𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.

Chapter Two| Lucas

The living room speakers are on full blast on the floor below me, and I can feel the vibration beneath my feet. Frustratingly scribbling down my answer, I move to the next question as an unrecognizable IDM song resonants in the background. It was getting harder to block out the noise downstairs and to focus on my calculus homework. I sigh, solving the last problem on the homework sheet.

My older brother, Braden, decided to throw a college party while our parents are out of town. It's the first night of fall vacation, and he couldn't wait to have the house filled with intoxicated college students. I went downstairs earlier to grab a snack and immediately regretted it. My conscience told me to turn back before it was too late, but I didn't listen to it. Strangers sweaty bodies rub up against me as I walk through the crowd huddled together in the living room. The nightmare didn't stop there; two extremely drunk girls groped me in the kitchen while waiting for my pizza pocket in the microwave. Walking around the counter didn't help because they just followed me. After two minutes of pure torture, I jolted upstairs back in my room.

My brother peeps his head into my room and sighs. He comments on me being a loser for studying right now, and it isn't the first time he's insulted how antisocial I am. I never cared what he thinks of me because he's wasting his life, not me. When my parents come back from their business trip and see the damage done to the living room, they'll have his ass, not mine.

"Little brother, you should enjoy being seventeen because you will miss it a hell of a lot." Braden's idea of a good older brother talk. I might consider his advice if he wasn't always trying to convince me into doing something stupid. Going to a party is not the worst thing he's got me to do. I don't even want to remember half the idiotic crap we did together.

Braden is in his third year of college and still doesn't know what he's going to do. My parents were proud of him when he decided to go to college, but all he does is go to parties and hook up with girls. Only if my parents could see him now, they would freak out because of these wild college students destroying their house while the eldest son is the host. He spews some nonsense on college parties, but it's hard to understand him when he's slurring his words. How much did he have to drink?

"Look, I'm not going to party dumb ass. So can you please just leave before you piss me off." I'm honestly fed up with his bullshit.

"Partying is all that," but I interrupt him, growing irritable. "I swear to God leave my room right now!" I scream, feeling a migraine coming from his constant irritation.

"Okay, just lighten up more," he puts his hands up to tell me he surrenders and mutters something I couldn't understand.

As soon as he left, I relaxed a bit more. I would rather stay in my room and study than hang out with a bunch of drunk halfwits anyway. Ask me a year ago, and I'd have a different response. At fifteen and sixteen, I was like Braden, partying every weekend, getting so drunk my legs go numb, but not anymore; I've changed, and it's because of her. I didn't like who I was before; I was lost and unfocused, but now I care about going to college. I want to study and work hard until I get my degree. Everyone thinks she broke me, and I am going to show everyone I'm not.

***

Unplugging my phone from the charger, I go to my contacts and call my best friend, Cameron. We've known each other since 3rd year, and he's my closest friend. Back then, we used to play on the same football team. I quit after 6th year, but Cameron didn't, he plays for our school team and is fantastic. He might go pro one day.

"Hey Cameron, what are you up to?" I ask. "Nothing." I jump at a sudden an ear-piercing crash coming from outside my room. "Dude, what the hell was that?"