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It was a shitty party.
Shitty and typical. Even red cups. Thomas though, bitterly, filling it one of those all the way to the top with something he wasn’t sure what it was, but he didn’t care. He was only there to impress Teresa.
Of course she would be there. She was always the center of the attention, the type of person that all head turns to, when she walks into a room. It was a surprise to no one that she barely looked twice at Thomas. At least not in the way he wanted her to.
However, they were still somewhat close. They had been childhood best friends. Once. A long time ago. But now, she was the popular girl, the one who everybody talked about, and he was the weird new guy.
“Are you having fun, Tom?” she asked, laughing, throwing an arm on his shoulder “You were supposed to have fun”
“I am” he lifted his cup, almost untouched “I’m having loads of fun” he muttered sarcastically.
“Good!” she kissed his cheek and danced away, jumping on someone’s lap. He decided not to look who.
Then he saw Brenda, sitting in a chair, by the pool. She was the girl who lived with her older brother. People liked to say mean stuff about them; that’s probably why she was alone. Thomas went to her side before he could start thinking what was wrong with him.
“Hey” he greeted, waving, awkwardly.
“Hey” she replied, looking at him for just a second, and then back to the pool.
“Okay” Thomas muttered and sat in a chair next to hers. “So, are you having fun?” Worst topic ever, he thought, of course she is having fun. By herself. Well… “I just wanted to keep you company” he said, before spiralling into indecent thoughts.
“yeah, well, I don’t even know why I came” she complained, “My brother said I should participate more and all, so here I am”
“Me too” he took a sip of the drink, just to feel his stomach sick with the taste “Teresa invited me-“
“Teresa?” She interrupted, surprised. “Teresa… Agnes?”
“Yes” he nodded “She is my friend.”
“Oh, right. I always had a major crush on her”
And then Thomas regretted. He wasn’t very good at keeping his face straight, so the shock was pretty clear, when Brenda looked at him. She laughed. Of course! The only girl in the school to look at me is a lesbian, obviously. Am I that disgusting? Another topic to avoid.
“Well, uh, you should…” he tried, but couldn’t come up with anything decent.
“… Talk to her?” she suggested “Nah. It’s cool. I’m okay with just admiring from afar”
That’s how they bonded. The rest of the night both of them spent talking about (and mildly stalking) Teresa.
By midnight, everybody was too drunk to be coherent. Including Teresa. After a quick bathroom break, he got back to the living room, to find it almost empty, except for a passionate couple making out against the wall. To give them a little privacy, he decided to leave. Of course it wouldn’t happen. He tripped on a can and fell on his butt. The couple looked at him.
“Brenda?” he was quite shocked to see her “wow, really? Would you go this low”
“What is happening?” Teresa asked, her hand still on Brenda’s waist, keeping her close.
“He confessed his undying love for you to me” Brenda said, smiling sarcastically.
“Really?” Teresa grinned “Oh, Tom, why have you never said anything?” she walked towards him, kneeling on the floor right next to him.
“”Because I thought you knew, but now you’re in lesbians with Brenda and I’m okay with”
“Are you?” Teresa asked, touching his face tenderly.
“Yes, yes, just go and make out” he said, standing up.
Before he could change his mind, Brenda dragged Teresa out of the floor and out of the room.
An hour later, he called Teresa, just to see where she was. Of course she was still tangled with Brenda. It was really hard to see when a body ended and the other started. He felt invasive to look at them.
“Teresa, I’m going home. Do you need a ride?”
She stood up, jumping “Yes! Brenda can come too?”
“I don’t know, you’ll behave?” he asked, glaring at them.
Teresa put a hand on his chest. “Don’t be a dick, Tom” She said, not harshly.
“He is just jealous” Brenda teased, standing up and hugging Teresa from behind. “He is jealous because you were kissing me and not him”
Thomas pouted. It was the type of truth that hurt.
“You look so cute when you are angry” Teresa laughed and held Brenda’s hand. Thomas saw it, but didn’t say anything.
“Are we ready to go?” He said, pointing to the door.
“Yes, grumpy man” Brenda replied, grinning.
They giggled and exchanged little kisses the whole drive. Teresa lived near Thomas, so he dropped Brenda first. She said goodbye to Teresa with a very long and passionate kiss.
“So you were really jealous?” Teresa asked, but there was no sign of a joke in her voice, like at the party. She was completely serious.
“Yes” he said, not looking at her.
“Don’t be” she put a hand on his leg. “I love you, Tom, you know that”
“Yeah, I love you too she was his best friend, he couldn’t deny that “But it doesn’t matter what I feel now because Brenda and you and lesbians being lesbians, you know” he shrugged and stopped in front of her house. “There you go”
“Oh, you’re so naïve” her tone was gentle and somewhat mischievous.
“What do you mean?” He asked turning to her.
He didn’t expect it. She just jumped at him, and kissed his lips. He could feel the taste of alcohol in her tongue and her warm breath, but it all just made it more confuse and intense. (He would probably never get over that moment)
She sat back as if nothing had happened. “I said I love you, Tom” she opened the door “You just have to believe me”
“But Brenda?” he asked as she closed the door.
Teresa stuck her head through the open window “She isn’t jealous. I heard she is really good at sharing” she gave him a wink and left.
Thomas couldn’t process everything that was happening, but the next morning he would remember a few things:
A) Teresa had kissed him. On the mouth. (His mouth was covered in red lipstick)
B) Brenda was pretty good at sexual innuendos his drunk self never understood.
C) He would never drink mysterious liquids again.