Asher had started to believe that his name was actually ‘Danny’s Asher!’ about three hours into the party as that was what everyone seemed to be calling him. Apparently Danny spoke of him often, and to everyone he had ever met. People would come up to him with a strange look on their face, almost as if they believed that Asher was some secret that had been kept from them. They would introduce themselves with practiced kindness and when Asher explained who he was they would respond with the now infamous ‘oh you’re Danny’s Asher! I’ve heard all about you!’
It didn’t always end there, sometimes the person who, by the way, was quite happy with themselves for realising who Asher was, would tell him about stories that Danny had told them of him. He supposed that they were just trying to find some connection with him but all that it did was make him feel ostracized even further, almost as if the stories were about different people entirely and he was just an outsider looking in. He nodded periodically and hummed out a yes when necessary. Their story would finish and he would smile politely and then they would separate, leaving Asher vulnerable to more introductions.
It had happened again. Asher was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with his first and only beer of the night in his hands, when a girl walked up to him. She had hair so blonde it rivalled the sun and her heels made her legs look almost inhumanly long. Her eyes caught his as she was striding over on those long legs.
‘Hi, do I know you?’ she questioned, her tone suggesting that he ought to know her if planned on making it out of this party with any social standing.
‘I’m Danny’s boyfriend,’ he replied almost mechanically. It was the thousandth time that he had identified himself as such. It was conflicting. The words themselves were like magic, flowing through the air like butterflies, making Asher’s heart swell because he was out in the world and able to tell anyone and everyone who he loved while at the same time knowing that all of these people would accept it with open arms. It was the sentence that Asher had dreamt of saying over and over again, but there was a limit.
‘You’re Danny’s Asher?’ the blonde asked with a huge smile on her wine stained lips. She seemed to accept Asher in a heartbeat, his social standing now no longer in question.
‘Yes I am,’ he replied, taking a swig of beer and wishing that it was something stronger.
‘He has been talking about you at school for as long as I could remember! I’ve been asking to meet you this whole year,’ she told him with some fake, not to mention flirtatious, resentment in her voice. Apparently she blamed him for the absolute tragedy it is that they hadn’t met before now. She placed her hand on his arm, ‘I’m glad you finally made the effort to come tonight! I’m sure that Danny appreciates it.’
‘Yeah,’ Asher muttered.
The blonde seemed to have no inclination that Asher was severely bored of this conversation and she kept talking. He tuned her out after a while. The girl spoke nonstop and she didn’t even notice when Asher checked his phone. It had one message on it from an unknown number. He opened it with mild trepidation.
Hey Asher, It’s Ivy. I hope you don’t mind I got your number off Beth. Want to hang out tonight? – Unknown Number
He knew full well that the only impromptu hanging out activities she was looking for where ones he was most definitely not interested in. There were many, many, numerous reasons why he declined the offer. Thoughts of Leon popped into his mind as he thought about Ivy. He really seemed to be interested in her and this was what she was doing. Ivy was going behind everyone’s backs it seemed. She was a snake, with motives and strategies that he just couldn’t put his finger on.
Maybe she was planning on using him the same way that Maisy had intended to. Dating the football captain was apparently a common trick to jump the ladder of popularity. Too bad for Ivy, this football captain was not as thick headed as she had assumed.
He replied carefully. He didn’t want to get on her bad side, unsure of how dark this girl really was. If she was gathering forces to overthrow Maisy then what was stopping her from trying to instate Leon as football captain when she did it. It wasn’t too much of a stretch.
Wish I could but I’m busy tonight. Maybe another time. - Asher
He knew that it was a misleading message that he was sending.
Asher looked up from his phone to see that the blonde girl was still talking to him. He wondered if she had even noticed his utter lack of attention and then dismissed it. She obviously didn’t.
He looked around the kitchen to see if he knew anyone who he could distract her with but came up short. There were only two other people in the room, a girl and guy who were very obviously a couple. They were sharing whispers in the corner of the room with half empty glasses slung in their hands. He decided that they probably weren’t going to be the ones who saved him. In fact, he wished that it was he and Danny being the cliché couple at a party. He imagined that his interest level in the party would rise tenfold if it was Danny who was talking to him, their hands intertwined and maybe even a kiss here and there between quiet whispers of secrets and loud laughs of happiness. Yet, here he was in reality with a girl who may have even been a nice chick if she had any concept of self-awareness.
Amanda chose this moment to walk into the kitchen to get a refill of her drink and Asher was infinitely grateful as he sent her a look that pled for help. At first she looked back with some confusion until her eyes flickered over to the girl with the never ending legs and her expression changed. She seemed half amused as she walked straight over to them and immediately came to his rescue.
‘Candy, your sister’s looking for you,’ she chimed in as the girl, apparently named Candy, was speaking. Asher didn’t second guess the name.
