See Dot Smile

New Year's Eve: Part 2

The volume in the basement has increased dramatically. Someone put on my dad's Aerosmith collection and is singing Dream On loudly and very out of tune. I hurry down the stairs and am hit with a lung clogging cloud of cigarette smoke. 

I find the culprits huddled in the corner behind the pool table. Three of Kendall's football friends, now spectators in the current beer pong matchup of Lilliana and Dean versus Ali and her deviant California cousin.

I spin my head around the room to discover what else is going wrong. I still can't find Kendall anywhere. Some idiot has either locked themselves in the bathroom or accidentally locked the door so no one can get in. 

I grab a solo cup with two inches of watered-down beer in it and stomp over to the group of smokers. "Put them out or take them outside," I say, holding up the cup for them to discard their cigarettes. Their chorus of groans has no effect on me. I barely know these assholes. Like I care if they think I have a stick up my ass.

Now I need to find Kendall because his friends are fucking up my house with cigarette smoke. I grab the key over the bathroom door to unlock it from the outside. As I start to jimmy the lock, Ali's other cousin comes barreling out, along with the smell of sewage and vanilla body spray. 

"Toilet was clogged before I went in there," she offers uselessly.

Are you fucking kidding me?

"Hey, Dot. Everything okay?"

I spin around to find Joshua. Beautiful, Irish sweater wearing, Joshua. Oh God. That beautiful sweater is going to smell like cigarette smoke forever now.

"Dot?" His hand is on my elbow.

I blink twice and my brain switches on. "What? No. Yes. I need to find--"

"Babe!" Ali's voice calls from the pool table. "Come watch me kick this preppy's ass!"

She's still calling him 'Babe' even though they aren't dating anymore? That's classless. 

"Don't go anywhere," he says seriously, his sweet green eyes holding me fast. "I really need to talk to you." He releases my arm and abandons me in front of the overflowing toilet room.

I haven't had anything to drink but I feel like I'm shit faced. I can't remember how I got downstairs or what I was doing before Joshua touched my elbow. My eyes flick to the couch, where the top of Bud's neatly combed head is peeking over the cushions.

Kendall! I need to find Kendall so he can bounce his barbarian friends before they set my house on fire. 

A pang of guilt hits me as I pass the couch. Bud is playing solitaire. 

I'm sorry, Bud. Five minutes and I'll play cards with you, I promise.

I stumble up the stairs. 

"Who the hell left the front door open!?" I want to shout. But I don't, because no one is listening.

I start to close the door when a cloud of smoke rises up from the front steps. I open the door and find Kendall, sitting alone, smoking a cigarette.

Um ... okay.

"Hey, Kendall." I step outside. It's freezing, but I don't plan to be here long.

"Hey, Dot," he says flatly, not looking up. "Are you okay?"

No. But I'm more okay than he is. "Are you? You're smoking."

He blows a final billow of smoke and then stubs the cigarette out on the stone step, setting it aside considerately. I know he'll throw it away when he gets up. "Sorry," he says.