Just By Chance

18. dRuNk

"Jeez Forth, don't kill him." P'Toy laughed and the other seniors chuckled. "Are you not cool with N'Phana?"

"Why would he be? He took the crown of Moon when Forth clearly should have won last year." P'Lon said. Just like Forth's friends, his seniors believed that he should have been crowned the Moon that night too.

"That's not it. We're just not that close, that's all." Forth said. He was trying not to panic in front of his seniors. If P'Sam invited Phana to come, Phana would for sure have Beam and Kit tag along. And If Beam came, that meant Forth would have no control over how wild his heart would beat if they even came remotely close to each other. As much as he tried to deny it, he knew he had been acting funny lately with his friends. But he just couldn't help it. His brain was stuck on BEAM BEAM BEAM!

"No worries, Forth. I'll invite Sam and Phana." P'Pond said.

Forth nodded stiffly and his seniors went back to talking amongst themselves. Forth sat twirling his pencil in his hand as he stared off into space. Would Beam really come? Could he stop himself from acting so sprung if Beam showed up?

More questions floated across his mind as he felt Oat lean in to him. Forth turned to look at him and that same idiotic smile was back on his face. Oat wiggled his eyebrows at him, knowingly, then turned back to start his homework.

****

"Are you sure we're even invited? P'Sam only invited you, didn't he?" Kit asked as he packed up his things to head back to the dorm. He, Beam, and Phana were in the library studying for an upcoming quiz; a practice quiz in preparation for their first exam of the semester which would take place next week.

"Of course you can come. It's a bar. Anyone can go to a bar." Phana threw his bag over his shoulder. "Besides, P'Sam is your senior too. Why wouldn't you be allowed to go?'

"Yea, but he's so...mean and cranky."

"Oh, you mean just like you?" Beam smiled and stood too. Kit scowled at him. "You can't be mad that you guys have the exact same personality." Beam laughed and Phana smirked because it was true. Kit was forever in a cranky mood unless he was not-so-subtly blushing over Ming. He thought Beam and Phana hadn't noticed how much more he and Ming had been talking, but they noticed; and they noticed how frequently his eyes would dart around the canteen looking for Ming too whenever they would go.

"Yeah well...whatever." Kit turned away.

"Who's all gonna be there, Pha?" Beam looked at Phana. They all three made their way out of the library as they talked.

"Mmm...I'm not entirely sure. P'Sam and the rest of our seniors for sure. I think I heard him mention something about the engineering seniors going."

Beam went rigid. "Engineering?"

"Yea. P'Toy and P'Sam are pretty close. So if P'Toy is going, I'm sure some other engineering guys will be there."

"...um...you mean...do you think they invited their juniors too?" Beam didn't want to come right out and ask whether or not Phana knew if Forth was going but he was dying to know. He wanted to see Forth again, but he didn't want to be surrounded by a bunch of people from school; too many people to see him turn clumsy in front of him.

Kit caught on to what Beam was really asking.

"He wants to know if Forth will be there, Ai'Pha." Kit said flatly, then had to quickly duck out of the way as Beam swung at him. "What!? That's what you mean, isn't it???" He laughed.

"Stop it you two." Phana said as he passed his friends. Kit and Beam settled down like obedient children. "I don't know if Forth is coming or not. I haven't seen him in order to ask. But..." He turned to Beam and raised his eyebrows. "There's only one way to find out."