Asher hated parties. He liked getting drunk, he tolerated the taste of alcohol when he had to, and he certainly loved hanging out with his friends…

But combine all that with the loud music, the crowds, the chaos, and (more often than not) the drama and, well, he wasn’t exactly a fan.

But that night, Asher was more than willing to make an exception.

After a long talk with his parents and going over their ground rules (which, all things considered, were pretty reasonable), he set off to meet Landon at the party.

Asher wasn’t surprised that his parents allowed him to go — not only were they very trusting and had a pretty laid-back view on alcohol, but both Lainey AND Penny were at friends’ houses for sleepovers that same evening. Asher knew his parents would always jump at the rare opportunity to have the house to themselves.

They’re probably banging or something. He realized. Gross.

Still, he was grateful he didn’t have to worry about being sneaky or secretive about the party. It would allow him to focus solely on Landon — enjoying their time together and trying desperately not to make a complete ass of himself.

Something which, of course, he failed at spectacularly from the first moment he opened his mouth.

“Wow… You look amazing!” He practically gushed as he met Landon in front of the large, unfamiliar house.

Asher instantly wanted to die the moment the words passed his lips. He wasn’t sure what made him say it — Landon always looked amazing, after all. But there was just something about how tight his jeans were and how amazingly his shirt hugged the firm muscles of his chest that just… Ungh.

“I… I mean cool outfit.” His attempt at a smooth recovery simply made things even worse. Goddamn it!

Landon just let out a low chuckle, his lips curling into a handsome smile. “You look great too.” Asher felt a pleasant shiver down his spine as the older boy’s green eyes looked him up and down for a moment. “I’m glad you came.”

“So, uh, whose party is this anyway?” Asher asked, glancing up at the large house. Judging by the number of cars lining the street and the muted sound of music coming from inside, the party was already well underway.

“Honestly? No friggin’ clue.” Landon laughed once more. “Des just texted me the address and said ‘everybody’ would be here and I ‘had’ to come, so…” He shrugged. “Here I am.”

Asher shook his head, amused as he followed Landon toward the front door. “Sounds more like a summons than an invite…”

“That’s how it usually goes.” Landon replied with a shrug. “But hey, it’s also a good excuse to celebrate! You think Marshall’s gonna have our grades up this weekend?”

“Hopefully! You’ve gotta text me and lemme know how you did…”

Their conversation paused as the two of them finally opened the heavy front doors and let themselves into the party.

The moment they stepped over the threshold, Asher’s ears were assaulted with the discordant sounds of pounding music, drunken conversation, and obnoxious laughter filling the air. The place was packed with people Asher recognized from school, and even more whom he didn’t.

As expected, it was much too noisy, and difficult to carry on a conversation. Though Landon tried to talk to him over the sound of the music and loud, drunken talking of their peers, Asher couldn’t help but long for their quiet afternoons spent in the library, or late nights spent playing Bloodwatch online. He was quickly realizing that a party wasn’t exactly the ideal place to spend time together — especially not when Landon was constantly surrounded by fangirls.

Within their first ten minutes at the party, three different girls approached Landon, giggling and batting their eyelashes, and being sickeningly obnoxious.

Asher stood awkwardly off to the side, the girls paying him no mind. It was incredibly uncomfortable to stand there, watching as these girls shamelessly flirted with Landon in front of him. And what was worse, Landon didn’t seem to mind the attention very much.

Jesus, it’d be nice if they didn’t act like I was a piece of furniture or something, Asher thought bitterly to himself as the third girl walked away. The first few girls were practically strangers to him, so as much as it sucked, he could kind of understand why they ignored him. But then, a more familiar face approached.

“Hey, Naki.” Asher gave Oliver’s ex-girlfriend an awkward wave as she drew nearer. “I didn’t know you’d be here.” He tried his best to smile as he spoke. In truth, he couldn’t stand Nakusa, and never understood what Ollie saw in her… but given the current situation, he was grateful to see someone he knew.

He might as well have been invisible. “Landon! I’m so glad you came!” She practically purred, completely ignoring Asher’s greeting.

“Oh, is this your party?” Landon replied, smiling. “Sweet digs!” He glanced appreciatively around the large foyer as he spoke. They’d barely made it past the front door before Landon had been bombarded by attention, but he was right — even based on the entryway alone, it was a pretty nice place.

