Beauty and the Nerd

Chapter Six

"Dude!  Is this your nerdy brother?"  My brother looks at the guy next to Jake in a intimidating way. "Sweet jacket, man."  He quickly adds at the end.

I scout the room for Tyler, but find him already off on his own.  Probably on a "babe hunt" or so he called it on the way over here.

"Pete," my brother calls my name, "Just relax and get a drink."  He raises his cup to me then takes a sip of it almost as if it's the easiest thing in the world.

I walk to the island that has a mixture of different looking drinks.  Vodka, wine, whiskey, and plain old beer are scoured over the top.  I pick up a new cup and decide on the beer.  Now that I have a beer all I have to do is drink it.  

"One sip won't hurt anybody."  My feelings tell me and eventually win.

I tip the blue cup slowly upwards in my mouth when someone shoves into, knocking my cup at my face and getting a huge mouthful.  Some of the beer drips down my chin, but I wipe it away.  The taste is bitter on my tongue.  Uh, how can anyone really like this stuff? 

"Here Pete, have a shot.  One just to get the party started?"  Tyler wiggles his eyebrows in anticipation. 

"What is it?"

"Mostly burbon but you'll be okay"  His smile grows.  One shot can't do much either.  I'm not that scrawny to get bad off of one.  I quickly do it so I don't get called a wimp in front of everyone.  It burns it's way down my throat and I start coughing.  Tyler thumps me on the back, "You'll learn, this will help,"  Tyler hands me another cup that looks clear.  Must be water.  I take another large gulp mistakenly and instantly know it isn't.  Tyler walks away laughing.

I throw out the rest and decide that's enough for tonight.  Most likely, both Tyler and Mikey will be drunk and I will have to drive home.  Mr. Responsibility here and ready to assist.

There's nothing interesting in the kitchen except for the alcohol and people clamoring at it for more, so I went to venture out into the rest of the house.  I noticed the farer into the house the more people were making out or more arguments were happening.

I finally reached what I assumed was the living room and found Tyler there watching tv with two girls on either side of him.

"You're watching football?  At a party?"  I ask him and he turns his green eyes to me.

"Yep" he says nonchalantly.  "I can't miss the Ravens against the Giants.  It's gonna be epic!"  He takes another swig of his alcohol then is back to watching the tv.

Football isn't really my thing.  I kind of miss the point of big guys tackling each other for a touchdown.  I'm more of soccer guy.  I'd never try out for the team, but I do sometimes practice in my backyard.

I leave Tyler to his football game and head down the hall to see if anything else is happening.  Boredom is starting to claw at me and don't find parties as interesting as everyone.

That is until the side effects of the beer start to go to my head.  A tiny buzz is in the back of my mind.  The buzzing feels like it's trying to tell me to loosen up.  It is almost like my thought process is fuzzy.

I end up at a T in the hallway and my body takes me to the right.  Family pictures are hung up in the hallway and I wonder who they are and why aren't they home?  Don't they know there's a party at their house? 

I trip over a guy sleep in the hallway and he just grunts at the contact, while I fly head first into an end table and a vase comes smashing down in a million pieces.

Oh man!  I think to myself.  That sucks for the people who own it.

I continued on staggering when a redhead wonders up to me.