MESSED UP - completed!

45 - Which one of us is crazy?

45 Which One of Us Is Crazy?

It's the night of the party, and I have been helping Zoey to clean the house and make food. We finally wear our clothes and wait for guests to show up. It's a casual party, and no one's too dressed up. I'm wearing a yellow skirt and a white shirt.

It's getting more crowded by the minute. Zoey has many friends. The crowd dances and drinks. People don't hear each other anymore. I admire the house's beauty as I hold the glass of wine and savor the taste.

"You haven't touched it!" Zoey shouts in the loud music.

"I don't wanna end up pregnant again!" I say.

She laughs. "Smart choice."

"What would you do if Brian was here?"

"Nothing. I already told you Brian doesn't want me."

"Well, guess who's here?"

She stops, and a horrified look sits on her face. "My dad?"

"No! Brian!"

"What?"

"I invited him!"

"You did what?!"

"Stop questioning obvious sentences. Go for a dance!"

"I'm not going for a dance."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

I get away from her and approach Brian. He's standing in a corner, awkwardly sipping from a drink. "Hey, Brian!"

He gives me a quick hug. "Hey, Mia. You look good! Congrats on the baby!"

"Thank you! Thanks for coming!"

"Thank you for inviting me."

"Actually, Zoey wanted you here, too. So..."

"She did?"

"Yes."

"She didn't even come to say hi."

"She's a little shy. I heard things are a bit off with you guys. Why don't you talk to her?"

"I appreciate your effort, Mia. But I don't think she's interested in talking with me. She only wants someone to fill her empty nights."

"Don't tell her I said this. Actually? Do tell her. I want her to know I made things right between you. She's been meaning to talk to you for so long, but she doesn't know how to because she's terrible at communicating. Could be the impact of her robot father." He looks hesitant. "Trust me." I push him through the crowd toward Zoey, who's watching us while pretending to be busy dancing.

"Look who I found!" I say to Zoey, and she stops dancing.

"Brian! Hey," she says, and Brian gives her a quick hug.

"You look nice," he says.

"Thanks," Zoey responds.

"What she means is you look hot as fuck," I say, and Zoey raises an eyebrow. "Don't be hard on her, okay?" I say to Brian. "Or be. Maybe she likes it rough." Before Zoey throws something at me, I run away from them. The pool in her yard is so beautiful. It reminds me of Smith's pool in his backyard.

"This party's like a forced school reunion," Smith says, holding a champagne glass, standing by me.

"What does that mean?" I ask him.

"It's like we're forcing ourselves to have fun, but we don't because we're not teenagers anymore."

"I'm having fun!"