NaNoWriMo
For anyone that wants to read what I'm writing I've decided to start posting the pieces here. Please no editing critiques. NaNoWriMo is not about editing it's just about getting the story down. If you have other feedback feel free to leave it.
Ethan
December 31st, 127 total days till graduation, 98 days left of school
A few days ago I got a Facebook invite from one of the guys that I swim with for a New Years Eve party. From my understanding it’s the entire swim team, girls and guys even though we never practice together. Can’t have a party of just dudes though so I guess that’s probably why Danny invited everyone.
I can hear the music pounding in the house even before I get out of my car. Three girls that I don’t quite recognize sit on the porch railing screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Each holds a red solo cup in their hands. Time to drink.
I walk by one of the girls and one of them must think she recognizes me because she jumps of the railing wailing “Aaaaaaaaaandy! I’m so glad you’re heeeeere.” She races up to me and this girl reeks of alcohol. Like her hair, everything. She wraps me in a hug. “I missed you.”
“That’s great but I’m Ethan,” I tell her while peeling her off of me. She looks as if her feelings have been genuinely hurt. One of her friends cracks up laughing, whether at this girls mix up or because she herself is drunk I’m not sure.
I’m a nice guy. I don’t take advantage of drunk girls though drunk girls sometimes try to take advantage of me. While I don’t advertise the fact, I am still a virgin. I’ve never actually met a girl worth anything more than knowing.
I walk up to the porch and open the front door. Bass explodes out the door and courses through my feet and up to my chest. Right at the entrance is Danny, the guy technically hosting this party. In the Facebook invite he informed everyone that his parents were out of town and so his house was open for everyone to party and then stay the night so no one would be an idiot and try to get home after drinking so much. Besides, with the house open for everyone to spend the night everyone can drink and have a good time because designated drivers aren’t required.
“My man!” Danny slaps me on the back and almost immediately a cup of what I assume is beer is thrust into my hands. “You’re late.”
“I made it before midnight didn’t I?” I tip my head back and drain the cup in about 15 seconds. By the time I pull the drink away Danny’s moved on, checking on other people. He’s always made a good host at his parties. He says it makes clean up a helluva lot easier when you keep up with it during the party, which, while that makes sense it doesn’t sound like much fun.
I walk through the foyer and turn through the first door on the right. Two girls are on their hands and knees kissing each other. Guys all across the room cry out their approval. The kiss is quick though before the each back up into the circle giggling and wiping their lips. Then one of the girls who just got done kissing spins the bottle at the center of the circle and the game begins again.
“Ethan!” shrieks one of the girls in the circle. I immediately recognize Jenna’s voice, one of my best friends since sixth grade. She jumps up from the circle then has to steady herself on the shoulder of the boy next to her. Once she’s regained her balance she attempts to tackle me in a hug. Lucky I haven’t started really drinking yet or she might have been able to knock me over.
“Come play. It’s spin the bottle; just like we used to play in middle school.”
“I can see that, Jenna.”
Jenna lets out a squeal of what I assume is joy but I can’t really be sure because she only makes it when she’s drunk. She grabs my hand and does a decent impression of a drunk Tigger trying to drag me back to the circle.
“Jenna I’m gonna grab something more to drink. You want something?”
“Beers good,” she tells me, “but hurry up you’re missing all the fun!”
She plops herself back onto the floor and encourages someone to take their turn spinning.
I shake my head at her enthusiasm about absolutely nothing and wander to the kitchen. On the table is a huge punch bowl that some guy I don’t recognize (clearly more than just the swim team was invited) is jungle juice in. I head to one of the coolers lining the cupboards and grab two Budweisers crack one open and chug. After finishing my beer I fill a cup with jungle juice that the guy is finishing up for myself and bring the beer back to Jenna in the living room.
I now have a pretty decent buzz going and I’m just drinking to maintain. I’m not like the majority of my team in that I don’t enjoy getting sloshed. The last time I got drunk I threw up all over Jenna’s shoes. After that I’ve been too ashamed to ever get that bad again. I’ve kinda become the caretaker of my teammates because of it. While I wouldn’t consider myself safe enough to be a designated driver I always make sure I haven’t had so much alcohol that I’d forget 911’s number.
I hand Jenna her beer before turning to pull a cushion from the couch and plopping down beside her. She giggles, hugging me and then turns back to the game. One of Jenna’s best friends fellow swim team member, Tiffany grabs hold of the Sprite bottle and spins. The bottle twirls, tipping unevenly on the carpet from time to time. It slows and then stops in front of Kiara.
Tiffany starts crawling to the center of the circle. Kiara follows suit and they make contact and hold longer than the game actually calls for. When Kiara finally does start to pull away Tiff leans in harder and starts swiveling her head, her mouth is open. What the hell?