Candy stopped speaking and turned her eyes to Amanda, ‘Oh,’ Candy’s gaze shifted and she smiled at Asher cheerfully, ‘I’ll see you around! It was good talking to you!’
Candy turned and walked away, her blonde hair swinging behind her. The moment that she was out of earshot he smiled appreciatively at Amanda. ‘Thank-you so much for saving me.’
Amanda laughed, ‘Don’t mention it. Candy and her sister are harmless, they just don’t have much when it comes to intelligence or social graces.’
‘I don’t doubt that,’ he muttered, sipping at his can.
Amanda’s red hair was pulled to the top of her head in a messy bun and she was dressed much more casually than she had the last time they had seen each other. She had a beer in her own hand that matched the one in Asher’s.
‘I’ve had so many pointless introductory conversations tonight, I feel like the new kid at school,’ Asher told her. It wasn’t that they were really friends but he knew her more than he knew the majority of the people at the party and that had to count for something. She also had this vibe that came off of her in waves, no judgement it read. She was carefree and just had an overall calm vibe that Asher could get used to.
Amanda nodded understandably. ‘We have all been friends for so long they are probably just interested in the new face. Once you come to a few more of these things it will be easier.’
He had promised Danny to come back here with him as much as they could and he didn’t plan on backing out of that. ‘I hope so,’ he replied.
There was a casual silence for a few seconds where they both just listened to the music around them. Amanda glanced at the couple who were now making out against the pantry door with amused ease and Asher guessed that this was not an irregular occurrence. She turned her gaze away and brought her drink to her lips.
‘Are you having any fun?’ she asked after taking a few sips.
He lent back further against the counter top. He had to think about that. He had spent the last few hours watching the door to make sure that his former bullies hadn’t arrived yet. He had stood in watch like a lion in wait and yet he was quite sure that he wouldn’t have a clue what to do if they had actually walked through that door. His stomach had been turning in his gut every time more guests arrived but none of them were the couple that he had run from at the last party here. It seemed that they weren’t invited to this smaller, more formal party than last time. Once satisfied that they weren’t coming, Asher had hung out alone in the kitchen, unsure what to do. Danny was happy in his own little world with his friends and Asher didn’t want to intrude on that.
‘This is about Danny, not me,’ Asher replied as the dutiful boyfriend.
Amanda shrugged, ‘I know small talk with strangers isn’t really all that fun but try to enjoy yourself. These people all love Danny so you have that in common with them. Speaking of your boyfriend, I’m sure that Danny doesn’t know your just standing in the kitchen by your lonesome making small talk every once in a while.’
Asher just shrugged. Danny was off somewhere unknown and although he had tried to find him a few times he had been distracted with more introductions after only a few seconds. ‘Well, at one point I did have Candy to talk to and that conversation was wildly intellectual,’ he jested.
‘Oh, I’m sure,’ Amanda smirked. ‘Anyway, you should come outside with us.’
It wasn’t a challenge but Asher felt like he had to do it now. In truth, he didn’t want to be faced with how close Danny and Damien were and sitting with Danny and all of his friends, including Damien, just looked like a recipe for an awkward disaster.
He must have taken too long to answer as Amanda joked; ‘We don’t bite.’
‘I never said you couldn’t bite,’ he wished he hadn’t said the flirty words even as they came from his mouth. Amanda just reminded him so much of Beth in some moments that they just slipped out.
Amanda just smiled and shrugged it off. He was glad.
He downed the last of his beer in a few gulps and left the empty bottle on the counter top with a couple of others. They then left the confines of the kitchen and walked out onto the patio where most of the partygoers were. The multiple small tables were back again. The largest one was the one where Asher spotted his boyfriend. He was sitting with Damien on one side and Jules on the other.
Danny was laughing at something Damien must have said and was distracted. It was Jules who saw Amanda and Asher arriving and moved from his spot to the other side of Damien, ‘Here,’ he said, offering up his seat to Asher.
‘Thank-you,’ he replied, taking the seat next to his boyfriend.
Amanda sat next to him, leaning around Asher to speak to Danny. ‘I found your boyfriend.’
Danny smiled at her, ‘Thanks, I really need to put him on a leash.’
Asher laughed, slinging his arm around Danny and pulling him close.
Danny leant into it, whispering; ‘Just joking.’
Asher laughed, ‘I know,’ he said, pressing a kiss to Danny’s forehead.
‘I can’t believe that you are leaving,’ Damien cooed, drawing Danny’s attention away from his boyfriend. Danny promptly pulled away from Asher so that he could talk to Damien and Asher felt a little cold when Danny wasn’t pressed against him.
‘Me either, I’m going to miss all of you,’ Danny told them. There was a sadness in Danny’s eyes that Asher hated seeing.
Everyone’s faces softened as they looked at Danny.
