Alice Part 5

Friday during school, he turned around in psych to talk to me.
“Do you need a ride to the party?”
“Yeah, she does.” Kate answered for me.
“Uh, yeah that’d be sweet.” That’d be sweet? What was I thinking? And I didn’t need a ride, she lived two streets away. But I guess this was Kate’s plan. The big make-out with Aaron? Maybe. He was a good practice boy, because college was looming and I was going to be the Creepy Virgin on Campus.
“What time?” he raised his eyebrows.
“Uh, nine thirty?” I wondered how Kate would get there now. Her lazy ass was not going to walk, I was sure.
“Okay.” He smiled. “I’m driving Mark too, so I can give you a ride too, Kate.”
“Okay.”
Looked like I was still going to be Creepy Virgin after all.

“Fuck, Fuck, FUCK.”
“This is becoming a motif in our life.” She tossed a shirt at me. “Wear this one.”
“This one? This one is ugly.”
“You’re ugly.”
“Not helping.”
“I wasn’t trying to. It’s nine twenty, hurry the fuck up…” She drawled and swigged from a water bottle of vodka.
“I have no idea how you can do that. Just drink it straight, ugh.” I tugged a shirt over my head, checking myself out in the mirror.
“I’m part Russian.”
“And part alcoholic.”
“Touché.” She took another gulp.
“Pass that shit, yo.”
“Liquid courage, my friend.”
“I need it. Tell me again what I’m supposed to do?”
“Make out with Aaron.”
“Right. How do I do that?”
“Well, I don’t know, move your mouth around and stick your tongue out is usually what I do but…”
“I mean, get him to kiss me, not how do I literally kiss.”
“Oh right. Well I suppose it should be easy enough: get him drunk and then bend over and shove your tits in his face.”
“You are the least helpful friend imaginable.”
“I know, I really don’t know why you put up with me. I heard a honk, let’s get your slutty little butt downstairs.”
“Bye Mom!”
“Bye girls, tell Mrs. Cartwright hello from me.”
“Yeah, bye.”
“Hello, boys.” Kate said as we crammed in the backseat.
“Sup, beezys.” Mark piped up.
“What does that even mean?” I asked
“Uhm, Hi Girls, loosely translated.” Aaron joked.
“The impenetrable language of hip-hop.” Mark shook his head sadly. “No one understands.”
“Good to see you haven’t gotten normal Mark.” Kate raised her eyebrows at me.
“No, I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t” Aaron laughed.
“Stacy planned a cake-fight for later on tonight, we’re all weird.” I pointed out.
“A cake-fight?” Mark looked awed. This was his first party with the burnouts, stoners, freaks and weirdos.
“And you’re goin’ down, suckaaaa.” Kate threw up a gang sign.
“Who on earth taught you that?”
“My cousin from New York.”
“You cousin is from Long Island.”
“Whatever, I’m badass.”
The boys were cracking up at us, and I was glad someone was there to witness our rapport for once. Usually it was just my brother, and he was too busy being thirteen to care. We pulled up to the party then, and it looked like everyone had come out for the first party of the year. We trekked through the woods next to Stacy's house to “The Camp”, her old garage which we had turned into a party room. It was an old farmhouse deal, so there was a loft upstairs, and plenty of space downstairs.
“Hey guys!” Stacy was wearing a voluminous peasant dress, and looked like she was stoned out of her mind.
Kate and I both hugged her, and then she shook Mark’s hand.
“He’s a junior, and he’s totally weird.” Kate offered.
“Nice! Hey another junior is here, some chick named Olive, you know her?” she looked at Mark.
“Yeah,” he muttered, “I do.” He had a weird look on his face, like he wanted to gag. I guess he didn’t like her or something.
“What do you want? Booze or Drugs or both?” Stacy was always a most accommodating hostess.
“Both.” Kate said.
“How ‘bout that beer, Alice?” Aaron pointed to the case of beer sitting on a table. He passed a kid five bucks, and took two, handing me one. I cracked it open, the foam bubbling up through the hole slightly.