I don’t know how other schools play spin the bottle but where we come from if you sit down to play you are saying that you are okay with kissing everyone else in the circle. That’s great when you’re the only guy in the circle with a big group of girls because even when you’re not the one kissing you get to watch girls kiss each other which is always good fun. Mostly us guys put up with kissing each other just to kiss the girls. Regardless, the rules don’t call for open mouth or tongue. Ever. Not even in the case of a couple that’s legit dating. No one wants to see that shit no matter how drunk we all are.
Or maybe that’s why they’re going at it now. People are making cat calls and egging them on. Eric, one of the almost constant drunks on the team even slaps Tiff’s ass. Tiff pulls away for a second but instead of slapping him in the face like I KNOW she’d do if she were sober, she just smiles in his direction the goes back to sucking on Kiara’s lower lip.
Am I the only one that finds this awkward? I glance at Jenna. She’s busied herself with her beer, gulping down the drink like it’s the only thing in the room. When she finally pulls the can away from her lips she wipes her mouth across her right sleeve. She glances at me then and smiles. “Fun right?"
I glance back at the two girls in the center of the circle. “Crap ton.”
“More like a shit ton.” We both start laughing at our own private joke. A shit ton is 10 times greater than a crap ton which is 10 times greater than a ton. Lame I know but when we started the joke it really was funny.
Tiffany and Kiara have finally crawled back to their spots in the circle though they’ve both cemented their chances of hooking up tonight if that’s what they’re looking for. Tiff’s got Eric buddying up to her and Kiara will have her pick of guys just dying to get with a girl that doesn’t mind kissing other girls.
Jenna grabs the Sprite bottle. “My turn! My turn!” She steadies herself on three limbs as she spins the bottle. It circles only three times before settling on me. “Kiss me darling,” she says throwing her arms in the air and puckering up. I lean over and our lips connect.
One person makes war whoop sounds and another yells something obscene that I can’t quite make out. Then we release. Jenna opens her eyes. They seem a little more glazed than they were just before the kiss. She smile childishly and then passes the bottle to the boy on her right. Trevor takes it and the game continues.
Jenna falls drunkenly into me and presses her head hard into my chest. I stay as still as possible just watching the game and feeling her hair. It tickles but feels nice all at the same time. We sit like that, her arms wrapped tight around me in a locked hug until it’s my turn to spin. I shrug her off me and she regrettably lets go. She seems almost tired now, sagging in my arms as I move her back to her regular position.
I pick up the bottle and spin. It makes it around the circle before landing on Kevin. The only thing I really know about him is that he’s dating Laura, one of Jenna’s good friends. I can’t stand her but the few times that I’ve spent time with him he’s seemed like a decent guy.
1,639 words
Ethan
December 31st, 127 total days till graduation, 98 days left of school
A few days ago I got a Facebook invite from one of the guys that I swim with for a New Years Eve party. From my understanding it’s the entire swim team, girls and guys even though we never practice together. Can’t have a party of just dudes though so I guess that’s probably why Danny invited everyone.
I can hear the music pounding in the house even before I get out of my car. Three girls that I don’t quite recognize sit on the porch railing screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Each holds a red solo cup in their hands. Time to drink.
I walk by one of the girls and one of them must think she recognizes me because she jumps of the railing wailing “Aaaaaaaaaandy! I’m so glad you’re heeeeere.” She races up to me and this girl reeks of alcohol. Like her hair, everything. She wraps me in a hug. “I missed you.”
“That’s great but I’m Ethan,” I tell her while peeling her off of me. She looks as if her feelings have been genuinely hurt. One of her friends cracks up laughing, whether at this girls mix up or because she herself is drunk I’m not sure.
I’m a nice guy. I don’t take advantage of drunk girls though drunk girls sometimes try to take advantage of me. While I don’t advertise the fact, I am still a virgin. I’ve never actually met a girl worth anything more than knowing.
I walk up to the porch and open the front door. Bass explodes out the door and courses through my feet and up to my chest. Right at the entrance is Danny, the guy technically hosting this party. In the Facebook invite he informed everyone that his parents were out of town and so his house was open for everyone to party and then stay the night so no one would be an idiot and try to get home after drinking so much. Besides, with the house open for everyone to spend the night everyone can drink and have a good time because designated drivers aren’t required.
“My man!” Danny slaps me on the back and almost immediately a cup of what I assume is beer is thrust into my hands. “You’re late.”
“I made it before midnight didn’t I?” I tip my head back and drain the cup in about 15 seconds. By the time I pull the drink away Danny’s moved on, checking on other people. He’s always made a good host at his parties. He says it makes clean up a helluva lot easier when you keep up with it during the party, which, while that makes sense it doesn’t sound like much fun.
I walk through the foyer and turn through the first door on the right. Two girls are on their hands and knees kissing each other. Guys all across the room cry out their approval. The kiss is quick though before the each back up into the circle giggling and wiping their lips. Then one of the girls who just got done kissing spins the bottle at the center of the circle and the game begins again.
