I can reject his request, he's walking away from us.

Still following his lead, we make our way to the keg through the sea of college students. The minute he reaches the girl, he motions toward us.

"Hey, Hayden, right?" He asks.

"Yeah and you're Dexter. We had a class together freshman year."

"Oh, right." He grabs a red solo cup and pours himself a drink. "These are my new friends, Ethan and Grayson. They just moved to town, so make them feel welcomed."