‘I’m sure that we can drive up here all the time,’ Asher suggested, anything to get that awfully sad look off of his boyfriends face. ‘Clifford Heights isn’t too far away.’
Danny nodded, his expression lightening. ‘Asher is right, moving away doesn’t mean I won’t still see all of you.’
There wasn’t as much conviction in his voice as he said it but it seemed like it was enough for his friends who all nodded in agreement. Damien was the only one who didn’t seem to believe it. Asher knew that Damien felt like he was losing his best friend and words weren’t going to be of much comfort to him. Asher didn’t feel sympathetic towards him though, he didn’t care much for Damien’s feelings.
‘Let’s just have a good night and focus on just being together,’ Jules suggested, opening a can of beer that had been sitting in front of him at the table.
‘Great idea,’ Amanda chimed in, looking at Damien.
Damien nodded weakly and picked up his drink. Asher wasn’t sure what was in it but he hoped it wasn’t too strong as he downed the entire cup in less than twenty seconds. It seemed like Damien was in the mood to wallow in his impending loss and Asher didn’t want him around Danny while he did it.
‘Come get a drink from the kitchen with me?’ Asher asked Danny.
Danny nodded and they left the table, heading towards the doors which lead back into the house. Asher heard Damien asking Amada to hand him the vodka bottle.
He linked his hand with Danny’s, ‘What do you want?’ he asked as they reached the kitchen. Asher opened the fridge with his other hand and looked back at Danny expectantly.
‘Soda,’ Danny replied.
Asher grabbed a can for Danny and another for himself. He let go of Danny’s hand after watching Danny attempt to open the can one handed. It was adorably funny but not too practical.
‘Enjoying your party?’ Asher asked as they stood by the fridge.
Danny took a sip of his soda, shifting his weight over his feet. ‘Yeah,’ he paused, ‘I just wish that Damien was taking it better.’
‘What do you mean?’ Asher asked. Danny shrugged and walked over to the kitchen counter where two white bench seats were. He sat down on one and Asher joined him, twisting the chair to face Danny. ‘Did something happen?’
‘He seemed fine for the past few weeks but tonight he just got really upset and asked me not to leave,’ Danny confessed. ‘I know that he is just upset but he has been drinking all night and he just seems so miserable. I hate that I am doing that to him.’
Asher placed his hand on Danny’s knee, ‘Hey, it’s not your fault. It’s not like you’re moving to Canada, it’s only Clifford Heights. Damien will see that in time.’
Danny nodded, ‘I know. I do.’
Asher wasn’t sure what to say. He knew he didn’t want Danny to ruin his own party by focussing on Damien for the entire night. ‘How about you introduce me to all of your friends here?’
Danny’s face lit up, ‘That’s a great idea.’
Danny led him around the house to talk to his friends. Most of the people they talked to already knew Asher as Danny’s Asher so not too many introductions were needed. Danny seemed to have nice friends, definitely a varied group of people. It was different for Asher to see so many different types of people all at the same party. His school wasn’t like this, his friends didn’t look like this. Differences were what segregated them and here they were what drew them together. It was of much confusion to Asher who felt like he had stepped into some sort of alternate universe.
Danny led Asher over to a group of four girls who were standing in the living room. Two brunette girls had their hands linked and the shorter one seemed to be leaning close to the other girl as they spoke with smiles on their faces to the other two girls next to them. Asher wondered if they were dating, he hoped they were. He hoped that they were living a life where they weren’t ostracised from the people around them, and from the looks of it, that’s exactly what was going on. They were just an ordinary couple in the room, just like the couple from the kitchen earlier. There was no judgment displayed from anyone around them and it made Asher marvel once again at the difference between Danny’s friends and his own.
The other two girls had bright blonde hair and were standing opposite the couple with bright red cups in their hands. He recognised one of the girls as Candy and he almost ran from the room in fear of being pulled into a twenty minute conversation with the girl. He followed Danny’s lead none the less and soon enough they were standing before the four girls.
‘Asher, this is Rachel and Vanessa,’ he motioned towards the brunettes, ‘and this is Candy and Crystal.’
Oh gosh Candy and Crystal, they might as well drop out of school now to become strippers, Asher thought. The two blondes smiled brightly at them both. Asher felt sort of bad for his negative thoughts then.
‘Danny, I haven’t spoken to you all night,’ Candy exclaimed, throwing her arms around Danny in a quick hug. She must have forgotten that she had the drink in her hand as the liquid held in the red cup was now flying towards Asher.
‘I’m so sorry!’ Candy cried as she pulled away from Danny. She looked at his shirt in mild horror.
‘It’s okay,’ Asher assured her. Cold drink was now running down his outfit and seeping onto his skin.
Danny bit at his lip as he examined the damage. It seemed that the cup held something that resembled a strong raspberry vodka and now the pink was all over his shirt and a little on his very expensive jacket.
