Cinco de WASTED: The Second Party

Steve mentions to me that the three parties on this floor has opened up their doors to their balconies to allow people to move from one party to the next, making it almost one huge party. I talk to Joanna about going over to Gayler’s via the balcony connected through the kitchen. She is adamant about staying here, in this party and pleads that I don't go to Gayler’s. I tell her I’m going anyways and she tells me to keep an eye out on what is going on, otherwise known as “Who is Gayler making out with.”

I squeeze through the balcony, doing the standard, drink at chest level in the left hand and the right arm at a 90 degree angle as if I was parting the crowd saying “excuse me.”

Once in Gayler’s apartment the mood changes. Where the prior party was filled with loud conversations and loud, thumping music; this party was chill and laidback. I go into the dining room and see the standard set up, beer pong table in the center, keg in the corner, and everyone watching or drinking. Gayler notices me and approaches with his hand outstretched. “Whats up man! How’re you doing?” I grasp his hand and do the normal pull in single arm hug pat on the back straight guy thing. I tell him I’m doing good when someone says “The question is ‘How are you doing Gayler!” Steve was behind me. We both lean onto the wall and soak in the scenery. A smoky apartment with the scent of beer, tequila, and lime. Gayler is sitting next to us, steadily drinking his beer and managing the play list of music. Gayler is drunk, or at least close to it.

Trying to be cool with the party talk, I ask Gayler, after minutes of deliberating what to say without sounding like I’m in desperate need of alcohol, if he has tequila. So, with my newly rehearsed line I ask Gayler, “So, Hows the Tequila situation over here?” Score! Nailed it!. “You want some tequila man? Lets get you some Tequila.”

Gayler escorts me back to the kitchen and pulls out a bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold out from his freezer. On the cutting board near his sink are two double shot glasses and a couple limes cut up and ready. All of a sudden Joanna is here, I’m not sure how she got here exactly, she may have came with me into Gayler’s, or she may have been passing through as this little exchange was going on. Gayler says that he’s had enough tequila for the night and offers the second shot to Joanna. Joanna, being the person she is, takes it because I mean come on, who could deny Gayler, and because of her scary school girl like crush on him. Gayler counts down holding his Corona in the air and Joanna and I raise the shot glasses to our lips. He Drunkenly yells out, “GO!” and I down the double shot without hesitation. It goes down, pretty smooth thanks to it being cold (I think I can drink more when it’s cold because one, alcohol is always better cold, and two, because all those nights drinking warm tequila and aristoshit in the dorms has trained me for this). I knock my head back, get every last drop out. When I’m back down on earth I look over at Joanna and Gayler. Joanna didn't take her shot. So me and him, being the people we are, egg her on and tell her to take her shot. We’re giving her outlandish reasons, “There are sober children in Africa” or “You not drinking makes babies cry.” So she says she’ll take the shot as long as I take another with her. Myself, being the lush I am, joyously agree and pour another shot. Theres a countdown again, someone shouts Gayler’s name, he turns around.

(the following happens in slow motion): the second Gayler’s gaze is in the other direction, she lowers the shot from her mouth, I look over at her with the shot breaching my lips with the expression of, “Are you fucking serious”. She extends her arm across the kitchen towards the sink, I look at her, mid-shot, with a look that can only be translated as, “NOO!”, the look of shock as an accident is right about to happen. JOANNA POURS HER SHOT DOWN THE DRAIN, and I finish my shot. (Back to regular speed)

Gayler turns back around and Joanna is smiling her pretty face off. I look back at her and just give her a disapproving headshake as she rambles on with some excuse.

Trying to make my way through the crowd was like trying to thread a chair through the eye of a needle. I pushed and excused my way through the crowd using the drink raised overhead in front of me acting as a beacon through the sea of people technique, seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces along the way. It was hot, with the combination of alcohol, people, and the jacket I’m wearing, it feels like a sauna in the apartment.

Finally, I step onto the porch in the front of the building. The crowd was separated, one on the left and one on the right, the center was relatively clear, except for a couple of people. One pairing was Ryan and Casin, the two roommates from my building, lived 4 doors down from me. They were regulars at Gayler’s place and it wasn't uncommon to run into them here. I’ve never really talked to them before, and hey, it's the end of the semester, I’ve got a couple drinks in me, they probably have double in them, why not make friends.

I go up next to Ryan and lean on the handrail. We’re all looking down at grace street and the surrounding area. I’m not exactly sure how we started talking to each other, but it may have happened in any of the following scenarios;

1. I turn to Ryan and say hey, nothing fancy, just a simple hey.

2. Ryan turns to me and says hey, again, nothing fancy.

3. Either one of use ask each other for a light, however neither of us are smoking.

4. This is probably the most likely reason we started talking, and coincidentally, the most unbelievable, unless you were there. We’re both leaning on the handrail when I hear, “Hey, I’m BAM!” I turn around and BAM, is offering a handshake to some girl on the outside futon. “Hi, Bam,” the girl responds in the cute girl way that has the way of subtly hinting, “Hey, I’m trying to get laid,” without going to the length of being a whore. BAM, not satisfied with her dulcet response insists that, “NO, My name is BAM!” She, laughs until she notices that he’s dead serious and grabs his hand again. “Hey BAM!” He smiles and relishes in his triumph (BAM, if you don’t know, is also a regular at Gayler’s and Will’s, next door neighbor, shares the porch, parties. As you can tell, he is pretty loud). BAM makes his way over to Ryan and Casin. “Hey I’m BAM!” Ryan and Casin both shake his hand and respond like most people do “BAM! Wassup man!” He turns to me, “Hey man, how you been?” Holy shit, he remembers me. “Sup BAM.” No exclamation mark, ‘cause we cool like that.

BAM grabs my shoulder and turns me toward Ryan and Casin, “Hey have you met this guy?!” (I added an exclamation mark, because he tends to yell) Ryan and Casin both respond yeah and Ryan goes on to say, “Yeah man that's Iric, he’s cool.”

Ryan and I are talking, about what we had to drink and the whole situation of the world and all. I offer him a sip of my drink which is about halfway down, with a gigantic strawberry floating dead center. He in exchange, gives me his whole beer. While he’s sipping on that I finish up his beer and he offers to get me a beer over at Will’s, since he has a keg. I say that's ok, and then turn to lean my back against the rail. Steve comes over to me and says that he and the rest of the guys plus Joanna are going to do something, I barely make out what he says through the crowd. Before I can respond he’s bounding back into Gayler’s apartment then out of sight. I turn back to Ryan, he shrugs his shoulders, and I make my way back to the first party.

I’m moving through the crowd at Gayler’s, get side tracked when BAM introduces me to more people, then finally make it into the kitchen. From the kitchen I go onto the crowded fire escape that connects the two apartments into the first party.

Remember how I said the sight sucked when I first entered? It sure has changed. The place was full, full of theater students, I could tell because I have seen some of them in the theater productions. I look around trying to find Steve and the rest with no luck. I happen to find the person who I supposedly know and ask him if he knew where they went. He responded with, “Yeah they just left.” I stood there for a second. In the background was top 40 rock music, someone yells out “We’re out of paint can now its just beer.” I move over to the wall and take up my residency next to the drink table.

“We’re out of beer now its just Tequila.”

[more to come]

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on a completely different topic, On the "cool new friends" part on my myspace page I saw a picture of someone familiar, and I took a screencap so I would come back to it later and figure out who it reminded me of, lo and behold here it is.