Okay

.38.

I'm in the shower when a loud thump slams against the door to my apartment repeatedly. Turning off the water, I shake the drops from my hair and wrap a towel around my waist. The knocking is still happening and growing louder with each rep.

"I'm coming!" I bark into my apartment, shuffling my way to the door in no real hurry.

"Open the door Drew!" It comes through muffled but I can tell it's Alec.

Yanking open the door, his massive frame practically filling it I snap "what the fucks your problem? I was in the shower."

He's grinning like an idiot as he shoves me aside, letting himself in. "Get dressed."

"Why?"

"We're going out."

I let out a groan, it took all I had to shower. I was planning on going back to sleep. Alec doesn't seem to mind my protests though disappearing into my bedroom.

"I think I'm gonna sta-."

I'm cut off by a pair of jeans hitting me in the face. They fall to the floor at my feet a moment later. And I'm rendered speechless.

"Dude you need to do laundry." He yells at me from where he's gone back into my room.

I stare at the growing mess in the hallway. He's right but I was content just with the fact I managed to pile it all together.

Alec steps out with one of my shirts in his hands and he once again tosses it at me.

"Get dressed." He repeats.

"Alec.."

"No excuses. Let's go." He puts his arm around my shoulders, shoving me closer to my room as I continue to protest.

As I reach the doorframe, without the clothes he threw at me, my towel gets yanked from my hips and I stumble into my room naked.

"Fuck!" There's no grace as I try to catch myself, flailing around as Alec laughs.

"Get your scrawny ass dressed."

                              ————————

"I've already resigned myself to being the old cat lady. Single forever over here." Chelsea mutters and Alec puts his hand up for a high five.

She's sitting beside me, a cocktail in her hand that she's been nursing for what seems hours. Chelsea is one of those girls that flit through high school under the radar. I remember noticing her finally as Owen started to hang out with her and Max. She was elegantly beautiful with her porcelain white skin and auburn hair. Time has done nothing but make her more beautiful.

"It's not our fault the rest of us are gorgeous with stellar personalities." Max smashes himself next to Owen who has his arm around Mina.

Chelsea plucks an ice cube from her drink and throws it at Max. This all feels weird, like I'm intruding on them. There's this dynamic that they all have, teasing and inside jokes and I don't fit in.

"Oh shut up Max." Chelsea scolds and then I watch Mina roll her eyes, the faintest smile on her lips until they meet mine.

She definitely hates me. Not that I blame her. I hate me too.

Max's hands raise in defense. "sucks to suck."

There's laughter in his eyes though as he smiles at Chelsea who starts to laugh beside me even though she's telling Max that he's awful. I hang my head, trying to disappear into the couch.

"Hey you would be single too if it wasn't for me." Alec protests.

Max shakes his head as he swallows down a drink. "Nah, you just sped the inevitable up. Zach and I would have found each other eventually."

Alec scoffs.

"Where is he anyway?" Mina asks, leaning forward as she looks around Owen.

"He'll be here soon. He has that soccer league thing he plays on. It goes until 10." Max explains.

At the mention of soccer I find myself looking at Owen. His brown eyes meet mine but I can't figure out what he's thinking. So naturally I think the worst. That he's reminiscing about before his accident. How much he loved soccer, how good he was at it. How different his life could have been had I not fucked it all up.

But then he looks at Max and laughs. "The more I learn about Zach the more I feel like you're trying to find the gay version of me."

Max's face lights up. "I mean unless you're switching teams I have no choice."

"Hey!" Mina barks at him.

"Sorry, not sorry. Owen will always be my one that got away." Max says it so casually, sipping his drink as he gives Mina and Owen a sideways glance.

"You never had him in the first place." Chelsea muses.

Owen is laughing, Mina shaking her head with a bored expression like this conversation happens frequently. Alec nudges Chelsea in the arm, the two of them fist bumping and Max pouts.

But then Max brightens and asks "Is Jase coming?"

"Family emergency." Owen shakes his head.

"Damn it." Max grumbles. "There's nothing I love more than being surrounded by Savas men."

He downs the rest of his drink, no one phased by his comment. I don't know Max well but his boldness takes me by surprise. Everyone knew him in high school because he was one of the only out kids. But this is the most time I'd ever spent around him and I'm surprised we never hung out with him in high school. He's like the life of the party, animated and dynamic.

"Who needs a refill?" Max calls as he stands and heads toward the bar.

"I'll go with you." Alec jumps up and Chelsea follows him saying something about the bathroom.

"I'll take one." I raise the almost empty bottle in my hand.

"Us too." Mina adds.

And then it's just Owen, Mina and I and I feel even more unwanted than before.

"How is Jase?" I ask, my voice threatening to give away my unease.

Owen shrugs his shoulders, his arm tightening around Mina as we lounge on the couches in the bar.

"He got married last fall." Mina tells me because Owen's being...Owen, he's been cool toward me all evening.

I like Mina. And I can see why they get along. They're both a little too blunt for your average person. Mina's indifferent toward me, I can only imagine the shit Owen's told her. But she's been polite and Owen's less of a dick with her sitting there.

"To Brandy?" It falls out of me before I can think twice and as soon as the words leave my mouth Owen's annoyed gaze meets mine.

"They broke up years ago." But by years he means post us.

Which indirectly is his way of saying "you'd know that Drew if you hadn't fucked everything up". So I just let out a defeated "oh" and take the last drink from my beer.

But then Owen sighs and says "her name is Natalie."

And then another few seconds later he lets out an annoyed breath and adds "she's got a kid". He glances at Mina, having some sort of unspoken conversation before he sighs yet again and says "sorry".

I can only assume it's Mina prompting him to do so. And I can't help but laugh.

"Don't worry about it, I know you're a dick." Laughter bounces around in my voice as Owen looks at me. I'm just trying to break the layer of ice that's formed between us.

I'm waiting for him to yell and cuss at me, not because he's just being Owen but because I actually pissed him off even though I used to say that exact thing to him when we were younger. But then he smirks.

"Fuck you asshole." He laughs.

And for a moment we're friends.

                            ————————

Oh my gosh! Who loves that everyone's together?!