Lucy’s stomach was swarming with butterflies as she walked up to the foreign house. She never received random phone calls from people asking her to hang out, especially from people she barely knew. She had no idea what to expect.

Once Lucy reached the door she timidly raised her fist to knock, praying she had the right house. She only had to knock once before the door burst open and a boy appeared with a bright smile. “Hey! I’m so glad you came!” Mike said excitedly as he moved aside to let her to enter his house.

“I wasn’t doing anything anyway.” Lucy replied, entering the house. The first thing she noticed was the unfamiliar boy playing video games on the couch. He was immersed in the television and she didn’t think he realized she had just walked through the door. The second thing she noticed were all of the beer bottles on the table in front of him.

Lucy didn’t know what to do with herself so she awkwardly stood a few feet away from the front door, waiting for Mike to take the lead. He shut the door and turned towards her with a smile. She noticed now that he was swaying slightly as he stood and his eyes were beginning to grow red. Lucy gave him a smile, but she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. She wasn’t exactly a pro at social situations and now a boy she barely knew stood before her ready to hang out with her. It didn’t help that he was intoxicated, since she had never been drunk herself or had even hung out with someone who was.

Lucy was distracted from her thoughts by Mike calling out to the boy on the couch. “Hey, Vic?” The boy quickly looked up, pressing a button on his controller and giving the both of them a large smile. “This is Lucy. Lucy, this is Vic.” He introduced.

Vic gave a polite, “Hello,” before picking up a beer and taking a drink. “You guys can sit on the couch if you want, my game is over and I’m about to head to bed.” He announced, standing up and leaving the room with his beer. Lucy didn’t miss the knowing smile he gave Mike before he left. It only made her more uncomfortable.

Mike led her to the couch, the bright smile still plastered on his face. “Do you want something to drink? I think we still have a couple of beers left.” He offered.

“Oh, I don’t drink beer.” Lucy said nervously.

Mike looked taken back for a moment, like he couldn’t believe the words he had just heard. “Well, what do you want to do then?”

Lucy bit her lip. She had no clue what she wanted to do. Mike quickly picked up on the fact she seemed unsure and an idea popped into his head.

“Here me out on this one, ‘kay? This might sound a little lame, but since we don’t know each other, do you want to play twenty questions?” he offered, hopefully.

“Sure.” Lucy answered, feeling relived that the pressure was off of her to decide what to do.

“Okay, first question… What grade are you in?” Mike asked.

“I’m a senior.” Lucy replied. “You?”

“Hey, you have to ask a different question!” Mike snapped at her playfully. Lucy’s face immediately flushed red. “It’s okay, I’ll answer it anyway. I’m a senior as well, although I really should have graduated last year.”

“How come you didn’t?” Lucy asked.

“Oh, I just missed too many days.” Mike told her, but she could tell he was lying. It wasn’t her business to press so she let it go. The room stood in silence for a moment before Mike thought of another question, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Lucy once again flushed at this question. “No,” she answered, embarrassed. She had never had a boyfriend and it was something she didn’t like to admit. People always acted strange when she told them that fact and she hated it. She prayed Mike wouldn’t ask further.

He didn’t, instead he chose to ask another question, turning their game into just a series of questions, “… do you think I’m handsome?” he asked with a serious look on his face. If Mike hadn’t been drinking that night, he knew he would have never been able to muster up the courage to ask her that.

Lucy was shocked by his question and it took her a moment to answer. She studied Mike’s face carefully while he waited. His heart was racing by the time she opened her mouth to reply. “Yes.” She said, her face flushing an even darker red than it had all night.

Mike’s bright smile returned once again.

“Why do you ask?” Lucy wondered, wanting to know if there was a chance she was getting hit on or not. She was starting to think that having Mike drunk while they hung out was good thing. She felt more comfortable asking him things knowing he wasn’t entirely sober.

“Well, I’ve been feeling a little insecure lately.” Mike confessed. Lucy sat beside him, intently listening as he spoke. “I think my girlfriend’s cheating on me and I just wanted to know if it was because I was ugly or stupid or a loser or what.” He answered, obviously hurt by the situation. Lucy’s heart dropped a little as he told her this. She would have much preferred him to be hitting her, but she knew that this was selfish so she chose to push that thought away.

“I’m really sorry,” she tried to console, “You seem nice enough to me, though. And you’re obviously not ugly, because I just said you weren’t. Maybe she’s just not the right girl for you?” Lucy offered.

Mike seemed to deeply consider her words. “Maybe.” He replied, feeling a little better. “You’re really nice, you know that?”

“I guess.” Lucy laughed, “But no one’s ever told me that.”

“Well it’s true.” Mike confessed to her. He was really glad he had invited her over tonight. Vic was right about her being a nice girl. The only problem was that it was a little unnerving for him to have a girl like her around. He wasn’t used to people like her, but he found it oddly refreshing and he made a mental note to give Vic a thanks in the morning.

After a few more mindless questions, such as what their favorite colors were and who their favorite bands were Lucy told Mike she had to leave. He gave her a sad smile and walked her to the door. “I’m gonna see you again soon, right?” he asked.

“Definitely.” She replied.