Ethan took a heavy drag from his cigarette as his eyes focused on the abstract painting at the far corner of the living room. It always managed to make him feel uncomfortable, with its swirls of black and purple which seemed to dance across the canvas. His dad had acquired the painting from Italy; a business partner had apparently gifted it to him in good faith. His head felt light; he was still floating from what he had smoked an hour ago. Turning towards the quiet street below, he pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was 5:06pm. He sighed in exhaustion as he thought of the party starting in less than 2 hours. His friend Lucas was hosting yet another party as the true party-lover that he was. He flung the cigarette butt over the balcony as he contemplated not going to today's party.
Like clockwork, his phone began to ring and Lucas's name flashed against the screen. He chuckled lightly as he picked up and raised the phone to his ear. "Hey, man." Lucas sounded breezy and relaxed.
"What's up?"
"Just wanted to remind you about my party tonight," Lucas paused and took a deep breath, "in case you forgot."
"Of course not." He said as he stared off into the distance, making a mental note to pop a happy pill before leaving for the party.
"There's going to be so many hot girls there, man." Lucas chortled with excitement, sobering up slightly to add mournfully, "You're going to be there, right? You did miss my last two parties."
Ethan laughed half-heartedly, replying sarcastically, "I won't miss it for the world."
Lucas sucked his teeth. "You better not. I'll catch you later."
Ethan shoved his left hand into his pocket, reaching for his almost-empty cigarette pack. He was beginning to feel the slight pounding of an impending headache. Frustrated, he began his daily contemplation game where he tried to convince himself that he didn't need any more substances. Pushing the pack back into his pocket, he sighed and ran his fingers through his blonde hair, realizing it had grown even longer. After much thought, he turned back to the house and began to walk to his room, accepting defeat. He would try again tomorrow. As for today, he was going to take 2 pills. The fun was just about to begin.
The music thumped loudly in his head as he sipped from a red cup. The sound seemed to reverberate in the wide, spacious home, bouncing off of the countless strangers who had arrived.
***
Ethan had taken one of his dad's cars, a red vintage Honda Accord which he loved deeply, and drove off by 8pm to the party. Lucas had left him a few missed calls, but he felt too groggy to pick, knowing that he'd just get a proper tongue lashing. He had arrived and been let through the wrought-iron gates, where he ducked right from the cobblestone driveway into the ranch house to avoid being stopped by many faces.
He had made his way past the big maroon doors and a sea of more people in the living room. "Ethan!!!", "Wassup Ethan," "Hi Ethan…" the perks of popularity swallowed him. He held the spotlight for quite some time, then stepped away after the growing number of stares began to make him feel uncomfortable. After he had pulled a smooth exit to the gourmet kitchen, he found himself surrounded by a handful of guys he didn't know.
Now leaning on the marble countertop, he swirled the juice on his tongue as he tried to figure out what brand of whiskey was mixed in with it. Jackpot. He smiled as he realized that it was whiskey. I do know my flavors, he noted proudly.
"Ethan, what are you doing here in the kitchen?" He heard an annoyed scowl from behind him and knew who it was immediately.
"Hey, man." He turned around with arms outstretched, hoping to appease his dear friend. "Great party as always." He smiled, a round dimple forming on his left cheek as he tried to hug Lucas. "You didn't pick up my calls." Lucas replied as he rolled his eyes, still going in for the hug with a playful frown.
"Sorry about that, my bad." He pulled back and stared into his friend's eyes. "Why don't we go where the party is?" He chuckled as he steered Lucas out of the kitchen with one hand on his shoulder. They headed straight to the living room, where Ethan spotted a guy he knew from another college.
"Yo Ethan! It's been a while." Sam extended his right hand to him as they shared a handshake and a hug. Lucas signaled he was going to be at the bar and then left. Sam was a tall, scrawny guy with deep-set eyes and an aquiline nose.
"Yea bro. Haven't seen you since Dave's birthday bash."
They both looked at each other guiltily. "Though we were both wasted." They fell into loud laughter, recalling their past moments of mischief.
After recovering from his sudden laugh, Ethan bade his friend farewell, then continued navigating through the crowd of people - sharing greetings and nods as he walked towards Lucas, who was already in the process of concocting his famous punch.
Ethan took a swing of Lucas's popular punch, then winced while making monkey faces. "Why the hell is this so concentrated? Are you trying to start an orgy or a party?" He faced Lucas with tilted eyebrows, deeply contemplating his intentions.
Lucas smiled sheepishly. "I'm not done yet. I could add a bit more juice, you know." He waved his right hand in dismissal as he reached for more raspberry juice with his left. He poured it in, then looked up at Ethan with a tipsy grin. "Just in case, let me add a little more gin."
Ethan was on his second cup, when the living room started to look more like virtual reality. His breathing became heavier, and the music so pleasant to his ears. Thoughts began to rush back and forth through his mind, as a result of this elevated state of gratification. His body began to crave one thing- a cigarette.
He ran through his pockets the first and second time, but didn't find a spark. "Lucas, could you lend me a light?!" still searching his pockets, "I think I left mine in the car, maybe."
"Jesus! Ethan, you look so f*d up already." Lucas peered at him with accusing eyes. "You popped some icicles, didn't you? That must be why you weren't picking up my calls earlier." His eyes shot daggers at Ethan, his lips in a thin line.
Ethan was mute, realizing he had been caught. He chuckled half-heartedly as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I still have a bit more in my car." He tossed a furtive glance at Lucas, sure that he wouldn't pass up on the offer to get high. He hoped to get himself back in Lucas's good graces and avoid him sulking all night.
Ethan took Lucas's grunt to mean disgruntled approval as he began to walk to the car with short, slightly staggering strides. His long, slender fingers opened the front door sluggishly and his 6-feet-4 frame almost toppled over as he stepped into the front seat. He opened the glove box and retrieved his red torch lighter, then reached for the floor liner, flipped it over, and viola! Icicles. He grabbed the drug before shoving it into the right front pocket of his jeans.
He licked his plump lips to rid it of its dryness before aligning it with a cigarette. Next thing was the sparking noise of the lighter, a cloud of smoke and the sweet essence of a nicotine rush. He closed his eyes and sighed in pleasure, as he allowed the cigarette to accelerate his joy.
After taking some puffs, he stepped out of the car and flicked the burning ash. He knew it was best not to leave any residue on his dad's car floor. As the cigarette approached its end, he tossed it to the ground. He squashed it with his right foot, took some mint gum from his left pocket, then tossed it into his mouth before heading back to the party.
It was a whole different vibe when he stepped into the living room. The music reverberated through the walls and the atmosphere was thick with debauchery and consistent goosebumps. Ethan was all hyped that it made him dance to the beats. There was a chorus of cheers, as he continued to bop to the music with the vigor that comes from youthful exuberance, or maybe it was just the due effects of his intoxication.
Not long after that, he began to sober up. He needed a drink, so he headed straight to Lucas's station. He was nowhere to be seen. At the same time, the punch sparkled red under Ethan's watchful gaze, while drawing him closer to it like some vertigo.
Ethan reached for the red cup and filled it to the brim. Just as he was about to take a sip of his drink, he was alerted to a presence that awoke something in him that was both exciting and dangerous.