His Gray Half

3. Popular, Hoe, Nerd

He ended up with the decision of the irritating yet potentially good party, being better than his dirty apartment. And besides, it's been quite a while since he had been to an actual party.

The decision to stay, came at the price of finding the perfect less annoying spot to try relaxing in.

"That should work."
He spotted a balcony laying beyond the packed dance living room. I made his way there, got in and saw it as the perfect place to smoke. He slowly cursed the himself for misplacing the lighter.

"You've got a rock hard arm!"
He felt someone beside him, sinking her fingers into his right arm, pressing in and rolling over from the shoulder down to his wrist.
He turned to her.

"Hey Adrian! You know me, I'm Maddy, and I've always wanted to meet you.

Madelyn Gregory, Mad Greg for shorts to only her cheesy wannabes and haters, and that apparently was about seventy to eighty percent of Ridgewood High girls. Madelyn was one of the three Gorgon's of Ridgewood high (with Devon as number two) a look from either of the three, could petrify the heart of anybody. Her nastiness, and hoedom, made her a beacon of hate amongst the girls. Cheesy bunch!

"Don't you have makeups to be applying, or blowjobs to sell somewhere?"
If a sass would send her off, a few wouldn't hurt much.
"Get the fuck away from me wench!"

"So you would deny a girl a chance at giving you a good time?"
Her intention towards Adrian was crystal.

"I don't do dirty hoes!"
Adrian responded coldly.
"Shoo! Bitch!"

She slapped him, and stormed out.
"Prick!"
She added, and pushed open the door, and exited.

"Many would do anything for a chance to see a Gorgon's panties."
The voice came from behind, who ever it was must have slipped in the second Mad Greg stepped out.
"Why?"
He inquired upon his decision of rejecting Madelyn.

Adrian had to look over his shoulder to find him, an insecure, nerdy male, slender with white snickers and a fairly faded denim jacket, wood brown khaki, and a baseball cap. He seemed lonely, not just a no-friend loneliness, he was the empty library kind: the last book you find on the shelf, with the title "how to treat a fresh wound": everybody knows about it, but nobody cares to have it.

"She's not very much my type. I like them... Invisible."

"They don't make them like the used to."
He jested, and Adrian agreed with a nod.

"I'm Aaron... Brown!"

"Cool! You can go away now!'
Adrian snorted.

"Sor....sorry!"
He spun around, and walked away.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
He stopped and turned back to Adrian.

"I hate people, they never listen!"
Adrian groaned.
"No!"
He rejected.

"I'm getting it anyways!"
He insisted, and opened the plastered glass door, allowing the booming music in, which ceased the second he closed it, and hurriedly merged with the crowd.

Adrian wished the young lad would miss his steps along the way, and fail to locate the spot he was, but his plans failed. Aaron reappeared, and so did the loudness Adrian was avoiding.

"Here!"
Aaron handed him a glass of golden-brown liquid, which was half way to the tippy top of the crystal glass.
"Matinee..." He added as he noticed Adrian give the glass a disdain look, before looking up at him. "You also hate matinees?"

"Also?"
Adrian noticed his choice of words.

"You appear unfazed by the relics and sentiments of this world –"
Adrian raised a brow at him when he paused, which forced him to decide upon an explanation.
"Dark... Cold... Rude... Antisocial! You appear to be someone who hates an awful lot of things."
His face showed how serious, yet jokingly his question was.

"I have other important things to worry about," Adrian looked away from him, and into the dark star stained sky. "Being away from it all makes me –"
He paused when he realised how much of a motor mouth he was getting. He said nothing more, and only stared into the far off darkness his dilated pupil could venture to.

"Either way, matinee is an excellent choice for you right now."
Aaron offered him the glass again, which he blithely accepted, and immediately sent every content into his mouth, closed his eyes and chugged it down his throat.

"There! Happy?"
He handed him the empty glass, and wondered why he stood anticipating a reply to his ill-mannered question.

"You bet I am."
Shockingly he answered with ease, as though he undertook Adrian's attitude as a challenge, which he did.
"So, what brings the member of Ridgewood High's antisocial club to one of the best parties around?"
He attempted a chance at a lengthy conversation.

What brings the bookworm lanky guy to a popular party, on a school night?

"A friend!"
He replied coldly, without gifting him a look.

"You're kidding me right?"
Aaron couldn't force down the laugh my scratching to erupt.
"You. Have. A. Friend?"
He successfully added with his lips drooling of laughter.
Adrian got irritated at some point, but still didn't seem to spare him any attention, although he secretly did.

"Another matinee?"
He looked at the glasses fitted tightly within the fingers of Aaron, which as well ended Aaron's mocking laughter.
"Thank you."

Aaron back stepped, stopped and looked at him deeply. Adrian noticed, and added.
"Add a lighter too if you can."
His arms were still on the arch's railing, with his gaze fixated on the distance.

Aaron smiled as he nodded.
"One minute!"
He turned to face the door, braced his weight on it, and pushed it open.

"Couldn't find either!"
He'd returned, but this time, he had left the glasses behind, and didn't bother a search for the lighter.
"I lost them somewhere inside."
He lied again.
"We could go find it, that's if you would like to?"
He hoped his request is positively acknowledged. It was.

Adrian had seen through his lie, but for him to escape the lad, he had to indulge in whatever his plan was.
"Fine!"
He out the piece of cigarette that was stuck between the layer of his lips, and stuffed it in his hip pocket, and walked to where Aaron stood, and went beyond through the opened door.

"So, your friend, where's he?"
They stood over the kitchen counter. Adrian leaned forward with a lighted cigarette spacing out in his mouth, while Aaron had his back against it.

"She!"
Adrian corrected

"She!" Acknowledging the correction. "Where's she?"

"She sorta... stood me up!"
He raised the glass to his lips, and took a sip, which was followed with a quick cough.

"You both were supposed to be on date... In a place like this?"

"We were not on a date, I was forced here... Against my will. Not like I had to much of an opinion on the matter."
He muttered between his teeth.

"You could have just said no."
He shrugged.

Adrian found it meaningless to reply, and didn't.
Shortly Madelyn walked past them again, and smiled at him, before continuing in the direction she was on.
"That was amazingly gross."
He remarked at Madelyn's lecherous attempt.

"She loves you doesn't she? And you don't seem to –"

"Love?"
Adrian asked shocked, completely baffled by his naïveity.

"I don't believe in love, or any cosmic spark between two people. Love is just our brain giving us a reason to not use a condom."