How You Get the Girl

It's Not as Romantic as I Thought it Would Be to Have Boys Fighting Over Me

Since Ben and I had started dating I had spent less and less time with most of my old friends. I still saw Beth but I had been avoided the rest of them since our blow up in the library. I was no longer eating lunch with them or spending my free period with them. It was time to make up. I did not want to be the girl who gave up her friends for her boyfriend. I had been friends with Frida, Julia, and Sasha since middle school. I needed to make a point of spending more time with them. Senior year was almost over and before we all knew it we would be off to college. Maria was throwing a party this weekend and I was determined to go to it. All my old friends would be there and I wanted to see them. And if I was going, Ben was going.

"I don't like parties," Ben said. We were sitting in his bedroom. I had still not managed to persuade him to go.

"We have to go," I answered. "Maria is Beth's girlfriend and Beth is my best friend. It's not optional.  Please? I really don't want to go alone."

Ben just stared at me. Clearly, I was going to have to push a bit more. "You are my boyfriend. Boyfriends go to parties with their girlfriends. It keeps other drunk boys from hitting on their girlfriends. Their girlfriends really appreciate it."  

"Alright, I'll go," he said, finally relenting.

"Great, I promise to find some way to show my appreciation," I say, leaning over to kiss him. He grabbed me and rolled me under him, kissing me and coming very close to making me forget about the party.

"No," I said, after a minute. "You are not going to distract me. We are going to the party. We don't have to stay long. An hour, tops," he rolled off me and sighed.

"Nice try though. If it had been anybody else but Beth's girlfriend's party it would have worked," I told him. He grinned.

"Alright," I said, standing up and checking my hair. "Let's go before you mess up my hair and makeup enough that I can't go."

. . .

The party was crowded but Maria's house was huge. It was modern with large windows and an open floor plan. It was perfect for a party. There had to be fifty kids here. Ben and I had gotten to the party late because of the time it had taken to talk him into coming.

When we walked in I waved across the room at Beth and Maria and they waved back but they were clearly busy by the keg. I led Ben through the room to where my friends were standing together. They had all clearly been drinking already. I almost turned away when I realized Seth was with them but they had already seen me. Seth, Sasha, Julia, Frida, and Michael were all there.

"I'll grab us a beer," said Ben.

I looked at him. "You drink?" I asked.

"Yes," he said with a smile. "But I'll only have one since I'm driving. Do you want one?"

"No, I don't drink much," I told him, "but I'm fine if you want one." I went over to my friends.

"I was beginning to worry you had been taken, hostage girl. We never see you anymore," Sasha told me.

"I've just been busy," I said by way of apology. I did feel guilty that I hadn't been hanging out with. I had not been a good friend. I would try to make it up to them tonight.

"Are you still with Mr. Math Team?" Sasha asked. Seriously, did she really just start right in with that? I thought.

"His name is Ben," I said.

"Really, he is cute, but he's wearing a t-shirt with a math equation on it," Julia said.

"It's an MIT shirt, the equation solves to MIT," I told them.