Danny’s hands hovered over the wet stain, ‘Oh no.’
If this was another party he would have been quite upset and scrambling around to find a new, clean shirt while at the same time yelling at the girls who made a fool of him. This time he didn’t feel the pressure to look quite as perfect and so he just shrugged, ‘It’s okay I’ll was it off.’ He wished that he had brought another shirt with him but he had planned on just wearing this outfit home the next day. He had the dirty, sweat stained shirt from that day in the car, but he didn’t think that his standards could drop that low.
The taller brunette interjected, ‘You should just borrow one of Damien’s shirts. They will be a little small but it might be easier.’
Borrowing something from Damien wasn’t high on the list of things Asher wanted to do but it wasn’t like he had much choice.
‘Want me to come with you?’ Danny asked.
‘That’s okay, I’ll find you after,’ Asher assured him.
Danny turned back to the girls as Asher made his way back towards the patio. Before he reached the doors, however, he ran into Amanda who had her arm around a sloppy and drunken Damien. Asher wondered how many drinks Damien had downed in the hour or so that he and Danny had been inside. Probably a lot considering the way he was unstable on his feet and his gaze could only seem to focus for a few seconds at a time.
‘Can you help me take him to his room?’ Amanda asked as he tried to keep Damien upright.
Asher swooped around them and grabbed Damien by his other side, keeping the other boy from falling onto the floor. Amanda looked around Damien to Asher, ‘Thanks, he was starting to get too heavy for me to handle.’
‘It’s okay, I don’t mind,’ he replied. ‘Where is his room?’
Amanda nodded towards the hallway and they slowly made their way towards the end of the small hallway to a white door. ‘This is it,’ Amanda told Asher.
He opened the door with his free hand. Damien’s room was simple. His double bed was pushed up against a wall that also featured a few band posters. A chest of drawers was placed against the opposite wall with half of its drawers spilling their contents out of their tops.
Together they placed Damien on the bed and his eyes closed the second his head hit the pillow. There were a few grunts from him as he moved around a little to get more comfortable but sure enough he seemed to fall straight into unconsciousness a few seconds later.
Amanda sighed in relief when his weight was out of her arms. ‘Geeze, he’s heavy,’ she mumbled. Amanda then placed a blanket over him and pushed his hair away from his face.
‘Does he usually get this smashed?’ Asher asked quietly even though he doubted that Damien would hear a word in his passed out state.
Amanda shook her head, ‘No. He usually has a few but never as much as this. Can I tell you something?’
Asher nodded in response. He was a great secret keeper, obviously.
Amanda sat down on the edge of the bed, glancing over at Damien just to double check that he wasn’t listening in. ‘I,’ she started slowly, ‘uh, I think that Damien is in a bit of a dark place at the moment.’
‘Why?’ he asked even though he could guess the answer easily.
‘He loves Danny so much and now that Danny is leaving he just isn’t handling it too well.’
Asher sat down next to her. ‘When you say love do you mean..?’
‘I don’t know if it’s romantic or not but I know for sure that Danny means the world to Damien and to lose him might destroy him,’ she told him. Amanda then seemed to have a realisation and her eye’s met Asher’s. ‘I don’t want you to think that I’m blaming you or that I wish that Danny was with Damien or something like that. I know that Danny loves you and he’s moving there because of his Dad’s job and to be closer to you but I just want you to make sure that Danny’s not going to leave and never look back. He has good friends here.’
Asher nodded, ‘Danny’s not going to forget about you guys. Especially Damien. We are going to come back and visit all the time. Damien will be okay once he gets used to it.’
‘Thank-you,’ Amanda told him. ‘What happened to your shirt?’ she asked, only now seeing the giant stain.
‘Candy spilt her drink all over me,’ he laughed quietly. ‘I think I’ll borrow one of Damien’s shirts.’
‘Good idea. Thanks for the talk, I’ll leave you to get changed,’ Amanda then gave him a smile and then left the room.
Asher looked back at Damien who was still thoroughly passed out, his mouth hanging half open. He assumed that he wouldn’t mind if he borrowed a shirt for the night. He pulled off his jacket and carefully laid it on the edge of the bed.
Asher walked up to the chest of drawers and opened the top one, finding a bunch of shirts. He pulled out one at random, a grey t-shirt with a black pocket on the breast, and threw it over his head, dropping his other one onto the edge of the bed. He gently closed the drawer’s and left the room, turning the light out as he did.
He headed back out to the party, determined to make sure that Danny was enjoying his night with his friends. This might have been the last chance for Danny to hang out with them for a while, where everyone was equal and kind. Soon enough he was going to be exposed to the hierarchy that was the social food chain of Asher’s school. He wondered if Danny would be the same innocent, carefree person after that.
He hoped so.