Nakusa shook her head. “My boyfriend’s.” She explained. “Which I guess means it’s practically mine.” Her giggle was so obnoxious, Asher wanted to scream. If you already have a new boyfriend, why the fuck are you so interested in Landon?! It took all of his willpower not to voice this question aloud.

Landon’s eyes darted around them for a moment at these words. “Oh, you’ve got a boyfriend?” He asked, his voice strangely hopeful. “Where is he?”

Nakusa giggled yet again. “Just getting us some drinks… He knows better than to ditch me at his own party.”

“Uh-huh…” Landon nodded uncomfortably. “Well, I’d better let you go find him.”

“What about you, Landon?” Nakusa cooed, oblivious to his dismissal. “Did you bring a special someone with you? Because if you didn’t, I have a few friends who are dying to meet you…”

“You mean like… a date?” He asked.

She nodded.

Landon’s eyes flicked toward Asher for a moment. Asher’s breath caught in his throat as his heart raced with excitement and anticipation.

Landon appeared to be teetering on the edge for a moment. And then…

“N-no.” He replied at last, tearing his eyes away from Asher. “Nobody else. Just me…”

Asher felt his heart sink instantly. I’m such a fucking idiot. This was never a date. He’d never be into someone like me… He shouldn’t have really been surprised, should he? So why did he feel that sharp stinging in the corner of his eyes?

Asher slipped away into the crowd, hoping to remain unnoticed by Landon and Nakusa. He fought to keep his breathing steady and hold back the tears that suddenly threatened to fall. Why the hell did I even come here in the first place? He’d been there for what? All of fifteen minutes and already he was bored, ignored, and worse — totally friendzoned by Landon.

I’ve gotta go find some alcohol… Maybe that’ll help. Asher fought desperately not to let himself fall apart completely. After a drink or two and some time to cool off, maybe he’d find Landon again and try talking to him. Give him a chance to explain himself. But for now… He just had to get away.

As he made his way through the kitchen, Asher caught a glimpse of a strangely familiar head of long brown hair out of the corner of his eye. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of it. No way…

The girl had emerged from what appeared to be a bathroom, and was now striding in the direction from where Asher had come. He followed behind eagerly, still struggling to believe what he was seeing. I didn’t know the little brat had it in her… He thought almost gleefully.

Sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed as Asher watched her enter what appeared to be a study. He finally caught a glimpse of her face as she turned the corner, and he instantly recognized the big brown eyes and face full of freckles, just like his own. It was Penny.

So much for that ‘sleepover’… Man, she’s so fucking dead when I tell Mom and Dad. Asher’s previous sadness and frustration had been almost completely eclipsed by surprise and sadistic delight at running into his little sister. She was usually such a goody-two-shoes — something as bold as running off to a party full of upperclassmen was so unlike her. And how the hell did she even get here anyway? He wondered. Penny couldn’t drive, and neither could any of her friends.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind when Asher realized that his little sister wasn’t the only familiar face at this party…

Asher felt like he’d been punched in the gut — all the air left his lungs, and he felt an intense heat slowly rising from the pit of his stomach up into his chest. How could he… How could SHE…

Everything around him felt like a total blur to Asher. His mind struggled to form coherent thoughts as he fled the room and headed back toward the kitchen.

He couldn’t stay there another moment, or he would most definitely have said or done something that he would later come to regret. His feet carried him back through the foyer toward the bathroom from which Penny had emerged just a minute or two earlier.

Thankfully, he found it unoccupied. Asher locked the door behind him as he fought to calm his breathing. The weight of everything that had happened in the past half hour had suddenly come crashing down upon him — the way Landon had ignored him in favor of those stupid girls, and abandoned him in the cruel depths of the friendzone. And then Ollie… His stomach lurched at the memory of his best friend’s body and lips so closely entwined with Penny’s.

I should’ve known… Asher felt the tears that had threatened to fall earlier slowly returning. Coming here was a huge fucking mistake. What the hell was I thinking?! I’ve gotta go home…

Grateful that he hadn’t had any alcohol, Asher felt for the car keys in his back pocket and made his way toward the bathroom door.

Before his hand could reach the doorknob, however, a loud knocking reached his ears.

“Just a second!” He called, wiping away a few tears that had managed to escape.

“Asher?” A familiar voice echoed from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?”

His eyes widened slightly at the sound. “Uh… Y-yeah.” Asher sputtered awkwardly. “Hold on.”

Then he took a deep breath, reached forward, and opened the door.