It Could Be More | ✔

27. Easy (3)

GL0RY had everyone up and enjoying their set by the second song. Liah, Corey, Vik and I left our seats to bounce around with the rest of the crowd in front of the stage. After their third encore, the band called it a night, but hung out to take pictures and signing autographs on napkins, shirts, and occasionally cleavage.

"We need to get a picture with them." That was the most excited I'd ever seen Vik. He was in his element, the awkward geek thing nowhere to be found.

The four of us took a picture with the band. I bought one of their shirts and had the band autograph it. Vik did the same, the two of us chatting with the band about music. When we met up with Liah and Corey back at our table, Liah was all smiles.

"Guess what we're doing next," she said, grinning wide.

I glanced at Corey for help. He shrugged, also confused. "Going home?" I guessed.

"It's barely ten," she said, as if I offended her. "I was in the bathroom and this girl said that the band is having an after party nearby."

"So, you want to crash a stranger's party?" Vik said, suddenly concerned.

"What do you mean strangers? You two were just chatting up the band like you've been friends forever."

If we went back to Vik's, we'd probably end up watching TV until we fell asleep. This weekend was supposed to be fun and nothing said fun like partying with an up-and-coming band. "I'm in."

● ● ●

Crashing the party was easier than I thought it'd be. First, we stopped for food, grabbing burgers and shakes. We ate inside the restaurant. Liah and I got kid's meals just for the toys, which the boys immediately took over. The two of them shooting little plastic arrows at each other.

Then we found the party. It was already packed when we pulled up. The house was huge with a winding driveway full of cars parked haphazardly. We had to circle the block to find parking.  When we walked in, I half expected a comedic record scratch and for the entire party to turn on us, but no one cared. People were dancing and drinking and happy.

We followed the music to a large living room. There was a karaoke machine hooked up to the TV with someone belting the lyrics to Mr. Brightside by The Killers. Liah had that spark in her eyes and I knew she wasn't leaving without singing one song and putting everyone here to shame with her vocals.

While Vik and Liah watched karaoke, I watched Corey. His eyes bounced around the room, the same way they did when we first got Vik's. I looked, too. At the high, slanted ceilings, the fireplace under the TV, the hardwood floors currently being scuffed up by people treating the room like a mosh pit. To me it was just a living room, but he was seeing something different. I wanted to know what he saw.

"Taking notes?"

He scoffed. "Of what not to do, maybe."

I took another look around. Everything was gray or beige, and the rug was hideous, but I didn't see anything especially offensive. Corey, apparently, saw something else entirely.

"Educate me."

He shook his head, laughing it off like he thought I was playing. "Didn't you come here to hang out with the band?"

"I'm serious. I want to see what you see."

His lips twitched like he was suppressing a smile. "Okay, uhm, well, there's the shape of this room for starters. It doesn't make sense."

He was right. The room wasn't square. With the diagonal walls, it was shaped more like a weird trapezoid. Corey pointed out the mistakes in the placement of the walls and how the windows were put in randomly. When I first walked in, I thought it was fancy. But with every flaw he pointed out, I realized that I'd seen better concepts in the Sims 4 gallery.