Single But Engaged ✔️

5: I was anything but a social butterfly

2 years ago

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The cool night air brushed softly through my hair, providing the perfect excuse to tuck another nervous strand of hair behind my ear. My footsteps echoed silently behind the excited ones of the girls ahead of me. 

For some reason, the closer we got to the door, the closer I felt to turning around and running back home. But I wouldn't do that. Not tonight.

Tonight was all about letting loose and allowing myself to soak in the college experience – whatever that meant. To be fair, it sounded way cooler when Ashley said it a few hours ago. 

Anyway, the point was that tonight was going to be fun. I planned to have fun. I mean, I could have fun. I'm a fun person. Yes, I admit I never really had any friends in high school outside the science club, and yes, I never went to any of the cool weekend parties which my schoolmates would chatter about on Mondays.

Gosh, who was I kidding? My high school social life was pretty much non-existent. But this was college; things were going to be different this time. Why else do you think I'd agree to go to a party with a girl I just met today? 

Well, she did seem pretty nice, plus we took a class together. And I could not ignore the most obvious reason for my accepting her invitation – him.

Why could he not just…

No. No, Aria. You will not be thinking about him tonight. This night is about you. 

But even in the middle of my little mental speech, my eyes were already searching my phone. But like the gazillion times before, I found nothing; no messages, nothing. 

Well, screw it. I would not let myself worry over that tonight.

Still, he could at least just…

Ashely's call of: “Aria, come on,” was quick to cut off the rest of my thoughts. Thankfully. And soon, I was moving over to where she was standing with the other girls.

Seeing them, standing near the door, waiting for me to join them, I suddenly felt self-conscious. Suddenly, my big blue jacket worn over a plain white shirt, and casual jeans, seemed rather dull in comparison to the really attractive outfits that Ashley and her two other friends had on.

Even their hair looked like it should have a fan club of its own – which was a lot more than I could say for my tied back hair. 

But I brushed off the thought. Dull or not, none of that was going to matter tonight anyway. The important thing was that I was here, and I was going to have fun.

So, when we headed inside the house a moment later to be welcomed by blasting music and pumped up youngsters, I tried to keep that in mind. I tried to keep it in mind even when a random shirtless guy flew down the stairs, beat his chest while downing vodka, and then proceeded to run out back.

Yeah, it was a frat party. 

Now, though, Ashley's friends had met with some guy friends of theirs, and were now introducing me to them. And so, the next few minutes were spent with me trying to use the last remains of my social skills to communicate with them. 

It wasn't that hard though. I just had to nod and smile my way through, and of course, the occasional laughs.

But the guys were pretty cool though. One of them, Matt, seemed like he would have been the jokester back in his high school days. Still, I just couldn't get myself to enjoy this. And I knew that checking my phone every two seconds wasn't helping matters.