“Ethan!” shrieks one of the girls in the circle. I immediately recognize Jenna’s voice, one of my best friends since sixth grade. She jumps up from the circle then has to steady herself on the shoulder of the boy next to her. Once she’s regained her balance she attempts to tackle me in a hug. Lucky I haven’t started really drinking yet or she might have been able to knock me over.
“Come play. It’s spin the bottle; just like we used to play in middle school.”
“I can see that, Jenna.”
Jenna lets out a squeal of what I assume is joy but I can’t really be sure because she only makes it when she’s drunk. She grabs my hand and does a decent impression of a drunk Tigger trying to drag me back to the circle.
“Jenna I’m gonna grab something more to drink. You want something?”
“Beers good,” she tells me, “but hurry up you’re missing all the fun!”
She plops herself back onto the floor and encourages someone to take their turn spinning.
I shake my head at her enthusiasm about absolutely nothing and wander to the kitchen. On the table is a huge punch bowl that some guy I don’t recognize (clearly more than just the swim team was invited) is jungle juice in. I head to one of the coolers lining the cupboards and grab two Budweisers crack one open and chug. After finishing my beer I fill a cup with jungle juice that the guy is finishing up for myself and bring the beer back to Jenna in the living room.
I now have a pretty decent buzz going and I’m just drinking to maintain. I’m not like the majority of my team in that I don’t enjoy getting sloshed. The last time I got drunk I threw up all over Jenna’s shoes. After that I’ve been too ashamed to ever get that bad again. I’ve kinda become the caretaker of my teammates because of it. While I wouldn’t consider myself safe enough to be a designated driver I always make sure I haven’t had so much alcohol that I’d forget 911’s number.
I hand Jenna her beer before turning to pull a cushion from the couch and plopping down beside her. She giggles, hugging me and then turns back to the game. One of Jenna’s best friends fellow swim team member, Tiffany grabs hold of the Sprite bottle and spins. The bottle twirls, tipping unevenly on the carpet from time to time. It slows and then stops in front of Kiara.
Tiffany starts crawling to the center of the circle. Kiara follows suit and they make contact and hold longer than the game actually calls for. When Kiara finally does start to pull away Tiff leans in harder and starts swiveling her head, her mouth is open. What the hell?
I don’t know how other schools play spin the bottle but where we come from if you sit down to play you are saying that you are okay with kissing everyone else in the circle. That’s great when you’re the only guy in the circle with a big group of girls because even when you’re not the one kissing you get to watch girls kiss each other which is always good fun. Mostly us guys put up with kissing each other just to kiss the girls. Regardless, the rules don’t call for open mouth or tongue. Ever. Not even in the case of a couple that’s legit dating. No one wants to see that shit no matter how drunk we all are.
Or maybe that’s why they’re going at it now. People are making cat calls and egging them on. Eric, one of the almost constant drunks on the team even slaps Tiff’s ass. Tiff pulls away for a second but instead of slapping him in the face like I KNOW she’d do if she were sober, she just smiles in his direction the goes back to sucking on Kiara’s lower lip.
Am I the only one that finds this awkward? I glance at Jenna. She’s busied herself with her beer, gulping down the drink like it’s the only thing in the room. When she finally pulls the can away from her lips she wipes her mouth across her right sleeve. She glances at me then and smiles. “Fun right?"
I glance back at the two girls in the center of the circle. “Crap ton.”
“More like a shit ton.” We both start laughing at our own private joke. A shit ton is 10 times greater than a crap ton which is 10 times greater than a ton. Lame I know but when we started the joke it really was funny.
Tiffany and Kiara have finally crawled back to their spots in the circle though they’ve both cemented their chances of hooking up tonight if that’s what they’re looking for. Tiff’s got Eric buddying up to her and Kiara will have her pick of guys just dying to get with a girl that doesn’t mind kissing other girls.
Jenna grabs the Sprite bottle. “My turn! My turn!” She steadies herself on three limbs as she spins the bottle. It circles only three times before settling on me. “Kiss me darling,” she says throwing her arms in the air and puckering up. I lean over and our lips connect.
One person makes war whoop sounds and another yells something obscene that I can’t quite make out. Then we release. Jenna opens her eyes. They seem a little more glazed than they were just before the kiss. She smile childishly and then passes the bottle to the boy on her right. Trevor takes it and the game continues.
Jenna falls drunkenly into me and presses her head hard into my chest. I stay as still as possible just watching the game and feeling her hair. It tickles but feels nice all at the same time. We sit like that, her arms wrapped tight around me in a locked hug until it’s my turn to spin. I shrug her off me and she regrettably lets go. She seems almost tired now, sagging in my arms as I move her back to her regular position.
I pick up the bottle and spin. It makes it around the circle before landing on Kevin. The only thing I really know about him is that he’s dating Laura, one of Jenna’s good friends. I can’t stand her but the few times that I’ve spent time with him he’s seemed like a decent guy.
1,639 words