Achievement Unlocked

Chapter 6

I pulled up into the bar's parking lot and turned down my radio. I took out my phone and gave Gavin a quick call. He answered almost immediately.

"What's up?" He greeted. 

"I'm here, I think." I said quickly.

"Be right out." He replied, then hung up. 

That has to be one of the shortest phone calls I've ever been a part of, I thought to myself. I peered out the car's window at the bar's entrance, seeing the tall, lanky British boy I've been looking for. I smiled and got out of my car, slowly making my way towards him. 

"Hey, Gavin!" I greeted him with a smile that stretched across my face. 

"Hello, love!" He smiled back at me. 

Oh, no. Here comes the anxiety. My palms begin to sweat as my fingers twitched and shook. I let out a nervous laugh as Gavin placed his hand on my lower back and led me into the building. The first person I saw was Geoff, who gave me most warm welcoming I have ever received. 

"Hey, asshole. Haven't seen you in a while." He laughed and gave me a hug. 

"This is Elijah, everybody." Gavin smiled as he introduced me to the crowd of people before me. Everyone let out their greetings and I awkwardly waved in response. Gavin led me past the group of people whom I've never met and over to the bar. He then pulled out a stool and beckoned for me to take a seat. I gave a soft smile and sat down, resting my feet on the lower bar of the stool. He took a seat next to me and rested his elbow on the bar. 

"How are you?" He smiled at me. I looked down at my hands, which were rested on my knees. 

"I"m alright." I responded in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. Gavin placed his free hand on my knee and shook it softly. 

"Come on, enjoy yourself." I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. 

"I'm serious! Here, let me get you a drink."

"No, I don't -" I began to protest.

"Nope, you're getting a drink," He flashed a smile at me and beckoned the bartender over. "You've gotta catch up with the rest of us." Gavin finished with a chuckle and begins talking to the bartender. 

"What do you want?" He leaned in and asked me. 

"Beer is fine." I finally gave in. I figured it would help me let loose and relax; Help wash away my anxiety and calm my nerves. Gavin ordered the drink and handed it to me with a smile. I smiled sheepishly and took a sip, wondering why I decided to come here. I looked up to see Geoff making his way over to where Gavin and I were seated. 

"What's up, fuckers?" He asks, showing an excessive amount of enthusiasm. 

"Not much, you?" Gavin laughed. I kept silent, running my finger around the rim of my glass. Geoff nodded up towards me. 

"What's up with you?" He asks. 

"Nothing, you know how I act when introduced to a large group of people." I chuckled, looking up at him.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot about that. What happened to you and Dani coming over every weekend?" He asked, referring to the past, when Dani and I would hang out and spend the night every Friday night. 

"I'm not sure, I'll talk to her." I smiled. 

"I don't know abo-" Geoff began, "That would be awesome." Gavin interrupted. I smiled at Gavin and gave Geoff a look that said, 'We'll talk later.' Gavin and Geoff began to talk about God knows what and I began to get sucked into my own brain. 

I really want to go home. I feel like I'm about to shake out of my seat. God, that would be embarrassing. Especially with all of these people here, oh God. No, no, don't think about it. I took a large sip from my drink. The more you think about it, it's more likely to happen. That's weird, how it works like that. Kind of like a self fulfilling prophecy. Hmm, what even is a self fulfilling prophecy? I mean, I know what it is, but how does it work? The human brain is so fascinating. I wonder how - I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. I took another drink and set the glass on the bar, fishing my phone out of my pocket to see a text from Dani. 

How're things? :D The message read.

Nervous. Wanna go home. I replied, sighing softly. 

NO! Eli, don't you do this right now. Now's your chance to build up a great relationship with that fine hunk of meat I chuckled, then continued to read on. You can do this, push past that social anxiety and be happy for once! 

:) I responded, then shoved my phone back into my pocket.

She's right, I thought. I can do this. I picked up my drink and finished it off, making Gavin and Geoff turn their heads towards me. 

"Did you just drink that entire thing in like, less than 5 seconds?" Gavin's eyes widened. 

I looked over at the empty glass and shrugged, "Well, yeah." 

Geoff began to laugh and gave me a high five. I laughed along as Gavin ordered me another drink. 

"Do it again." Gavin said, clearly fascinated. He slid the drink closer to me. 

"Ah, no, it's fine." I shook my head slightly. 

"No, do it," Geoff said. "Wait, let me pull up a timer." He finished, taking out his phone. I waited for him to tell me when.

"..Okay... GO!" He shouted. I picked up the glass and downed the bitter drink. 

"Time?" I asked.

"6.07 seconds. That. Is. Ridiculous." Geoff said in amazement. Gavin placed his hand on my shoulder and shook it softly. I smiled and pulled out my phone to text Dani. 

Tonight is gonna be awesome.